Call Northside 777

Documenting a true story, “Call Northside 777,” starring Jimmy Stewart, is well worth your time. Stewart is exceptional, as always, and the entire cast is very believable in their respective roles. The fact that the entire movie is in black and white adds to the charm and mood of this classic picture.

Set in Chicago during the Prohibition era, this story tells of a man convicted of killing a police officer. Eleven years after his conviction his mother runs an ad in the classifieds offering $5,000 for information on the real killer. Jimmy Stewart plays the reporter who is reluctantly assigned to find out the story behind the mother’s offer. His report captures the heart of the city and he is trapped into following up on the story.

There are quite a few references to God and religion from a Catholic perspective (the main family is Polish)—nothing offensive.

There are a few bar scenes in the movie as the reporter researches leads, however, these are very mild and not at all what you might see in a more modern movie. No sex, profanity, drugs, etc. There is one instance of a policeman being shot, but this is done without the use of blood or gore.