In the post-war 1940s, Hollywood’s crime dramas took a new direction, trading studio backdrops for real-world settings in a push for thegritty authenticity audiences craved. This shift supported the emerging “semidocumentary” style in noir cinema, which combined shadowed cinematography, morally gray protagonists, and darkly realistic plots. These films, marketed as showing “real events,” offered a dose of realism by setting the action in actual locations, even if not directly based on true stories. A landmark in this trend wasHenry Hathaway’sThe House on 92nd Street(1945), a 20th Century Fox production created in collaboration with the FBI, which included genuine FBI techniques and equipment, lending it an air of authority. Buoyed by the success of his revolutionary film, Hathaway took up another challenge, directingCall Northside 777,an underrated andunderseennoir thriller starringJames Stewart.
‘Call Northside 777’ Is Based on a True Story
UnlikeThe House on 92nd Street,which showcased the might of American intelligence,Call Northside 777revealed a scathing side to the justice system of the free world. Instead of the majestic FBI technology,the film benefited from the power of journalistic investigation.In 1944, a woman namedTillie Majczekplaced an advert in the Chicago Times seeking to exonerate her convicted son,Joseph Majczek, from the murder of a cop. Majczek and his friendTheodore Marcinkiewiczwere sentenced to 99 years after a jury found them guilty. Tillie Majczek scrubbed floors for the eleven years that her son had been in jail, saving $5,000, which she placed as a reward for anyone with information that could lead to the true killers of the cop.Karin Walsh, an editor at the Chicago Times, assigned a journalist,James McGuire, to investigate this interesting case for editorial content. McGuire’s investigation unraveled intriguing facts that proved Majczek’s wrongful conviction by exposing the corruption that had taken place during the prosecution of his case.Call Northside 777revisits this story, adapting the proceduralflair of journalistic investigationwhile taking some creative liberties along the way.
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James Stewart Fights for Truth in a Corrupt System in ‘Call Northside 777’
One of the creative liberties thatCall Northside 777takes is assigning fictional names to the real-life figures its characters are based on. Notably,James Stewart plays P.J. McNeal, the dogged reporter whose quest for justice saves the day.Joining Stewart in action areRichard Conteas Frank Wiecek, the unfortunate convict, andKasia Orzazewskias the heartwarming scrubwoman who toils for years for her son’s freedom.Lee J. Cobbplays Brian Kelly, the editor who assigns Stewart’s McNeal to the case. Adhering to good journalism’s bromide “If your mother says she loves you, check it out”, Stewart’s McNeal sets out to investigate and uncovers much more than he expects. McNeal’s findings expose the irony of the justice system which, while it goes hard on him to adduce evidence that proves Frank’s innocence, his conviction had relied on flimsy proof.Call Northside 777dared to challenge the status quo at a time when nationalism was at its peak.
With a surprisingly similardarkness as inIt’s a Wonderful Life,Call Northside 777plunges into a world in which Stewart’s McNeal struggles to reconcile with. McNeal is a hardened and cynical journalist who still has hints of the “American ideal man” with a resilient moral compass. Stewart’s portrayal of the man who transforms from mere journalistic curiosity to picking up a strong sense of moral responsibility is admirably compelling. It is not just what he does or says that dazzles about Stewart’s performance, it’s also the delivery. In scenes where his character is helpless, like when he has to break bad news to Frank’s mother, Stewart impressively makes us see McNeal’s professional restraint while revealing his vulnerable personal affection to the case. Originally slated forHenry Fonda, who was a renownedchampion of justice in films like12 Angry Menand the WesternYoungMr.Lincoln,McNeal paved the way for Stewart’s similar future roles, like inAnatomy of a Murder, where he morphs into a full-blown attorney. Decades later,Call Northside 777remains a beautiful picture that immerses you with its realism. It is a shame it still goes underappreciated.
Call Northside 777
Call Northside 777is available to rent or buy on Prime Video in the U.S.
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