Manthast Absolutely amazing

Jenna Walter The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

Kayden This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

Billy Ollie Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

vincentlynch-moonoi 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.

cricket crockett . . . "Warner Bros.," ONE FATAL HOUR provides a bare-bones warning to Today's U.S. Public regarding our current sorry State of Affairs. (This flick enjoys the twin benefits of not only being guided by Warner's unmatched Foretellers of the Future during its original production process, but later having eight minutes of "fluff" intended only for its contemporary theatrical audiences excised when edited for Our Modern Televisions and more tellingly retitled, as the initial TWO AGAINST THE WORLD and the even more sophomoric THE CASE OF MRS. PEMBROOK marquee titles were thankfully disassociated from this cautionary tale.) ONE FATAL HOUR deals frankly with the sexual perversion and War on Women now being waged at the highest levels of the USA's Media and Government. "Dr. Leavenworth" SHOULD be locked up in the Leavenworth federal penitentiary for life (or, better yet, his date with the Guillotine!) as a rabble-rousing Populist catering to a demonic base of nominally religious "core supporters" while enjoying a salacious private life as an alcoholic compulsive grabber of feminine genitalia, almost as bad as the mobster occupying our Once Hallowed Oval Office now. As "Edith" screams at him "WHY DID YOU KILL MY MOTHER?!" again and again for the climax of ONE FATAL HOUR, "Sherry" notes that such Public Enemies as Dr. Leavenworth and the future Game-Show-Host-in-Chief possess "squashy, putrid little souls" willing to televise their own mothers' funerals if they think it will add an additional buck to their mountains of ill-gotten wealth. "Jim," Edith, and "Gloria"--all victims of Leavenworth's Corrupt Corporate Class--each pick up guns while searching for a solution to this Capitalist Problem. Please watch ONE FATAL HOUR, and then support your local chapter of BANGS (Broke Americans Need Gun Stamps)!

sol1218 ***SPOILERS*** Early Humphrey Bogart flick has Bogie playing the program director Sherry Scott of the UBC radio network the self proclaimed "Voice of the People" that in fact specializes in sleaze and scandal. Needing to up it's rating the station president Bertra C. Retnolds, Robert Middlemass, comes up with this great idea of reviving the notorious Gloria Pembroke, the O.J Simpson of the 1920's,case where Gloria was found innocent in the shooting death of her drunken and abusive husband. Even though Gloria was found innocent, like O.J was, she had to change her name and go into hiding since no one, but he jury who found her innocent, believed her story.As it later turned out sleaze-ball private investigator Dr. Martin Levenwoth, Harry Hyden, tracked down Gloria, who's now calls herself Martha Carstaris, Hellen McKallar, and pretending to be a priest gets the lowdown of her shadowy past and reports back to his boss UBC program director Sherry Scott with the story. The sad thing about all this is not only exposing Martha's past to the public with the 15 part radio program "Sin Doesn't Pay" but putting her sweet and lovely daughter Edith's, Linda Perry, marriage to steel magnet Malcolm Sims,Douglas Wood, son Maclolm Jr, Carlyle Moore Jr, on the rocks. That if the truth about Linda's mom's past was ever to became pubic!****SPOILERS**** The film shows just how far people in the media will go to make a buck not caring whom they destroy in making it. It's UBC's president Bertram C. Reynolds who refused to cancel the program even when Martha and her husband Mr. Jim Carstairs, Henry O'Neill, beg him too. It was the tragedy that the show lead to that had program director Sherry Scott have a sudden change of heart. In the aftermath of what damage the show caused Scott just couldn't go on working for the UBC network. And knowing what greedy low life scum like Reynolds and Levenworth are capable of doing Scott, despite his involvement in their crimes, in the end willingly goes to court to testify against them and put the two out of the media and radio business together with himself as well.

drednm This cheapo remake of the terrific Five Star Final suffers from terrible acting. Humphrey Bogart stars as the manager of a sleazoid radio station that is desperate to boost sagging ratings. The owner decides to have a series of morality plays written about a famous murder case from 20 years ago. So they hire the fake preacher (Harry Hayden) to track down the murderess, who was acquitted and has been living quietly under a fake name. The preacher arrive on the daughter's wedding day, but the ruthless radio station refuses to back off exposing the mother and ruining their lives.Bogart is always good. Hayden is good the the slimy preacher, and Henry O'Neill is good as the father. Everyone else is just awful. Helen McKeller wins no sympathy (crucial for the role), Linda Perry is a lousy actress, Beverly Roberts is OK but always looks old, Claire Dodd and Hobart Cavanagh have no parts, Carlyle Moore is a dud as the boy friend, Virginia Brissac is miscast as the society mother, Robert Middlemas overacts as the station owner.This one comes in under an hour but is a pale copy of the original which boasted dynamic performances by Edward G. Robinson, Aline MacMahon, Frances Starr, and Boris Karloff. But it's always worth watching Boagrt.