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Call Northside 777

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Rent Call Northside 777 on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, Apple TV, or buy it on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, Apple TV.

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Henry Hathaway

James Stewart

Richard Conte

Frank Wiecek

Lee J. Cobb

Brian Kelly

Helen Walker

Laura McNeal

Betty Garde

Wanda Skutnik

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Film Noir Review: Call Northside 777 (1948)

“it’s a good world, outside.”.

No actor better represents American decency than James Stewart. In both his military and movie career, Stewart was the everyman, the humble hero who managed to get the job done through sheer force of will. He was someone you innately rooted for, and his most iconic roles emphasize this special connection.

That said, likability only goes so far. Stewart would not have been one of the greatest actors of all time were it not also for his staggering range and surprising adaptability. In a career that spanned seven decades, Stewart excelled in every genre imaginable. He was a convincing cowboy, a charming love interest, and in the case of Call Northside 777 (1948), a crusading reporter with a hot lead.

Call Northside 777 is unique in that it’s one of the few documentary-style films noir to feature a star-studded cast. The common practice, at least as far as 20th Century Fox was concerned, was to make tough crime films based on true stories, starring reliable B-players like Dennis O’Keefe and Mark Stevens. They were cheap, profitable, and grounded by their refreshing lack of glamor. The less recognizable the face, the more believable the faux “documentary” angle.

Stewart’s casting may have violated the practice, but it also arrived at a crucial point in his career. While he’d scored an Oscar nomination for It’s a Wonderful Life two years earlier, the actor was at a professional crossroads, and fearful that his postwar output had paled in comparison to his earlier work. The fact that both It’s a Wonderful Life and Rope (his first Hitchcock collaboration) flopped at the box office didn’t help matters. He was trying to find parts that suited his older, less naïve presence, and Chicago newsman PJ MacNeal was perfect.

MacNeal is a Windy City veteran who gets assigned to the case of convicted murderer Frank Wiecek (Richard Conte). The latter’s mother has placed a $5,000 ad in the newspaper, urging people to come forward to clear her son’s name, and the novelty of the ad leads MacNeal down a rabbit hole of reconsidered evidence and fresh leads. He discovers that Wiecek’s innocence may be more than a pipe dream, and sets about trying to make a case in his favor.

There’s nothing particularly fancy about Call Northside 777 . It’s economically directed by Henry Hathaway, who pioneered the documentary-style noir with The House on 92nd Street , and it sheds light on a real-life case that was begging to be dramatized. What really makes the film stand out, however, is the conviction of the acting. 

Lee J. Cobb and Helen Walker are terrific as MacNeal’s editor and wife, respectively. The former is fun as a pipe-smoking cynic who clashes with the reporter’s burgeoning righteousness. He wants Weicek cleared, sure, but he wants to sell papers a little bit more. Smaller, potentially forgettable roles are salvaged by colorful bit players like Charles Lane, E.G. Marshall, and John McIntire.

Richard Conte is perfectly cast as Weicek, a man who’s quietly rotting away for someone else’s crime. The actor taps into the pained humility that a decade in prison would instill, but there’s still an underlying bite to his words. One gets the sense that he could be guilty, even though he’s not. Conte’s career skyrocketed following the release of the film, and he would go on to perfect his coiled machismo in classics like Thieves’ Highway (1949) and The Big Combo (1955).

Then there’s Stewart, who gives one of his most underrated performances as MacNeal. The aforementioned everyman quality is present, but he’s careful to underscore it with an obsessive streak that borders on manic at times. The Wiecek case grows increasingly more important as the film wears on, and Stewart manages to communicate so much through minimal body language. MacNeal is a character of action rather than reflection, and most of his scenes consist of him rifling through photographs or interviewing old witnesses. 

A lesser star would have gone the showier route, and tried to dominate their scene partners, but he’s selective about his “big” acting moments, preferring to cede the floor to others. It works like a charm. Few actors are as compelling as Stewart when it comes to watching them think. It also gives him the chance to recontextualize his screen persona as he turned 40. MacNeal is a bit more skeptical than his past characters, and it’s precisely because of this weathered quality that his path to crusader feels so earned. He’s the same American hero we know and love; he just wants to be sure of a cause before he backs it.

Stewart regained his confidence (and his box office clout) soon after the release of the film, and would go on to have arguably the best run of his career in the 1950s. That said, it’s tough to imagine the dense, ambiguous performances he gives in Broken Arrow and Vertigo were it not for his foundational work here.

I won’t bore you with a rundown of the various beats that MacNeal has to navigate, for experiencing them firsthand is one of the film’s distinct pleasures. There are no great twists or profound revelations about humanity to be found here; just good storytelling and great execution. Sometimes, that’s all we need. Dial up Northside 777 if this sounds like the noir for you.

TRIVIA: Thelma Ritter was cast as a police secretary, but most of her scenes were cut from the final release. As a result, her lone interaction with Stewart went uncredited.

You can find all of Danilo’s Film Noir Review articles here. 

Danilo Castro is a film noir aficionado and Contributing Writer for Classic Movie Hub. You can read more of Danilo’s articles and reviews at the Film Noir Archive , or you can follow Danilo on Twitter  @DaniloSCastro .

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One Response to Film Noir Review: Call Northside 777 (1948)

Love this movie. One of the best supporting performances I have ever seen comes from Kasia Orzazewski as Richard Conte’s mother. She was so utterly believable. Also memorable is Bette Garde as ‘Wanda Skutnik’.

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Call Northside 777 (1948) Directed by Henry Hathaway

Film review, film synopsis, similar films.

• The Dark Mirror (1946)
• The Naked City (1948)
• La Dénonciation (1962)
• Cry of the City (1948)
• Cloudburst (1951)

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Call Northside 777

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Brief Synopsis

Cast & crew, henry hathaway, james stewart, richard conte, lee j. cobb, helen walker, betty garde, photos & videos, technical specs.

On 9 Dec 1932, during Chicago's violent Prohibition period, police officer John W. Bundy is murdered while he drinks at a speakeasy operated by Wanda Skutnik. Following a tip from a bootlegger, police question Frank Wiecek, who has a minor police record, about his friend Tomek Zaleska, who asserts that he was home at the time of the murder. Finding some inconsistencies in Frank's statements, police hold him on suspicion of the crime. After six weeks of hiding out, Tomek surrenders to the police, and while he maintains that he is innocent, he and Frank are convicted of the murder, based on Wanda's identification of them as the masked assailants, and are sentenced to ninety-nine years at Stateville Penitentiary. On 11 Oct 1944, Brian Kelly, editor of the Chicago Times , spots an ad in the personal notices placed by Tillie Wiecek, Frank's mother, offering a $5,000 reward for the killers of Officer Bundy and instructing those with information to "Call Northside 777." Kelly sends reporter P. James McNeal to investigate, and when Jim locates Tillie, who works as a scrubwoman, she tells him that she has saved the reward money over the past eleven years. Although he believes Frank to be guilty, Jim writes a sympathetic article about Tillie. When Kelly asks for a follow-up interview of Frank, Jim hesitates, but writes a second article implying possible police and political corruption after Frank reveals that the police deliberately kept him from seeing his lawyer while he was being interrogated, and that Wanda did not identify him as the killer the first two times she was questioned. The article provokes much response, and Kelly asks Jim to interview Frank's ex-wife Helen, who divorced him after he was imprisoned. Helen tells Jim that Frank begged her to divorce him for the sake of their son, who, Frank felt, needed a name untainted by the crime. Jim's story about Helen causes Frank to send for him, and at the penitentiary, Frank angrily tells him to stop writing about his family. When the warden informs Jim that the other prisoners believe Frank and Tomek are innocent, Jim interviews Tomek and offers to help him get paroled if he confesses who was with him when he committed the murder. Tomek's protestation of innocence finally convinces Jim that neither of the men are guilty, and he tells Frank that he will now slant the articles in his favor and will dig into the story. After Frank passes a lie detector test, Jim's next article proclaims Frank's innocence. Despite antagonism from police angry that Jim is trying to help a cop killer, he gets access to Frank's booking record, which is dated 23 Dec 1932. What Jim really needs, however, is Frank's arrest record, which, if it is earlier than the booking date, will support Frank's contentions that Wanda had the opportunity to see him before she identified him, and that a police captain induced her to name Frank as one of the killers. Although Jim learns that the police captain died in 1938, he locates the arrest book, which had been separated from the files, and photographs the page listing Frank's arrest date as 22 Dec 1932. After Jim's next article charges political corruption, he is summoned with Kelly to a meeting with the paper's publisher, K. L. Palmer, Sam Faxon from the state's attorney's office and Robert Winston, an aide to the governor. To resolve the governmental objections to the articles, Winston proposes to conduct a hearing of the pardon board the following week. If Frank is exonerated, he will be pardoned, but if not, the paper must agreed to drop the story. Palmer, with Kelly and Jim's consent, agrees. Winston warns, however, that should Frank lose, the record of his failure could hurt his chances to be paroled in thirty years. Martin Burns, the paper's attorney, is skeptical, as he does not think that they have sufficient evidence in Frank's favor. Jim then reveals that he located a photograph showing Wanda arriving at the police station at the same time as Frank, and states that the photo is evidence that Wanda lied about not seeing Frank before she identified him in the police line. Burns, though, maintains that the burden will be on Jim to prove that the photograph was taken on 22 Dec and advises him to discredit Wanda. Working on a tip that Wanda used to run around with a stockyards worker, and thinking that she may still be in the liquor business, Jim circulates her picture in bars in the Polish section behind the stockyards, but gets no leads. He then writes an article about the search and includes his own photo. Two days before the parole board is to convene, a woman sees him in a bar and sells him Wanda's address. Jim finds Wanda, but despite the $5,000 reward, she angrily throws Jim out after he implies she fears retribution from someone. Without Wanda's change of testimony, Burns advises Jim that Frank will lose the hearing, then goes to Springfield to ask that the case be withdrawn so that it will not go on Frank's record. Kelly has Jim break the news to Tillie in person, and although she cries and says that she has no friends left, she is comforted by her faith in God. In a cab on the way to the newspaper office, Jim reads about a new enlargement process that the police have used in a forgery case. He immediately goes to the police photo lab, where the technician, in sympathy with the case because of Jim's articles, agrees to blow up a section of the photograph showing both Frank and Wanda. After calling Burns, Jim flies to Springfield to stall the hearing until Kelly can send the photo over the Associated Press wire to a nearby newspaper office. He tells the parole board that he hopes the enlargement will show the date of a newspaper being hawked in the photo to be 22 Dec 1932. Despite Faxon's objections, the chairman agrees to go to the newspaper office. The wire photo reveals the date to be 22 Dec, and Frank is released from prison. Jim reminds Frank that not many governments in the world would admit such an error. On the outside Frank greets his son, his mother and Helen, who introduces her present husband, Rayska, who promises Frank that he can be with his son anytime. Content, Frank says it is a good world outside.

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Hosted Intro

Call Northside 777 (1948) - Call Northside 777

You look nice. Will you marry me? - P.J. McNeal

I did. - Laura McNeal

Thelma Ritter's role as the Police Captain's Secretary was mostly deleted from the released print, but she can still briefly be seen and heard in one scene in which she tells 'Stewart, James' the Police Captain will see him in his office.

The following statement appears after the opening credits: "This is a true story. This film was photographed in the State of Illinois using wherever possible, the actual locales associated with the story." According to information in the Twentieth Century-Fox Records of the Legal Department and the Produced Scripts Collection, located at the UCLA Arts-Special Collections Library, studio publicity and various newspaper articles, the actual story occurred in much the same manner as was presented in the film. Joe Majczek and Theodore Marcinkiewicz were convicted of the murder of officer William D. Lundy, who was killed on December 9, 1932 in a speakeasy owned by Vera Walush in the Southside of Chicago. It was postulated that because the city was preparing for the 1933 World's Fair, Mayor Anton Cermak issued orders for a cleanup of the city, and pressure May have been put on the police department to arrest someone for the murder of the police officer. Majczek's mother Tillie scrubbed floors in office buildings for years to raise money to buy information to free her son, and in 1944, she placed an ad in the Chicago Times . Reporter James P. McGuire of the Times investigated the story and after proving to the Illinois parole board that Majczek was innocent, Majczek was pardoned by the Governor of Illinois and freed in August 1945. (Marcinkiewicz was not released until 1950.) According to a June 20, 1947 Hollywood Reporter news item, Majczek was awarded $24,000 by the Illinois legislature as compensation for his ordeal. Tillie died in 1964, and Majczek, who remarried and became an insurance agent, died in 1983. The real killer or killers were never found.        Time reported on the case in August 1945 when Majczek was released. After Reader's Digest published a story entitled "Tillie Scrubbed On" in December 1946, Twentieth Century-Fox sent producer Otto Lang and writer Leonard Hoffman to Chicago in January 1947 to interview participants and writers connected with the story. In February 1947, Fox purchased from McGuire the rights to an unpublished story and other material concerning Majczek. McGuire subsequently was hired as a technical advisor on the film. Fox also paid for releases from a number of persons whom they characterized in the film, including Tillie and Joe Majczek and Majczek's former wife. The company failed, however, to obtain a release from Vera Walush, portrayed as Wanda Skutnik in the film, who owned the speakeasy where the murder was committed and whose testimony identifying Majczek as the murderer led to his conviction. Although McGuire, Lang and Fox's legal counsel judged there to be little chance that Walush, who was ill at the time, would file a suit, she did so on May 1950. In her suit, Walush, who was by then known as Mrs. Vera Walush Kasulis, asked for $500,000 and claimed that the picture caused her to be "subject to dishonor and humiliation." Fox settled the suit in October 1954, paying Kasulis $25,000 and agreeing not to reissue the film in any theater or to any local television station within the municipal limits of Chicago.        In August 2, 1947 memo to Lang, director Henry Hathaway and writer Jay Dratler, executive producer Darryl F. Zanuck commented, "There is a big Polish population in the United States. You will note that I have calmed down some of the dialogue that tends to indicate that all Poles are not on the side of the law, but I think perhaps Dratler should go even further in toning it down. We should not definitely say that this is a Polish neighborhood. Perhaps we could just refer to it as a very tough neighborhood where the people always stick together and protect one another from outsiders, etc." In a March 10, 1947 letter from PCA Director Joseph I. Breen to the studio, included in the MPAA/PCA Collection at the AMPAS Library, Breen wrote, "we suggest that you substitute some other word ... for 'Polack.' This derogatory reference is liable to give offense to a great many motion picture patrons." The PCA also deemed an early screenplay to be "not acceptable because of its highly questionable portrayal of the police." Later versions of the screenplay were approved, although after filming was completed, the studio cut the scene of the policeman being killed to comply with a Production Code provision that "officers of the law must not be shown dying at the hands of criminals."        According to Hollywood Reporter news items, Louis King was originally set to direct the picture, which was to star Henry Fonda and Lloyd Nolan. Madame Leopoldine Konstantin was originally signed to play "Tillie Wiecek." Leonarde Keeler, the inventor of the lie detector, played himself in the film, as did Chicago Times photographer Bill Vendetta. Call Northside 777 marked the production debut of Otto Lang, who had previously directed pictures for Fox; the American film debut of Dutch actress Joanne de Bergh; and the screen debut of radio actress Betty Garde. The picture was shot in Chicago at numerous locations including the C.B. & Q. railroad yards, "Skid Row" and "Bughouse Square" in the South Wabash and South State Street slum districts, the Polish quarter and the Criminal Courts building. Scenes were also shot at the Illinois State Prison in Springfield. The photo lab sequence was filmed at the Douglas Aircraft Co. in Santa Monica, CA, and some shooting was done at the Los Angeles Times building.        It was Zanuck's intention for the film to use a "semi-documentary" style of mixed realism and drama, which Fox and other studios had used in a number of films made during the previous few years. In a memo dated March 5, 1947, he wrote, "While it is our intention to tell a hard-hitting, factual, semi-documentary story like The House on 92nd Street , 13 Rue Madeleine and Boomerang , we cannot ignore drama any more than these films ignored drama." Daily Variety , in their review of the film, stated, "This one sticks more closely to the documentary pattern than its predecessors." Hollywood Reporter commented, "Few motion picture formulas have proved so continuously effective as the semi-documentary technique which takes a real-life story and presents it as a straight-from-the-shoulder statement of facts. Drama, then, is enhanced by its accuracy and emotional strength is drawn from its realism."        On October 7, 1948, Screen Guild Theatre presented a radio broadcast of Call Northside 777 with James Stewart, Richard Conte and Pat O'Brien, and on December 9, 1949, Screen Directors' Playhouse broadcast a version of the story starring Stewart and Bill Conrad. A television adaptation of the story was broadcast under the title False Witness in January 1957 for the 20th Century-Fox Hour .

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Call Northside 777

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• Duration: 111 mins

Cast and crew

• Director: Henry Hathaway
• Screenwriter: Jerome Cady, Jay Dratler, Leonard Hoffman, Quentin Reynolds
• James Stewart
• Richard Conte
• Helen Walker
• Betty Garde
• Kasia Orzazewski
• Joanne De Bergh

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Call Northside 777

Call Northside 777 has all the separate ingredients for a sock film but registers only with a mild impact due to a lack of integration. Among the film's principal drawbacks is James Stewart's jarring and unpersuasive performance in the key role. As a Chicago reporter who's assigned to dig up a human-interest angle out of an 11-year-old murder case, Stewart shuttles between a phoney cynicism and a sob-sister sentimentalism into a recognizable newspaperman.

By Variety Staff

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Call Northside 777 has all the separate ingredients for a sock film but registers only with a mild impact due to a lack of integration. Among the film’s principal drawbacks is James Stewart’s jarring and unpersuasive performance in the key role. As a Chicago reporter who’s assigned to dig up a human-interest angle out of an 11-year-old murder case, Stewart shuttles between a phoney cynicism and a sob-sister sentimentalism into a recognizable newspaperman.

Henry Hathaway’s direction marks a retreat from the documentary form. Instead of consistent realism, he lapses into a hybrid technique with plenty of hokey melodramatic tones.

Based on a celebrated miscarriage of justice in 1932, when two innocent men were sentenced to 99 years apiece for killing a cop, the screenplay [based on articles by James P. McGuire, adaptation by Leonard Hoffman and Quentin Reynolds] constructs a serviceable plot on the factual groundwork. Film, however, tends to wander aimlessly in an over-sized running time.

Popular on Variety

Title is derived from a personal ad placed in the Chicago Times-Herald by the mother of one of the prisoners offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the release of her son. Answering the ad, Stewart uses it as a peg for a series of human interest stories about the case. Initially skeptical, he’s progressively drawn to a belief in the man’s innocence. Richard Conte gives an intensely sincere performance as the young Polish-American who is railroaded to jail.

• Production: 20th Century-Fox. Director Henry Hathaway; Producer Otto Lang; Screenplay Jerome Cady, Jay Dratler; Camera Joe MacDonald; Editor J. Watson Webb Jr; Music Alfred Newman;; Art Director Lyle R. Wheeler, Mark-Lee Kirk
• Crew: (B&W) Extract of a review from 1948. Running time: 111 MIN.
• With: James Stewart Richard Conte Lee J. Cobb Helen Walker Betty Garde

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Call Northside 777 Reviews

• 1 hr 51 mins
• Watchlist Where to Watch

A reporter starts to believe the convicted killer he is writing human-interest stories about is innocent. The deeper the reporter digs into the original investigation, the more he begins to suspect that the police may be trying to keep something quiet.

One of the most impressive semi-documentary noir thrillers, CALL NORTHSIDE 777 was shot on location in Chicago in striking black-and-white by cinematographer Joe MacDonald. Renowned movie nice guy Jimmy Stewart stars in a change-of-pace characterization as a hard-boiled newspaper reporter who evolves from a sceptical news hound to a dedicated crusader when he investigates a decade-old cop killing based on the actual case of Joe Majczek of Chicago who was imprisoned for a crime he did not commit. Stewart is handed an assignment by editor Cobb: follow up a small ad that appeared in his newspaper offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the man responsible for killing a policeman years earlier. Stewart learns that the ad was placed by a cleaning woman (Orzazewski) who has slaved for years to earn reward money for anyone able to clear her son of the murder. The cynical Stewart initially believes the convicted Conte is guilty but opts to write a human interest story about the loving mother. When the public reaction proves to be overwhelming, Cobb encourages Stewart to back up his original story with some more digging. As he investigates, Stewart unearths evidence that there was some police coverup in the case and that certain evidence is missing. His interest is piqued. Stewart effectively plays the part of Jim McGuire, the Chicago Times reporter who won the Pulitzer Prize for his investigative efforts, and the rest of the cast turn in fine, realistic performances. For Stewart, this film was a departure from the genial roles (though sometimes dark-tinged) for which he had become famous (IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE, THE PHILADELPHIA STORY, MAGIC TOWN); this performance paved the way for his more morally ambiguous and gritty characterizations for directors such as Hitchcock and Anthony Mann in the 1950s. Director Hathaway had recently had a resounding success with the Ben Hecht story, KISS OF DEATH, also shot in a grim realistic style. Newman's moody score adds depth and feeling to the emotionally charged story.

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Call Northside 777

• Chicago reporter P.J. McNeal re-opens a decade-old murder case.
• In 1932, a cop is killed and Frank Wiecek sentenced to life. Eleven years later, a newspaper ad by Frank's mother leads Chicago reporter P.J. McNeal to look into the case. For some time, McNeal continues to believe Frank guilty. But when he starts to change his mind, he meets increased resistance from authorities unwilling to be proved wrong. — Rod Crawford <[email protected]>
• When a woman places an ad in the Chicago Times offering a $5,000 reward for information that will exonerate her son, the newspaper assigns report P.J. McNeal to look into case. He learns that 11 years earlier, Frank Wiecek was convicted of killing an on duty police officer in a speakeasy and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. McNeal is quite skeptical as to his innocence and only slowly comes to realize that there was a miscarriage of justice. The real question is whether he can find evidence that would convince the pardon board and obtain Wiecek's release. — garykmcd
• The whole story takes place in Chicago. A policeman is murdered in a cold-blooded way in one of some illicit taprooms. Tomek Zaleska who on the ill-fated night was staying at Franek's flat is suspected of the homicide. They are both sentenced to 99 years of prison, with the conviction based merely on the testimony of one witness. Frank's mother who believes that her son is innocent after eleven years places an announcement in the local newspaper in which she offers 5000 dollars reward for anybody who would prove the innocence of her son. The chief editor of Chicago Times gets interested in the case and commissions to one of his journalists, McNeal (in this part great James Stewart) writing an article about it. Initially his view on the issue is quite skeptical, but later on he gradually starts to believe that Frank is innocent. He also faces the growing resistance from the local authorities. — arysto
• In 1932 December, in Chicago, the Polish Wanda Skutnik runs a speakeasy during the Prohibition. When a policeman is murdered inside the illegal bar, Frank W. Wiecek and his friend Tomek Zaleska are arrested and sentenced to serve 99 years each in the Illinois State Penitentiary. Eleven years later, the Chicago Times' editor Brian Kelly is curious with an advertisement offering a US$ 5,000.00 reward for information about the identity of the killers of the policeman eleven years ago. He assigns the efficient reporter P.J. McNeal to interview the person responsible for the ad. McNeal discovers that Frank's mother Tillie Wiecek, who is a janitor, has saved her salary for eleven years to prove the innocence of her beloved son and now is offering the reward for additional information. McNeal is skeptical and believes that Frank is a cop killer, but his matter is successful and Kelly asks him to investigate further. Soon he changes his mind and realizes that Frank is a victim of the corrupt system. — Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
• In Chicago in 1932, during Prohibition, a policeman is murdered inside a speakeasy. Frank Wiecek (Richard Conte) and another man are quickly arrested, and are later sentenced to serve 99 years' imprisonment each for the killing. Eleven years later, Wiecek's mother puts an ad in the newspaper offering a $5,000 reward for information about the true killers of the police officer. This leads the city editor of the Chicago Times Brian Kelly (Lee J. Cobb) to assign reporter P.J. McNeal (James Stewart) to look more closely into the case. McNeal is skeptical at first, believing Wiecek to be guilty. But he starts to change his mind, and meets increased resistance from the police and the state attorney's office, who are unwilling to be proved wrong. This is quickly followed by political pressure from the state capital, where politicians are anxious to end a story that might prove embarrassing to the administration. Eventually, Wiecek is proved innocent by, among other things, the enlarging of a photograph showing the date on a newspaper that proves that a key witness's statement was false. Synopsis from wikipedia

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The voice of journalism

Call Northside 777 (1948)

Real journalism is too boring for the movies.

In an early scene of the 1948 film Call Northside 777 , Jimmy Stewart, who plays a reporter at the Chicago Times , interviews a scrubwoman who placed a classified ad (how quaint!) in the paper offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the exhoneration of her son, who is serving ninety-nine years in prison for killing a cop. The scrubwoman says she saved her pennies for ten years to raise the reward money, and she asks Jim McNeil, Stewart’s character, if he can help her. He replies: “I’m only a reporter. I just write the story.”

That humble schtick lasts about fifteen minutes. Soon enough, McNeil is convinced—by his good-hearted editor, his puzzle-obsessed wife, and his own conscience—that the scrubwoman’s son, Frank Wiecek, is indeed innocent. He embarks on a crusade to prove it, in which he blithely violates some of journalism’s most sacred ethical tenets: he plays up aspects of Wiecek’s story calculated to elicit public sympathy, and ignores those that may do the opposite; he tries to cut a deal with Wiecek’s co-defendant, the alleged trigger-man, to say who was really with him the night of the murder in exchange for the Times ’s support in getting the man parole; he poses as a cop to get access to Wiecek’s arrest file; he poses as a family friend to find the witness who fingered Wiecek. (The most irritating thing about McNeil, though, is that he never takes notes—ever.)

The audience, and the critics, cheered him on. The reviews at the time took no interest in the ways and means of the reporter, focusing instead on the pros and cons of the then-novel “documentary style” of filmmaking. ( Call Northside 777 was based on a true story, but more on that later.)

This pass on the ethics isn’t really surprising. Traditionally, Hollywood’s portrayal of the press has tended to reflect the public’s attitudes. And though it’s hard to imagine today, when journalists often appear on the big screen as callous scumbags who gleefully invade our privacy to advance their careers, Call Northside 777 was made in an era when the public viewed journalists a bit more generously. “In the 30s and 40s, people loved reporters—they were cynical and tough and hard-edged, and that made for comedy and good lines,” the late critic Pauline Kael told The New York Times in 1997. Back then, too, journalists were typically played by beloved stars, like Stewart and Cary Grant and Humphrey Bogart, and audiences would indulge all manner of unsavory behavior in the characters these actors portrayed.

It’s worth noting, also, that this was a period when journalists were much more of the people, so to speak, than they are today. Journalism had not yet become a profession, the barriers to entry were lower, as were the educational requirements. McNeil isn’t some Ivy-League dandy (his well-fitting suits notwithstanding), but a regular guy who is as at home canvassing the seedy bars by the stockyards as he is meeting with representatives from the governor’s office—maybe more so. At the end of the film (spoiler alert!), when Wiecek leaves prison and McNeil is there to greet him, McNeil says, “It’s a big thing when a sovereign state admits an error. Remember this: there aren’t many governments that would do it.” Sure, it was 1948 and this is standard cold-war rhetoric. But it also reflects a common man’s feelings about his government in the wake of World War II, at the dawn of the nuclear age, and the emergence of a bipolar world—not the cynical view of a hotshot.

In the post-Watergate era, the job, and the business, changed. Journalists became heroes and celebrities, the job became aspirational and increasingly its practitioners identified upward. Reporters joined the professional class, and their newsrooms became part of huge corporations. Soon, to the great mass of people, journalists became The Other, part of the elite, the establishment.

But when I came across a document on the website of the Center for Wrongful Convictions at Northwestern University’s Law School, however, my understanding of how Hollywood treated this slice of journalistic history changed. Remember, Call Northside 777 is based on a true story, and here we have a detailed account of what actually happened.

What stands out is just how seemingly straight were the “techniques” used by the real journalists—James McGuire and John McPhaul—as they unravelled what is at heart a story of police corruption. Using a thirty-page statement of facts typed in prison by the defendant, whose real name was Joseph Majczek, McGuire and McPhaul followed up on Majczek’s claim that after the verdict the judge had taken Majczek into his chambers, told him he thought there had been a miscarriage of justice, and promised him a new trial. The judge had since died, but the reporters tracked down a witness to that conversation who corroborated Majczek’s account.

They went on to report that Vera Walush, who owned the “delicatessen” where the shooting occurred and whose testimony was the only evidence against Majczek, had initially told police after viewing a line-up that Majczek wasn’t the perpetrator; they also revealed that Walush’s “delicatessen” was actually a speakeasy—a fact that is known to viewers of the movie but is utterly ignored in terms of its relevance to the case—and that the police had threatened to charge her with bootlegging if she didn’t testify against Majczek; and that the judge had failed to grant a new trial as he had promised because prosecutors told him doing so would ruin his career.

The center’s memo goes on to state that there was a lot of political pressure to solve the cop’s murder quickly. “The same week he was killed, there were five other murders in Chicago—all unsolved. The Century of Progress exposition, envisioned by its boosters as a pivotal event in the Second City’s emergence from the Depression, was scheduled to open in just five months.” The mayor, under pressure from the business community to clean up the city, lest the perception of Chicago as a violent town suppress attendance at the exposition, publicly declared a “war on crime.”

And so on. It’s possible that McGuire and McPhaul pulled some of the same stunts that Jimmy Stewart’s character did in ferreting out the truth, but from the description in this memo it is more likely that they were simply smart and tenacious and appropriately skeptical. In short, they behaved like good reporters. That story would have made a good movie, too.

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Call Northside 777

Before there was The Wrong Man , there was this movie. Both are in a semi-documentary style, both concern men wrongly convicted of murder, both were based on true stories. In this one, filmed on location in Chicago, Jimmy Stewart is a reporter who is reluctantly put on the story when the convict’s mother, a charwoman, saves up $5000—a huge sum back then—over eleven years, and offers it as a reward if someone can prove her son’s innocence. Stewart eventually becomes passionately convinced the wrong man is in jail. (Of course, he eventually does get him released, or we wouldn’t be telling this story, would we?) It’s nicely done, and it’s fun to see what was considered hi-tech in 1948. They super-enlarge a photo to see the date on a newspaper in one corner, and then “fax” it from Chi-town to Springfield, a process that looks like it takes about half an hour, and the fax must be developed at the other end. And it must be one of the earlier instances of showing a polygraph, the bit of technological witchcraft usually called a lie detector. Amazingly, the man who administers the test is Leonarde Keeler, who IMDb claims is the inventor of the device. Wikipedia differs, but it is certain that Keeler played a part in its development. And I’m sure the man meant well, but in my opinion it’s an evil piece of shit. It is easy to learn how to fool it (the CIA gives classes on that), and sociopaths and psychopaths instinctively know how to fake their way through. Even worse, refusing to take a test disqualifies you from holding many government and even private jobs, and to most people is a clear indication of guilt. I would banish them from police departments and government agencies at once if I were president of the country. So vote for me, okay?

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Mpaa rating, produced by, call northside 777 (1948), directed by henry hathaway.

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Characteristics, related movies.

48 Facts About The Movie Call Northside 777

Written by Arleta Degroot

Modified & Updated: 04 Mar 2024

Reviewed by Sherman Smith

Call Northside 777 is a gripping film that captures the essence of a true crime story in a captivating and suspenseful manner. Released in 1948, this noir crime drama is based on the real-life case of Joseph Majczek, a man wrongly convicted of murder in Chicago in the 1930s.

The movie, directed by Henry Hathaway, showcases the relentless determination of a journalist named P.J. McNeal, played by James Stewart, as he investigates the case and uncovers new evidence that might prove Majczek’s innocence. With its compelling storyline, stellar performances, and moments of high intensity, Call Northside 777 stands as a cinematic gem that not only entertains but also raises important questions about justice and the power of the press.

Key Takeaways:

• Call Northside 777 is a gripping film noir based on a true story, highlighting the power of investigative journalism and the flaws of the justice system in a gritty 1940s Chicago setting.
• James Stewart’s compelling performance, the film’s atmospheric cinematography, and its relevance to modern society make Call Northside 777 a classic that raises important questions about truth and justice.

Call Northside 777 was released in 1948

The movie Call Northside 777 was a crime drama film released in It was directed by Henry Hathaway and starred James Stewart, Richard Conte, and Lee J. Cobb.

It is based on a true story

Call Northside 777 is based on the real-life story of a Chicago reporter named James McGuire who investigates a convicted killer’s claims of innocence.

The movie was shot in black and white

The film was shot in black and white to create a gritty atmosphere that suited the crime noir genre of the time.

James Stewart plays the role of reporter P.J. McNeal

James Stewart portrays the determined reporter P.J. McNeal, who becomes involved in the case and risks his reputation to uncover the truth.

It was nominated for two Academy Awards

Call Northside 777 received nominations for Best Original Story and Best Film Editing at the 1949 Academy Awards.

The film explores themes of justice and truth

Call Northside 777 delves into the themes of justice and truth, as the protagonist digs deeper into the case to uncover the truth behind the crime.

The script underwent several revisions

The script of Call Northside 777 underwent several revisions to ensure a gripping narrative that would keep the audience engaged.

Lee J. Cobb plays the role of the convicted killer

Lee J. Cobb delivers a powerful performance as Frank Wiecek, the man serving a life sentence for a crime he claims he did not commit.

The movie is set in Chicago

Call Northside 777 is set in the bustling city of Chicago , where the story unfolds against the backdrop of a seedy underworld.

The film showcases the power of investigative journalism

Call Northside 777 highlights the role of investigative journalism in uncovering the truth and its impact on the lives of those involved.

The movie was a critical and commercial success

Call Northside 777 received positive reviews from critics and was a commercial success at the box office, further cementing its place in cinematic history.

It is considered a classic film noir

Call Northside 777 is often regarded as a classic film noir due to its atmospheric cinematography and engaging narrative.

The film’s title refers to a telephone number

The title “Call Northside 777” refers to the telephone number that played a crucial role in the investigation in the film.

Richard Conte plays an important supporting role

Richard Conte delivers a memorable performance as another reporter who assists P.J. McNeal in unraveling the truth.

The movie highlights the flaws of the justice system

Call Northside 777 sheds light on the flaws and biases of the justice system, raising questions about wrongful convictions.

It was hailed for its realistic portrayal of journalism

The movie received praise for its realistic portrayal of journalism, showcasing the challenges and ethical dilemmas faced by reporters.

The film’s score enhances the suspense

The atmospheric score of Call Northside 777 enhances the suspense and tension, drawing the audience deeper into the story.

The real-life case it is based on created a media sensation

The true story that inspired the movie, involving the wrongful conviction of Frank Wiecek, created a media sensation in the 1940s.

Call Northside 777 was restored in 2013

In 2013, the film was restored and re-released, allowing audiences to rediscover its gripping storyline and stunning performances.

It showcases the power of perseverance

Call Northside 777 portrays the unwavering determination of P.J. McNeal as he fights against all odds to uncover the truth.

The movie has a runtime of 112 minutes

Call Northside 777 has a runtime of 112 minutes, providing ample time for the intricate plot to unfold.

It was based on an article written by James McGuire

The movie is based on an article written by James McGuire, the real-life reporter who played a pivotal role in the case.

The film’s tagline is “Is He Guilty or Not Guilty?”

The tagline for Call Northside 777 encapsulates the underlying question that drives the narrative and keeps the audience guessing until the end.

It showcases the ethical responsibilities of journalism

Call Northside 777 explores the ethical responsibilities of journalism and the impact it can have on people’s lives and the justice system.

The movie features authentic Chicago locations

Call Northside 777 was filmed on location in Chicago, adding to the authenticity and gritty realism of the film.

It was one of the first films to tackle the issue of wrongful convictions

Call Northside 777 was one of the pioneering films to shed light on the issue of wrongful convictions and the importance of seeking justice.

The film’s screenplay was adapted by Jerome Cady

Jerome Cady expertly adapted the real-life story into a compelling screenplay that captivated audiences.

It received positive reviews for its performances

Call Northside 777 received praise for the outstanding performances of its cast, particularly James Stewart and Lee J. Cobb.

The movie’s success led to more crime dramas

The success of Call Northside 777 influenced the production of more crime dramas in Hollywood, as studios recognized the genre’s popularity.

It showcases the power of a single news article

Call Northside 777 emphasizes the impact that a single news article can have, as it unravels a decades-old mystery and reopens a closed case.

The film’s cinematography captures the gritty mood of Chicago

The cinematography in Call Northside 777 effectively captures the gritty and atmospheric mood of 1940s Chicago, adding depth to the narrative.

It portrays the struggles faced by the working class

Call Northside 777 portrays the struggles faced by ordinary working-class individuals who are caught up in the complexities of the criminal justice system.

The movie’s dialogue is sharp and to the point

Call Northside 777 features sharp and concise dialogue that moves the narrative forward and keeps the audience engaged.

It was a box office success

Call Northside 777 performed well at the box office, further solidifying its place in cinematic history.

The movie is known for its realistic portrayal of historical events

Call Northside 777 is praised for its realistic portrayal of the historical events surrounding the case and the era in which it takes place.

It highlights the importance of due process

Call Northside 777 underscores the importance of due process and fair trials in a democratic society.

The film’s suspense keeps the audience on the edge of their seats

Call Northside 777 expertly builds suspense throughout the film, keeping the audience eagerly anticipating the next twist and turn.

The 48 Facts about the Movie Call Northside 777 (continued)

The movie was adapted from a magazine article.

Call Northside 777 was originally adapted from an article published in the Chicago Times in 1944, written by James McGuire himself.

The film showcases the power of investigative reporting

Call Northside 777 highlights the impact and influence that investigative reporting can have in uncovering injustice and changing lives.

James Stewart won the Best Actor award for his performance

James Stewart’s outstanding portrayal of P.J. McNeal earned him the Best Actor award at the San Sebastian International Film Festival .

It was one of the first movies to use Chicago locations extensively

Call Northside 777 was one of the pioneering films to extensively use real Chicago locations, providing an authentic backdrop for the story.

The film’s themes are still relevant today

Call Northside 777 tackles themes of justice, truth, and the role of the media, making it relevant even in today’s society.

It was a departure from James Stewart’s usual roles

Call Northside 777 marked a departure for James Stewart, known for his roles in lighthearted comedies, as he took on a more serious and dramatic character.

The movie is based on the longest-held wrongful conviction in U.S. history

The real case that inspired Call Northside 777 involved the longest-held wrongful conviction in U.S. history up until that time.

The film’s pacing keeps the audience engaged

Call Northside 777 maintains a steady pace, never allowing the audience to lose interest or become detached from the story.

It raises important questions about the criminal justice system

Call Northside 777 raises important questions about the flaws and shortcomings of the criminal justice system, highlighting the need for reforms.

The movie was well-received by audiences and critics alike

Call Northside 777 garnered positive reviews from both audiences and critics, solidifying its reputation as a must-see film.

The film’s ending is both satisfying and thought-provoking

Call Northside 777 concludes with a satisfying yet thought-provoking ending, leaving the audience with lingering questions about justice and truth.

In conclusion, “Call Northside 777” is a gripping film that combines elements of true crime with a heartfelt human story. With its masterful storytelling, unforgettable performances, and historical significance, it continues to captivate audiences even decades after its release. From the compelling performance of James Stewart to the meticulous attention to detail in recreating 1930s Chicago, the movie captures the essence of the era and the emotions of its characters. Whether you’re a fan of classic films, crime dramas, or just appreciate a well-crafted story, “Call Northside 777” is a must-watch.

1. Is “Call Northside 777” based on a true story?

Yes, the movie is based on the true story of a Chicago Tribune reporter who uncovered new evidence that led to the release of a wrongfully convicted man from prison.

2. Who stars in “Call Northside 777”?

James Stewart, a renowned actor known for his roles in classic films, takes on the lead role in “Call Northside 777.” His powerful performance adds depth and authenticity to the film.

3. What makes “Call Northside 777” unique?

The film is notable for its portrayal of investigative journalism and the dedication of journalists to seek the truth. It shines a light on the important role journalists play in uncovering injustice and shedding light on untold stories.

4. When was “Call Northside 777” released?

The film was released in 1948 and has since become a classic in the crime film genre.

5. Where can I watch “Call Northside 777”?

“Call Northside 777” is available on various streaming platforms and can be rented or purchased on DVD or Blu-ray.

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Rotten Tomatoes® Score

...a prime example of the quasi-documentary style that beginning to add a more realistic, procedural edge to some crime dramas...

One of the year's most arresting motion pictures.

Honestly and resourcefully filmed, the picture was shot, for the most part, against the Chicago backgrounds where the actual events took place.

From unexpected witnesses to faulty probing to a nerve-wracking lie detector test to suspicious testimony, it covers all the bases when it comes to a police procedural.

...the film is more than just a stylistic curio, it's a portent of things to come.

Solidly crafted change of pace for Stewart.

In short, there is nothing in this picture except a whopping shortcut towards the end -- and a few false parochialisms -- to keep it from banging the bell.

one of the most mundane legal thriller/newspaperman activist stories the world has ever seen

Additional Info

• Genre : Drama, Thriller
• Release Date : February 1, 1948
• Languages : English
• Captions : English, Spanish
• Audio Format : Stereo

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