''Exclusive'' is a 1937 American

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...

directed by

Alexander Hall Alexander Hall (January 11, 1894 – July 30, 1968) was an American film director, film editor and theatre actor. Biography Hall acted in the theatre from the age of four through 1914, when he began to work in silent movies. Following his milit ...

and written by

Jack Moffitt Jack Moffitt is an American computer scientist, software developer and entrepreneur, living in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. Career He is a co-author of the GNU GPL licensed streaming media server, Icecast, and works on software using XMPP, JavaScrip ...

Sidney Salkow Sidney Salkow (June 16, 1911 – October 18, 2000) was an American film director (more than 50 motion pictures), screenwriter, and television director. Salkow was educated at the City College of New York, Columbia University and Harvard Law Schoo ...

and Rian James. The film stars Fred MacMurray, Frances Farmer,

Charlie Ruggles Charles Sherman Ruggles (February 8, 1886 – December 23, 1970) was an American comic character actor. In a career spanning six decades, Ruggles appeared in close to 100 feature films, often in mild-mannered and comic roles. He was also the e ...

Lloyd Nolan Lloyd Benedict Nolan (August 11, 1902 – September 27, 1985) was an American film and television actor. Among his many roles, Nolan is remembered for originating the role of private investigator Michael Shayne in a series of 1940s B movies. B ...

Fay Holden Dorothy Fay Hammerton (26 September 1893 – 23 June 1973), known professionally as Fay Holden, was a British-born, American-based actress. She was known as Gaby Fay early in her career. Biography Holden was born in Birmingham, England. After ...

and

Ralph Morgan Raphael Kuhner Wuppermann (July 6, 1883 – June 11, 1956), known professionally as Ralph Morgan, was a Hollywood stage and film character actor, and the older brother of Frank Morgan. Early life Morgan was born in New York City, the eig ...

. The film was released on August 6, 1937, by Paramount Pictures.

Plot

Cleared of a crime, gangster Charles Gillette seeks vengeance against Mountain City townspeople who sought to put him behind bars, including Colonel Bogardus, owner of the influential ''Mountain City World'' newspaper. Gillette buys the ''Sentinel'', rival to the ''World'', and tries to hire star reporter Ralph Houston to be his editor, but Ralph declines. Gillette then uses Ralph's girlfriend, Vina Swain, to dig up dirt on his enemies. A story on mayoral candidate Horace Mitchell smears his reputation and results in a suicide. Tod Swain, an editor at the ''World'', chastises Vina for her poor judgment. Gillette then sets out to ruin a department store owner by having henchman Beak McArdle arrange an elevator accident that causes deaths as well as serious injury to Ralph. Vina's own life is in peril when Gillette then orders McArdle to murder her so she can never tell what she knows. Tod helps her return safely, then tricks Gillette into a confession about the elevator accident. The ''Sentinel'' is sold to the town, with a recovered Ralph deciding to run it.

Cast

* Fred MacMurray as Ralph Houston * Frances Farmer as Vina Swain *

as Tod Swain *

as Charles Gillette *

as Mrs. Swain *

as Horace Mitchell * Edward H. Robins as Colonel Bogardus *

Harlan Briggs Harlan Briggs (August 17, 1879 – January 26, 1952) was an American actor and Vaudeville performer who was active from the 1930s until his death in 1952. During the course of his career he appeared on Broadway, in over 100 films, as well a ...

as Springer *

Willard Robertson Willard Robertson (January 1, 1886 – April 5, 1948) was an American actor and writer. He appeared in more than 140 films between 1924 and 1948. He was born in Runnels, Texas, and died in Hollywood, California. Biography Robertson first ...

as Mr. Franklin *

Horace McMahon Horace McMahon (May 17, 1906 – August 17, 1971) was an American actor. He was one of Hollywood's favorite heavies. McMahon began his acting career on Broadway, then appeared in many films and television series. In 1962, he received a Pri ...

as Beak McArdle *William Mansell as Formby *

Steve Pendleton Steve Pendleton (September 16, 1908 – October 3, 1984) was an American film and television actor. He also went by Gaylord Pendleton as a Broadway performer. He was in more than 220 different films and television episodes. Pendleton appeare ...

as Elliott *

Chester Clute Chester Lamont Clute (February 18, 1891 – April 2, 1956) was an American actor familiar in scores of Hollywood films from his debut in 1930. Diminutive, bald-pated with a bristling moustache, he appeared in mostly unbilled roles, consis ...

as Garner * Irving Bacon as Dr. Boomgarten *Frank Bruno as Lollipop *James Blakeley as Mr. Walton *Sam Hayes as Radio Announcer

Reception

Writing for '' Night and Day'' in 1937,

Graham Greene Henry Graham Greene (2 October 1904 – 3 April 1991) was an English writer and journalist regarded by many as one of the leading English novelists of the 20th century. Combining literary acclaim with widespread popularity, Greene acquir ...

gave the film a mildly good review, noting that it gives "the general impression ..of slow old-fashioned sentiment hoseresult, like lavender, is not unagreeable". Characterizing the film as "a routine film of American newspaper life", Greene gave mixed reactions to the scenes, praising the elevator crash scene but finding himself disappointed by the precious delivery of the final scenes with the daughter speaking of her dead father. A reviewer in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' found the film's portrayal of newspapermen "authentic" and its story "engrossing".J.T.M. "The Screen. 'High, Wide and Handsome,' a Story of the Oil Rush, Opens at the Astor--The Paramount's 'Exclusive'." The New York Times, 22 July 1937, p. 15, www.nytimes.com/1937/07/22/archives/the-screen-high-wide-and-handsome-a-story-of-the-oil-rush-opens-at.html?searchResultPosition=2. Accessed 1 Dec. 2020.

References

External links

* 1937 films Paramount Pictures films American drama films Films about journalists 1937 drama films Films directed by Alexander Hall American black-and-white films 1930s English-language films 1930s American films {{1930s-drama-film-stub