Scandal Sheet

Gruff Mark Flint (George Bancroft) is editor of the "scandal sheet", The Bulletin. He identifies as a "newspaper man", with the newspaper first and foremost and the humanity part playing second fiddle. He steals photos of a young man who committed suicide to accentuate the story he is running on the event, and he refused to not print a story about a school principal being the brother of a famous criminal even though that story will probably ruin the principal as people believed in eugenics a lot more in those days. He says he prints the news always, and if it ruins a person's life that is not his problem.

Meanwhile his wife Edith (Kay Francis) is having an affair with their mutual friend, the bank president Noel Adams (Clive Brooks). Adams comes to tell Edith that he is leaving town and going on an ocean voyage because he realizes she will never leave Mark because she does not want to hurt him. Mark is none the wiser even though Edith is always telling him he is heartless to run the kinds of stories that he does and seems indifferent to him. But then Adams' bank is involved in a scandal and so Flint is keeping close watch on Adams all of a sudden. Maybe he will not like what he finds out. How does this turn out? Watch and find out.

It seems that Edith and Noel are taking lots of chances here. Noel shows up at their apartment while Mark is at work and Edith runs out to greet him like a school girl in love. She sure does talk loudly and take chances with her maid just in the next room. Bancroft is towards the end of his acting heyday here. His film image as tough guy got him to believing his own press and being pegged as difficult just as lots of fresher more cooperative faces arrived in Hollywood. Also note character actor Regis Toomey as action reporter Regan. He has some good scenes, especially in the beginning when he shows what somebody has to go through to stay gainfully employed at The Bulletin.