JohnHowardReid Although inspired by Samuel Fuller's 1944 novel, The Dark Page, this film was directed by Phil Karlson. The casting of John Derek is disappointing too. But everything else about Scandal Sheet is pretty good: It's atmospheric photography by Burnett Guffey and even the director's attempt to mimic the atmosphere of John Farrow's masterpiece, The Big Clock. Of course the cast can't hold a candle to the actors in that film, Nor can the writing and direction. Nevertheless, on its own level, Scandal Sheet offers reasonable entertainment. The director is inclined to over-use close-ups, but he has a few inventive moments, such as the track with Broderick Crawford past the pawnshop. Henry O'Neill gives an effectively seedy study of a has-been reporter and other cameo players like Ida Moore's morgue secretary and Cliff Clark's morgue doctor, James Milican's police lieutenant, Jay Adler's rummy, and Don Beddoe's pawnbroker, excel too. Donna Reed looks reasonably attractive, Jonathan Hale is effective as the publisher; but Henry Harry Morgan has a routine part as a photographer. Production values are very moderate by "A"-picture standards. But at least, Karlson didn't muff it! Available on a Sony DVD in The Sam Fuller Collection.

Michael_Elliott Scandal Sheet (1952) *** (out of 4) Exciting mystery about a hard-working reporter (John Derek) who starts to uncover a mysterious murder of a young woman at a "Lonely Hearts" dance. His editor (Broderick Crawford) doesn't think the story will add up to much but what the reporter doesn't know is that his very own editor is the murderer. This comes from a novel by Sam Fuller and there's enough good drama here and nice dialogue that you're almost shocked that Fuller himself didn't write the screenplay or direct it. Fuller's style of writing is all over this film so I'm guess that the screenwriters took a lot of this from the novel or perhaps they got a few tips from Fuller himself. Either way, this is a pretty good little mystery as we get to see the murder happen early on and then watch everyone else try to figure out all the clues. There are many twists and turns that pop up through the short 80-minute running time but they're all quite clever and work out nicely. The performances here are a major plus with Crawford turning in fine work as the editor. I'm not sure what it was but Crawford had some kind of uncanny ability to start sweating on time just like other actors could start crying on a cue. There were several scenes in the film where the heat is put on him and sure enough he's start sweating right then and there. This is just something that caught my attention but the actor is very tense in the role and has a fiery quality about him. Derek was also pretty good as the star reporter who doesn't know how much damage he's doing to his friend by not letting the story die. WE also get a young Donna Reed playing a reporter who doesn't like the fact that the paper is turning into a tabloid. Rosemary DeCamp, Henry O'Neill, Jonathan Hale and Harry Morgan turn in fine supporting performances as well. The screenplay is full of sharp dialogue and they also aren't scared to take several hits at the media. The battle between real news and tabloid material gets a few mentions throughout and we also see some rather frank dialogue with the reporters at the scene of the crime making jokes about the victim, which is something a lot of other movies weren't doing at this time. Fans of Fuller will certainly want to check this one out.

MartinHafer I sought out this film for two reasons. First, it was written by Sam Fuller and I have been trying to watch as many of his films as I can--they are, with only a few exceptions, great films. Second, I have always liked Broderick Crawford, as he had a way about him--portraying unrelentingly tough guys. With my love of film noir, it's a natural that I'd love seeing his ugly mug! Well, after finishing this film, I found that I wasn't disappointed. The writing, direction and acting were all very good.Crawford stars as a man who has been brought in to save a dying newspaper. To make it successful, he gives the public what it wants--scandal, sleaze and violent content. While many of the paper's stockholders can't stand what he's done to make the paper solvent, he has made them rich--and it's hard to argue with success--even at this price.One of Crawford's reporters is John Derek. Usually I don't like him in films, as he's just too pretty. Here, however, he was just fine--pretty, sure...but fine. Derek specializes in sniffing out cases and one new case really intrigues him. An unidentified woman is found dead. It clearly looks like an accidental death but Derek's instincts tell him it was staged to look that way, so he pushes and pushes investigators to dig deeper. Yes, it turns out she was murdered...but WHO did it and WHY is what makes this film very, very intriguing.In addition to Crawford and Derek, the film also stars Donna Reed and Henry O'Neill. Reed plays a woman who is like the voice of conscience in the movie--always appalled at Crawford's methods and making it clear that she wants no part of this degradation of the paper. O'Neill, however, is the more interesting guy. In the 1930s and 40s, O'Neill had very steady work and was a familiar face at MGM in supporting roles (having appeared in 177 films and TV shows during his career). By 1952, his career was on the decline and his output reduced significantly. Here, he makes a bit of a last hurrah AND gets to play a role that stretched his abilities--playing a down-and-out drunk whose character evolves and shows great depth during the course of the movie.Overall, the film is taut and exciting. Whether or not you'd call it film noir is a tough one, as definitions vary tremendously. Considering that the cops are purely secondary characters and there isn't the same criminal atmosphere in the film as noir, I'm not sure I'd call it noir. But, it is at least noir-like and is sure to please anyone who likes the grittier sort of film Hollywood did so well during this era.

moonspinner55 Shades of 1948's "The Big Clock"! Reporters on an East Coast newspaper diligently attempt to find the killer of a middle-aged, female "lonely heart" who was found murdered in her bath...but the culprit may be closer to them than they think! This must have been an embarrassment for John Derek, playing one of those cocky young journalists who keeps turning away crucial evidence out of sheer inexperience...and who doesn't even believe a witness who exposes the killer right in front of him! Donna Reed, as a writer with ethics, comes off somewhat better, while sweaty editor Broderick Crawford (looking more like Fred Flintstone than ever) goes a bit overboard with the tight grimaces and steely-eyed glares. Still, not all bad; the noir-styled cinematography is excellent, and the script, adapted from Samuel Fuller's novel "The Dark Page", is quite absorbing despite so many familiar ingredients. **1/2 from ****