Call Northside 777 (4 stars)

Based on a true story, Call Northside 777 is a 1948 drama directed by Henry Hathaway and starring James Stewart, with Richard Conte and Lee J. Cobb taking on supporting roles.  In honor of Mr. Conte's March 24th birthday, I took a break from the Garfield, Crawford, Brent, and Heflin films which have been occupying me this month and enjoyed a re-watch of this film.  I was then inspired to learn a bit about the actual case upon which the story is based.

With Prohibition in full force, violent gangster activity has taken over Chicago, and in December, 1932, the 8th police killing of the year takes place in a speakeasy in the Polish district. Fronting as a grocery store, the speakeasy is owned by Wanda Skutnik, who is talking with a police officer in her back room when two masked men enter, shoot the officer, then make a hasty exit.  Witnesses finger two unemployed men---Frank Wiecek (Richard Conte) and Tomek Zaleska, and very soon, the men are indicted and brought to trial.

Identified by Miss Skutnik as the men who entered her store, Wiecek and Zaleska receive convictions and sentences of 99 years.

Eleven years later, in October, 1944, a small advertisement appears in the Chicago newspaper.  Offering a $5,000 reward for information about the shooting of Officer Bundy, the tiny ad provides the contact phone number of Northside 777.  Curious as to who would be interested in an eleven year-old case which has already been solved, Chicago Times editor Brian Kelly (Lee J. Cobb) puts reporter Jim "Mac" McNeal (James Stewart) on the story.

Finding that the ad was placed by Tillie Wiecek---mother of the convicted Frank---McNeal pays her a visit.  Convinced her son could never have committed such a crime, Mrs. Wiecek has scrubbed floors all these years---saving every penny she could---so as to earn reward money which may provide new evidence in the case. Though Mac doesn't share the woman's belief in Frank's innocence, he nevertheless realizes he has just been provided with a great human interest story---which may well increase circulation; therefore, he writes a feature piece about Mrs. Wiecek's faith in her son.   As expected, the public response to the story is extremely positive, which causes Mac to continue pumping out articles about the case.

Eventually, after going to the penitentiary and meeting with Frank and doing a bit of investigation, Mac comes to believe that Wiecek truly is innocent.  He commits himself to pursuing one lead after another until Frank is exonerated.  How it all plays out is the balance of the film.

Call Northside 777 is a very interesting, exciting film----all the more so because it is based on actual events.  Rather than just a fictional man languishing in prison eleven years for a crime he didn't commit, this is the story of a very real man---a man who lost eleven years of his life...and who, but for the courage and dedication of a news reporter, may have lost dozens more years as well.  The acting in the movie is very good...very believable.

For more information about the real story upon which Call Northside 777 is based, HERE is a link to an interesting piece written by a Chicago Tribune reporter back in 2009.  He links to several other fascinating articles.  While the movie took liberties with the true story, the basic facts were not altered.

The film is out on DVD, so it should be easy to track down.  Additionally, it is on the TCM schedule for Sunday, April 8th, at 8:00 p.m. (ET).  It is also available on YouTube in several different parts.

Happy viewing!!