Upcoming Breaking News: Journalism in Classic Film Blogathon

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Lindsay’s Movie Musings and Comet Over Hollywood present the Breaking News: Journalism in Classic Film Blogathon!

When: September 21-22, 2013

What: Classic films are filled with stories featuring journalists and journalism. Being newspaperwomen ourselves, we wanted to feature the roving reporters of classic film.

George Brent and Bette Davis in newspaper film "Front Page Woman" (1935)

George Brent and Bette Davis in newspaper film “Front Page Woman” (1935)

How to participate: Pick a movie that focuses or includes journalists as characters or the journalism profession. We do want to keep this “classic film” period (pre-1960) but if you want to write about a film pre-1980s (All the President’s Men, Network etc.) that’s definitely up for grabs. The type of journalism doesn’t matter either: newspapers, television or radio!

Once you’ve picked your movie, shoot either Lindsay or Jessica comment with the header “Breaking News Blogathon” with your film or topic and blog address. We’ll compile a master list and assign everyone one of the two days.

During the blogathon, we’ll publicize your posts on our blogs and on Twitter. We’ll keep a growing master list up on our blogs leading up to the blogathon so you can see what films/topics have been taken, as it’s preferred that there are no repeating topics.

Banners for the even will be up soon.

We look forward to hosting and seeing what great topics everyone comes up with!

Participants:

Comet Over Hollywood– Portrayal of Reporters in film

Lindsay’s Movie Musings– “Arise, My Love” (1940)

Jess  in a Yellow Dress– “It Happened One Night” (1934)

Another Old Movie Blog– “30” (1959)

The Great Katharine Hepburn and the Golden Age of Hollywood–  “Woman of the Year” (1942)

A Person in the Dark– “Picture Snatcher” (1933)

True Classics– “His Girl Friday” (1940)

The Joy and Agony of Movies– “All the President’s Men”

Stardust– “Philadelphia Story” (1940)

Critica Retro– “Ace in the Hole”

The Man on the Flying Trapeze– Comparing “Front Page” and “His Girl Friday”

Portraits by Jenni– “Headline Shooter”

Caftan Woman– “Five Star Final”

Famous Dames– “Sweet Smell of Success”

They Don’t Make ’em Like They Used To – “Lonelyhearts”

Vienna’s Classic Hollywood – “Teacher’s Pet”

Movie Star Makeover– “The Great Race”

Movie Classics– “I Cover the Waterfront”

Tales of the Easily Distracted– “Shattered Glass”

Carole & Co. – “Nothing Sacred”

I Started Late and Forgot the Dog– “Crime of Passion”

Silver Screenings– “The Trial of John Peter Zenger”

Movies, Silently– “The Power of the Press” (1928)

Immortal Ephemera– Clear all the Wires (1933)

The Movie Rat– Doctor X (1932)

Thrilling Days of Yesteryear– Deadline-USA

The Hitless Wonder Movie Blog– Mysterious Mr. Wong

Widescreen World– Each Dawn I Die

Girl with the White Parasol– Scandal Sheet

Silver Scenes – “Libeled Lady”

Once upon a screen– Christmas in Connecticut

Pre-Code– Platinum Blonde (1931)

 The Hollywood Revue– Journalists in pre-code films

Girls Do Film– Sex and the Single Girl

Family Friendly Reviews– Citizen Kane

Nitrate Diva– Love on the Run

Destroy All Fanboys– Akira Kurosawa’s Scandal (1950)

Cinamalacrum– The Naked City (1948)

The Movie Rat– Doctor X (1932)

Sittin’ on a Backyard Fence – “30 Day Princess/Wedding Present”

Kevin Carr – Roman Holiday

83 thoughts on “Upcoming Breaking News: Journalism in Classic Film Blogathon”

  5. Seems like the perfect time to write that post on HIS GIRL FRIDAY that’s been percolating in my head for two years now … 😀

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  12. I’d love to participate, and I’d like to do “Lonelyhearts,” It’s a 1958 film starring 2 of my great loves…Robert Ryan and Montgomery Clift.

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  14. Jessica, would screenwriters count in your Journalism Blogathon? If so, I’d love to blog about PARIS WHEN IT SIZZLES. If that wouldn’t fit the bill, I’d be happy to blog about SHATTERED GLASS. Please let me know if either of them would work for you. If not, I’ll gladly sit on the sidelines and cheer the rest of you on! 😀 What a great idea for a Blogathon!

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    • I talked it over with Lindsay and we both decided screenwriting is a pretty different animal from reporting. I’m sorry! But Shattered Glass is a VERY interesting movie and I look forward to your piece on it! 🙂 Thank you for participating!

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  15. I’ll focus on newspaper-related films featuring Carole Lombard (surprised!) –“Nothing Sacred,” of course, but also a rather obscure early talkie of hers called “Big News” with Robert Armstrong. It’s really his film, but Carole gets a few good moments.

    Incidentally, I’m hosting a blogathon from Nov. 1 to 4 — “The Great Silent Recasting,” in which you select a post-1965 film and re-imagine it with silent era performers, setting it in a particular year at a particular studio (e.g., “The Graduate” in 1925, starring Harold Lloyd, Constance Talmadge and Theda Bara as Mrs. Robinson, directed by Ernst Lubitsch for Warners). Find out more at http://carole-and-co.livejournal.com/622015.html

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    • Long time, no talk Vincent! I’m so glad you are joining in with Carole 🙂
      Thanks for putting your blogathon in my radar. I’m brainstorming now what I could write about 🙂

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  17. If it’s not too late to enter, could I do “The Trial of John Peter Zenger”? This is not a feature-length movie – it’s an episode of “Studio One” from 1953, about a libel case against a newspaper publisher.

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  18. Hi there! I would love to participate with a review of the 1928 Douglas Fairbanks Jr. vehicle The Power of the Press. It’s about a cub reporter who breaks out of writing obituaries by publishing a sizzling expose of murder– Then he discovers that he has fingered the wrong folks and has to work to find the real culprit.

    A classic two-fisted reporter tale and it’s directed by Frank Capra! Plus, it features behind-the-scenes footage of actual 1920’s newspaper printing. It’s been sitting on my shelf for a while now and I am thrilled to be dusting it off (if you find it suitable for the blogathon, that is.) Looking forward to it!

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  22. Hi. This is Dan from The Hitless Wonder Movie Blog (http://dandayjr35.blogspot.com). I’d like to participate in “The Breaking News Blogathon” by discussing “Mysterious Mr. Wong” with Bela Lugosi. This picture features Wallace Ford as a newspaper reporter, and the character is a perfect example of the noisy newshound used in so many horror/thriller movies of the 30s and 40s.

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  24. Hi Jessica and Lindsay,

    I’ve thought it over and decided I’d really like to join the blogathon. Is Scandal Sheet (1952) still available? If not, I’ll take Gentleman’s Agreement. In any event, you can sign me up.

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      • Thanks, Jessica. Since it looks like nobody’s tried to claim either, why don’t you just go ahead and put me down for Scandal Sheet? I don’t feel right hoarding two movies all to myself.

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  26. Hi Jessica –

    I could have sworn I submitted a choice but don’t see myself. May well be a figment of my imagination though. Anyway – If it’s not too late I’d like to join this great event – outstanding topic – with Henry Hathaway’s CALL NORTHSIDE 777 (1948) as my choice.

    Thanks – let me know. 🙂

    Aurora

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  28. I just realized that I never actually signed up to participate. I was thinking I’d do a list of some of my favorite journalists in pre-code movies.

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  29. Late to the party on this, but I’d love to cover Sex and the Single Girl – it’s just outside the ‘classics’ as it was released in 1964…let me know if it’s been claimed and I’ll pick another!

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  31. Ooh, this is going to be fun! May I please write about M-G-M’s glam-ified version of IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT: LOVE ON THE RUN, with Franchot Tone and Clark Gable as rival reporters fighting over Joan Crawford? Pure joy, that movie.
    Thanks!
    ND

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  33. Hmmm.. this looks like fun. I see no one is doing Akira Kurosawa’s Scandal (1950) or The Front Page yet. May I toss a felt hat into the ring here? I’ll probably do Scandal, as it’s one of those films that needs more love (and it works on a few levels as a courtroom drama and Christmas story of sorts)…

    g.

    http:fanboydestroy.com

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  34. If it is possible, I would like to look at The Naked City (1948) as a noir that is essentially the product of journalistic filmmaking. Particularly since Jules Dassin began his career in newspapers. It is indirectly a film about journalism, but very directly one that works in the mindset of journalism. Let me know if this works, if not, I guess I could be audacious and try to tackle Citizen Kane.

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