Hi, Nellie

HI, NELLIE! (Warner Brothers, 1934), directed by Mervyn LeRoy, is an interesting newspaper story starring Paul Muni in his third film for the studio. Having achieved great popularity in the title role of I AM A FUGITIVE FROM A CHAIN GANG (Warners, 1932), also directed by Mervyn LeRoy, HI, NELLIE not only has the distinction of being one of Paul Muni's lighter films of the period, but also the movie that reunites him with his CHAIN GANG co-stars as Glenda Farrell, Berton Churchill, Douglass Dumbrille and Edward Ellis. While CHAIN GANG has remained a classic thanks to frequent television broadcasts throughout the years, HI, NELLIE! is rarely shown and discussed among Paul Muni's resume of movie credits. Often classified as a comedy, it's far from a laugh-out-loud one in the screwball sense, but more of a grand mix verbal humor with melodrama and mystery combined.

Plot Summary: Samuel M. Bradshaw, better known as "Brad" (Paul Muni), is the pipe-smoking managing editor of the Time Star whose working desk is usually filled with paper note clutter. Also at the newspaper establishment are Harvey Dawes (Douglass Dumbrille), the city editor; "Shammy" McClaw (Ned Sparks), Brad's associate; Mr. Durkin (Donald Meek), the oldest copy boy of forty years; Fullerton (Hobart Cavanaugh), a reporter who's always asking Gerry Krale (Glenda Farrell) out for a date, but never gets anywhere. Gerry happens to be the "advise to the lovelorn" columnist known to all as "Nellie," a job title she hates. With the latest news of a bank closing due to a half a million dollar shortage, and Frank J. Canfield, head of the government investigating committee mysteriously disappearing, Brad, who finds no evidence against Canfield, writes nothing about the story as a front page spread as rival newspapers have done. For this, the Star's publisher, John L. Graham (Berton Churchill) has Brad fired. Because Brad has a contract with the Time Star where he cannot quit or get fired, the only thing that can be done is demote Brad to Gerry's old job on the "Hi, Nellie!" columns, with Gerry promoted to a better job. Having his pal, Shammy (Ned Sparks) continue to investigate the Canfield story, Shammy comes up with enough evidence to have Brad join forces with him on further investigations to prove Brad's intuitions are correct, followed by unsuspecting results. Also in the cast are: Robert Barrat (Beau Brownell, gang leader); Dorothy LeBaire (Rosa Martinello); Marjorie Gateson (Mrs. Canfield); George Meeker, Frank Reicher, Sidney Miller, Harold Huber and Allan Vincent.

HI, NELLIE! must have been successful enough for Warners to remake this more than once, as LOVE IS ON THE AIR (1937) with Ronald Reagan; YOU CAN'T ESCAPE FOREVER (1942) with George Brent, and THE HOUSE ACROSS THE STREET (1949) starring Wayne Morris. Yet it's the 1934 original that succeeds most due to LeRoy's fast-paced direction set in the newspaper world. While Glenda Farrell, who specialized in newspaper material playing the categorized term of "sob sister" as in MYSTERY OF THE WAX MUSEUM (1933) followed by subsequent "Torchy Blane" movie series (1937-1939), her role as "Nellie" offers some amusements, but not enough action in the manner of the dominating Paul Muni character, who's the sole attraction here.

For anyone familiar with Paul Muni's acting style as a prestigious actor in such landmark films as THE STORY OF LOUIS PASTEUR (1936), THE LIFE OF EMILE ZOLA (1937) and JUAREZ (1939), HI, NELLIE is a little movie (75 minutes) that offers more of Paul Muni's character than the character behind the heavy make-up of historical figures. Aside from never playing the same type of character twice, Muni would go on for developing his craft in challenging roles as his two 1935 releases of accented speaking characters as the Mexican lawyer in BORDERTOWN or Swedish bo-hunk in BLACK FURY before finding his mark for which he very much prefered rather than those that suit him best.

Though not the best movie title depicted, HI, NELLIE!, which could have starred the likes of a James Cagney or Lee Tracy in the cast, ranks one of the finer, yet most underrated newspaper stories of the 1930s that can be seen and rediscovered occasionally on Turner Classic Movies. (***) -30-

Hi, Nellie is one of the most arch, hilarious movie titles I've ever encountered. At first it sounds banal, but as it's tossed around in different scenes by different characters, it gets funnier and funnier. There's a barroom scene that's a howler.

But rather than just a prop for the title's running gag, the story is quite interesting on its own. It involves a newspaper and corruption and a missing banker, and things aren't what they seem. We're taken through some amazing sets. it's impressive to see how many resources were plowed into them by the studio, from tracking shots of the cavernous newsroom, of teeming city streets, of the interior of an elaborate nightclub, all following Paul Muni, who, by the way, is a rough-and-tumble editor relegated to the lovelorn column by his publisher.

And this is a great showcase for Muni. Most of his scenes show him in closeup. Remember, Cagney had Public Enemy and Muni had Scarface, both intensely focused on their personas. I think Muni, because of his stage background, overdraws his character in movie closeups. (He may have won the Oscar for Louis Pasteur because he wore a beard that restrained his over-expressiveness.) But hey, it's Muni, and it's fun to see him do his stuff.

This is a comedy-crime flick, fast-paced, with rapid-fire dialog between great Warner players, so you have to pay attention. There's a scene where a dim young reporter tells Muni that the children's picnic he was assigned to cover didn't occur because the boat taking the kids to the venue ran aground on a sandbar and broke up, so he only had one paragraph to report. This is great stuff!

Paul Muni has to get used to hearing "Hi, Nellie!" when he's demoted to the Heartthrobs column in this 1934 film also starring Glenda Farrell and Ned Sparks.

When bank official Canfield disappears at the same time as $500,000 and the bank has to close, all the other papers print that Canfield took the money. Managing editor Brad Bradshaw refuses to tie the two incidences together without proof - thus, the demotion. The current Heartthrobs (Farrell) gets a news beat.

This is one of those fast-talking '30s films, probably in response to the MacArthur-Hecht "The Front Page" from 1931.

It's all pretty routine except that it stars Paul Muni who, as Brad/Nellie, is a wisecracking, sarcastic editor now mercilessly teased by his cronies.

Muni, well known for his dramatic work, shows his expertise at comedy here. Also it's a rare chance to see how handsome he was as he wore so much character makeup and so many costumes throughout his career. He is very good as the determined managing editor turned lonelyhearts columnist. Farrell is her usual sharp-mouthed self; this isn't much of a departure from other roles for her.

Recommended if you want to see Muni in something approaching a comedy.

Forced to write the Heartthrobs column, the former managing editor of a big city paper finds himself exposing a story of murder & political corruption.

Fast-moving & fun, HI, NELLIE! is another example of the comedy crime picture that Warner Brothers was so expert at producing. Casts & plots could be shuffled endlessly, with very predictable results. While this assembly line approach created few classics, audience enjoyment could usually be assured. Here, the look & feel of the paper's busy newsroom is smack on the mark and the performances, even with a script that's too plot heavy, never fail to entertain.

Consummate actor Paul Muni gets a rare chance at comedy here and pulls it off brilliantly, adding just the right amount of drama from time to time. Whether he's trashing his office in a fury, fighting with his boss or going nonchalantly into the headquarters of the enemy to collect information, Muni is never less than fascinating. He is teamed with the equally watchable Glenda Farrell, playing another one of her hard-boiled dames with a heart of gold. It is obvious from the script that their two characters were once lovers, but refreshingly no time is wasted with rekindling the flames - they are just chums, wary & respectful. Their unromantic chemistry adds much to the fun of the film.

A fine cast of character actors helps move the story along. Ned Sparks plays his usual acerbic self as an investigative reporter loyal to Muni. Little Donald Meek is equally good as an aged office clerk who provides assistance on the hectic news floor for Muni & Farrell. Berton Churchill as the paper's publisher & Douglass Dumbrille as Muni's rival both score in their roles.

Robert Barrat, Harold Huber & Edward Ellis all play dangerous bad guys who must be dealt with. Frank Reicher, fresh from his double stint as the captain in the KONG movies, here plays a none-to-savvy lawyer.

Movie mavens will recognize an uncredited John Qualen as a tenement custodian.

In that stretch of years between his performance in I'm A Fugitive From A Chain Gang and The Story Of Louis Pasteur, Paul Muni hit a dry patch with his home studio of Warner Brothers. They put him in a series of films way beneath his talent when you consider what he subsequently did and I'm told he particularly despised this film. From his point of view I can see why.

Still Hi, Nellie! is not all that bad, though I think Muni was definitely a second choice. James Cagney must have been doing something else at the time. The film has the feel of a project meant for Cagney.

Knowing that and knowing how much he wanted to do much more serious parts Muni pulls out all the stops and hams it up to beat the Philharmonic. I guess he had to have some fun.

Muni is your hardboiled editor of a city newspaper, a very typical part for the Thirties. But when he uncharacteristically soft pedals a story about a bank folding and a prominent civic leader disappearing, he gets himself demoted. Publisher Berton Churchill can't fire him because of a contract, but instead demotes him to the writer of the advice to the lovelorn column. That's a source of great amusement to all those who were under him before, especially Glenda Farrell who was writing that column and wanted a chance for some hard hitting journalism.

But Paul is nothing else if not resourceful and when a chance sob sister letter comes to his attention that might give him a lead on that story that he got in a sling over, he runs with it.

Warner Brothers and director Mervyn LeRoy gave Paul a really good cast to support him with Donald Meek playing the world's oldest office boy, Douglass Dumbrille as the editor who succeeds Muni, and Robert Barrat as the political boss of the city and ultimate villain of the piece.

It's not Zola, or Pasteur, but Hi, Nellie is not half bad as entertainment. Just not up to Paul Muni's exacting standards.