Silêncio que Condena

This film is packed full of unique characters, complex arch's, and is a treasure for anyone who likes 1930s comedies. Lead actress Joan Blondell displays a flair for comedic touch while also providing excellent dramatic expressions and reactions. Her character is tomboyish, yet, very attractive and feminine. One characteristic I thought made her most interesting is she didn't care about how her hair looked. At that time in history most female movie stars had their hair strictly cared for by a makeup department or they themselves would maintain it like most people do. This made every scene look unauthentic to real life. But I was surprised to see it wasn't perfectly in place all the the time, but often falling in her face in an unflattering way. Hard to tell if that was on purpose or due to quick shooting. Whatever the case, it is unique and memorable. The world that we see on screen seems to have enormous depth. I would recommend this film to anyone who enjoys a balance of comedy and drama, while also being open to "black and white". This movie single handedly turned me into a Joan Blondell fan.

Ace reporter Joan Blondell drives through the night and breaks some rules to get the story on the big train wreck. Back at the paper, she expects kudos--but boss Pat O'Brien does nothing but complain. Blondell is insulted, O'Brien insists that he appreciates her work, and they get all lovey-dovey for about two seconds...and then O'Brien tells her that she looks tired and she stomps out of his office, slamming the door and breaking the glass.

Both stars are energetic and talk fast but the characterizations are not subtle in this noisy newspaper drama. O'Brien is exceedingly bossy and unpleasant as the demanding editor; Blondell is just not believable as the hardboiled reporter who for some reason has a soft spot for her crabby boss.

The plot involves a murder investigation by Blondell and the paper. Having received an anonymous tip, Blondell stops a funeral and convinces the coroner to do an autopsy. Sure enough, the guy was poisoned. Could the murderer have been Margaret Lindsay, the beautiful widow? John Litel, the doctor who attributed the death to a heart attack? The paper pushes hard for Lindsay's indictment for the murder but just when it's almost too late, Blondell starts feeling guilty and wonders if Lindsay is innocent after all....

An interesting cast includes Regis Toomey, Eddie Acuff, and George E. Stone as various newspaper employees. Ben Welden plays a casino owner who, in one of the picture's many ridiculous sequences, visits O'Brien's office to help identify a suspect and then is held at gunpoint by O'Brien to prevent him leaving and talking to other papers' reporters.

A fast paced newspaper drama with these stars sounds like great fun. Unfortunately, the obnoxious characters and poor plot pretty much sink it.

Although reporters are barred from the scene, a deadly train wreck doesn't stop enterprising Joan Blondell (as Timothea "Timmy" Blake) from covering the story. Pretending to be a doctor, Ms. Blondell gets the scoop. Her editor and love interest Pat O'Brien (as William "Bill" Morgan) gets an anonymous tip stating that an automobile manufacturer did not die of heart failure, but was poisoned. He assigns Blondell the story and she suspects beautiful widow Margaret Lindsay (as Arline Vivian). We wonder why Blondell is interested in Mr. O'Brien and, even more, why he seems so uninterested in Blondell. The plot unravels between two dubious letters. The main reason to watch is Blondell. She is strong and sexy in this film. And, although second-billed, Blondell is the star.

**** Back in Circulation (9/25/37) Ray Enright ~ Joan Blondell, Pat O'Brien, Margaret Lindsay, John Litel

There were a few films in the '30s that set the stage for a lot of imitations. One was "It Happened One Night," which gave rise to dozens of films about heiresses, and the other was "The Front Page" from 1931, about a reporter and an editor. "Back in Circulation" is the latter, from 1937.

Here, the reporter is beautiful Joan Blondell, as sparkling and energetic as ever, and her editor is Pat O'Brien (who also appeared in "The Front Page"). Blondell is Timmy, a crafty reporter good at getting in on the most important stories, no matter what she has to do. O'Brien is Bill Morgan, who knows Timmy is the best and is constantly sending her out.

When a wealthy man dies, Bill receives a letter saying he was poisoned, so he dispatches Timmy to investigate. She's able to stop the funeral and convince the medical examiner to do an autopsy. Turns out he was poisoned, and suspicion falls on his wife (Margaret Lindsay). The paper goes after her in a big way, but after Timmy spends some time with her, she begins to suspect that the widow is innocent and hiding something. This puts her at odds with Bill.

Thanks to Blondell's performance, this movie manages to come off, though it isn't the tightest script. It flip-flops between comedy and heavy drama, and the alliance is uneasy.

John Litel and Regis Toomey are featured. Lindsay gives a '30s-style performance, and today it sticks out as being melodramatic. That was the style, and that's the way many roles were written. This was on its way out of style due to stars like Bette Davis.

Entertaining. Always a pleasure to see Blondell in a film.

A great deal from the classic newspaper story The Front Page goes into this film Back In Circulation. Before Rosalind Russell played Hildy Johnson in His Girl Friday there was Joan Blondell in this film blazing an underappreciated trail for Russell with her portrayal of a tabloid reporter covering a murder trial.

Blondell who is second billed to Pat O'Brien playing her editor is the heart of this film. She gets an assignment to cover a case involving the death by poison of a wealthy man who married a young wife. Margaret Lindsay is the widow and at first Blondell rips her apart in the press and the stories and pressure from her paper are responsible for her arrest.

But as the trial goes on Blondell gets a change of heart and starts questioning Lindsay's guilt. She is very silent and obviously at least to the movie audience covering something up.

Curiously enough Pat O'Brien who was Hildy Johnson in the first film adaption of The Front Page played editor Walter Burns on stage. In this film I think we are seeing a bit of what O'Brien was like on stage in The Front Page.

Still it's Joan Blondell who drives this film and it is a must for her fans.