The Famous Ferguson Case

The Famous Ferguson Case (1932)

** (out of 4)

A great idea is pretty much wasted due to a weak screenplay in this melodrama from Warner. Wall Street big shot Ferguson is shot and murdered inside his summer home and his wife (Vivienne Osborne) tells the police that she was tied up by some robbers. The case gets some of the biggest newspaper reporters in the country and soon they're putting the pieces together without any evidence and they think the better story would be that Mrs. Ferguson's rumored lover (Leon Ames) was behind the killing in an attempt for them two to knock off the husband. THE FAMOUS FERGUSON CASE kicks off with a prologue warning newspapers about not seeking the truth and instead coming up with fake stories to sell papers. It seems this warning would be even more understandable in 2012 but sadly the film takes a rather interesting story and does very little with it. I think the idea of showing how crooked reporters are could have made for a very interesting story but sadly the screenplay here comes off rather lazy at times and by the time the film's over it's just a tad bit too much to believe. The biggest problem is that the prosecutor here is just so downright stupid that he allows the reporters to pretty much tell him who to charge, tell him what happened and he's also dumb enough to have the reporters write his court speeches. This here is just so sloppily written that I didn't believe the situation for a second. Another problem is that the film clearly wants to get its message across and there's just a tad bit too much preaching instead of actually delivering a strong story to get the point across. The entire cast offers up very good performances but I'd say Joan Blondell is pretty much wasted in her role. Tom Brown is very good as the one good reporter trying to learn the truth and Adrienne Dore is good as his partner who starts to get a big head for fame. Ames is extremely good as the man drawn into this mess. The film picks up a little speed towards the end and this includes a terrifically directed sequence where the reporters are confronted by someone they've damaged. I won't spoil what happens but it's quite powerful but it's a shame the rest of the film wasn't this strong.

This is not "dull, trite and talky" as noted at the time by Variety, but a typically engaging 1932 Warners drama. The murder of a wealthy man in his country home is big news, especially since his wife seems to have quarreled with him that night about her boy friend. Two camps of reporters descend on the small town; the yellow journalists and the more responsible press. Joan Blondell is one of the bad crew, and is Kenneth Thomson's girlfriend, at least until the small town girl takes a shine to him. There are some nicely done scenes, particularly Blondell's cynically telling her rival what to expect from Thomson. She really belts it out in her inimitable style. Nearly as good is where Thomson himself tells the new girl what to expect; that he's an alcoholic and a manic depressive. It's good because he's pretty much telling the truth at the same time he's handing her a line. Tom Brown doesn't leave much of an impression as the local cub reporter, and the story cheats a bit on the solution of the murder. But the reporters' milieu, the good character-player line-up, and the general energy and pace of the production certainly make this worth seeing.

There were quite a few reasons for wanting to see 'The Famous Ferguson Case'. Really liked the concept, and will always admire it when any film offers a true to life and relevant today portrayal of the media. Have liked but not loved what has been seen of Lloyd Bacon's other work, which admittedly is not enough, and really liked how he handled atmosphere. A talented cast was involved here, including Joan Blondell in a different role from her famous wisecracking roles, though she did prove more than once that she could step away from that type of role.

Like she does here in 'The Famous Ferguson Case'. Other films of hers did a lot better though at utilising her, which was one of the film's bigger disappointments. 'The Famous Ferguson Case' is an interesting film with enough to recommend it. At the same time, it didn't strike as great and more uneven with a lot of good but a near-equal amount of not so good. It is worth a look but is a long way from an essential. Was not expecting masterpiece level just to say, it's not that type of film, but it should have been more than just decent.

Am going to start with the good things. It is slickly shot and even better is the appropriately moody lighting in spots and use of shadow. Bacon directs with ease, has an eye for atmosphere and succeeds in building up the momentum at the end. He agreed really shines in a powerful scene when the reporters see the consequences of their work. Some of the script is thought provoking, what is said about the media having both bite and relevance, and 'The Famous Ferguson Case' really does pick up towards the end in energy and in intrigue with more going on, ending strongly.

Blondell does a very good job with what is given to her, though for top billing her role is surprisingly not a large or meaty one. Grant Mitchell brings authority and fun to his part and it was hard to not cheer when his character expressed his view on the media, which is so true now. Two of the best performance come from Tom Brown, as one of the film's more likeable characters, and Leon Ames.

However, 'The Famous Ferguson Case' to me didn't start off that well. The early portions of the film are too talk-heavy and tediously paced, some of it also rather heavy-handed (the portrayal of the media at times is a little exaggerated). The opening is as long winded as one can get.

Kenneth Thomson overdoes it in his role and his character could have done with a toning down. Do agree too that everything about the prosecutor is stupid and downright incompetent.

Summing up, decent but not great. 6/10

Fergusen is a top Warners programmer with a great ensemble cast. Blondell and Mitchell are the nominal stars but certainly don't have the flashiest parts. Virtually all of the actors do even the smallest parts with great believability, a credit to the director. Some aspects of the newspaper game are shown as sordid as they really were but frankly, a bit overplayed for dramatic value. As with some other Warners films of the period, notably I Am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang made the same year, this is a hard hitting message film meant to right a social wrong. It's obviousness detracts from the overall effect but it still hits you in the gut. The final scenes are as impressive as anything the studio has ever done. Deserves to be much better known and appreciated.

In a small upstate New York town, Marcia Ferguson (Vivienne Osborne) and local bank teller Jed Brooks (Leon Ames) are seen about town being maybe just a little too friendly to one another given that both are married to other people. Then Mr. Ferguson comes back from New York City unexpectedly - he's a big banker there and this is the Fergusons' summer home. That night shots are heard fired from the Ferguson home, a man is seen fleeing the scene, and the authorities find Mr. Ferguson dead on his bedroom floor with Mrs. Ferguson bound and gagged in her bed. She says two very distinctive looking burglars are the culprits, and that they have taken her six carat diamond ring. These are the facts of the situation, which a young local newspaperman, Bruce Foster, lays out in a story he does.

With Mr. Ferguson being such an important person, the press from New York City descend on the town. They aren't happy with the story being just about a burglary gone wrong with the burglars being unknown and at large. They want this to be about two lovers - allegedly Mrs. Ferguson and Jed Brooks - killing Mr. Ferguson and making it look like a burglary and then set about to make that be the story. They flatter and cajole the county attorney into action, and at first they similarly flatter and dazzle the local newspaper reporter Bruce Foster. But then he realizes that one of these big city reporters is romancing his sweetheart away from him with talk of the big city and plenty of booze. As a result, Foster has both a professional and a personal change of heart and sets out alone to determine the actual facts of the case. Complications ensue.

Nothing was sacred with Warners' precodes, because no institution is without corruption and the cynicism in Depression weary audiences was quite high, and this time WB takes aim at the press. It's not quite as good as Five Star Final from the previous year, but still it's a fine ensemble effort with some gut-wrenching moments, especially at the end.

There was some really interesting camera work in this one to the point that I was sure the director must be Michael Curtiz, but it was in fact Lloyd Bacon. If I have any complaint it's that Tom Brown is just too baby faced to be playing the part of the small town reporter, plus he is actually only 20 at this point.