There were several good newspaper movies of the early- to mid- 1930s  — The Front Page (1931), Five Star Final (1931), Is My Face Red? (1932), The Payoff (1935), Libeled Lady (1936) — and to this list must be added the dramatic comedy Hi, Nellie! (1934).  Its title isn’t indicative of its newspaper setting, but don’t let it fool you.  This movie would bleed ink.

The New York Times Star’s managing editor (Paul Muni, in a rare comic role) decides to downplay a hot story about the disappearance of a bank official that coincides with the disappearance of the bank’s money, forcing it to close.  Unhappy that his paper was scooped, the owner (Berton Churchill) demotes Muni, forcing him to take over the “Heart Throbs” advice column, ostensibly written by one “Nellie Nelson.”  (Everyone assigned to write the column is inevitably greeted with “Hi, Nellie!”).  Various complications ensue until Muni gets a break on the bank story, thanks to his “Heart Throbs” assignment.

The movie’s comedy swirls around the “Heart Throbs” column, which nobody wants to write.  The irony is that Muni eventually does it so well that the owner wants to keep him there.  Muni, however, believes in his story, and it is fascinating how he tracks it down.  He thinks nothing of posing as government employees to persuade people to talk, nor of trespassing into private offices to question a suspect.  At one point he even tells crime boss Robert Barrat that he is working for one of Barrat’s own men!

Hi, Nellie! is an enjoyable adventure, not quite as hard-boiled as it could have been, and not quite as funny as it should have been, yet full of energy and disarming wit.  Its players are seasoned pros (Glenda Farrell would soon become reporter Torchy Blane) and its depiction of a busy newsroom is authentic.

My rating:  ☆ ☆ ☆.  (10:3).