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A semi-alcoholic news reporter finds himself suspected of the murder of his editor. Lively but slight tale that might have benefited from a stronger leading man than Robert Armstrong. Doubtful that his sloppy suit-and-tie-wearing female colleague would have made it into the picture post '34.

Robert Armstrong does a fine job heading up this familiar portrait of an old-time newspaper office, with all the cliches, stereotypes and corny wise cracks preserved intact, for a Talkie now nearly a century old. Carole Lombard has a relatively uninteresting role as his fellow reporter wife (threatening him with divorce due to his drunkenness), and a talented but obscure supporting cast fill out the canvas for a fun hour.

Based on a George Brooks stage play, and not opened out even a little bit for the big screen, the show has colorful if hokey characters, ranging from the old skinflint of an editor, the meddling advertising chief, an overweight advice columnist lady giving Armstrong a hard time, a poetic colleague who is always inebriated and a smoothie gangster who Robert is out to expose to get the story of a lifetime.

The set-up footage of lighthearted jokes and jibes lets director Leo McCarey pile up the laughs for what seems like a long time, before the show gets serious with murder, framing of Armstrong and some snappy (if improbable) plot twists to wrap up the entire story in a neat little package. For a modern audience, the early talkie seems stilted, with its master-shot photography (no closeups allowed) and static quality, but its earthiness is still a treat.

An early talkie, and boy, does it show, with the static camerawork and uncertain sound recording. But it's a lively newspaper comedy-drama, energetically directed by Gregory La Cava and conveying lots of big--city-news atmosphere. Robert Armstrong, not the suavest or handsomest leading man, is a "Front Page"-style newspaperman pursuing an opioid story and squabbling with not just his editors but his wife, Carol (not yet Carole) Lombard, who's only 20 or 21 here and not the incandescent presence she later became. Sam Hardy's a menacing thug, Gabby Hayes another newsman, and, most intriguingly, Cupid Ainsworth is the jacket-and-tie-wearing lady who dispenses advice to the lovelorn, along with wisecracks. There's much drunken behavior, of the type once considered hilarious, and it's fast-paced and lively. I kept wanting Armstrong to turn into Lee Tracy, and I wish it were more audible, but at 65 minutes, it doesn't wear out its welcome.

The plot elements of this movie, in my mind, take second place to the repartee, or verbal fencing, that takes place among various characters. One character is always needling another; each tries to top the others in snarky insults. I suppose this is where the "comedy" label comes from.

For instance, there's the repartee among the various reporters on Robert Armstrong's newspaper. Cupid Ainsworth (a large fat woman) comes in, saying she's late because "I couldn't find a cab." Armstrong responds, "You mean you couldn't find one to fit you."

Ainsworth gives as good as she gets, however. When Armstrong comes back into the office after being bawled out by his wife, she says, "Well, well, well! Here comes the lion with the lamb's haircut!" (Ainsworth gives a very memorable performance in this movie, in my opinion.)

When Armstrong goes into the editor's office to get bawled out, Ainsworth cries, "Hold on boys, we're going around a curve!" (To me, that was better than Bette Davis' famous line, "Fasten your seat belts, it's going to be a bumpy night!")

Tom Kennedy is in the movie, playing a cop. (I always think of Kennedy as Gahagan, from the Torchy Blane movies.) Armstrong refers to Kennedy as "Flatfoot," and he growls, "Lay off the puppies!"

Armstrong and his even-more-drunken buddy get into a battle of wits in a speakeasy with members of a drug-dealing gang. Armstrong says, "I recently heard of two hop-slingers who were punished by being put in a barrel with a skunk. Fortunately, the skunk died." His buddy responds, "He was probably bored to death by their repartee."

I think this movie has a quite adult sensibility as regards inter-personal relationships and conversation. (Adult meaning "adult," not "dirty.") It's not a Pollyanna or Hollywood sensibility -- there's friction and oneupmanship among various characters. That makes a refreshing change. Kennedy's cop role is also more adult than his slapstick-ish Gahagan roles. I like the whole tone and atmosphere of this movie.

I always enjoy seeing Armstrong, who is perhaps best known as the impresario who brought King Kong back from his island. He was a quite prolific actor, and always interesting.

George ("Gabby") Hayes is also here briefly, and I'm always fascinated to see him in a movie, beardless and in an adult, not slapstick-ish role.

In the end, the murder is pinned on the actual perpetrator (yay!), and Armstrong and his wife are reconciled. I like a movie with a happy ending, and to see justice is done.

This movie, to me, is enjoyable, adult, and fun every time I see it.

Steve Banks is a hard-drinking newspaper reporter.

His wife Margaret, a reporter for a rival paper, threatens to divorce him if he doesn't quit the drinking that is compromising his career.

Steve pursues a story about drug dealers even when his editor fires him.

When the editor is murdered, Steve is accused of the killing.

But Steve has an ace up his sleeve that may save him from the electric chair.

Does this sound like a comedy? That's where IMDb puts it. It's a weird and dumb movie.