The House Across the Street (1949)

The first time this film was made it was 1934 and it was a precode of sorts entitled "Hi Nellie!" with Paul Muni in the role of the demoted newspaper reporter forced to author the paper's lonely hearts column until he can redeem his professional reputation. The idea was novel and anything with Glenda Farrell and Paul Muni is worth watching. The second time it was made it was 1937's "Love is On the Air" with Ronald Reagan as a demoted radio reporter who can't keep his mouth shut concerning his suspicions about a local gangster's involvement in murder. That one is notable as not only Reagan's first credited film appearance, but a starring role for him to boot.The third time around this story is moved back to a newspaper, and this time it is Wayne Morris, workhorse of Warner's B picture unit, in the role as the demoted managing editor. This time his girl Friday (Janis Paige as Kit Williams) is involved with Morris' character from the beginning, so she is always supportive. In the original 1934 film Glenda Farrell plays the female lead, but one that is antagonistic of Muni's character throughout yet helps him just the same. Here the gangster behind all the crime and Morris' character's demotion is played somewhat unpersuasively by Bruce Bennett, who usually played rather oatmealish good guys.I guess what I'm trying to say here is that these three pictures are not perfect replicas of each other, but by 1949 Warner Bros. no longer considers this story A-list material and treats it as such. For the gritty A-list version of this film see 1934's "Hi Nellie". For Ronald Reagan at the very beginning see "Love is On the Air". To see what Warner Brothers could do with this story a third time as far as adapting it to the times - post War America - see this film. Nobody could whip up a batch of celluloid leftovers and make it as palatable as 30's and 40's Warner Brothers.

***SPOILERS*** After police protected witness Villman, Jack Wise, was gunned down in his safe house by a phony letter carrier who was actually paid hit-man Eddie Marklin, Eddie Foster, newspaper reporter Dave Joslin,Wayne Morris, started putting the heat on the person whom he felt was responsible for Villman's murder big time mobster Matthew J. Keever, Bruce Bennett.Joslin's obsession in getting Keever indited for the Villman murder got so out of hand that his boss on the newspaper "The Star Chronicle" J.B Grennell, Alan Hale, fearing a libel suite from Keever had him yanked off his beat as a crime reported. Grennell then had Joslin demoted to answering the mail of mostly women with boyfriend and men problems on the newspaper's Dear Abby like column using the pen name of Dolly Trent. It's there that Joslin gets into trouble with his girlfriend on the paper Kit Williams, Janis Paige, whom he or his boss J.B Grennell bumped off the column to make room for him.It's when one of the readers Billie Martin, Lila Leeds, of Joslin's Dear Abby column came to visit him at his office about him not answering her letters, three of them, that Joslin got his big break in putting Keever behind bars! It was both Billie and her boyfriend Carl Schrader, James Holden, who were at the Keever's run bar "Horseshoe Harry's" the night before Villman was iced! Carl who was so boozed up that an outraged Billie left him cold after he spilled a drink on her. After passing out drunk Carl found himself in a rooming house the next morning without knowing how he got there! It was something that was going on at "Horseshoe Harry's" that whoever who slipped Carl a "Mickey" didn't want him to know or remember! And it was the waitress, Phillys Coates, who snapped the photo of a very drunk Carl with Macklin the background being paid off by Keever to, later that morning, knock off Villman that can break the Villman murder case wide open and thus put Keever and his hoods behind bars for committing it! Re-make of the Paul Muni 1934 crime/comedy "Hi Nellie" with a very old-looking, he was only 34 at the time, and overweight, he looked like he was wearing a size 55 pants, as well as impeccably dressed Wayne Morris.

From a literal standpoint the title for this film seems somewhat irrelevant, since the house across the street only involves the opening sequence. But from a figurative viewpoint, the title is apt, indicating that most urban Americans don't really know much about what is going on across the street from where they live, crime, murder, shakedowns, and such. Across the street could be across the nation.Dave Joslin (Wayne Morris) is the managing editor for the local newspaper, involved in attacking a crime syndicate running the city headed by boss Keever (Bruce Bennett). When a key witnessed is murdered by Keever's hit-man right in front of a stakeout, Joslin writes a scathing editorial about the ineffectiveness of the police department in handling the mob. Joslin's boss, J.B. Grennell (Alan Hale, Sr.), running scared, orders Joslin to back off. When Joslin refuses, J.B. reassigns him to the Bewildered Hearts office replacing Joslin's lady love, Kit Williams (Janis Paige), who is much obliged to be reassigned. (One wonders if this flick wasn't the basis for the early television sitcom starring Peter Lawford and Marcia Henderson, "Dear Phoebe," where the advice columnist is a man.) While doing his duties as advice to the lovelorn columnist, Joslin stumbles onto a situation that is connected to the mob hit. He and Kit begin a merry chase that leads them into dark corners, near-death escapes, and lots of other fun and mayhem before pulling all the loose ends together.Wayne Morris is always a joy to watch. Janis Paige doesn't get to sing and dance, but does get to turn in a good performance as assistant sleuth. The rest of the cast is great, especially James Mitchell as Marty Bremer. "The House Across the Street" is basically a comedy-thriller, giving the audience a fair run for its money.

A police detective bungles a stakeout, resulting in the murder of a key witness against a crime boss (Bruce Bennett). Against the advice of his skittish publisher, a managing editor (blond bruiser Wayne Morris) launches a hard-hitting campaign against police incompetence. When Bennett, escorted by mouthpiece and torpedo, rattles his sabres, the publisher puts Morris on the Bewildered Hearts column as punishment. And lo and behold, that's where the case gets solved.A problem brought by a lovelorn gal, about an incident involving her drunken boyfriend in a mob-owned nightclub, raises red flags. Morris and his sob-sister girlfriend (Janis Paige) start pursuing the story, despite kicks in the shins, threats from guns and almost being run down by a careening black sedan. It turns out that a snapshot taken by the club's roving photographer conceals incriminating evidence....The House Across the Street stays a fairly generic crime programmer, even down to its attempts at comic and romantic relief. Luckily, the story stays reasonably tight, centering on why and where the boyfriend vanished that dimly remembered night. Its biggest puzzle is its title: The House Across the Street refers to the residence being staked out at the movie's beginning; it's no more than the wick that kindles the plot.