''A Dispatch from Reuters'' is a 1940

biographical film A biographical film or biopic () is a film that dramatizes the life of an actual person or group of people. Such films show the life of a historical person and the central character's real name is used. They differ from Docudrama, docudrama films ...

about

Paul Reuter Paul Julius Reuter (born Israel Beer Josaphat; 21 July 1816 – 25 February 1899), later ennobled as Freiherr von Reuter (Baron von Reuter), was a German-born British entrepreneur who was a pioneer of telegraphy and news reporting.

, the man who built the famous news service that bears his name. The film was directed by

William Dieterle William Dieterle (July 15, 1893 – December 9, 1972) was a German-born actor and film director who emigrated to the United States in 1930 to leave a worsening political situation. He worked in Cinema of the United States, Hollywood primarily a ...

and stars Edward G. Robinson.

Plot

starts a messenger service using

homing pigeons The homing pigeon is a variety of domestic pigeon (''Columba livia domestica''), selectively bred for its ability to find its way home over extremely long distances. Because of this skill, homing pigeons were used to carry messages, a practice ...

to fill a gap in the

telegraph Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas ...

network spanning Europe, but he faces difficulty attracting subscribers. When poison is mistakenly sent to a hospital, Reuter's message saves many lives. However, he is persuaded by Ida Magnus, the pretty daughter of Dr. Magnus, to suppress the news, as a scandal would jeopardize the good work that the doctors are performing. With some hot news about Russia's invasion of Hungary, which would depress the stock market, Reuter convinces bankers that he can provide them with financial information much more quickly than by any other means. His friend Max Wagner runs Reuter's Brussels office, but Reuter learns that Ida had visited there and taken control of the office. Reuter sends a message by pigeon asking her to marry him, and she returns a pigeon with her assent. When the telegraph network finally fills the gap that Reuter's business had been exploiting, he realizes that he can use his network of European employees to gather news and sell it to newspapers. He encounters resistance, particularly from John Delane, the influential editor of ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...

'', but persuades Louis Napoleon III to allow him to disseminate the text of an important speech while it is presented. A rival company secretly builds a telegraph line in Ireland that provides it with a two-hour lead in receiving news from ships sailing from North America. Reuter borrows money from his client and friend Sir Randolph Persham and builds his own line that extends further west and retrieves the news even quicker. Its first use is to announce the

assassination of President Lincoln On April 14, 1865, Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States, was shot by John Wilkes Booth while attending the play '' Our American Cousin'' at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C. Shot in the head as he watched the play, Li ...

. As nobody knows about Reuter's new telegraph line, he is accused of concocting the story to manipulate the stock market, and even Sir Randolph believes the rumors at first. The matter is discussed in the

British Parliament The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, and may also legislate for the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of ...

, but Reuter is vindicated when slower services confirm his story.

Cast

* Edward G. Robinson as

Paul Julius Reuter Paul Julius Reuter (born Israel Beer Josaphat; 21 July 1816 – 25 February 1899), later ennobled as Freiherr von Reuter (Baron von Reuter), was a German-born British entrepreneur who was a pioneer of telegraphy and news reporting.

Edna Best Edna Clara Best (3 March 1900 – 18 September 1974) was a British actress. Early life Born in Hove, Sussex, England, she was educated in Brighton and later studied dramatic acting under Miss Kate Rorke who was the first professor of Drama at ...

as Ida Magnus Reuter * Eddie Albert as Max Wagner * Albert Bassermann as Franz Geller * Gene Lockhart as Otto Bauer * Otto Kruger as Dr. Magnus *

Nigel Bruce William Nigel Ernle Bruce (4 February 1895 – 8 October 1953) was an English character actor on stage and screen. He was best known for his portrayal of Dr. Watson in a series of films and in the radio series '' The New Adventures of Sherlo ...

as Sir Randolph Persham *

Montagu Love Montagu Love (15 March 1877 – 17 May 1943) was an English screen, stage and vaudeville actor. Early years Born in Portsmouth, Hampshire, Love was the son of Harry Love and Fanny Louisa Love, née Poad; his father was listed as accountant ...

as John Delane * James Stephenson as Carew *

Walter Kingsford Walter Kingsford (born Walter Pearce; 20 September 1881 – 7 February 1958) was an English stage, film, and television actor. Early years Kingsford was born in Redhill, Surrey, England. Career Kingsford began his acting career on the L ...

as Louis Napoleon III * David Bruce as Mr. Bruce * Dickie Moore as Reuter as a Boy (uncredited) * Lumsden Hare as Chairman *

Cyril Delevanti Harry Cyril Delevanti (23 February 1887 – 13 December 1975) was an English character actor with a long career in American films. He was sometimes credited as Syril Delevanti. Early years Delevanti was born in London to Anglo-Italian music ...

as Cockney News Vendor (uncredited) *

Gilbert Emery Gilbert Emery Bensley Pottle (June 11, 1875 – October 28, 1945), known professionally as Gilbert Emery, was an American actor who appeared in over 80 movies from 1921 to his death in 1945. He was also a playwright, author of seven Broadway pla ...

Lord Palmerston Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston (20 October 1784 – 18 October 1865), known as Lord Palmerston, was a British statesman and politician who served as prime minister of the United Kingdom from 1855 to 1858 and from 1859 to 1865. A m ...

(uncredited) *

Robert Homans Robert Edward Homans (November 8, 1877 – July 28, 1947) was an American actor who entered films in 1923 after a lengthy stage career. Life and career Robert Homans was born November 8, 1877, in Malden, Massachusetts. Although he studied ...

as Reporter (uncredited)

Production

The project's working titles were ''The Man from Fleet Street'' and ''The Man Reuter,'' but the title was changed to ''A Dispatch from Reuters'' in July 1940 at the suggestion of the film's director

, who felt that titles for biographical films typically lacked intrigue. In preparation for filming a scene in which a hawk pursues a carrier pigeon, bird handlers were concerned with the hawk overtaking and killing the pigeon, so they used both a tame hawk and a wild one and slowed the wild hawk's speed using weights attached to its body. However, it was the pigeon who chased both hawks, so the chase scene was shortened. After one of the carrier pigeons flew astray with a prop warning message about poisoned medicine affixed to its body, police departments north of Hollywood were warned to ignore the alarming message.

Release

A preview screening was held at the Warner Hollywood Theater on September 18, 1940.

Reception

In a contemporary review for ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', critic Thomas M. Pryor called ''A Dispatch from Reuters'' "a slow-paced drama of mixed values" and wrote: "Though generally interesting, the new film ... is only occasionally stimulating, and there are instances when the biography of the journalist is more apocryphal than factual. But on the whole it is a creditable job, and, like William Dieterle's previous excursions into the biographical, the production is handsomely mounted and the story flows smoothly. ... Edward G. Robinson gives a sincere though not always convincing performance in the leading role." Reviewer Philip K. Scheuer of the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'' wrote: " is as excitingly factual as a bulletin from Europe and as inspiringly romantic as progress itself. Further in its favor is a stepping-up of the tempo above that of earlier scientific studies, as befits a saga of those swift heralds who bear the tidings of good or evil impartially to the corners of the earth. ... The production may carve no paths in biological narrative, but it is one of the most representative of its type and a superlative movie." Columnist

Hedda Hopper Elda Furry (May 2, 1885February 1, 1966), known professionally as Hedda Hopper, was an American gossip columnist and actress. At the height of her influence in the 1940s, more than 35 million people read her columns. A strong supporter of the Hous ...

remarked: "It's full of action. Eddie Robinson's performance has moments of great power."

Notes

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dispatch From Reuters, A 1940 films Films about journalists American black-and-white films Films directed by William Dieterle Films set in Brussels Films set in Germany Films set in London Films set in Paris Films set in the 1840s Films set in the 1850s Films set in the 1860s Films about mass media owners American biographical drama films 1940s biographical drama films 1940s historical drama films American historical drama films Warner Bros. films 1940s American films Cultural depictions of Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston Cultural depictions of Napoleon III