Call Northside 777 ***** (1948, James Stewart, Richard Conte, Lee J Cobb, Helen Walker) – Classic Movie Review 2071

Director Henry Hathaway’s classic 1948 documentary-style film noir thriller is excellent of its now much-admired type. It is based on the true story of a Chicago reporter who proved that a man in prison for murder was wrongly convicted 11 years earlier.

It stars James Stewart, revitalising his movie star career by toughening up his image as the dogged, tough, incorruptible Chicago crime reporter P J McNeal, who decides to re-open a decade-old murder case. He ends up trying to clear a convicted cop murderer called Frank W. Wiecek (played by Richard Conte) who was sentenced to life imprisonment after a Chicago policeman is killed in 1932.

Eleven years later, a newspaper ad by Frank’s mother (Kasia Orzazewski) leads McNeal to look into the case. At first he believes Frank is guilty but later he starts to change his mind, meeting strong resistance from authorities. It also stars Lee J Cobb as Brian Kelly (based on real life editor Karin Walsh) and Helen Walker as Laura McNeal.

With a thoroughly engrossing, complex and involving script taken from the true story as revealed in Chicago Tribune articles by James P McGuire (who is of course the basis of the McNeal character), this is an ultra-convincing, nail-bitingly gripping thriller. Wiecek is based on the real-life Joseph Majczek, who was wrongly convicted of the murder of Chicago Traffic Police Officer William D. Lundy in 1932.

Following up his 1947 hit Kiss of Death, Hathaway achieves a pungent flavour of reality through the naturalistic performances and by shooting on real locations in Chicago’s Polish district. It is notable as the first Hollywood feature film to film on location in Chicago, and it shows the Merchandise Mart and Holy Trinity Polish Mission.

Also in the cast are Betty Garde, Joanne de Bergh, Howard Smith, E G Marshall, Moroni Olsen, John McIntire, Paul Harvey, George Tyne, Richard Bishop, Lionel Stander and Jonathan Hale.

The script won the Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America for Best Motion Picture Screenplay in 1949.

The film was released on DVD in 2005 by 20th Century Fox as part of its Film Noir collection, along with Laura and Panic in the Streets.

© Derek Winnert 2015 Classic Movie Review 2071

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