A tough, ambitious newspaperman starts a new tabloid in 1919 New York, with a crooked big-time gambler as a partner.A tough, ambitious newspaperman starts a new tabloid in 1919 New York, with a crooked big-time gambler as a partner.A tough, ambitious newspaperman starts a new tabloid in 1919 New York, with a crooked big-time gambler as a partner.
Joe Downing
- Jerry - Henchman
- (as Joseph Downing)
Charles Cane
- Insp. Brody
- (scenes deleted)
Connie Russell
- Singer
- (scenes deleted)
William 'Billy' Benedict
- Copyboy Wanting Paper
- (uncredited)
Gertrude Bennett
- Newspaper Woman
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe opening scene shows a newspaper headline reading "Whole City Out to Welcome A.E.F." The AEF was The American Expeditionary Forces, the name given to the American military forces sent to fight alongside French and British troops in Europe.
- GoofsIn Bruce's new newspaper office, circa 1919, Croney is wearing a dress with a full zipper up the back. That style would not come into use until twenty years later, as it was considered "vulgar" for a woman to wear a dress that could come off so easily.
- Quotes
Merrill Lambert: Anything can be bought for dough!
- ConnectionsFeatured in Marsha Hunt's Sweet Adversity (2015)
Featured review
newspaper drama
I was interested in this film for two reasons - I like Edward G. Robinson very much, and just last year, I saw Marsha Hunt at Paramount's 100th anniversary party, 95 years old, with all her marbles, looking marvelous. It is wonderful to see her here, at the age of 23.
Unholy Partners takes place after World War I, when a newspaper man, Bruce Corey (Robinson) returns from the conflict - but not to his old reporting job. He wants to start a different kind of newspaper -- more of a tabloid, something people can fold over and read easily in the subway. But he doesn't have the money. He approaches a crooked gambler, Merritt Lambert (Edward Arnold) and wins the $250,000 from him that he needs, making them partners. Corey starts the paper along with his secretary (Laraine Day) and an assistant, Tommy (William T. Orr). Conflicts arise when Lambert objects to the investigation of certain stories that involve him.
This is a good film, somewhat melodramatic, with a pretty Hunt singing "After You've Gone" - she had a wonderful voice - as she plays Gail Fenton, who is dating Lambert, but has drawn the interest of Corey's assistant (Orr). If you baby boomers will think back, you may remember that at the end of every TV series produced by Warner Brothers there was the name Wm. T. Orr - Orr became a very successful executive producer. Robinson, Arnold, Day, and Orr are all very good.
This film came out around the same time as Citizen Kane so probably got lost in the shuffle, not that it's anywhere near as good. The interesting thing is they talk about the end of tabloid era. Little did they know that we're still in it, worse than ever.
The paper Corey starts, The New York Mercury, was based on the newspaper The New York Mirror. One of the reviews mentions reading the Sunday funnies. I did too. It was a fun paper.
Unholy Partners takes place after World War I, when a newspaper man, Bruce Corey (Robinson) returns from the conflict - but not to his old reporting job. He wants to start a different kind of newspaper -- more of a tabloid, something people can fold over and read easily in the subway. But he doesn't have the money. He approaches a crooked gambler, Merritt Lambert (Edward Arnold) and wins the $250,000 from him that he needs, making them partners. Corey starts the paper along with his secretary (Laraine Day) and an assistant, Tommy (William T. Orr). Conflicts arise when Lambert objects to the investigation of certain stories that involve him.
This is a good film, somewhat melodramatic, with a pretty Hunt singing "After You've Gone" - she had a wonderful voice - as she plays Gail Fenton, who is dating Lambert, but has drawn the interest of Corey's assistant (Orr). If you baby boomers will think back, you may remember that at the end of every TV series produced by Warner Brothers there was the name Wm. T. Orr - Orr became a very successful executive producer. Robinson, Arnold, Day, and Orr are all very good.
This film came out around the same time as Citizen Kane so probably got lost in the shuffle, not that it's anywhere near as good. The interesting thing is they talk about the end of tabloid era. Little did they know that we're still in it, worse than ever.
The paper Corey starts, The New York Mercury, was based on the newspaper The New York Mirror. One of the reviews mentions reading the Sunday funnies. I did too. It was a fun paper.
helpful•30
- blanche-2
- Jul 17, 2013
Details
- Runtime1 hour 34 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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