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The Underworld Story

Play trailer Poster for The Underworld Story 1950 1h 29m Crime Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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Tomatometer 3 Reviews 71% Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 Ratings
Tabloid journalist Mike Reese (Dan Duryea) is fired from his job when a story he runs is blamed for a gangland assassination on the steps of City Hall. With his credibility on the wane in the city, Reese takes a position at the tiny suburban paper of publisher Catherine Harris (Gale Storm). When an innocent woman is charged with the murder of the daughter-in-law of local business tycoon E.J. Stanton (Herbert Marshall), Reese seizes the opportunity to redeem his journalistic integrity.

Critics Reviews

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Yasser Medina Cinefilia As a B-movie film noir, it gets an interesting start with its plot about corruption and murder on tabloid press, but even portraying Dan Duryea's role as the cynical journalist can't correct a poor second half. [Full review in Spanish] Rated: 6/10 Mar 13, 2021 Full Review Geoffrey O'Brien The New York Review of Books It has a kind of Jacobean wildness to its plot twists, and some acting that borders on the hysterical. Aug 13, 2018 Full Review Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews Underrated gem. Rated: A- Dec 31, 2010 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Steve D Far, far too much overacting. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 01/22/24 Full Review Audience Member Outlandish plot, but a tense movie. Last scene could be spun out a bit. Classic film noir. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/26/23 Full Review s r The original screenplay alone makes it worth watching. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member The precursor to Billy Wilder's "The Big Carnival" (aka "Ace In The Hole") about the newspaper business betraying the public trust by feeding into its lower instincts. Wilder's film is the better of the two, but director Cy Endfield delivers what should have been a headline grabbing crime picture. Unfortunately, this film is not well known. Endfield's protagonist in "The Underground Story," is a deeply flawed reporter who cavorts with underground figures for his own personal gain. When a former employer, a powerful newspaper magnet, tries to hide a murder committed by his son and instead blame the crime on an African-American housekeeper Endfield's protagonist faces the moral and ethical dilemma of his life. The film's flaws are mainly in the casting. I don't buy Dan Duryea's performance in the lead role. Unlike Kirk Douglas in "The Big Carnival," Duryea is unable to transcend the material and give more weight to the character's journey. Even worse, for me, is the casting of Mary Anderson as the African-American character. Anderson is an excellent actor. You may remember her as the nurse in Alfred Hitchcock's "Lifeboat." But, Anderson is white. That's a problem. Although, clearly in 1950 this type of casting barely raised a whisper of an ejection, if at all. Nonetheless, this is Endfield's first of his powerful one-two punch against the news business. His "The Sound of Fury" released later in the same year, 1950, is the better of the two pictures, but both are worthy films of your time. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/13/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The Underworld Story

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Cast & Crew

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Charles De Latour

Director

Dan Duryea

Mike Reese

Herbert Marshall

E.J. Stanton

Gale Storm

Cathy Harris

Howard Da Silva

Carl Durham

Michael O'Shea

District Attorney Ralph Munsey
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The Underworld Story

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Movie Info

Synopsis Tabloid journalist Mike Reese (Dan Duryea) is fired from his job when a story he runs is blamed for a gangland assassination on the steps of City Hall. With his credibility on the wane in the city, Reese takes a position at the tiny suburban paper of publisher Catherine Harris (Gale Storm). When an innocent woman is charged with the murder of the daughter-in-law of local business tycoon E.J. Stanton (Herbert Marshall), Reese seizes the opportunity to redeem his journalistic integrity.
Director
Charles De Latour
Producer
Hal E. Chester
Screenwriter
Craig Rice, Charles De Latour, Henry Blankfort
Production Co
FilmCraft Productions
Genre
Crime, Drama
Original Language
English
Runtime
1h 29m