ONE FATAL HOUR / TWO AGAINST THE WORLD

US, 1936, 56 minutes, Black and white.
Humphrey Bogart, Beverly Roberts, Linda Perry, Henry O’ Neill, Helen Mac Kellar, Harry Hayden.
Directed by William C. Mc Gann.

One Fatal Hour is the title of the Turner Classics movie print of Two Against the World (and it is billed as eight minutes shorter than Two Against the World).

The film is a remake of a successful 1931 film about newspapers, Five Star Final, with Edward G. Robinson and Boris Karloff.

This film was directed by B-budget director William C. Mc Gann, offers a starring role for Humphrey Bogart who was emerging at this period. The focus this time is on a radio station – and the screenplay is quite hard-hitting about exploitative radio and the ruining of people’s reputations.

Humphrey Bogart is the programming editor of the radio station, wanting it to be more upmarket, but allowing a scurrilous story to be presented. Harry Hayden is very slimy as a fake minister who investigates the story and promotes it. Henry O’ Neill and Helen Mac Kellar are the people affected by the scandal.

The film is brisk, makes a lot of points about the media, programming, audience responses, advertising, exploitative use of the media.

1. The impact of the film? For the 1930s? Later decades? The media? Exploitation?

2. Warner Bros B-budget, the cast, black and white photography, the score?

3. The two titles and their impact? Relevance to the characters?

4. Radio in the 1930s, popularity, the studios, the large audiences, orchestras? Advertising and sponsors? The management? Exploitation? The head of the studio, the underlings? The role of Doctor Martin Leavenworth? Sherry Scott and Alma Ross, their attempts to improve the station? Scott’s capitulation?

5. The story of the murderess? The decision to revive it? The film not giving an any explanation about the murder except to identify the murderess and explaining she did her time? The investigations of Doctor Leavenworth, his visit to the Carstairs? His deception? His promotion of his story – his final comeuppance?

6. Sherry Scott as a character, hard-bitten? Alma Ross, devotion, drinking, supporting him? His meetings with the head? His executive skills? His realising what had happened? His taking a stance against the authorities, his regrets to Edith Carstairs?

7. The Carstairs, respectability, Edith and the marriage, Malcolm? The news of the broadcasts? The appeals, the discussion with Doctor Leavenworth, going to the minister – and his going to the radio council and their decision to move against the head of the radio station?

8. Edith and Malcolm? Romance, preparation for the wedding, the gift of the radio? His parents and their snobbishness, forbidding the wedding?

9. Jim Carstairs, his going to the bank, his appeals? Martha and her ringing the station? Their cutting her off? Her decision to kill herself? Jim, discovering her body, his killing himself?

10. Edith, her going to the station – with the gun? Her being overcome?

11. The grim aspects of the story – and the relevance of this kind of media muckraking?