**SPOILERS**Even though crooked financial investor Henry Mander, Harry Stephens, was nothing but a low down and despicable swine he still didn't deserve the fate that faced him with Mander being just hours away from his trip to the Sing Sing electric chair. Nobody knew that better then the "New York Star" ace crime reporter Stev Gray, Spencer Tracy, yet it was Gray's testimony that put Mander in the very fix that he was in.
The movie "The Murder Man" tries and succeeds to convince it's audience that justice should be blind in it's treatment even of someone as guilty as Henry Mander of the financial crimes that he committed against hundreds of unsuspecting victims. Two of Manders many victims included reporters Gray's both father "Pop" Gray, who lost his life savings in one of of Manders schemes, and his wife Dorothy who was driven to suicide by Mander and his partners J.S Halfords,Theodore Von Eltz actions. Halford not only took Dorothy's money but had an illicit affair with her and then unceremoniously dumped Dorothy leaving her estranged from Steve and out on the street.
It's obvious right from the start that Mander was set up in the murder of his equally sleazy partner J.S Halford as we see him being told in a mysterious phone call to be at this shooting gallery where someone in the vicinity takes a pot shot at Holford, as he was in his open air limousine, that killed him. It doesn't take that long for the police to arrest Mander for his partners Halfords murder and the evidence is that Mander is to be the recipient of a $200,000.00 insurance policy on Halford.
Being the star witness at Manders murder trial Gray's testimony is the icing on the cake that convinced the jury to come back with a guilty verdict that was to send Mander to the electric chair. Having the exclusive to the biggest news story in the city Gray doesn't at all act as if you, or his fellow reporters, expect him to and goes on a drinking binge that has his boss at "The Star" news editor Hal Robins, Robert Barrat, order Gray to take a forced vacation and dry out.
Gray is obviously suffering some kind of severe depression over Manders impending execution but it takes an exclusive interview with Mander just before his scheduled execution for us the realize why. Gray had a lot more to do with Mander's crime and later conviction for it that anyone, but Gray, could have ever imagined and it's the absolutely shocking and surprising conclusion of the movie that put that all into focus.
Powerful crime film that goes against the grain in it's treatment of both the killer and his victim that will really blow you away. Spencer Tracy as Steve Gray gives one of his most underrated as well as, being that the film is almost totally unknown to most movie goers, unseen performance of his long and distinguished career. The movie "The Murder Man" also has the distinction of being James 'Jimmy" Stewart's motion picture debut. The tall, six foot three inch, and lanky Stewart plays Steve Gray's fellow reporter on "The Star" who's ironically referred to by everyone in the movie as "Shorty"!
The movie "The Murder Man" tries and succeeds to convince it's audience that justice should be blind in it's treatment even of someone as guilty as Henry Mander of the financial crimes that he committed against hundreds of unsuspecting victims. Two of Manders many victims included reporters Gray's both father "Pop" Gray, who lost his life savings in one of of Manders schemes, and his wife Dorothy who was driven to suicide by Mander and his partners J.S Halfords,Theodore Von Eltz actions. Halford not only took Dorothy's money but had an illicit affair with her and then unceremoniously dumped Dorothy leaving her estranged from Steve and out on the street.
It's obvious right from the start that Mander was set up in the murder of his equally sleazy partner J.S Halford as we see him being told in a mysterious phone call to be at this shooting gallery where someone in the vicinity takes a pot shot at Holford, as he was in his open air limousine, that killed him. It doesn't take that long for the police to arrest Mander for his partners Halfords murder and the evidence is that Mander is to be the recipient of a $200,000.00 insurance policy on Halford.
Being the star witness at Manders murder trial Gray's testimony is the icing on the cake that convinced the jury to come back with a guilty verdict that was to send Mander to the electric chair. Having the exclusive to the biggest news story in the city Gray doesn't at all act as if you, or his fellow reporters, expect him to and goes on a drinking binge that has his boss at "The Star" news editor Hal Robins, Robert Barrat, order Gray to take a forced vacation and dry out.
Gray is obviously suffering some kind of severe depression over Manders impending execution but it takes an exclusive interview with Mander just before his scheduled execution for us the realize why. Gray had a lot more to do with Mander's crime and later conviction for it that anyone, but Gray, could have ever imagined and it's the absolutely shocking and surprising conclusion of the movie that put that all into focus.
Powerful crime film that goes against the grain in it's treatment of both the killer and his victim that will really blow you away. Spencer Tracy as Steve Gray gives one of his most underrated as well as, being that the film is almost totally unknown to most movie goers, unseen performance of his long and distinguished career. The movie "The Murder Man" also has the distinction of being James 'Jimmy" Stewart's motion picture debut. The tall, six foot three inch, and lanky Stewart plays Steve Gray's fellow reporter on "The Star" who's ironically referred to by everyone in the movie as "Shorty"!