Cheap Call Northside 777 (Video) (James Stewart, Richard Conte) (Henry Hathaway) Price

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Customer Reviews of Call Northside 777

A Search For Truth...and Justice
Jimmy Stewart is a Chicago newspaper reporter who does a small human interest story about a woman who runs a newspaper ad offering reward money to anyone who will help clear her son of a murder charge. Stewart's editor thinks there is more to the story and Stewart begrudgingly starts prying it open. Through much of the film Stewart has to struggle with himself wondering if he is righting a wrong or helping to free a cop killer. In the second half of the film, now convinced of the man's innocence Stewart turns from reporter to crusader. We go along for the ride as Stewart meets dead ends, cautious politicians, and cynical prosecutors. There are good scenes between Stewart and Helen Walker as his spouse as well as with Kasia Orzazewski playing the mother of the convicted man. The real strength of the film however is its knowledge of Chicago, especially the Polish immigrant experience. Based on a true story, written with genuine feeling and suspense. Excellent viewing for an entire family.

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Chicago Reporter Seeks Truth in Policeman's Murder
Jimmy Stewart stars as James McNeal, a Chicago newspaper reporter assigned to investigate the Prohibition-era murder of a policeman. Two men - Frank Wiecek and Tomick Szaleska - were convicted and sentenced to prison terms of 99 years.

But Wiecek's mother Tillie, a Chicago scrubwoman, has raised five thousand dollars scrubbing floors in the hope of reopening the murder investigation. Her ad in McNeal's newspaper catches an editor's eye and McNeal is assigned the story. Eleven years after the trial, Tillie Wiecek tells McNeal, "My boy is innocent."

McNeal is skeptical of the story and he doesn't like the idea of "freeing a cop-killer." But he digs further after his initial story attracts a lot of reader interest. The film dramatically depicts his dealings with the courts, the police, and the Illinois Parole Board. Director Henry Hathaway used real Chicago locales to give this film its black and white grittiness. Stewart gives a fine performance, helped by an able cast and an interesting story. Fine film, worth seeing.

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Stop the Presses
For my money this is the best film ever made about American journalism. James Stewart is a staff writer made cycnical over the years by the grubby sensationalism and shallow hackwork that fills most American newspapers. When he actually latches onto a case of genuine injustice it's an episode that transforms his life almost as much as that of the convict he's trying to free. This is certainly director Henry Hathaway's masterpiece and he has never been given sufficient credit for it. The straight-on realism he achieved filming on location in Chicago has rarely if ever been equalled in the American movies in my view, and no effort was made to clean up the untidy skeins of the story either as Hollywood was wont to do. For instance, nothing was done to free the man unjustly convicted along with Richard Conte's character, around whom the story revolves. If you were to make a list of Stewart's 4 or 5 greatest performances this would have to be on it. He uses methods both praiseworthy and ugly to get what he's after and no American movie actor ever brought home that kind of mixed morality better.