Behind the News (1940)

Again, Lloyd Nolan (one of our favorites) gets top billing. Frank Albertson is a cub reporter straight out of college. He gets a job on a paper and is assigned by editor Robert Armstrong to shadow Nolan, a veteran and hard-living reporter, to teach him a lesson. Nolan's girlfriend is Doris Davenport, who is getting weary of his forgetfulness and neglect and lack of money.

Nolan sends Albertson to the morgue to check on a fatal accident, where he hears a rumor about food poisoning at the county home. He tries to get evidence from the home and is arrested for his trouble. Nolan posts his bail, and then gets drunk. While he is out, a big story breaks about a criminal escaping from jail. Albertson covers the story for him and is there while the convict is shot. He gives Nolan the by-line for the story. However, he is disillusioned by the paper's failure to uncover graft and corruption. His buddies on press corps trick him into a phoney headline, and the editor sets out to run him off, since he cannot fire him because he is on a scholarship appointment.

They discover that the district attorney is taking pay-offs. The witness (Frank Puglia) is in Calexico, so off they go to dig into it. A couple of the DA's heavies arrive to rub him out, but Nolan and Albertson pitch into the fray and a wonderful fight scene ensues.

When they get back, Nolan and Davenport are to get married, but Nolan is (of course) late. But he does finally arrive - just before the latest cub reporter.




Armstrong


Davenport