Badge of Honor: A Rich Kid Finds a Typewriter

Is this worth your time?

Honestly? Only if you’re a completionist for 1930s B-movies. If you want a punchy drama about the press, look elsewhere. But if you like seeing people in suits arguing in rooms that look like they were built yesterday, you might find some charm here.

People who hate earnest, slightly wooden acting will probably want to skip this. It’s not exactly The Front Page.

The Setup

Bob Gordon is our hero. He’s got the fancy background and the stiff posture to match. He wants to be a reporter. You know the drill. He shows up at the office and everyone acts like he’s just there to break the furniture.

It reminds me a bit of the frantic energy in The Gay Retreat, but with fewer laughs and way more cigars. There’s this weird sense that the movie *needs* Bob to succeed, otherwise the whole script falls apart.

Some Notes

• The newsroom scenes are suspiciously quiet. I don't think I’ve ever seen a real paper operate with such lack of shouting.
• Buster Crabbe is in this, which is always a treat, even if he looks a bit bored by the dialogue.
• The pacing is frantic. Scenes end before you even realize why they started.

There is a moment about halfway through where Bob is trying to prove his worth, and the camera just stays on his face for way too long. It’s almost uncomfortable. You can see the actor thinking, "Okay, what line is next?" It’s charming in a way that modern movies just aren't anymore.

It feels like someone took a much longer story and trimmed it down with a pair of rusty garden shears. A lot of the character beats just vanish into thin air.

It’s not a masterpiece. It’s not even a particularly good movie. But it’s got that specific, dusty 1934 atmosphere that makes you feel like you’re watching a piece of history that’s slowly turning to gray powder. 📽️

Would I watch it again? Probably not. Am I glad I saw it? Sure, why not. Sometimes you just need to see a guy in a fedora trying his best to look busy.