Late Extra

An eager cub reporter resolves to bring a cop killer to justice. James Mason's film debut sees him deliver a sometimes overwrought performance in a mild thriller which suffers from a plot that is too weak to hold the audience's attention. Alastair Sim struggles to make much of a thankless comic relief supporting role.

James Mason gets top billing in his first movie, playing an unscrupulous (shall we say, "too fervent") newspaper reporter who is on the trail of a cop killer. Alastair Sim is fun in a minor role as a fellow reporter. There are some parts that seem quite silly (& are unintentionally laughable) by today's standards, but the film has an exciting climax. There are several unexplained issues in the plot that are left dangling.

Jim Martin (James Mason) wants to cover his first story for the newspaper where he works. However, his boss keeps promising to give him a chance...eventually. Well, Martin wanders into the middle of a big story. It seems a cop was killed and a bank robbed...and the 'suicide' victim Martin discovers is part of that case. But Martin took along a female reporter who is, frankly, a dummy. Janet meets a woman who obviously is involved...and yet she promises the woman not to involve her. Why? I guess she's just psychic and knows the woman is innocent. Regardless, it makes you wonder how this dunderhead expects to be a reporter, as soon bad guys will realize that she'll bury a story if they ask her to!

So is this a terrible movie? No...just this part of it...and it simply makes no sense. If you can ignore much of the time she's in the story, it works a lot better! Plus, there's a cheap bit about a stutterer that's supposed to be funny...but it just seems cruel and it was a relatively common trope during the 1930s and 40s.

By the way, while I was not super-impressed by this film, it was James Mason's first screen appearance...and a starring one as well. He's good and worth seeing.

This minor B film or as they called them across the pond quota quickies gives James Mason his debut on the silver screen. Mason plays an earnest young reporter who sticks his nose into a story about an escaped cop killer played by Victor McLaglen's brother Clifford McLagen. Before the film is over McLaglen kills a couple more people.

One should remember that the police other than by special permission do not carry guns. That in itself makes it all the more poignant when McLaglen shoots down a traffic officer who was keeping an eye out for a car reputedly stolen by McLaglen.

In fact a lot of people got early roles here. Charlie Chaplin's co- star from City Lights Virginia Cherrill plays a sob sister reporter also looking to crack a big story. Alastair Sim plays the editor, Donald Wolfit a police inspector and Bernard Miles and Michael Wilding have some bit roles.

This is an economical film both in story telling and in budget. It's as good as any of the B films being turned out in the USA. This is not one of Mason's celebrated florid performances from later on, but he registers well in his screen debut.

Late Extra is a bit of cinematic history and a decent film to watch.

This totally forgettable British relic is notable only for being the film debut of a then 26-year-old James Mason fresh from stage training. The routine story has young go-getter reporter Mason on the trail of a bank robber who killed a constable. All predictable in a short running time. Leading lady Virginia Cherrill (passed off as Canadian) is best known as the blind flower girl in Chaplin's "City Lights." The great character actor Alastair Sim (the definitive Ebeneezer Scrooge) plays Mason's editor. You would never guess from the movie or Mason's performance that he would become a Hollywood and international screen star.