The Headline Woman

There were the dozens of low-budget films featuring wise-cracking, crime-fighting reporters during the 1930s, but this one stands out from the rest on several counts. Notice that i did not say it is better, just that it stands out as different. Among its unique aspects there are three notable points: first, the ostensible hero, played by Roger Pryor, only appears partway through the storyline and is neither very heroic nor very cute, although he does have a certain weaselly charm; second, Ford Sterling, a former Keystone Kop, does a great turn as a police officer with a thick "Chermen" accent; and third, Franklin Pangborn does NOT play his usual funny, flustered, and officious role as a hotel clerk type -- instead, he is one of the pack of wise-cracking newspaper reporters -- and we get to see him laugh and cavort and generally act as if Ben Hecht or Preston Sturgis had written his part, instead of whoever did write it. In short, if you thought you knew the character actor Franklin Pangborn inside, outside, and upside down, you owe it to yourself to see the flick i call "Another Side of Franklin W. Pangborn."

In the 1930's, there were several mystery/suspense movies centered around brazen but morally correct newsmen. That a wisecracking reporter was so often a cinematic hero is reflective of the manifold changes undergone by the American media during the 20th century. History aside, "The Headline Woman" is one of the best of its kind.

The first part of the movie concerns a group of reporters who help promote a bumbling police officer to lieutenant detective to act as a leak after the commissioner attempts to ban police reports. The title character doesn't actually appear till midway through the film - during the nightclub sequence which serves as the highlight.

William Nigh's direction is more than competent, and the cast is great. Ford Sterling's reputation as Chief of the Keystone Kops makes his role especially ironic. 9/10.

This DVD is brought to us by Alpha Video. And, like the rest of their films, it has not been restored and is a bit rough. This, combined with the ordinariness of the movie make this a B-movie that is probably not for the average viewer.

The film is about a brazen newspaper man (Roger Pryor) who naturally loves to break rules. When a man is killed and the daughter of the newspaper appears to be guilty, naturally Pryor hides her and they work on solving the crime together. A completely incompetent police detective who Pryor has been helping by feeding him leads is sent to find her. Can they find out the real killer before the police find them? Aside from the unusual casting of Franklin Pangborn in an atypical role, this is very familiar territory--with the clever reporter and the dumb cops. There must have been dozens of movies like this and this is neither better nor worse than the others. If you love Bs, then give this one a look--otherwise it's not particularly inspired.

'The Headline Woman' could have been so much of a movie.

It actually consists of two different stories -practically-, one after the other.

The fast-paced first half is exceptional indeed, little short of the original 'The Front Page'. It consists of a bunch of witty and cynical journalists in the pressroom of the police headquarters of a big town, as they try to sway an officer for bringing them information daily.

There is a gang war between racketeers of gambling, so there is armed action, killings, and even high society parties.

In the second half, though, 'The Headline Woman' swaps half of its characters, leaving us with the ordeals of the stunningly beautiful titular lady, Myrna Van Buren (Heather Angel), being protected by one of the journalists, Bob Grayson (Roger Pryor).

'The Headline Woman' disappoints, because the studio ('Republic Pictures') unfortunately didn't invest in totally rounding it up.

It's evident, that they were enthusiastic though, and it resulted in a B+ (or A-) movie.

Roger Pryor is a reporter whose editor has a grudge against Police Commissioner Conway Tearle. A couple of slighting headlines gets the entire press banned from the police beat, but Pryor gets an in by building up dumb cop Ford Sterling. While all the reporters are at a gambling house waiting for the police raid, there's a murder, and Heather Angel is caught holding the gun. Pryor sneaks her out for an exclusive, but it turns out she's his paper's publisher's daughter, which means he's go to keep her name out of the news, hide her, and crack the case fast.

It;s a Mascot movie from just before the merger that created Republic, so I was surprised at how strong it is. Pryor is actually good as the fast-talking reporter, Miss Angel is a decent substitute for Maureen O'Sullivan, and Sterling is an always welcome presence doing his Dutch act in his next-to-last feature. The newsroom looks like director William Nigh was trying to replicate THE FRONT PAGE, and there are good bits from Franklin Pangborn and Ward Bond. There's little in the way of mystery in it, but there is lots of good humor.