MartinHafer This B-movie was directed by Richard Bare, the guy responsible for all those Joe McDoakes shorts as well as the rural comedies of the 60s, like "Petticoat Junction" and "Green Acres". The story, though very familiar, is quite well done.The editor of a local newspaper is in hot water with the owner. It seems that Dave Joslin (Wayne Morris) has been running all sorts of critical stories about a mobster named Keever (Bruce Bennett)...and Keever is threatening to sue. But when Joslin refuses to back off, the owner can't fire him...he has a contract with Joslin. So instead to punish him, he's assigned to run the lonely hearts department. Later, when an odd story about a man who was slipped a mickey lands on his desk, Joslin investigates...and thinks this all might be related to Keever. And, instead of going to the police, Joslin decides to investigate for himself.During the 1930s and 40s, there were tons of mystery films in which some member of the public investigates and solves a crime. However, this one is handled more smoothly--with some very nice acting, writing and direction. Worth seeing despite being a rather slight movie.

sol ***SPOILERS*** After police protected witness Villman, Jack Wise, was gunned down in his safe house by a phony letter carrier who was actually paid hit-man Eddie Marklin, Eddie Foster, newspaper reporter Dave Joslin,Wayne Morris, started putting the heat on the person whom he felt was responsible for Villman's murder big time mobster Matthew J. Keever, Bruce Bennett.Joslin's obsession in getting Keever indited for the Villman murder got so out of hand that his boss on the newspaper "The Star Chronicle" J.B Grennell, Alan Hale, fearing a libel suite from Keever had him yanked off his beat as a crime reported. Grennell then had Joslin demoted to answering the mail of mostly women with boyfriend and men problems on the newspaper's Dear Abby like column using the pen name of Dolly Trent. It's there that Joslin gets into trouble with his girlfriend on the paper Kit Williams, Janis Paige, whom he or his boss J.B Grennell bumped off the column to make room for him.It's when one of the readers Billie Martin, Lila Leeds, of Joslin's Dear Abby column came to visit him at his office about him not answering her letters, three of them, that Joslin got his big break in putting Keever behind bars! It was both Billie and her boyfriend Carl Schrader, James Holden, who were at the Keever's run bar "Horseshoe Harry's" the night before Villman was iced! Carl who was so boozed up that an outraged Billie left him cold after he spilled a drink on her. After passing out drunk Carl found himself in a rooming house the next morning without knowing how he got there! It was something that was going on at "Horseshoe Harry's" that whoever who slipped Carl a "Mickey" didn't want him to know or remember! And it was the waitress, Phillys Coates, who snapped the photo of a very drunk Carl with Macklin the background being paid off by Keever to, later that morning, knock off Villman that can break the Villman murder case wide open and thus put Keever and his hoods behind bars for committing it! Re-make of the Paul Muni 1934 crime/comedy "Hi Nellie" with a very old-looking, he was only 34 at the time, and overweight, he looked like he was wearing a size 55 pants, as well as impeccably dressed Wayne Morris.

bkoganbing Had this B film remake of Hi Nellie been done during the Thirties before the war my guess is that Warner Brothers probably would have included a lot more action. Other than James Mitchell roughing up Wayne Morris a bit there's no real action in this film, not even the sound of a gun firing. Unusual when you consider the villain is a gangster.]The House Across The Street had more of an accent on comedy with Wayne Morris being demoted to the advice to the lovelorn column after refusing to back off an expose of gangster Bruce Bennett. It's not that publisher Alan Hale isn't in his corner, but Morris hasn't got any proof and Bennett is doing the ungangster like thing of suing for libel. But curiously enough a woman who had not had her letter to the column answered, Lila Leeds came up and gives Morris the lowdown on her problem with boyfriend James Holden. She inadvertently provides a clue that starts Morris on the trail of linking Bennett to the murder of a state's witness.Morris gets plenty of help, good help from the former sob sister at the paper, Janis Paige. She's got good reporter's instincts and was never really given a chance to prove them while Morris was the city editor. Now she's helping, but giving Wayne a few jabs in the process.The House Across The Street is a nice competently made B film that I'm sure 1949 audiences enjoyed while waiting for the main feature from Warner Brothers to start. It's fast and funny and a real treat.

Michael1958 I do not know if this would be considered a classic, but it is a nice little film starring Wayne Morris, who by the late 1940's was not seen in too many starring roles in Hollywood. Morris gives a good performance as a newspaper man trying to expose criminal kingpin Bruce Bennett as a murderer. Good pacing, simple script with some fine witty dialogue. I saw this movie during a cold and blustery snowstorm. This is the kind of film that used to grace our late late movies. I sure could use more of this kind of entertainment on tv in the wee hours of morning instead of so many infomercials. Check this one out if it is ever on. It's worth a watch.MM