Freedom of the Press (film)

Freedom of the Press
Directed by	George Melford
Written by	J. Grubb Alexander Walter Anthony (intertitles) Curtis Benton J.G. Hawks
Story by	Peter B. Kyne
Produced by	Carl Laemmle
Starring	Lewis Stone Marceline Day Malcolm McGregor
Cinematography	Ben F. Reynolds
Edited by	George McGuire
Production company	Universal Pictures
Distributed by	Universal Pictures
Release date	October 28, 1928 (1928-10-28)
Running time	7 reels
Country	United States
Language	Silent (English intertitles)

Freedom of the Press is a 1928 American silent mystery film directed by George Melford and starring Lewis Stone, Marceline Day, and Malcolm McGregor. ^{[1] [2]}

Plot

When a newspaper owner is murdered, his son takes over his crusade against a corrupt politician with criminal associations.

Cast

• Lewis Stone as Daniel Steele
• Marceline Day as June Westcott
• Malcolm McGregor as Bill Ballard
• Henry B. Walthall as John Ballard
• Robert Emmett O'Connor as Boss Maloney
• Tom Ricketts as Wicks
• Hayden Stevenson as Callahan
• Robert Ellis as Cyrus Hazlett
• Boris Baronoff as Criminal
• Morgan Thorpe as Organist
• Evelyn Selbie as Italian Mother
• Bernard Siegel as Italian Father
• Wilson Benge as Butler

Production

The plot of the Peter B. Kyne story and the film are based upon the murder of Don Mellett, a newspaper editor who crusaded against corruption in Canton, Ohio. ^[3] An early version of the film had a private screening at the Capitol Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia, on April 15, 1928, in connection with an Associated Press convention. ^[3]

Preservation

A print of Freedom of the Press is listed in the collection of Cineteca Nazionale in Rome. ^[4]

References

1. Munden p. 274
2. Progressive Silent Film List: Freedom of the Press
3. "Southern Editors Thrill at Freedom of the Press". Universal Weekly. 27 (18). New York City: Motion Picture Weekly Publishing Company: 8–10. June 9, 1928. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
4. "The Library of Congress American Silent Feature Film Survival Catalog: Freedom Of The Press". memory.loc.gov. Archived from the original on February 14, 2024. Retrieved August 23, 2025.

Bibliography

• Munden, Kenneth White. The American Film Institute Catalog of Motion Pictures Produced in the United States, Part 1. University of California Press, 1997.

External links

• Freedom of the Press at IMDb