Call Northside 777 (1948)

Chicago reporter P.J. McNeal re-opens a ten year old murder case.

Director:

Henry Hathaway

Writers:

Jerome Cady (screen play), Jay Dratler (screen play),

Stars:

James Stewart, Richard Conte, Lee J. Cobb

1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
James Stewart	...	P.J. McNeal
Richard Conte	...	Frank W. Wiecek
Lee J. Cobb	...	Brian Kelly
Helen Walker	...	Laura McNeal
Betty Garde	...	Wanda Skutnik
Kasia Orzazewski	...	Tillie Wiecek
Joanne De Bergh	...	Helen Wiecek (as Joanne de Bergh)
Howard Smith	...	K.L. Palmer
Moroni Olsen	...	Parole Board Chairman
John McIntire	...	Sam Faxon
Paul Harvey	...	Martin J. Burns

Storyline

In 1932, a cop is killed and Frank Wiecek sentenced to life. Eleven years later, a newspaper ad by Frank's mother leads Chicago reporter P.J. O'Neal to look into the case. For some time, O'Neal continues to believe Frank guilty. But when he starts to change his mind, he meets increased resistance from authorities unwilling to be proved wrong.

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Plot Keywords:

newspaper | prison | innocence | reward | reporter | 

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Taglines:

It couldn't happen . . . but it did!

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Film-Noir | History | Mystery

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Polish

Release Date:

1 February 1948 (USA)

Also Known As:

Calling Northside 777

Filming Locations:

Chicago, Illinois, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

"Screen Director's Playhouse" broadcast a 30 minute radio adaptation of the movie on December 9, 1949 with James Stewart reprising his film role.

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Goofs

Continually throughout the film, McNeal incorrectly refers to Springfield and Joliet as "up there", when really these cities are southwest of Chicago. Then, when visiting Springfield, he incorrectly refers to Chicago as "down there" while Chicago is really to his north. This is the opposite of how Illinoisans would refer to these areas. Springfield and Joliet are south of Chicago and are always referred to as "down there" or, more often, "downstate," from a Chicagoan's point of view. When visiting Springfield, you'd go back "up" to Chicago. Illinoisans' terminology of "up there" and "down there" always respectively follow the north and south directions of the map. In addition, when Kelly says he stopped at the prison outside Joliet while on his way to Decatur, McNeal suggests this is just an excuse as Decatur is in the opposite direction; in fact, Decatur is in central Illinois, and Joliet would indeed be on the way there from Chicago.

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Quotes

P.J. McNeal: You look nice. Will you marry me?
Laura McNeal: I did.
P.J. McNeal: Oh yeah, yeah, that's right... Thanks.
Laura McNeal: You're welcome.

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Connections

Referenced in Norma Jean & Marilyn (1996)

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Soundtracks

"Don't Fence Me In"
(1944) (uncredited)
Music by Cole Porter
Played at the bar where McNeal orders a bourbon

User Reviews

A truly great film.

Yes, almost every time I review a film, I say it's one of my favorites, but I tend not to review films I don't feel strongly about.

This is a film I feel VERY strongly about. Jimmy Stewart is incredible, as always, in the role of a cynical newsman who is assigned to figure out what really happened in a 10-year-old murder case. I saw it years ago, well before fax machines existed, and was fascinated at how he figures out "the story behind the story."

I make a point of watching it whenever it's on, and would love to see it released on DVD.