vincentlynch-moonoi
Humphrey Bogart was the nominal star here, however he was outshined by two other actors who got fifth and sixth billing. The film is also known as "The Fatal Hour", which was the title under which I saw it on TCM. The story involves an irresponsible radio network that digs up a twenty year old murder story, leading to tragedy. Bogart is a radio network executive who has some morals, while his boss -- the owner of the network -- played by Robert Middlemass. The real stars here, however, are character actors Henry O'Neill (long a favorite of mine who really shines here) and Helen MacKellar (an actress of little note who turns in a superb performance here; they play the mother and father of a young woman about to be married. But the two parents have a secret...the mother once murdered someone...justifiably. The radio network digs up the story again, ruining the lives of several of the key characters, and -- rather unusual for this time period -- there are two suicides involved. I had never seen this film, but it was a treat. Recommended.
cricket crockett
. . . "Warner Bros.," ONE FATAL HOUR provides a bare-bones warning to Today's U.S. Public regarding our current sorry State of Affairs. (This flick enjoys the twin benefits of not only being guided by Warner's unmatched Foretellers of the Future during its original production process, but later having eight minutes of "fluff" intended only for its contemporary theatrical audiences excised when edited for Our Modern Televisions and more tellingly retitled, as the initial TWO AGAINST THE WORLD and the even more sophomoric THE CASE OF MRS. PEMBROOK marquee titles were thankfully disassociated from this cautionary tale.) ONE FATAL HOUR deals frankly with the sexual perversion and War on Women now being waged at the highest levels of the USA's Media and Government. "Dr. Leavenworth" SHOULD be locked up in the Leavenworth federal penitentiary for life (or, better yet, his date with the Guillotine!) as a rabble-rousing Populist catering to a demonic base of nominally religious "core supporters" while enjoying a salacious private life as an alcoholic compulsive grabber of feminine genitalia, almost as bad as the mobster occupying our Once Hallowed Oval Office now. As "Edith" screams at him "WHY DID YOU KILL MY MOTHER?!" again and again for the climax of ONE FATAL HOUR, "Sherry" notes that such Public Enemies as Dr. Leavenworth and the future Game-Show-Host-in-Chief possess "squashy, putrid little souls" willing to televise their own mothers' funerals if they think it will add an additional buck to their mountains of ill-gotten wealth. "Jim," Edith, and "Gloria"--all victims of Leavenworth's Corrupt Corporate Class--each pick up guns while searching for a solution to this Capitalist Problem. Please watch ONE FATAL HOUR, and then support your local chapter of BANGS (Broke Americans Need Gun Stamps)!
blanche-2
I started watching this film, "Two Against the World," then thought I'd seen it, and consequently found out it's a remake of "Five Star Final." It's been a while, but the story is basically the same. Humphrey Bogart plays Sherry Scott, the manager of a radio station. His boss suggests that may he's aiming the programming above the heads of the audiences. "You could sit on a toadstool and be above this one," Bogie sneers. The station owner wants a serial based on a twenty-year-old murder case, in which a woman killed her husband but the homicide was found to be justifiable.The woman, now Edith Carstairs (Linda Perry) at this point is married to a banker (Henry O'Neill) and their daughter (Helen MacKellar) is about to be married to a man from a very good family (Carlyle Moore, Jr.). When the show starts to air on the radio, Edith, whose daughter knows nothing of her past, begs her husband to do something about it. He tries, but to no avail.This film is an indictment against tabloid radio, as opposed to what we have today -- tabloid everything. Bogart is good in a real '30s melodramatic role, and Beverly Roberts has a nice turn as the know-it-all secretary. Linda Perry is sympathetic as Edith.I think "Five Star Final" is slightly better, but this film, for its time, was well done.
Michael_Elliott
One Fatal Hour (1936) ** (out of 4) A woman who committed murder 20 years earlier but kept it a secret from her daughter fears that an upcoming radio broadcast of the event could cause more trouble. The radio manager (Humphrey Bogart) and his bosses refuse to cancel the program, which causes the woman's fears to come true. A remake of Five Star Final starts off very slowly but rebounds in the second half due to some hard hitting questions and some really good acting. Also known as Two Against the World.You can catch this on Turner Classic Movies ever few years and it's worth watching but be sure to check out the original film first.
AD
