''Big Town Scandal'' is a 1948 American

crime film Crime film is a film belonging to the crime fiction genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and fiction. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine with many other genres, such as Drama (film and television), dr ...

directed by William C. Thomas and written by Milton Raison. The film stars

Phillip Reed Phillip Reed (born Milton LeRoy; March 25, 1908 – December 7, 1996) was an American actor. He played Steve Wilson in a series of four films (1947–1948) based on the '' Big Town'' radio series. Early years Reed was a star athlete at Er ...

Hillary Brooke Hillary Brooke (born Beatrice Sofia Mathilda Peterson; September 8, 1914 – May 25, 1999) was an American film actress. Career A 5′6″ blonde from the Astoria neighborhood of New York City's borough of Queens, Brooke, who was of Swedish an ...

, Stanley Clements,

Darryl Hickman Darryl Gerard Hickman (July 28, 1931 – May 22, 2024) was an American actor, screenwriter, television executive, and acting coach. He started his career as a child actor in the Golden Age of Hollywood and appeared in numerous television seria ...

, Carl Switzer and Roland Dupree. It was released on May 27, 1948 by

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...

. The film was the fourth and last one in a series of four films based on the long-running radio program ''

Big Town ''Big Town'' is a popular long-running radio drama featuring a corruption-fighting newspaper editor initially played from 1937 to 1942 by Edward G. Robinson in his first radio role, with echoes of the conscience-stricken tabloid editor he had p ...

''.

Plot

After juvenile boys get caught robbing a sporting goods store, reporter Lorelei Kilbourne pleads for leniency in court and her boss and boyfriend, editor Steve Wilson, ends up reluctantly vouching for the boys. He converts an old newspaper building into a recreation center, where he coaches the boys in basketball. Tommy Malone goes for a joy ride in the car of a gangster, Joe Moreley. A business arrangement is struck, where Moreley will stash stolen goods at the rec center while betting on the team's basketball games, which Tommy will deliberately lose. The other boys try to return some stolen furs, but one of them, Pinky Jones, ends up shot. Tommy tries to end his deal with Moreley, only to be threatened by Cato, the gangster's gunman. Tommy double-crosses the crooks, winning the next game. Cato shoots him. Tommy's friend and teammate "Dum Dum" pursues Moreley in the bleachers, where Moreley falls off. Tommy recovers in the hospital, while Steve and Lorelei end up getting custody of three more delinquent boys.

Cast

as Steve Wilson *

as Lorelei Kilbourne * Stanley Clements as Tommy Malone *

as Harold 'Skinny' Peters * Carl Switzer as Frankie Snead * Roland Dupree as John 'Pinky' Jones *

Tommy Bond Thomas Ross Bond (September 16, 1926 – September 24, 2005) was an American actor, director, producer and writer. He was best known for his work as a child actor for two nonconsecutive periods in ''Our Gang'' (''Little Rascals'') comedies (fir ...

as Waldo 'Dum Dum' Riggs *

Vince Barnett Vince Barnett (July 4, 1902 – August 10, 1977) was an American film actor. He appeared on stage originally before appearing in more than 230 films between 1930 and 1975. Early years Barnett was born July 4, 1902, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylva ...

as Louie Snead *

Charles Arnt Charles E. Arnt (August 20, 1906 – August 6, 1990) was an American film actor from 1933 to 1962. Arnt appeared as a character actor in more than 200 films. Arnt was born in Michigan City, Indiana, the son of a banker. He graduated from ...

as Amos Peabody *Joseph Allen as Wally Blake *

Donna Martell Donna Kay Martell (born December 24, 1927) is an American former actress who starred in film and television during the Golden Age Era in the 1950s and 1960s. Early years Born on December 24, 1927, in Los Angeles, California, to Louis and Marg ...

as Marion Harrison * John Phillips as Joe Moreley *Reginald Billado as Cato

References

External links

* 1948 films 1948 crime drama films American black-and-white films American crime drama films Films about journalists Films based on radio series Films directed by William C. Thomas Paramount Pictures films 1940s English-language films 1940s American films Big Town English-language crime drama films {{1940s-US-drama-film-stub

Plot

Cast

See also

References

External links