7/10
One Fatal Hour -- Very good film, though not Bogie's picture
2 August 2018
Warning: Spoilers
Humphrey Bogart was the nominal star here, however he was outshined by two other actors who got fifth and sixth billing. The film is also known as "The Fatal Hour", which was the title under which I saw it on TCM.

The story involves an irresponsible radio network that digs up a twenty year old murder story, leading to tragedy. Bogart is a radio network executive who has some morals, while his boss -- the owner of the network -- played by Robert Middlemass. The real stars here, however, are character actors Henry O'Neill (long a favorite of mine who really shines here) and Helen MacKellar (an actress of little note who turns in a superb performance here; they play the mother and father of a young woman about to be married. But the two parents have a secret...the mother once murdered someone...justifiably. The radio network digs up the story again, ruining the lives of several of the key characters, and -- rather unusual for this time period -- there are two suicides involved.

I had never seen this film, but it was a treat. Recommended.
3 out of 3 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink

Recently Viewed