Headline Shooter (1933)

The adventures of a wayward newsreel cameraman.

Director:

Otto Brower

Writers:

Agnes Christine Johnston (screen play), Allen Rivkin (screen play),

Stars:

William Gargan, Frances Dee, Ralph Bellamy

Cast

Complete credited cast:
William Gargan	...	Bill Allen
Frances Dee	...	Jane Mallory
Ralph Bellamy	...	Hal
Jack La Rue	...	Ricci (as Jack LaRue)
Gregory Ratoff	...	Gottlieb
Wallace Ford	...	Mike
Robert Benchley	...	Radio Announcer
Betty Furness	...	Miss Saunders
Hobart Cavanaugh	...	Happy
June Brewster	...	Betty Kane
Franklin Pangborn	...	Mr. Crocker
Dorothy Burgess	...	Burnett's Moll

Storyline

Roguish, cynical newsreel cameraman Bill Allen usually has a dame in one hand and a hip flask in the other, yet catches breaking stories and disasters of all sorts on film. When he meets newspaper columnist Jane Mallory, mutual attraction results; but she's too smart to fall for him (or is she?) unless he reforms (but does she really want him to?). Includes exciting stock footage of fire, flood and earthquake.

---

Plot Keywords:

newsreel cameraman | newspaper

---

Genres:

Adventure | Romance

---

Certificate:

Passed

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 July 1933 (USA)

Also Known As:

Evidence in Camera

Company Credits

Production Co:

RKO Radio Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

61 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Victor System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the opening set of credits, Dorothy Burgess is credited as "Burnett's Girl", but it was changed to "Burnett's Moll" in the end credits.

User Reviews

His Girl Friday not so original

Seven years before Howard Hawks had the idea to do "The Front Page" with a woman as a reporter, practically the same idea crops up in this fast-paced pre-code look at journalism. William Gargan is good in the Grant role (Lee Tracy at that time would have been better), a cynical semi-corrupt newsreel reporter, and Frances Dee is wide-eyed and acceptable but she'll make you miss Rosalind Russell. At least you have Ralph Bellamy in the Ralph Bellamy role. Gargan and Dee trade quips and try to outfox each other on the way to the inevitable conclusion. Some nice pre-code elements: Gargan tells Dee about a girl he knew that had a cold and she instantly snaps back, "yeah, I know, she kept you up all night." Wallace Ford plays his role as Gargan's drunken friend at full-stagger and there's lots of illicit booze ("that bottle cost me $50!" proclaims Gargan's boss and Bellamy calms his wife with "a taste of moon".) Nice shading on the usual black-and-white of our heroes as Gargan causes a suicide and Dee tricks a woman into a possibly lethal confession. The criminals also seem entertaining even as they remain dangerous. With a better, more "A" cast, this film could have been very, very good. And don't miss Robert Benchley in a fine comic cameo providing a radio commentary for a beauty pageant.