Libeled Lady

Press room.

Okay.

Hold everything for a new front page!

We're jimmying the allenbury yarn.

Hey, mack! Hold everything!

Wait for a makeover.

What happened, Allen?

Don't load any more.

Hold it, boys.

Unload 'em! All of them! It's gotta be destroyed.

We're trying to kill a story.

Is there any trucks gone out?

How about it, Joe?

Yeah, number seven.

- Well, call him back! - But he's gone.

Times Square and Columbus circle.

All right. Rush a motorcycle after him. Hurry up!

We've gotta get those papers back. Every one.

Hey, Pete! Get on your machine and stop truck number seven.

Okay. = phone all the stands on that route

not to sell any papers, quick.

Are you ringing Haggerty?

All right, all right! Try him again.

Hop the subway to Haggerty's apartment. 52nd street.

Yes, sir, I know where he lives.

Won't he be at the church?

Isn't he getting married at noon?

Then you grab a taxi and get to the church.

Tell him what's happened. Bring him here.

I can't bust up his wedding.

If we don't, it's our funeral.

Step on it! Keep on ringing him.

Don't answer it.

I've had enough gags pulled on me this morning.

Maybe miss Benton again. I afraid...

You're afraid?

I'm marrying her, and you're afraid.

Well, that's loyalty.

She say before if you're late,

she going tear down church.

Even that won't stop it.

No, ching, I promised I'd meet her at the altar

at the stroke of 12.

And there'll be no reprieve from the governor this time.

I hope you'll be very happy.

Yeah, said the spider to the fly.

Very pretty.

Not the bride.

Take my advice, ching. Don't ever get married.

Oh, maybe not so bad, Mr. Haggerty.

My mother and father, they get married.

You're kidding.

Well, here's to the last mile.

A merry marriage and many happy comebacks.

Mr. Haggerty!

Mr. Haggerty!

What is it, son? What's wrong?

You're wanted at the office right away.

I'm wanted at the office? Good old governor.

Good old office! Ching, run over to the church

and tell miss Benton I've been delayed.

Tell her to phone me at the office. What happened?

It's awful to bust up your wedding.

Never mind the wedding. What happened? Something break?

- A story they had to kill. - What story?

The London correspondent cabled last night.

A swell story on the allenbury girl.

Connie allenbury? What kind of a story?

Jackson cabled she was mixed up

in some scrape at a garden party.

Tried to steal another girl's husband.

- Not Connie allenbury? - Yes, sir.

All right, go on. What happened?

Then Jackson cabled this morning

it was all a mistake. = a mistake?

It was somebody else.

She wasn't even at the party. Connie, I mean.

And we printed the story? Holy mackerel!

Come on. = wait a minute!

- What's the matter? - They said not to stop for anything,

but you've gotta have your pants.

Yeah, yeah. I gotta have my pants.

Can't I stay away from here for one day

without somebody pulling a boner?

You call yourself a newspaperman.

Where's your nose?

- My nose? - Yes, your nose!

Why, that thing fairly reeks of alcohol!

Jackson was drunk. You gotta smell things like that.

You don't need any brains. All you need is a nose!

I knew the boss hated her father...

Yeah, and her father hates us!

He'd give his right eye to blow us up,

and you hand him the dynamite.

The one girl in the world that we should handle with kid gloves,

and you spread her name all over the front page!

What do you want? = what'll we use for a new headline?

I don't care, anything. "War threatens Europe."

Which country?

Flip a nickel.

Yes, sir.

The boss is here. He wants you right away.

Does he want me or my job?

Have you got a drink?

Yes, there's a fresh bottle on your desk.

I thought you'd need one.

I knew I'd find you with a drink in your hand.

What are you doing here?

Well, what are you doing here?

What? Didn't ching tell you?

Yes, ching told me, and I told him,

and now I'm telling you.

I won't stand for it.

You can't do this to me, Warren Haggerty.

Not to me! First it was a fire at sea.

Then it was the kidnapping.

What's the gag this time?

Darling, there's no gag.

The newspaper has made a terrible mistake.

Yeah, well, so has little Gladys.

Engaged to a newspaperman.

Joe Simpson never treated me like this.

Then why did you divorce him?

I've asked myself that plenty of times.

Aw, now gladdie, after all,

you got no kick.

Oh, I haven't?

First, you said a trip to Bermuda.

You went to Bermuda.

Yeah, but alone. Then it was Europe.

Huh. If I wait another year,

it'll be little America. Well, I won't.

- Come on. - I tell ya, I can't get away.

Oh, it's not Europe. It's the church.

It only takes 20 minutes to get married.

But gladdie, the trip.

Yeah, I'll take battery park.

Oh, no, I'm gonna take you on the greatest trip

that a girl ever had,

ju... just as soon as we settle the suit.

Nothing doing.

For two years, I've played second fiddle to this paper!

But the boss is waiting for me, darling.

Mm-hmm. Well, the preacher's waiting, too. Get your hat.

I tell ya, I can't go now.

The paper's in a jam! We're facing a libel suit!

Well, you're facing a breach of promise suit!

If you don't want to marry me, just say so!

Gladdie, gladdie, you're getting yourself all upset, darling.

Oh, here, a little drinkie maybe?

No, not today, I don't.

Today, I get married!

Well, I... now look...

Hey, didn't they tell you I wanted to see you?!

Say, what is this?

Do I own a paper or a lunatic asylum?

Hmmph! You just took the words out of my mouth.

Mr. bane, my future wife.

Nonsense! I'll be in my office!

Get rid of this woman!

Hey, hey. Take it easy, will you?

That's the owner of the paper.

I don't care who he is.

Nobody can talk to me like a house detective.

How do you know how a house detective talks?

Don't ya think I read?! Hey, where are you...

Oh, no, you don't. If you think that you can...

Gladdie, gladdie, darling.

Now, now, you tell the preacher to wait, see,

and I'll phone you just... just the minute I'm free.

= mm-hmm. And we'll get married today, gladdie.

Now, that's a promise, that's a prom... To... tomorrow at this time,

you'll be a married woman.

I swear to it, darling. Joe, come here.

Yes? = you look beautiful.

Will you show miss Benton to a taxi?

And this is supposed to be

the happiest day of a girl's life.

Yes, ma'am.

Why doesn't London answer?

I want jb allenbury.

This is terrible, Haggerty, terrible.

A mistake like that can ruin...

What do the lawyers say?

An open and shut case. Pure libel and slander.

We haven't a leg to stand on.

And now, I've got to get on my knees

to Jim allenbury,

a man I fought for 20 years,

never giving an inch.

They're ready with London, Mr. bane.

Wait a minute. Let me talk to him.

You know how he hates you. Now, now, I'll take all the blame.

You don't know anything about it,

not even that I'm phoning. Then if I fail...

Fail? You mustn't fail! Explain.

Tell him it was just a mistake.

Yeah, yeah, maybe he doesn't know anything about it.

After all, only 50 of those papers got away.

Hello? Hello, London?