****SPOILERS**** On target and at the same time shocking movie about how scandal sheets can destroy those whom they feed on and how a brave father Scott Martin, Van Johnson, who together with his wife Connie, Ann Blyth, refused to give into their blackmail were the victims of one of them. Just when puppeteer Scott Martin got a big brake in getting top billing on a nationally syndicated children's TV show the publisher of the popular yellow rag "Real Truth" Magazine H.R Manley, Steve Cochran, got hold of a ten year old police report that documenting that he served time behind bars for an armed robbery, with a switchblade, the put his victim into the hospital in critical condition. Given a choice by Manley to expose actress Mary Sawyer "America's Sweetheart" whom Scott grew up with on the mean streets of Brooklyn of getting an abortion with his mother preforming the operation Scott decided to take the hit and not reveal what he knew about her to Manley. What happened next was far worse then even Scott and his wife Connie could have ever imagined.
It was the Martin's 10 year old son Joey, Richard Eyer, who ended up getting taunted by his school mates, in calling his dad a jailbird, so badly and unmercifully that in trying to run away from them ran into the street and got hit by a car killing him. Despite the damage that Manley and his magazine caused he took that tragic event as a gift from heaven,it should have been a gift from hell, to capitalize on the Martin's family tragedy and make big bucks out of it. As it turned out it was Manley's sweet kind and elderly mom, Marjorie Ramboau, who ended up doing the right thing even though it didn't bring Joey back. But in the end it ended up putting an end to H.R Manley and his magazine for good. And also educated the public in how by them supporting Manley's rag by plunking down .25 for it every week they were as guilty as Manley was in Joey's death.
Van Johnson was never better as Scott Martin the grieved father of his son Joey who in trying to protect Mary Sawyer's career ended up exposing himself as an ex-convict and destroying his career instead. It was that noble action on Scott's part that did far worse to him and his wife Connie then what would have happened to Mary Sawyer. And it was Scott's appearance on a national TV news discussion show that exposed that greedy and unscrupulous low life H.R Manley for what he really was. But with Manley more then willing to go the extra yard or dollar in making more blood money out of Joey Martin's tragic death instead of putting it behind him was more then his mom Mrs. Manley could take. Who ended up doing the right thing even though it would end up costing Mrs. Manley her freedom.
It was the Martin's 10 year old son Joey, Richard Eyer, who ended up getting taunted by his school mates, in calling his dad a jailbird, so badly and unmercifully that in trying to run away from them ran into the street and got hit by a car killing him. Despite the damage that Manley and his magazine caused he took that tragic event as a gift from heaven,it should have been a gift from hell, to capitalize on the Martin's family tragedy and make big bucks out of it. As it turned out it was Manley's sweet kind and elderly mom, Marjorie Ramboau, who ended up doing the right thing even though it didn't bring Joey back. But in the end it ended up putting an end to H.R Manley and his magazine for good. And also educated the public in how by them supporting Manley's rag by plunking down .25 for it every week they were as guilty as Manley was in Joey's death.
Van Johnson was never better as Scott Martin the grieved father of his son Joey who in trying to protect Mary Sawyer's career ended up exposing himself as an ex-convict and destroying his career instead. It was that noble action on Scott's part that did far worse to him and his wife Connie then what would have happened to Mary Sawyer. And it was Scott's appearance on a national TV news discussion show that exposed that greedy and unscrupulous low life H.R Manley for what he really was. But with Manley more then willing to go the extra yard or dollar in making more blood money out of Joey Martin's tragic death instead of putting it behind him was more then his mom Mrs. Manley could take. Who ended up doing the right thing even though it would end up costing Mrs. Manley her freedom.