Deadline – U.S.A.

Deadline – U.S.A.
Theatrical poster
Directed by	Richard Brooks
Produced by	Sol C. Siegel
Written by	Richard Brooks
Starring	Humphrey Bogart Ethel Barrymore Kim Hunter
Cinematography	Milton R. Krasner
Distributed by	Twentieth Century-Fox
Release dates	March 14, 1952 (1952-03-14)
Running time	87 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Box office	$1.25 million (US rentals)

Deadline – U.S.A. is a 1952 crime film starring Humphrey Bogart, Ethel Barrymore and Kim Hunter, written and directed by Richard Brooks.

It is the story of a crusading newspaper editor who exposes a gangster's crimes while also trying to keep the paper from going out of business.

The newspaper used as background on the film, called The Day, is loosely based upon the old New York Sun, which closed in 1950. The original Sun newspaper was edited by Benjamin Day, making the 1952 film's newspaper name (not to be confused with the real-life New London, Connecticut newspaper of the same name) a play on words.

Tough as Nails, a biography of Brooks authored by Douglass K. Daniel, cites the 1931 death of the New York World newspaper as the basis for the film, including the decision by the sons of Joseph Pulitzer to sell the paper rather than run it themselves.

This hard-hitting film has film noir elements and is generally considered one of the best films about the newspaper business. The scenes of the printing room were shot at the New York Daily News building.

Plot

Ed Hutcheson is the crusading managing editor of a large metropolitan newspaper called The Day. He is steadfastly loyal to publisher Margaret Garrison, the widow of the paper's founder, but Mrs. Garrison is on the verge of selling the newspaper to interests who plan to permanently cease its operation.

Hutcheson has other concerns, including that his estranged wife Nora is about to remarry. He also puts his reporters to work on the murder of a young woman and the involvement of racketeer Tomas Rienzi, which could turn out to be a circulation builder that keeps the paper in business or else the last big story it ever covers.

Cast

• Humphrey Bogart as Ed Hutcheson
• Ethel Barrymore as Margaret Garrison
• Kim Hunter as Nora Hutcheson
• Ed Begley as Frank Allen
• Warren Stevens as George Burrows
• Paul Stewart as Harry Thompson
• Martin Gabel as Tomas Rienzi
• Joe De Santis as Herman Schmidt
• Joyce MacKenzie as Katherine Garrison Geary
• Audrey Christie as Mrs. Willebrandt
• Fay Baker as Alice Garrison Courtney
• Jim Backus as Jim Cleary
• James Dean as Copyboy

Reception

Variety gave the film a positive review calling Bogart "convincing". IMDb currently gives the film a score of 7.10/10.

External links

• Deadline – U.S.A. at the TCM Movie Database
• Deadline – U.S.A. at IMDb