Jerry Tracy (John Gallaudet) is a reporter for the Daily Planet. He also has a radio show where he reports gossip news. In his latest report he states that millionaire skinflint Edgar Drake (William McIntyre) will be sailing on the Princess Ann tonight. His destination is Europe where he is expected to merge his company with another company. Tracy also mentions that Drake and his wife Pauline (Doris Lloyd) are getting a divorce. She will wait until he is in the middle of the Atlantic before filing. Pauline is said to be then expected to marry David Corning (John Hamilton), the attorney for Drake’s company.
Listening to the broadcast is Tony Peyden (Frank C. Wilson), the son of Pauline Drake and the step-son of Edgar Drake. Tony plays trumpet at a club owned by Fred Hammer (John Graham Spacey). He is upset that his mother’s name is going to be dragged through the mud. He tells his boss, that he needs to take a walk. He calls his mother and makes arrangements to meet her at the family’s townhouse in the city. Pauline’s secretary Ann Leslie (Iris Meredith) calls Corning to tell him. Edgar also receives a call. The caller tells him that his wife and Corning are meeting at the townhouse. Edgar, in turn, calls Tracy to give him the scoop and that he is going to the townhouse to confront his wife and Corning.
When Tracy gets to the townhouse he finds Edgar dead. He sees Pauline flee the townhouse. He calls his paper and gives them the story. Before he can do anything else he is knocked unconscious. When he regains consciousness police Inspector Fitzgerald (Colin Kenny) is there and Edgar’s body is gone. Tracy and “Fritz” Fitzgerald are old friends. The two work together to try to find the killer. The investigation results in a threat to the reporter, another murder, and a plan to manipulate the price of stocks in Edgar’s company.
“Murder is News” was released in 1937 in Britain and 1939 in the U.S. and was directed by Leon Barsh. It is an American/Canadian murder mystery and a low budget Quota Quickie made for the British market. The reason for making it in British Columbia was to satisfy British law but give the film a Hollywood look.
The movie is your standard quota quickie but with a lot of tiny little subplots hanging out. For example, Jerry gets attacked in a cab and once again knocked unconscious. When he comes to he finds a note written in a matchbook telling him to back off. He mentions it to Inspector Fitzgerald but then nothing more is said about it. He also flirts with Pauline’s secretary Ann. Nothing more comes from that either and Ann is never heard from again. Neither scene is necessary to the film. In all it’s not a bad movie, just average.
This is one of two movies that featured the character Jerry Tracy. The other film was called “Manhattan Shakedown” (1937). Both films starred John Gallaudet as the slightly snarky reporter and radio broadcaster, Jerry Tracy. Both movies were made in 1937.