Tonight I watched another Bogey Starrer : "Deadline USA" (1952). This role was a little bit different for Bogart. He plays the hard charging editor of a big city newspaper, one with a longstanding loyal readership. It's publisher, who is no longer living, founded his paper on the journalistic principals of facts over speculation and sensationalism, and the overall mission of The Fourth Estate to keep government in line and expose corruption wherever it is found, no matter how high into the power structure it may reach. It's an honest paper in other words, dedicated to truth, but as the movie opens it is just about to go out of business. Another more sensational paper, one that prints lurid crime stories complete with graphic photos, has been approached by the late publisher's heirs (his widow and two daughters) for a buyout offer. The rival publisher has agreed to the buyout, and he plans to quash the legit paper, known as "The Day", just as soon as he assumes ownership. Thus everyone is happy. The widow and her daughters receive a big payday for the sale, and the rival publisher, having snuffed out the honest paper he has just bought, no longer has to worry about his main competitor.
But Bogey is not happy. He and his staff have just been working on a potential blockbuster of a story; the expose of a powerful city gangster who may have influenced the recent mayoral election.
(Hmmm......it seems to me that we've heard this story in another more recent form). So if we have - and we have - then think of Bogart as a newsman version of Robert Mueller, a guy who really cares about the truth. He knows that gangsters, criminals and their associates count on the idea that the general public doesn't really care about organised crime, so long as it doesn't negatively affect their lives.
Bogey sees that this creeping cynicism has extended to the rival paper that has bought out "The Day". Their publisher doesn't care about exposing corruption and leaves the gang bosses alone, preferring to increase circulation with semi-nude photos of the gang's murder victims instead. A distraction rather than a search for truth.
So Bogart decides to go for broke, in his last week on the job. He orders all of his principal reporters, who will soon be unemployed themselves, to dig up everything they can on the wealthy gang boss, who masquerades as a "legitimate businessman". The Boss claims he is a "cement contractor" who earns 30,000 a year, but he has vacation homes in Florida and New England. He owns luxury cars and boats. Many past district attorneys have tried and failed to convict him because they can't find anything on him that will stick. He is good at covering his tracks.
Now that I think of it, you could do a mash-up of last night's "The Enforcer" with Humphrey Bogart as the District Attorney trying to shut down a Mob Boss, and tonight's "Deadline USA", where Bogey is running down a Boss from his position as the editor of a major newspaper. In the mash-up, District Attorney Bogey would work with newspaper editor Bogey. Both movies would play simultaneously in a double screen theater, and the audience would be issued special 4D glasses, different from 3D in that they allowed the viewer to see inside The Mash-Up, to see the combined motion pictures as one.
I am probably losing my marbles, but I will find them again (just give me a few minutes, or wait until morning).
It's also possible that I am All Humphrey Bogarted Out, having seen him play a Crusading Role Against Crime in two successive pictures. This is a good thing, of course, but it also makes for mixing your Bogarts up.
Though I give Two Big Thumbs Up to "Deadline USA", which has another crystal clear b&w picture, I think I may recommend that you go back to "Action In The North Atlantic", the WW2 naval picture that we watched the other night, and use that as a starting point for your own Humphrey Bogart marathon. That way you won't get confused as to which role he is playing night-to-night, as I seem to have done........... :)
It sure is great to have a bunch of previously unseen Bogey movies, though. Right?
He is one of the greatest of the greats, just by being himself, and he is also a great actor on top of that.
I think we still have one or two more Bogart movies coming, to continue our mini marathon. Tune in next week to make sure.
Meanwhile, it was freezing cold and raining here today. We watched playoff football at Pearl's. Colts won over Texans, as expected, and 'Boys eked out a win over Seahawks.
That means Rams, who have a bye week, will either play the Cowboys next week, or Da Bearss, if Bearss beat Philly tomorrow. Either way, Rams win.
I will see you in church in the morning. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
No comments:
Post a Comment