Park Row **** (1952, Gene Evans, Mary Welch, Herbert Heyes) – Classic Movie Review 3507

Cult name writer-producer-director Samuel Fuller draws on his own early newspaper man experiences for this very neat, taut, low-budget independent B-film drama about a newspaper editor named Phineas Mitchell (Gene Evans) clashing with battling a media mogul called Charity Hackett (Mary Welch), his former employer, in Victorian-era New York.

In New York’s 1880s newspaper district, Mitchell starts up The Globe, a small, visionary newspaper. But, after firing him, The Star’s ruthless heiress Charity decides to try to eliminate the enemy competition.

Despite the obviously cheap production, this 1952 movie is thoroughly good, often rousing stuff that is still relevant today – perhaps, given the state of the press, maybe even more so.  Mitchell says: ‘The press is good or evil according to the character of those who direct it.’ How up to date is that?

There are many fine sequences and there is intelligent, genuinely involving and interesting writing, as well as imaginative direction by Fuller, who really knows how to move the camera around to make a shot count.

Also in the cast are Herbert Heyes, Tina Pine, Forrest Taylor, George O’Hanlon, J M Kerrigan, Don Orlando, Bela Kovacs, Neyle Morrow, Dick Elliott, Stuart Randall, Dee Pollock, Hal K Dawson, Heinie Conklin, Jean Del Val, Monk Eastman, Charles Horvath, Frank Marlowe, Snub Pollard, Stanley Price and Max Wagner.

Though quickly shot in 14 days, it is stylishly made in long takes. Park Row premiered at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in LA, a prestigious venue for an independent B-film. It was the former New York reporter’s favourite film, although it did not do well at the box office. Fuller put up his own money to make it and lost it all.  He kept $1,000 in his bank account to spend on cigars and vodka, the remaining $200,000 went on the movie.

Park Row is the US equivalent of Fleet Street, the street in Manhattan where most of New York City’s newspapers were located. Welch and Heyes died on the same day of 31 May 1958.

© Derek Winnert 2016 Classic Movie Review 3507

Link to Derek Winnert’s home page for more reviews: http://derekwinnert.com/