CALL NORTHSIDE 777 (1948) (***1/2)

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Miscarriage of justice stories are a dime a dozen. Director Henry Hathaway (KISS OF DEATH) was a stock noir director, but moved onto this "true life" docudrama when the sub-genre became popular in the 1940s following the release of Elia Kazan's BOOMERANG. This one, however, is one of the best in part due to a solid screenplay and its star Jimmy Stewart.

P.J. McNeal (James Stewart, VERTIGO) is a Chicago newspaperman assigned to look into an old cop killing. Frank Wiecek (Richard Conte, THE GODFATHER) was convicted of the crime mainly based on eye-witness testimony. His mother, Tillie (Kasia Orzazewski, QUEEN FOR A DAY), has been scrubbing floors for the past 11 years to save up reward money to find new information that can free her son. It was her notice of a $5,000 reward in the paper that initially piques the interest of McNeal's curious and cantankerous editor Brian Kelly (Lee J. Cobb, 12 ANGRY MEN).

So why does this film work so well? First off, McNeal is skeptical about Wiecek’s innocence from the beginning. With each article that McNeal writes we follow the story as it unfolds in the paper. The screenplay uses these common events to great extent because we identify with the real life experience of finding out the truth through following a story in the paper.

Another key is the emotional side of the story. Orzazewski is in only two scenes, but she is perfect as Frank’s hardworking Polish mother. The film also showcases Stewart’s natural style. It’s the natural delivery of his casual banter with his wife that shows how good of an actor he really was. Stewart plays McNeal as a cynic with a soft spot for the truth. Another fine performance comes from John McIntire (PSYCHO), who plays Sam Faxon, the DA who put Wiecek away and becomes irritated with McNeal investigation. His sarcasm perfectly underlines his disgust for nosy reporters, who want to tarnish his record.

Despite some cheesy, unneeded voice-over narration toward the end, the film is unforced and played like we are part of the investigation. Because it's based on a true story, the film also takes an opportunity to comment on its setting Chicago in the ‘20s and ‘30s was a dangerous and corrupt town. This was actually the first film shot on location in Chi-town. This B-film shows that classic Hollywood sure knew how to tell a good tale even on its lesser profile projects.