This Man Is News (1938) User Reviews

Extra extra, read all about it, this man doesn't report the news...he makes it!

[hitchcockthelegend · 6/10 · 19 April 2013]

This Man Is News is directed by David MacDonald and collectively written by Basil Dearden, Roger MacDougall, and Allan MacKinion. It stars Barry K. Barnes, Valerie Hobson, Alastair Sim,l Edward Lexy and Gary Marsh.

A news reporter finds he is the number one suspect in the murder of a grass when he drunkenly plays a practical joke on his editor. But that's actually the least of his problems, for he is being targeted by a criminal gang who think he knows more than he does.

Inspired by The Thin Man series of films that had began in 1934, This Man Is News is a brisk blend of British comedy/drama. It showcases some early work of British names in film and TV whilst not exactly being essential for fans of MacDonald (The Moonraker), Hobson (Blanche Fury/Kind Hearts and Coronets) and Sim (Folly To Be Wise/Scrooge).

It's very much in keeping with other British films made around this period, crafted without fuss and in quick time and featuring very correct pronunciation of the script. The backdrop is one of a moody city, where for many you know times are hard, while the characterisations are that of the "keep calm and carry on" variety, folk ready to laugh and quip in the face of adversity.

The mystery element remains strong throughout, ensuring our attention never wavers, while cast performances are always in tune with the material; especially Sim in a typically bluster strewn turn. Picture was popular enough to spawn a sequel, This Man In Paris (1939), where all the principal players returned, though that is also like this one, very hard to track down. 6/10

a British nick and nora charles

[malcolmgsw · 5/10 · 30 April 2007]

This is clearly a British take off of the Thin Man series.A young couple investigate a series of murders.They even have the same drinking habits as the Charles couple.They get drunk on champagne at night and breakfast on brandy and soda .The murder plot is very sinilar to many British films of the period,but it must have hit a chord with the public as there was a sequel "This Man In Paris".Alistair Sim very early in his film career gives a charecteristic performance as a harassed newspaper editor.From a production point of view this still has the look of a quota quickie even though the 1938 Cinematograph Act tried to persuade film companies that spending more would be more beneficial in quota terms,double and treble quota,than spending less.This sort of film tended in any event to die out for a few years as the war brought new subject matter to the screen.

This Man Is Fleet Street News.

[morrison-dylan-fan · 6/10 · 29 March 2013]

Searching around on eBay for movies that me and my dad could enjoy watching during the upcoming Easter Holiday,I was pleasantly surprised to find out that someone was selling a near-forgotten Alastair Sim's late-Quota Quickie era Film Noir,which lead to me getting ready this Easter,to excitingly find out what causes this man to become news.

View on the film:

Giving this delightful Film Noir a smooth comic edge,the screenplay by Basil Dearden,Roger MacDougall and Allan MacKinnon show that from the moment Simon's lie turns into a reality,Simon and his former paper both go chasing after the fame of being connect to a murder case,with each of them getting excited that they get close enough to the mystery killer,so that the killer does another murder that they can put across the front page.

Packing the dark side streets of London with a thick fog,director David MacDonald covers the Gazette newsroom in dust and smoke,which helps to create a chilling Film Noir atmosphere that the mystery killer could possibly be lurking on the page of the paper.

Backed by a very cute Valerie Hobson and a witty Alastair Sim,Barry K. Barnes gives a very good performance as Simon Drake,who he shows go slightly deranged,over the excitement about being the centre of the newspaper's attention.

Careful of your head Mr Sims

[Wayland_Wombat · 6/10 · 20 August 2020]

I recently enjoyed watching this film on YouTube from an old channel 4 recording. Alistair Sims steals the show as a newspaper editor, with his on/off working relationship with chief reporter played by Barry K Barnes. Valarie Hobson plays Barnes wife who helps to capture the criminal mastermind 'Hairlip' Murphy that is trying to set Barnes up as a murderer.

First Class Mystery

[nova-63 · 10/10 · 9 September 2007]

Barry Barnes stars as Simon Drake, a top flight London newspaper reporter. He predicts the murder of Brown, a criminal who was just released from prison. Predictions like that get Scotland Yard's attention and Drake is questioned about the murder. It's revealed his prediction was in fact a prank aimed at his former editor, MacGregor (Alastair Sim).

The crooks don't know Drake was playing a prank and they are fearful he knows too much. A series of murder attempts follow and Drake manages to escape death and get the scoop on the continuing story of who murdered Brown. Ultimately it is revealed the gang of crooks are responsible led by a mystery man who has ties to Drake's newspaper. But Drake, with the help of his wife, Pat (Valerie Hobson), exposes the mysterious leader.

A sequel followed, This Man in Paris 1939, released in the USA as Shadows of the Underworld. Sadly, the sequel is believed lost.

Do not use the telephone while drunk

[myriamlenys · 5/10 · 28 November 2023]

Having been fired by his editor for insubordination, a reporter drowns his sorrows in the company of his sympathetic wife. When properly sozzled he telephones the editor in order to tell him a cock-and-bull story about witnessing a gangland murder. The man, who swallows the story whole, believes he has gotten hold of a scoop for the ages...

"This man is news" is a comedy/crime movie about a reporter whose tipsy irresponsibility lands him in a great big heap of trouble. Although the movie contains entertaining finds, it never quite gels as a cohesive whole. Many of the actors seem to be on different pages, which results in a variety of comedy styles.

I've got to confess that I took a lively dislike to the two protagonists, to wit the reporter and his loving wife. The couple, which consisted of two bright young things running on alcohol, was so relentlessly chipper that it became scary. I kept hoping that some terrible fate would befall them - that a gangster would throw them in a panda bear pit, for instance. But there is no justice.

A very good British comedy mystery that resembles early Hollywood films

[SimonJack · 8/10 · 22 November 2020]

"This Man is News" is a very good British comedy and mystery that may have been inspired by one or more Hollywood films before it. It closely resembles the "The Thin Man" of 1934 that starred William Powell and Myrna Loy as Nick and Nora Charles. Here, Barry Barnes, as Simon Drake, is out to solve a murder, with help at times from wife Pat, played by Valerie Hobson. Only, it turns out not to be a single murder, with one occurring right in their home. And, where Powell's Nick Charles is a master sleuth, the Barnes character here is an ace newspaper reporter. So much for that comparison.

But, then there's the newspaper itself and the reporting which provide the base for this plot. For that aspect, the writers may have been influenced by Hollywood's 1931 newspaper crime comedy, "The Front Page," that starred Adolphe Menjou and Pat O'Brien. That was so popular that more renditions of it were made later. There might even have been some other film sources of inspiration for the news editor played by Alastair Sim. Perhaps "Libeled lady of 1936, and others. The press and reporters and editors were more popular subjects in movies of the 1930s that at any time since.

Well, whether inspired by other films and stories, or not, "This Man is News" is an interesting and very entertaining comedy mystery. The Drakes are even more lively than Nick and Nora, and Pat Drake keeps up with her husband in the drinking department. This is a good plot with some angles that aren't hard to pick up on. Simon's original hunch and prediction comes true that Brown would get knocked off for snitching on his accomplices in a big jewelry heist. But, it's a little hard to believe that others - the press guys at his paper, and the police, wouldn't' think likewise. Then later, Simon doesn't seem quite as sharp after realizing he had become a target of the criminals. He gives away the tip fairly early in the film, which the more astute mystery aficionado would catch. Yet, it seems to go right over his head. So, one has to wonder if he really was all that smart.

Alastair Sim is very good as the editor, Macgregor, but not nearly as ferocious as Menjou or Spencer Tracy's characters in the previous mentioned films. But his role is much funnier, which adds to the comedy and enjoyment of this film. Edward Lexy plays the lead police investigator, Inspector Hollis. Thankfully, he isn't portrayed as a dummy, but a clear thinker who recognizes the whole complex plot toward the end ahead of Drake. The Drakes, Macgregor and Inspector Hollis all are sources of good comedy throughout.

The production seems a bit choppy, and the film quality is somewhat lacking. While the film was made at Pinewood Studios, the production company was short-lived. Pinebrook Studios made just six films in 1938-1939 - this was its first. The plot, screenplay and cast all are very good. But for the somewhat lower production quality, this film would rate one star higher. Here are some favorite lines from this film.

Simon Drake, "I don't know what I've done to deserve a wife like you. I've lost my job. I've ended any chance of ever getting another one." Pat Drake, "Oh, forget it, Simon. You'll get another job. Probably telling bedtime stories on the radio."

Simon Drake, "I hope that big sergeant downstairs is trustworthy, Holly. I don't like the way he looked at my pipe." Inspector Hollis, "Oh, don't you worry about that, Drake. I'll look after that myself."

Simon Drake, "Now, won't you assume, just for the sake of argument, that maybe I'm not a homicidal maniac?" Inspector Hollis, "Where does that get us?" Drake, "That's better."

Pat Drake, on the phone with Macgregor, "I know you don't trust Simon, Mr. Macgregor. Neither do I. But I think it's most ungallant of you to doubt him at his word."

Sergeant Bright, "Nice work, chief. Shall I watch while he gets dressed?" Pat Drake, "Sergeant!"

Fireman, "We see plenty of women in bedrooms, of course. But, as a rule they are free - I mean, uh, not tied up."

Inspector Hollis, "Nice state of affairs - when a man can't even go into his own office for fear of meeting his own chief."

Inspector Hollis, to Sergeant Bright, "Look here, Lothario, I brought you here to dodge the assistant commissioner, and not to indulge in your unbridled passions." Sergeant Bright, "Oh, I say."

Inspector Hollis, "Well, it's your own fault. There's someone doing their level best to kill you, and you can't even tell me why." Simon Drake, "I see. If I want peace, I've got to help you to solve your mystery, have I? All right, tell me how I can help."