Dreadfully Boring

The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

Blistering performances.

Five Star Final is 85 years old yet nothing has changed in that the public still has an appetite to read about filth in newspapers. The themes here would be looked at in many newspaper comedies throughout the 1930's, however this is no screwball comedy - it's deadly serious. I guess we can't say "back in my day journalists had ethics". The real life inspiration for Five Star Final came from a New York tabloid called New York Evening Graphic. At the time of the film release the Evening Graphic was losing circulation because its new editor was attempting to make it a more respectable paper, just like the character of Randall played by Edward G. Robinson the editor of the fictional tabloid newspaper The Gazette.Randall is an editor who is not without ethics. Despite the objections of the paper's management, "Randall won't print pictures of girls in underwear in the pictures section" and prints cables from The League of Nations. The pressure is on him to stop printing "actual news" and more sensationalist stories and gossip. When Randall gives in we see the full sleaze of Edward G. Robinson; after all nobody could do sleaze better than him.The stealer of the show however is Boris Karloff as Isopod. This isn't a horror movie but his performance feel like one straight from a horror picture with is distinctive, eerie voice. Isopod is a disgraced priest of whom Randall disguises as a practicing priest to go undercover and do the paper's dirty work; a creep who is full of crap and as Randall puts it "You're the most blasphemous looking thing I've ever seen". The name Isopod in Greek means 'even footed' but more commonly is the name an unpleasant looking order of crustacean parasites so I guess it works.The Gazette has a number of shady practices; they bully retailers and vandalise their stalls for not putting their papers on top. Likewise they employee a pretty girl played by Ona Munson to do dirty work for the paper although the main reason they're choosing her for the job is that she's not flat chested, as evident by the shot in which Aline MacMahon is clearly looking at her rack (even Isopod enjoys checking her out).In order the increase the circulation of The Gazette, Randall unearths a 20 year old murder case for the sake of a sensational story later titled, "Famous Killer's Girl to Wed Society Man". Today with this internet thing we've got going on it would be highly unlikely someone could hide the fact they were once tried for murder while Isopod could just get a photograph of the murder's daughter on Facebook. But the fact remains the same: sensationalist news stories can affect the lives of innocent associates.The film has a truly superb cast with everyone having their moment in the sun and this being a film set in the world of journalism, the dialogue flows at a rapid fire rate; a form of acting which is truly a thing of the past. Marian Marsh's breakdown at the end is hair raising melodramatic brilliance, even if her husband just happens to walk in as she pulls out a gun in a delightfully improbable turn of events.The production values are excellent helmed under the great director Mervyn Le Roy (such an impressive back catalogue). The use of sound in the opening credits with boys shouting "extra!" and the noise of the printing press sets the atmosphere while it's evident the studio strived for this production to have authentic sets. Many shots in Five Star Final have an impressive level of depth such as that of George E. Stone with his feet up in foreground as he sits back while on the phone.Five Star Final contains innovative use of split screen as Mrs Voorhes (Frances Starr) in the middle of the frame is trapped between paper employees who go about their business as usual and try to ignore her but also shows the paper as voyeuristic spies. Yes, the filmmakers sure love their symbolism here. Throughout the film Randall is constantly washing his hands ("50 times a day" apparently) while the paper employees going to the bar and drink in order to deal with their conscience. Likewise Randall's closeted love interest Miss Taylor played by Aline MacMahon has feelings towards him but objects to his job and the paper; she is symbolic of his conscious. To top it all off, the film ends with an image of the paper lying in the gutter like the filthy rag it is; a final powerful image to stick in your mind.

"Five Star Final" is dated but its message, about unscrupulous journalism, is not. Most of the reviewers have recapped the story, so just a few observations.First, the presentation is very stagey, and, in fact, it was adapted from a stage play for the screen by its author, who was a newspaperman at one time. This accounts for the exaggerated acting styles, as some of the performers are former stage actors. H.B. Warner was outstanding as the innocent bystander husband, while Frances Starr, the 'fallen woman' of the piece, was too theatrical. I thought Boris Karloff was a hoot as a lecherous ex-priest.Most contributors liked the last scene but I felt it was over-the-top. It was also Marian Marsh's best scene. Overall, I thought most actors in the film were excellent; acting is what does it for me because it can put an ordinary picture over, even if the screenplay is not up to snuff. But, readers, this is not an ordinary picture. It garnered a richly deserved Best Picture nomination, and even today is a tribute to Hollywood''s ability to produce superior, thought-provoking motion pictures.

The film is a pre-code talkie based upon a hit Broadway play that was written by a former newspaper managing editor. Long ago early talkies became dated (archaic sound, stagy performances) even though their messages may still be valid. So while we may dismiss the old-fashioned melodramatics of "Five Star Final," the movie message still holds true. Reckless news reporting is still a topic today, whether to improve television ratings, perk up website "hits," or advance a failing newspaper's circulation. "Evening Gazette" publisher Bernard Hinchecliffe (Oscar Apfel), concerned because of a drop in circulation (circa 300,000), approaches intense Managing Editor Randall (Edward G. Robinson) to spice up issues with more "human interest stories" (meaning seedy stuff). Circulation and advertising execs French (Purnell Pratt) and Brannagan (Robert Elliott) concur with Hinchecliffe. So Randall cracks under pressure from his bosses and rekindles a twenty-year old sensational murder case. That involved a pregnant stenographer Nancy Voorhees (Frances Starr) who shot her adulterous lover for not marrying her. Hinchecliffe wants a follow-up story as to how Nancy is living. Of course, the fact that reopening the nearly forgotten case will hurt innocent people falls off the deaf ears of the three bigwigs. Nancy, who has moved on with her life, is living a quiet existence with bank cashier husband Michael Townsend (H.B. Warner) and college student daughter Jenny (Marian Marsh). Jenny does not know that (1) her mom once murdered a man and that (2) Mr. Townsend is not her biological father. Now Jenny is marrying nice-boy Philip Weeks (Anthony Bushell), son of well-to- do parents. His adamant father is a successful machinery manufacturer; neither he nor his heinous wife wants any bad publicity.To uncover the latest information on Voorhees, Randall hires sleazy reporter Kitty "Legs" Carmody (Ona Munson) and teams her with amoral undercover reporter Isopod (Boris Karloff). Isopod was formerly kicked out of divinity school. Using some of the most sordid tactics seen in early talkies, the latter takes the unsuspecting Townsend couple into his confidence (bad mistake) and so they provide him with the information that he needs. Soon the story hits the headlines just before the planned wedding and results in more than one tragedy and a volatile finale.Robinson was good as usual, and he is better here than when snarling (and without any virtues) as a gangster in those stereotypical and violent movies that starred him. Here he is constantly washing his hands and drinking at Corcoran's speakeasy (The Volstead Act is still in force), symbolic of his guilty conscience bubbling just below the surface. Aline MacMahon, as outspoken stenographer Taylor in love with Randall, is satisfying also. So was pretty Marion Marsh ("Why did you kill my mother?"). Karloff succeeds as the repulsive reporter. Catch his signature line when he enters Randall's office: "Good e-e-evening." Known for sharp dialog, sexual innuendo, and social satire, "Five Star Final" was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture, but it lost to "Grand Hotel". Like many early talkies it is quite histrionic. A curious item of note involves pint-sized George E. Stone who plays contest manager Ziggie Feinstein. Now Ziggie calls up Dinky Ginsberg complaining about "a wise Arab" on 46th Street who owns a rival newsstand. "Take a couple of brass knuckles and do your stuff. Wow, the guy's a thug! Ziggie then calls City Commissioner Jim Donovan on the telephone to "lay down a route" as he will stage a one thousand-car cab race from the Bronx to the City Hall. Feinstein's reward to Donovan is a case of "cut" scotch. So much for the Volstead Act! Now Randall had earlier quipped that the race will kill a hundred people. But Ziggie is persistent, and tells Donovan that he already has the race fixed: "I'm gonna let an Irishman, a Jew, and a Wop win." Whoaaaa, now we know the flick's pre-code! And where is the protest for such a slur?

Of all people, can that actually be Frankenstein groveling before a newspaper editor (Robinson). Yes indeed, it's the great Karloff as a reporter making extra nice-nice and a bit tipsy too—it does take some getting used to. He's certainly out of usual character, over-acting as well (perhaps the only time in a generally restrained career), but then exaggeration is the style of these early talkies.Karloff aside, the movie's a hard-hitting expose of the cut-throat newspaper industry back when 'extra editions' were the chief news outlet and people flocked around news stands. Pity poor Nancy Townsend (Starr). She's served her time for a sensational murder and is now a respectable housewife. Trouble is the Gazette, its greedy owner, and editor Randall, need to boost circulation, so why not resurrect her murder case. Who cares that it may ruin her now reformed life when there's extra dollars to be made. Some pretty dramatic scenes ensue, and few punches are pulled, especially that sardonic very last shot.No doubt about it, director LeRoy is one of the masters of early talkies. The staging of the two tragic Townsend scenes is movingly done, while the split screen run-around really brings out the cruelty of the Gazette staff. This is pre-Code (1931) and some innuendo surfaces at the beginning with chippie Kitty Carmody (Munson), otherwise there's little that post-1934 would find objectionable.This is First National Pictures on the eve of merging with Warner Bros. to complete that powerhouse studio of the 1930's. There's Warner's trademark vigor and 'every dayness' that help lift this movie beyond the ordinary and also show why the very unglamorous Robinson was such a force in early talkies. All in all, it's a smoothly energetic installment in pre-Code Hollywood.In passing-- catch that 1930 state-of-the-art radio, almost big enough to sleep in. These really old movies are a good chance to view early editions of familiar technology and be entertained at the same time.