Hi, Nellie! (1934)

Hi, Nellie
Directed by Mervyn LeRoy
Written by Abem Finkel and Sidney Sutherland, story by Roy Chanslor
1934/US
Warner Bros.
IMDb page
First viewing/Forbidden Hollywood Vol. 8

Samuel N. Bradshaw aka Brad: Miss Krale, when you have less time and can’t stay so long, come in and see me. But, don’t make it too often! I’m a busy man.
Gerry Krale: Man?
Samuel N. Bradshaw aka Brad: You heard me.
Gerry Krale: Okay, Nellie.

One of many newspaper dramas of the early thirties and a pretty good one at that.

Samuel N. (‘Brad’) Bradshaw (Paul Muni) is the hard hitting managing editor of a big city paper. There is a scandal about the failure of a bank from which $500,000 had been stolen. This was blamed on embezzlement by Frank Canfield who has since disappeared. Not believing the embezzlement story, Muni plays this in his paper as a mystery. All the other papers come out with huge headlines blaming Canfield.

The newspaper’s owner is not pleased but Muni has a contract and cannot be fired. Instead he is demoted to write an advice to the lovelorn column under the name Nellie. Fellow reporter Gerry Krale (Glenda Farrell) who had been Nellie gets moved backed to the newsroom. In the end, the advice column leads Muni to the solution of his mystery.

This is a solid newspaper picture with such Warner Bros. character actors as Ned Sparrks, Douglass Dumbrille, and John Qualen adding to the fun. An entertaining film. Since this was included in the Forbidden Hollywood collection I’m going to consider it pre-Code though there is nothing naughty about it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4Mb1LlDHAg