Call Northside 777
| Call Northside 777 | |
|---|---|
Theatrical poster |
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| Directed by | Henry Hathaway |
| Produced by | Otto Lang |
| Written by | Adaptation: Leonard Hoffman Quentin Reynolds Screenplay: Jerome Cady Jay Dratler Articles: James P. McGuire Jack McPhaul |
| Starring | James Stewart Richard Conte Lee J. Cobb |
| Music by | Alfred Newman |
| Cinematography | Joseph MacDonald |
| Editing by | J. Watson Webb Jr. |
| Distributed by | Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation |
| Release date(s) | February 1, 1948 (U.S.A.) |
| Running time | 111 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Call Northside 777 (1948) is a documentary-style film noir directed by Henry Hathaway.[1] It is based on the true story of a Chicago reporter who proved that a man, who had been in prison for murder, was wrongly convicted 11 years before.
James Stewart stars as the persistent journalist and Richard Conte plays the imprisoned Frank Wiecek. Wiecek is based on Joseph Majczek, who was wrongly convicted of the murder of a Chicago policeman in 1932, one of the worst years of organized crime during Prohibition.
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[edit] Plot
During the Prohibition period of 1932 in Chicago a policeman is murdered inside a speakeasy. Frank Wiecek (Richard Conte) and another man are quickly arrested and later sentenced to serve 99 years' imprisonment each for the killing. Eleven years later, Wiecek's mother puts an ad in the newspaper offering a $5,000 reward for information about the true killers of the police officer. This leads the city editor of the Chicago Times Brian Kelly (Lee J. Cobb) to assign reporter P.J. McNeal (James Stewart) to look more closely into the case. McNeal is skeptical at first and believes Wiecek is guilty. But he starts to change his mind, and meets increased resistance from the police and state's attorney office unwilling to be proved wrong, which is quickly followed by political pressure from the state capital anxious to end a story that might prove embarrassing to the administration. Eventually Frank is proved innocent by, among other things, the enlarging of a photograph showing the date on a newspaper that proves a key witness's statement was false.
[edit] Cast
- James Stewart as P.J. McNeal
- Richard Conte as Frank Wiecek
- Lee J. Cobb as Brian Kelly
- Helen Walker as Laura McNeal
- Betty Garde as Wanda Skutnik
- Kasia Orzazewski as Tillie Wiecek
- Joanne De Bergh as Helen Wiecek
- Howard Smith as K.L. Palmer
- Moroni Olsen as Parole Board Chairman
- J.M. Kerrigan as Sullivan
- John McIntire as Sam Faxon
- Paul Harvey as Martin J. Burns
- George Tyne as Tomek Zaleska
- Michael Chapin as Frank Wiecek Jr.
- E. G. Marshall as Rayska
- Walter Greaza as Detective
- Thelma Ritter as receptionist (uncredited)
[edit] Production notes
This was the first Hollywood feature film to be shot on location in Chicago. Views of the Merchandise Mart as well as Holy Trinity Polish Mission can be seen throughout the film.
[edit] Critical reception
The film received mostly positive reviews when it was released, and again when the movie was released on DVD in 2004. A 2004 Onion AV Club Review argued that the film may not be a true film noir, but is good nonetheless, and wrote, "Outstanding location shooting and Stewart's driven performance turn a sober film into a vibrant, exciting one, even though the hero and the jailbird he champions are really too noble for noir."[2]
The web site DVD Verdict made the case that the lead actor may be the best reason to see the film, and wrote, "Its value exists mainly in Stewart's finely drawn characterization of a cynical man with a nagging conscience."[3]
[edit] Adaptations
On the December 27, 1951 episode of CBS Radio's "Hollywood Sound Stage", Harry Cronman adapted and directed a condensed 30-minute version of the movie, casting Dana Andrews and Thomas Gomez in the leads. Tony Barrett, Bob Sweeney, Betty Lou Gerson, and Frank Nelson played supporting roles.[4]
[edit] Awards
Wins
- Edgar Award: from the Mystery Writers of America for Best Motion Picture Screenplay; 1949.
Nominations
- Writers Guild of America: WGA Award; Best Written American Drama, Jerome Cady and Jay Dratler; The Robert Meltzer Award (Screenplay Dealing Most Ably with Problems of the American Scene), Jerome Cady and Jay Dratler; 1949.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Call Northside 777 at the Internet Movie Database.
- ^ Murray, Noel. Onion AV Club Review, film review, March 29, 2005. Last accessed: April 5, 2008.
- ^ DVD Verdict. Film review, 2005. Last accessed: April 5, 2008.
- ^ http://radiogoldindex.com/cgi-local/p2.cgi?ProgramName=Hollywood+Sound+Stage
[edit] External links
- Call Northside 777 at the Internet Movie Database
- Call Northside 777 at AllRovi
- Call Northside 777 at the TCM Movie Database
- Joseph M. Majczek legal case at Northwestern University School of Law
- English-language films
- 1948 films
- 20th Century Fox films
- American films
- Black-and-white films
- Crime thriller films
- Edgar Award winning works
- Film noir
- Films directed by Henry Hathaway
- Films set in Chicago, Illinois
- Films shot in Chicago, Illinois
- Procedural films
- Fictional portrayals of the Chicago Police Department