Park Row (1952)

In New York's 1880's newspaper district a dedicated journalist manages to set up his own paper. It is an immediate success but attracts increasing opposition from one of the bigger papers ... See full summary »

Director:

Samuel Fuller

Writer:

Samuel Fuller

Stars:

Gene Evans, Mary Welch, Bela Kovacs

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Gene Evans	...	Phineas Mitchell
Mary Welch	...	Charity Hackett
Bela Kovacs	...	Ottmar Mergenthaler
Herbert Heyes	...	Josiah Davenport
Tina Pine	...	Jenny O'Rourke
George O'Hanlon	...	Steve Brodie
J.M. Kerrigan	...	Dan O'Rourke
Forrest Taylor	...	Charles A. Leach
Don Orlando	...	Mr. Angelo
Neyle Morrow	...	Thomas Guest
Dick Elliott	...	Jeff Hudson
Stuart Randall	...	Mr. Spiro
Dee Pollock	...	Rusty
Hal K. Dawson	...	Mr. Wiley

Storyline

In New York's 1880's newspaper district a dedicated journalist manages to set up his own paper. It is an immediate success but attracts increasing opposition from one of the bigger papers and its newspaper heiress owner. Despite the fact he rather fancies the lady the newsman perseveres with the help of the first Linotype machine, invented on his premises, while also giving a hand with getting the Statue of Liberty erected.

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Plot Keywords:

newspaper | linotype machine | newspaper editor | obituary | competing businesses | 

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Taglines:

Street of rogues... reporters... and romance!

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English German French

Release Date:

12 August 1952 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Dama de Preto

Company Credits

Production Co:

Samuel Fuller Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

83 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Self-financed by its maverick director. At the time, Samuel Fuller had only $201,000 in his bank account. He kept $1,000 for his own personal use, which he spent on cigars and vodka. The rest went on the movie.

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Quotes

Phineas Mitchell: The press is good or evil according to the character of those who direct it.

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Crazy Credits

Instead of "The End", the picture ends with "Thirty"; newspaper jargon for "that's all. There ain't no more!"

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Connections

Featured in Maltin on Movies: Bad Teacher (2011)

User Reviews

Newspaper Wars

In this day and age where the print media is struggling to survive back in 1886 when this story takes place New York had something like 20 papers all fighting for circulation. A lot of them came and went with great rapidity. Many were backed by the political parties of the day and they sustained them.

Park Row is the street to the east of New York City's City Hall and it only runs three short blocks. But back in 1886 several papers of the tabloid variety had their offices and printing establishments there. This film Park Row is the story of two of them where the feuding got downright personal.

Mary Hackett who is a real queen of mean fires a whole bunch of her staff over editorial policy disagreement including Gene Evans who takes the fired workers and starts his own tabloid. He gets a super big break when George O'Hanlon playing the legendary Steve Brodie makes his famous dive off the Brooklyn Bridge and Evans gets the bead on the story first. After that Hackett fights and fights real dirty. She especially doesn't like the fact that Evans has spurned her.

Samuel Fuller directed this admirable B film with a cast of no real names, but that in itself gives it a realistic look. That look is at an era that is gone, but not forgotten. By the way another look at this same era can be seen in the film Newsies which is currently on Broadway now.

Still without the singing and dancing of Newsies, I think Park Row will give you an idea of what was going on during those times.