(1934)
3
Hans J. Wollstein
Behind that jingoistic title hides one of those snappy newspaper yarns so typical of the early years of the depression, a B-Movie really, but one brimming with the legendary Warner Bros. know-how. Did Hollywood ever produce a more efficient sob sister than Glenda Farrell, or a reporter more wry and no-nonsense than Ned Sparks? Paul Muni plays the dethroned city editor with his usual force of personality and if he briefly goes over the top, so what? It is an entertaining performance and it is a shame that, aside from Scarface, the actor is better remembered today for his now slightly antiquated portrayals of doomed statesmen and stodgy scientists in elaborately overproduced bio-epics. Watch for legendary columnist Sidney Skolsky, appearing briefly as himself, and Kathryn Sergava, Warner's intriguing Garbo look-alike, as a gangster's moll.
Hi, Nellie! on AllMovie
Hi, Nellie! (1934)
