Chicago reporter P.J. McNeal re-opens a decade-old murder case.Chicago reporter P.J. McNeal re-opens a decade-old murder case.Chicago reporter P.J. McNeal re-opens a decade-old murder case.
- Awards
- 1 win & 2 nominations
Joanne De Bergh
- Helen Wiecek
- (as Joanne de Bergh)
Robert Adler
- Taxicab Driver
- (uncredited)
Richard Bishop
- Warden of Stateville Prison
- (uncredited)
Larry J. Blake
- Police Photographic Technician
- (uncredited)
John Bleifer
- Jan Gruska
- (uncredited)
Truman Bradley
- Narrator
- (voice)
- (uncredited)
Dollie Caillet
- Secretary
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe man administering the polygraph test to convict Richard Conte was the inventor of the polygraph or lie detector machine, Leonarde Keeler. He played himself in the movie.
- GoofsThere was enough of the newspaper showing by the newspaper boy to identify the issue date without seeing the date due to the images shown below the headlines. They just needed to match the pictures in the newspaper held in the background to a newspaper from the same date and see if the photographs match.
Look at the example from the photographs for the film (slide 93 of 118). There is enough to compare newspapers.
- Quotes
[McNeal is trying to get Zaleska to name his real partner in the crime and get a chance at parole]
P.J. McNeal: What have you got to lose? You're in for life now. C'mon, tell us the truth.
Tomek Zaleska: Sure, I could say I did it. Then maybe have a chance of getting out, like you say. But if I confessed, who would I name as my partner, Joe Doakes? I couldn't make it stick for one minute. That's the trouble with being innocent. You don't know what really happened. I didn't do it. Me and Frank had nothin' to do with it.
- Crazy creditsOpening credits are printed on the pages of a book; it is also stated that this is a true story.
- ConnectionsEdited from In Old Chicago (1938)
- SoundtracksChicago (That Toddlin' Town)
(1922) (uncredited)
Music by Fred Fisher
Played during the Prohibition montage
Featured review
It's a Good World Outside
In 1932 December, in Chicago, the Polish Wanda Skutnik (Betty Garde) runs a speakeasy during the Prohibition. When the policeman Bundy is murdered inside the illegal bar, Frank W. Wiecek (Richard Conte) 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 (Lee J. Cobb) 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 (James Stewart) to interview the person responsible for the ad. McNeal discovers that Frank's mother Tillie Wiecek (Kasia Orzazewski), 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.
"Call Northside 777" is an engaging movie about injustice and redemption based on a true story. The names were changed but most of the location is real. Movies of trial are usually attractive and James Stewart is one of the best actors of the cinema history. The result is a great movie directed by the also excellent Henry Hathaway. The only remark is the awful line of McNeal in the end of the movie: "Aw, look, Frank, it's a big thing when a sovereign state admits an error. But remember this: there aren't many governments in the world that would do it." Terrible way to admit an error that has cost eleven years of a man's life and made him lose his beloved wife and son. My vote is eight.
Title (Brazil): "Sublime Devoção" ("Sublime Devotion")
Eleven years later, the Chicago Times' editor Brian Kelly (Lee J. Cobb) 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 (James Stewart) to interview the person responsible for the ad. McNeal discovers that Frank's mother Tillie Wiecek (Kasia Orzazewski), 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.
"Call Northside 777" is an engaging movie about injustice and redemption based on a true story. The names were changed but most of the location is real. Movies of trial are usually attractive and James Stewart is one of the best actors of the cinema history. The result is a great movie directed by the also excellent Henry Hathaway. The only remark is the awful line of McNeal in the end of the movie: "Aw, look, Frank, it's a big thing when a sovereign state admits an error. But remember this: there aren't many governments in the world that would do it." Terrible way to admit an error that has cost eleven years of a man's life and made him lose his beloved wife and son. My vote is eight.
Title (Brazil): "Sublime Devoção" ("Sublime Devotion")
Helpful•00
- claudio_carvalho
- Dec 16, 2014
- Permalink
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official sites
- Languages
- Also known as
- Calling Northside 777
- Filming locations
- Stateville Correctional Center - 16830 South Broadway Street, Joliet, Illinois, USA(Illinois State Penitentiary: panopticon & cells interiors; entrance exteriors)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 52 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.33 : 1
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![James Stewart, Richard Conte, and Joanne De Bergh in Call Northside 777 (1948)](http://178.128.105.246/host-https-m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZDNhODA1MDgtYTU3My00OWRiLWExNWItOTEyYmE0MTRmZTQ5XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMDI2NDg0NQ@@._V1_QL75_UX90_CR0,1,90,133_.jpg)