By mid-1942, American studios and British studios were turning out quite a few wartime propaganda films. UNPUBLISHED STORY is a noteworthy British example. Leading man Richard Greene-- who started his career at age 15 (he was from a theatrical family)-- had already been to Hollywood and back. At this point, he was an established box office name on both sides of the Atlantic.
When he was making films at 20th Century Fox in the late 1930s, he played more mature characters. For example, in THE LITTLE PRINCESS, he was cast as Shirley Temple's father, though he was only nine years older than her! Greene probably would have continued his career at Fox if not for the war, though he did return to Hollywood in the postwar period. But since he was unable to enlist in the military in the U. S. or in Canada, he went back to his native Britain in 1941 to join up with the Lancers, an army regiment.
During his time with the Lancers, Greene would occasionally be given leave to make films in London. These were usually flag waivers that helped boost the morale of movie goers. In 1942, he starred in UNPUBLISHED STORY with Valerie Hobson, in what may be seen as a variation of Hitchcock's FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT.
Both Greene and Hobson are reporters for a fictional London newspaper whose attempts to write about the war are often censored by the boss, for different reasons. In Hobson's case, it is because she's a woman who is supposed to be sticking to a column about fashion; and in Greene's case, it is because he has found out about a Nazi group that could pose a danger to national security.
Of course, Hobson teams up with Greene behind their editor's back, since she is still angling for her own glory and a chance to report something more meaningful than the season's newest dresses. Part of the duo's work undercover has them joining a pacifist group run by Nazis whose goal is to instill anti-war sentiment among the British people, so that Britain will be politically divided and easier for the Germans to conquer. It's an interesting theme to explore in a motion picture.
While ferreting out the Nazis, our lead characters naturally fall in love and get put into increasingly dangerous situations. Especially when the Nazis realize what they are up to in trying to expose the so-called pacifists.
It all leads to an exciting turning point, with a few betrayals along the way. The film's title comes from the fact that Greene and Hobson are unable to publish the big story they've written during this time, because the war is still not over and counter-intelligence strategies depend upon keeping the Germans off-guard as things progress from here.
Greene and Hobson do a splendid job in the main roles. Greene, only 24 at this stage, is playing a character closer to his actual age for a change. As always, he has a nice way of delivering his lines, combining authoritarian qualities with sarcasm. Whereas Hobson excels at playing an early feminist type character who is eager to go outside her normal comfort zone to make a difference.
UNPUBLISHED STORY was produced by Hobson's husband Anthony Havelock-Allan. Together they would go on to make several more highly regarded features...including BLANCHE FURY (1948).
When he was making films at 20th Century Fox in the late 1930s, he played more mature characters. For example, in THE LITTLE PRINCESS, he was cast as Shirley Temple's father, though he was only nine years older than her! Greene probably would have continued his career at Fox if not for the war, though he did return to Hollywood in the postwar period. But since he was unable to enlist in the military in the U. S. or in Canada, he went back to his native Britain in 1941 to join up with the Lancers, an army regiment.
During his time with the Lancers, Greene would occasionally be given leave to make films in London. These were usually flag waivers that helped boost the morale of movie goers. In 1942, he starred in UNPUBLISHED STORY with Valerie Hobson, in what may be seen as a variation of Hitchcock's FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT.
Both Greene and Hobson are reporters for a fictional London newspaper whose attempts to write about the war are often censored by the boss, for different reasons. In Hobson's case, it is because she's a woman who is supposed to be sticking to a column about fashion; and in Greene's case, it is because he has found out about a Nazi group that could pose a danger to national security.
Of course, Hobson teams up with Greene behind their editor's back, since she is still angling for her own glory and a chance to report something more meaningful than the season's newest dresses. Part of the duo's work undercover has them joining a pacifist group run by Nazis whose goal is to instill anti-war sentiment among the British people, so that Britain will be politically divided and easier for the Germans to conquer. It's an interesting theme to explore in a motion picture.
While ferreting out the Nazis, our lead characters naturally fall in love and get put into increasingly dangerous situations. Especially when the Nazis realize what they are up to in trying to expose the so-called pacifists.
It all leads to an exciting turning point, with a few betrayals along the way. The film's title comes from the fact that Greene and Hobson are unable to publish the big story they've written during this time, because the war is still not over and counter-intelligence strategies depend upon keeping the Germans off-guard as things progress from here.
Greene and Hobson do a splendid job in the main roles. Greene, only 24 at this stage, is playing a character closer to his actual age for a change. As always, he has a nice way of delivering his lines, combining authoritarian qualities with sarcasm. Whereas Hobson excels at playing an early feminist type character who is eager to go outside her normal comfort zone to make a difference.
UNPUBLISHED STORY was produced by Hobson's husband Anthony Havelock-Allan. Together they would go on to make several more highly regarded features...including BLANCHE FURY (1948).