''Two Against the World'', also known as ''One Fatal Hour'', is a 1936

melodrama A modern melodrama is a dramatic work in which the plot, typically sensationalized and for a strong emotional appeal, takes precedence over detailed characterization. Melodramas typically concentrate on dialogue that is often bombastic or exces ...

film directed by

William C. McGann William C. McGannHe listed himself as "William M. Mcgann" in the World War I draft (April 15, 1893 – November 15, 1977) was an American film director. He directed more than 50 films between 1930 and 1942. He was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsyl ...

and starring

Humphrey Bogart Humphrey DeForest Bogart (; December 25, 1899 – January 14, 1957), nicknamed Bogie, was an American film and stage actor. His performances in Classical Hollywood cinema films made him an American cultural icon. In 1999, the American Film In ...

Beverly Roberts Beverly Louise Roberts (May 19, 1914 – July 13, 2009) was an American film and stage actress of the 1930s, as well as a singer and painter. She worked as business executive in the entertainment industry through the 1970s. Career Born in Bro ...

and Linda Perry. The film is based on the 1930 play ''

Five Star Final ''Five Star Final'' is a 1931 American pre-Code drama film about the excesses of tabloid journalism directed by Mervyn LeRoy and starring Edward G. Robinson, Aline MacMahon (in her screen debut) and Boris Karloff. The screenplay was by Robert ...

'' by

Louis Weitzenkorn Louis Weitzenkorn (May 28, 1893 – February 7, 1943) was an American writer and newspaper editor. He wrote a play about journalism, ''Five Star Final (play), Five Star Final'', that became a hit on Broadway theatre, Broadway in 1931. It was adapt ...

and is a much shorter

remake A remake is a film, television series, video game, song or similar form of entertainment that is based upon and retells the story of an earlier production in the same medium—e.g., a "new version of an existing film". A remake tells the same ...

of the film '' Five Star Final (1931),'' which stars Edward G. Robinson. The main setting has been moved from a

newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as politics, business, sports a ...

to a nationwide

radio network There are two types of radio network currently in use around the world: the one-to-many (simplex communication) broadcast network commonly used for public information and mass-media entertainment, and the two-way radio ( duplex communication) type ...

whose owner, Bertram Reynolds, hungry for larger audiences, decides "in the name of public good" to revive the memory of a twenty-year-old murder case, with tragic consequences. The cynical manager of programming, Sherry Scott (

), has a crisis of conscience when faced with the deadly results.

Plot

Abetted by his marketing manager, Mr. Banning, United Broadcasting Company owner Bertram C. Reynolds decides to sacrifice quality for more profitable

sensationalism In journalism and mass media, sensationalism is a type of editorial tactic. Events and topics in news stories are selected and worded to excite the greatest number of readers and viewers. This style of news reporting encourages biased or emotion ...

by broadcasting a serial based on the twenty-year-old "Gloria Pembrook murder case." Sherry Scott, cynical manager of programming for the radio network, promises Reynolds "the hottest play you ever heard," giving the assignment to a team that includes Dr. Leavenworth, a devious reporter with the manner of a clergyman. When Scott asks his secretary, Alma Ross, her opinion of the project, she replies, "I think you can always get people interested in the

crucifixion Crucifixion is a method of capital punishment in which the victim is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross or beam and left to hang until eventual death from exhaustion and asphyxiation. It was used as a punishment by the Persians, Carthagin ...

of a woman." Not long after a jury found that she was justified in shooting her first husband, Gloria Pembroke had a daughter, Edith, and remarried. She is now Martha Carstairs. Edith, who knows nothing, is about to marry Malcom Sims Jr, scion of a socially prominent family. The UBC announces the forthcoming series on Gloria Pembroke, alerting Martha and her devoted husband, Jim, to the threat to their family's happiness. Isolated from family and friends since their marriage, the Carstairs desperately seek help, while the young people remain blissfully ignorant. The Carstairs mistake Leavenworth for a pastor's associate and unburden themselves. Moments after he leaves their apartment, they are horrified to hear the radio advertising "Sin Doesn't Pay by Dr. Martin Leavenworth." Scott welcomes Leavenworth's report, and when Ross challenges him, he retorts that now he only cares about financial security. The Sims hear Leavenworth's morning broadcast and come to the Carstairs to cancel the wedding, without speaking to Malcolm. Martha calls UBC and appeals to Reynolds, who hangs up on her. In despair, she drinks poison. Carstairs finds an ally in Dr. McGuire, their pastor, whose eloquent appeal to the Association of Broadcasters leads the chairman to promise immediate action. The

Federal Communications Commission The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains jurisdiction ...

will put Reynolds and his like out of business. When Jim returns home, he finds his wife's body. He sends Edith and Malcolm to the church, promising to follow with Martha, and kills himself. Scott and Ross hear the news of the suicides in the office. Later, Malcolm's parents browbeat Edith about ending the engagement; Malcolm comes in and defies them. Reynolds wants to cancel the series and flee to England but Banning says it is too profitable to cancel. Scott raises the specter of an FCC investigation of Reynold's muckraking. Leavenworth suggests giving Edith money, and they admit her to the office. Grief-stricken but under control, Edith demands of each of the four men, "Why did you kill my mother?" Scott answers, truthfully, "for financial reasons... to sell time on the air." Increasingly distraught, she draws a gun and shoots, wildly. Malcolm bursts in and takes her in his arms, telling her "They'll go on with their filthy broadcasts, sacrificing little people who can’t fight back," but warning the men that he will kill them if they use his name or his wife's again. Scott tells Reynolds: "You thought up these murders and I committed them...All my life I'll see that girl standing there... I want you to wake up in the night and see your own squashy, putrid little soul... We take your money, and we do your work because we are afraid to starve... I'm not." Scott quits, taking Ross with him. The phone rings: It is the FCC. He eagerly agrees to testify, and when Reynold's "Voice of the People" broadcast begins, he throws a paperweight at the wall, smashing Reynold's portrait and the speaker behind it.

Cast

as Sherry Scott, in charge of programming for the entire UBC network *

as Alma Ross, Scott's secretary * Linda Perry as Edith Carstairs, daughter of Martha and her first husband * Carlyle Moore, Jr. as Malcolm Sims, Jr., aka Mal, Edith's fiancé (credited as Carlisle Moore Jr.) *

Henry O'Neill Henry O'Neill (August 10, 1891 – May 18, 1961) was an American film actor known for playing gray-haired fathers, lawyers, and similarly dignified roles during the 1930s and 1940s. Early years He was born in Orange, New Jersey. Career ...

as Jim Carstairs, Martha's husband of 20 years *

Helen MacKellar Helen MacKellar (February 13, 1895 – August 5, 1966) was an American actress. Born in Detroit, Michigan, MacKeller's ancestry was Scottish and French-Canadian. She studied acting in Chicago and Spokane. Her stage debut came in Spokane in ''Th ...

as Martha Carstairs, formerly Gloria Pembroke (credited as Helen McKellar) *

Claire Dodd Claire Dodd (born Dorothy Arlene Dodd; December 29, 1911 – November 23, 1973) was an American film actress. Life and work Dorothy Arlene Dodd was born on December 29, 1911, in Baxter, Iowa, to Walter Willard Dodd, a farmer whose family ...

as Cora Latimer *

Hobart Cavanaugh Hobart Cavanaugh (September 22, 1886 – April 26, 1950 ) was an American character actor in films and on stage. Biography He was born in Virginia City, Nevada on September 22, 1886. Cavanaugh attended the University of California. He worked i ...

as Tippy Mantus *

Harry Hayden Harry may refer to: TV shows * ''Harry'' (American TV series), a 1987 American comedy series starring Alan Arkin * ''Harry'' (British TV series), a 1993 BBC drama that ran for two seasons * ''Harry'' (talk show), a 2016 American daytime talk show ...

as Dr. Martin Leavenworth, UBC reporter *

Robert Middlemass Robert Middlemass (September 3, 1883 – September 10, 1949) was an American playwright and stage actor, and later character actor with over 100 film appearances, usually playing detectives or policemen.(13 Feb 1937)Mrs. Susan C. Middlemass ...

as Bertram C. Reynolds, owner of UBC (credited as Robert Middlemas) *

Clay Clement Clay Clement (May 19, 1888 – October 20, 1956) was an American stage, film, and TV actor. He appeared in more than 80 films between 1918 and 1947. Clement was one of the earliest members of the Screen Actors Guild.Douglas Wood as Malcolm Sims, Sr., steel magnate *

Virginia Brissac Virginia Brissac (June 11, 1883 – July 26, 1979) was a popular American stage actress who headlined theatre companies from Vancouver to San Diego during the heyday of West Coast Stock in the early 1900s. An ingénue and leading lady known for ...

as Marion Sims, his wife and Mal's mother *

Paula Stone Paula Stone (January 20, 1912 – December 23, 1997) was an American theater and motion pictures actress from New York City. Birth She was the daughter of Fred Stone, a stage actor, dancing comedian, and owner of the Fred Stone theatrical ...

as Miss Symonds *

Robert Gordon Robert Gordon may refer to: Entertainment * Robert Gordon (actor) (1895–1971), silent-film actor * Robert Gordon (director) (1913–1990), American director * Robert Gordon (singer) (1947–2022), American rockabilly singer * Robert Gordon (scr ...

as Herman Mills (credited as Bobby Gordon) *

Frank Orth Frank Orth (February 21, 1880 – March 17, 1962) was an American actor born in Philadelphia. He is probably best remembered for his portrayal of Inspector Faraday in the 1951-1953 television series '' Boston Blackie''. Career By 1897, Ort ...

as Tommy, Bartender *

Howard C. Hickman Howard Charles Hickman (February 9, 1880 – December 31, 1949) was an American actor, director and writer. He was an accomplished stage leading man, who entered films through the auspices of producer Thomas H. Ince. Career In 1900, Hickman d ...

as Dr. Maguire, pastor of the Carstairs' church (credited as Howard Hickman) *

Ferdinand Schumann-Heink Ferdinand Schumann-Heink (born 9 August 1893 – 15 September 1958) was a prolific character actor with over 65 films to his credit. Though most of his films were uncredited roles, he wrote the screenplay for the 1930 film '' Mamba''. During ...

as Sound Mixer (credited as Ferdinard Schumann-Heink)

Production

According to AFI.com, the working title was ''The Voice of Life''. The film is much shorter than the original, running for 64 as opposed to 89 minutes. Although much of the dialogue is identical to that in ''Five Star Final'' (1931), that was a pre-code film, which ends with Edward G. Robinson's character telling his boss to “shove it up his—“, throwing the telephone through a glass door on the last word. Character names have been changed. Although the fatal tragedy remains, the promised intervention of the newly formed

adds a ray of hope for the future that is not present in ''Five Star Final''.

Reception

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' review compared the film to the original play, noting that it "lacks the sincerity of purpose that distinguished the earlier work ... The principal rôles are in capable hands."

References

External links

* *
Two Against the World (1936)
at the

American Film Institute Catalog The ''AFI Catalog of Feature Films'', also known as the ''AFI Catalog'', is an ongoing project by the American Film Institute (AFI) to catalog all commercially-made and theatrically exhibited American motion pictures from the birth of cinema in ...

{{William C. McGann 1936 crime drama films 1936 films American black-and-white films American crime drama films Remakes of American films American films based on plays Films about journalists Films about radio people Films directed by William C. McGann Warner Bros. films 1930s English-language films 1930s American films Films scored by Bernhard Kaun