There were a few films in the '30s that set the stage for a lot of imitations. One was "It Happened One Night," which gave rise to dozens of films about heiresses, and the other was "The Front Page" from 1931, about a reporter and an editor. "Back in Circulation" is the latter, from 1937.
Here, the reporter is beautiful Joan Blondell, as sparkling and energetic as ever, and her editor is Pat O'Brien (who also appeared in "The Front Page"). Blondell is Timmy, a crafty reporter good at getting in on the most important stories, no matter what she has to do. O'Brien is Bill Morgan, who knows Timmy is the best and is constantly sending her out.
When a wealthy man dies, Bill receives a letter saying he was poisoned, so he dispatches Timmy to investigate. She's able to stop the funeral and convince the medical examiner to do an autopsy. Turns out he was poisoned, and suspicion falls on his wife (Margaret Lindsay). The paper goes after her in a big way, but after Timmy spends some time with her, she begins to suspect that the widow is innocent and hiding something. This puts her at odds with Bill.
Thanks to Blondell's performance, this movie manages to come off, though it isn't the tightest script. It flip-flops between comedy and heavy drama, and the alliance is uneasy.
John Litel and Regis Toomey are featured. Lindsay gives a '30s-style performance, and today it sticks out as being melodramatic. That was the style, and that's the way many roles were written. This was on its way out of style due to stars like Bette Davis.
Entertaining. Always a pleasure to see Blondell in a film.
Here, the reporter is beautiful Joan Blondell, as sparkling and energetic as ever, and her editor is Pat O'Brien (who also appeared in "The Front Page"). Blondell is Timmy, a crafty reporter good at getting in on the most important stories, no matter what she has to do. O'Brien is Bill Morgan, who knows Timmy is the best and is constantly sending her out.
When a wealthy man dies, Bill receives a letter saying he was poisoned, so he dispatches Timmy to investigate. She's able to stop the funeral and convince the medical examiner to do an autopsy. Turns out he was poisoned, and suspicion falls on his wife (Margaret Lindsay). The paper goes after her in a big way, but after Timmy spends some time with her, she begins to suspect that the widow is innocent and hiding something. This puts her at odds with Bill.
Thanks to Blondell's performance, this movie manages to come off, though it isn't the tightest script. It flip-flops between comedy and heavy drama, and the alliance is uneasy.
John Litel and Regis Toomey are featured. Lindsay gives a '30s-style performance, and today it sticks out as being melodramatic. That was the style, and that's the way many roles were written. This was on its way out of style due to stars like Bette Davis.
Entertaining. Always a pleasure to see Blondell in a film.