TV Alert: -30- on TCM

-30-, a 1959 film about a paper meeting deadline, is on Turner Classic Movies.

 

I miss having that channel.

 

Watched 2 minutes of Jack Webb and William Conrad talking to a female reporter and the two of them broke about 6 modern management HR rules. I loved it, of course.

 

"We need 300 words on how to bake a pie, toots."

 

I can't believe newspapers didn't embrace bloggers in 1959. Way to let down the reader! No wonder newspapers are in trouble.

 

Dude, do you mind not posting spoilers? Geeez...

 

Still love how the old Billy Goat Tavern in Chicago had 8x10s of some of the city's most famous newsmen and newswomen on the walls. And at the bottom of each one that died, there was a little brass plaque: "-30-"

 

Caught the last 20 minutes on the treadmill at the gym. I don't have TCM on my cable lineup, but I suppose it's on Netflix.

 

Happened upon this movie last night (didn't notice this thread until now).

My first thought, "wow, what a cool cast". My second thought: "I can't believe I've never heard of this newspaper movie before."

And then I watched about 20 minutes and soon enough, I knew why.

Damn, it was terrible!

 

Jack Webb stuff usually is. Remember reading Barry Williams' book and he said when he guest starred on Dragnet Jack Webb's directing went against everything he had been taught to that point.

 

The score during the opening credits sounded like the beginning of a Tom and Jerry cartoon of the era. Anyone like the use of black and white? I wonder if it was an artistic choice or a budget decision.

 

I love this movie. The early parts seem a bit too campy, maybe. But the last 45 minutes really stands up.