Bannerline

Bannerline is a 1951 American drama film directed by Don Weis.^[2] The film stars Keefe Brasselle,^[3] Sally Forrest and Lionel Barrymore.^[4]

Bannerline
Film poster
Directed by	Don Weis
Written by	Charles Schnee
Based on	the short story A Rose Is Not a Rose by Samson Raphaelson
Produced by	Henry Berman
Starring	Keefe Brasselle Sally Forrest Lionel Barrymore
Cinematography	Harold Lipstein
Edited by	Fredrick Y. Smith
Music by	Rudolph G. Kopp
Production company	Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Distributed by	Loew's Inc.
Release date	October 10, 1951 (1951-10-10) (Los Angeles)
Running time	87 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$439,000[1]
Box office	$457,000[1]

Plot

Young Mike Perrivale (Keefe Brasselle) is an ambitious reporter for the Carravia Clarion, who resents being assigned to cover only social events and small stories. He takes the advice of his girlfriend, Richie Loomis (Sally Forrest), to interview Hugo Trimble (Lionel Barrymore), a beloved local history teacher and community gadfly. Trimble, in the hospital and fatally ill, regrets that he was unable to root out corruption in the city's government, which has been under the control of gangster Frankie Scarbine (J. Carrol Naish). To cheer up the dying man, Perrivale persuades his editor and publisher to publish a few copies of the paper with a false front page proclaiming that Scarbine has been indicted and the government leaders have resigned. Trimble is touched by the gesture but knows immediately that the page is a fake.

Soon after at a bar, Perrivale encounters Josh (Lewis Stone), a former reporter and alcoholic who now runs the Clarion presses. Several drinks in, the two decide to print the complete run of the next day's edition using the fake front page. Scarbine is enraged, even though he has some admiration for Perrivale's nerve, and eventually demands that Perrivale be fired. Perrivale considers how he might be able to influence a "runaway grand jury" to investigate the city's corruption. After Mike is beaten by one of the Scarbine's men, Josh and the publisher take their knowledge to the grand jury. Recovering from his injuries in the hospital, Mike learns that Scarbine's gang has left town and the mayor and city council have resigned. Finally getting a promotion, Mike and Richie are able to marry.

Cast

• Keefe Brasselle as Mike Perrivale
• Sally Forrest as Richie Loomis
• Lionel Barrymore as Hugo Trimble
• Lewis Stone as Josh
• J. Carrol Naish as Frankie Scarbine
• Larry Keating as Stambaugh
• Spring Byington as Mrs. Loomis
• Warner Anderson as Roy
• Elisabeth Risdon as Mrs. Margaret Trimble
• Michael Ansara as Floyd
• John Morgan as Al

Reception

Box office

According to MGM records the movie earned $350,000 in the US and Canada and $107,000 elsewhere, making a loss to the studio of $203,000.^[1]