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| Barry K. Barnes and Margaret Lockwood |
THE GIRL IN THE NEWS (1940). Director: Carol Reed.
With the aid of her lawyer, Stephen Farrington (Barry K. Barnes), nurse Anne Graham (Margaret Lockwood) is acquitted of murdering her elderly employer for financial gain. Farrington was never quite convinced of her innocence, and his trust is again put to the test when there is another suspicious death in the household where Anne has again become a nurse. Farrington has his work cut out for him, but his defense, centering on a conspiracy in the household, is by no means a sure thing. Were the dead man's wife (Margaretta Scott of
Fanny By Gaslight) and butler (Emlyn Williams of
Another Man's Poison) involved in the crime? And if so, how can he prove it to a jury's satisfaction? The plot for
Girl in the News sounds intriguing, but the movie is pretty much a mere time-passer with adequate performances and not a lot of suspense. The characters are not that well developed, either. Margaret Lockwood appeared to much, much better advantage in
The Wicked Lady. Carol Reed also directed
Trapeze.
Verdict: Disappointing murder melodrama. **1/4.
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