Release CalendarTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV News
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsABFFPride MonthOutfest OutfrontsSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
Sign In
New Customer? Create account
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

Break the News

  • 1938
  • 1h 12m
IMDb RATING
6.3/10
53
YOUR RATING
Break the News (1938)
ComedyMusical

Two small-time song-and-dance men come up with what they believe is a surefire publicity stunt, guaranteed to keep their names in the public eye: One of them will "disappear" in what looks l... Read allTwo small-time song-and-dance men come up with what they believe is a surefire publicity stunt, guaranteed to keep their names in the public eye: One of them will "disappear" in what looks like a murder, and the other will be convicted of the crime. Then the "dead man" will sudde... Read allTwo small-time song-and-dance men come up with what they believe is a surefire publicity stunt, guaranteed to keep their names in the public eye: One of them will "disappear" in what looks like a murder, and the other will be convicted of the crime. Then the "dead man" will suddenly show up at his partner's murder trial. Unfortunately, things don't quite go as planned... Read all

  • Director
    • René Clair
  • Writers
    • Paul Gury
    • René Clair
    • Geoffrey Kerr
  • Stars
    • Jack Buchanan
    • Maurice Chevalier
    • June Knight
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    6.3/10
    53
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • René Clair
    • Writers
      • Paul Gury
      • René Clair
      • Geoffrey Kerr
    • Stars
      • Jack Buchanan
      • Maurice Chevalier
      • June Knight
    • 3User reviews
    • 1Critic review
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 win & 1 nomination

    Photos

    Maurice Chevalier and Jack Buchanan in Break the News (1938)
    Add photo

    Top cast

    Edit
    Jack Buchanan
    Jack Buchanan
    • Teddy Enton
    Maurice Chevalier
    Maurice Chevalier
    • François Verrier
    June Knight
    June Knight
    • Grace Gatwick
    Marta Labarr
    Marta Labarr
    • Sonia
    Gertrude Musgrove
    • Helena
    Garry Marsh
    Garry Marsh
    • The Producer
    Wallace Douglas
    • The Stage Manager
    Joss Ambler
    Joss Ambler
    • The Press Agent
    Mark Daly
    Mark Daly
    • The Property Man
    Gibb McLaughlin
    Gibb McLaughlin
    • The Superintendent
    Robb Wilton
    • The Cab Driver
    Felix Aylmer
    Felix Aylmer
    • Sir George Bickory
    C. Denier Warren
    • Sir Edward Phring
    George Hayes
    George Hayes
    • Preident of the Tribunal
    Guy Middleton
    Guy Middleton
    • Englishman
    Athole Stewart
    • Governor
    Charles Lefeaux
    • Interpreter
    D.J. Williams
    • Judge
    • Director
      • René Clair
    • Writers
      • Paul Gury
      • René Clair
      • Geoffrey Kerr
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    More like this

    Silence Is Golden
    7.2
    Silence Is Golden
    The Ghost Goes West
    6.7
    The Ghost Goes West
    The Flame of New Orleans
    6.5
    The Flame of New Orleans
    It Happened Tomorrow
    7.0
    It Happened Tomorrow
    Under the Roofs of Paris
    7.1
    Under the Roofs of Paris
    À Nous la Liberté
    7.4
    À Nous la Liberté
    With a Smile
    6.2
    With a Smile
    A Royal Affair
    5.2
    A Royal Affair
    The Gates of Paris
    7.2
    The Gates of Paris
    Le Million
    7.4
    Le Million
    L'homme du jour
    6.0
    L'homme du jour
    I Married a Witch
    7.1
    I Married a Witch

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      This film received its initial USA telecast Monday 5 February 1945 on New York City's pioneer television station WNBT (Channel 1).
    • Connections
      Referenced in Round the Film Studios: No 1: Pinewood Part 1 (1937)
    • Soundtracks
      It All Belongs To You
      Written by Cole Porter

      Sung by Jack Buchanan

    User reviews3

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    8/10
    Very funny 1930s British comedy
    June Knight is a London musical star with little talent but a huge press following. Bit players Jack Buchanan and Maurice Chevalier nearly get cut from her show. They can't believe the fuss that the press makes about her lost dog, because the dog was only lost a few minutes. They devise a publicity stunt where Chevalier will stage Buchanan's murder. If Buchanan can walk into the courtroom after Chevalier is convicted of murder, they know that they will get a lot of newspaper coverage. The only problem is that nobody seems to care that Buchanan is missing. And when Chevalier finally convinces the police that he is a murderer, Buchanan is mistaken for a Balkan revolutionary and is kidnapped. As Chevalier is waiting on death row, Buchanan is lined up for a firing squad in the middle of a revolution!

    This long unseen British comedy by French director Rene Clair is very funny and has a lot of "black" humor that we don't associate with 1930s comedies. It was only released by poverty-row distributor Monogram in the United States, and then with some footage cut out. The ingenious screenplay will keep you guessing until the end of the film. Highly recommended!
    helpful•8
    1
    • silentfilm-2
    • Sep 13, 2002

    Top picks

    Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations
    Sign in

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 1, 1941 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United Kingdom
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Život za karijeru
    • Filming locations
      • Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England, UK(Studio)
    • Production companies
      • Jack Buchanan Productions
      • Trio Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 12 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    Break the News (1938)
    Top Gap
    What is the English language plot outline for Break the News (1938)?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2023 by IMDb.com, Inc.