Category Archives: movies

Reporters aren’t always heroes: Ask Laura

Posted on February 23, 2013 by

Despite the title of this blog, not all newspapermen (or women) in radio’s popular culture portrayals were heroes, although I think they were generally played more favorably on radio than in Hollywood movies. But I’ve just added a 45th title … Continue reading →

Posted in 1940s, adaptations, columnists, crime, detectives, Drama, movies, romance | Leave a comment

The most beautiful newspaper reporter on radio

Posted on September 9, 2012 by

“Give me a chance, just give me a chance, and I’ll be the best male Jane Arden in the racket.” — Jerry Delaney, the newspaper’s cub reporter Clearly, she was inspiring! Jane Arden was a long-running comic strip about an … Continue reading →

Posted in 1930s, crime, editors, journalism, movies, radio, reporters, soap opera, women | 2 Comments

Arsenic and Old Headlines

Posted on September 1, 2012 by

As a former reporter for The Hartford Courant, I was intrigued to find a Courant story from long ago among episodes of the radio series “The Big Story,” and just had to track down the original criminal investigation. The broadcast … Continue reading →

Posted in 1900s, 1940s, movies, newspapers, The Big Story, true stories | Leave a comment

Hearing the reporter’s voice in All the King’s Men

Posted on August 10, 2012 by

In the movies of All the King’s Men, starring Broderick Crawford (1949) or Sean Penn (2006), charismatic Southern politician Willie Stark is obviously the main character. But for the only radio adaptation I’ve found of Robert Penn Warren’s novel — … Continue reading →

Posted in 1940s, journalism, movies, political corruption, Pulitzer Prize, reporters | Leave a comment

A phone call, shoe-leather and compassion turn a story into a crusade

Posted on July 2, 2012 by

Call Northside 777 “Well, it made a pretty good yarn, I guess. Y’know — ‘Mother slaves to save $5,000, offers it to clear her son.’ I told myself it was all in a day’s work…” — Reporter Mac McNeal About … Continue reading →

Posted in 1940s, adaptations, editors, journalism, movies, newspaper crusades, radio, reporters, reporting | Leave a comment

Something Green for St. Patrick’s Day

Posted on March 17, 2012 by

  The band played an Irish jig  whenever derby-wearing Michael Axford entered the scene in The Green Hornet Strikes Again, the 1941 movie serial closely based on the Green Hornet radio program. Cop-turned-reporter Axford, played by Wade Boteler in the … Continue reading →

Posted in 1940s, adventure, GreenHornet, movies, radio, reporters, undercover, women | Leave a comment

Wasp and Hornet — Journalistic Vigilantes

Posted on February 4, 2012 by

It’s been a year since Seth Rogen’s “Green Hornet” movie did its violence to the legend of the old radio hero by that name, whose newspaperman secret identity might have been portrayed as more of a role model for journalism … Continue reading →

Posted in 1940s, crime, ethics, GreenHornet, journalism, movies, novels | Leave a comment