Scandal Sheet (1952)

The editor of an exploitation newspaper commits a murder and assigns his protégé to investigate hoping to divert attention away from himself.

Director:

Phil Karlson

Writers:

Ted Sherdeman (screenplay), Eugene Ling (screenplay)

Stars:

John Derek, Donna Reed, Broderick Crawford

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Broderick Crawford	...	Mark Chapman
Donna Reed	...	Julie Allison
John Derek	...	Steve McCleary
Rosemary DeCamp	...	Charlotte Grant
Henry O'Neill	...	Charlie Barnes
Harry Morgan	...	Biddle (as Henry Morgan)
James Millican	...	Police Lt. Davis
Griff Barnett	...	Judge Elroy Hacker
Jonathan Hale	...	Frank Madison

Storyline

The editor of a New York exploitation newspaper meets the wife he had abandoned years ago, while using another name, at a Lonely Hearts ball sponsored by his newspaper. She threatens to expose him as a wife-deserter, wife-beater and an impostor, and, in anger, he pushes her and accidentally kills her. Later, when her body is found, he assigns his protégé reporter to the story, as a good, exploitable follow-up story to the ball. And, then, he is forced to sit back and watch while the reporter slowly tracks down the killer.

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Plot Keywords:

reporter | newspaper | wife beater | tabloid | murder | 

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Taglines:

The Man From "The Mob" Is Making Another Killing!

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Film-Noir | Romance | Thriller

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Certificate:

Passed

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 January 1952 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Dark Page

Filming Locations:

Hollywood, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

82 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Ted Sherdeman was rewriting George Bruce's script, but Bruce's contribution to the final film, if any, has not been confirmed.

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Goofs

The door in Broderick Crawford's office apparently has no glass in its window. (This was presumably to prevent reflections from lights or equipment.)

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Quotes

Julie Allison: [with tongue in cheek, referring to her and fellow reporter, Steve, going out of town together for several days to investigate a story] Mom, you think it's safe for me to travel out of state at night with this young man?
Mrs. Allison: Just so he doesn't misconstrue the meaning of "freedom of the press."

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Connections

Referenced in Crime Wave (1985)

User Reviews

Very good film-noir!!

A very good and fast paced film that deals with a newspaper editor assigning his top reporter on a murder case, with a great ending to this film!! I noticed that the first two commentors were harping about Donna Reed smoking on-screen. Heck far, there is more to this film than THAT!! I did not hear any crying around from those two about Harry Morgan smoking a cigar in this film. Great performances all around and a performance by Rosemary De Camp, that is against the grain, as she always seemed to play the sweet motherly types, but not in this one!! Don't miss this one if it appears on television!!