Five Star Final (1931): Cast, Plot & Where to Watch
Five Star Final is a 1931 crime drama directed by Mervyn LeRoy, starring Edward G. Robinson as Joseph W. Randall, Oscar Apfel and Frances Starr. It runs 1 hour 29 minutes. Rent or buy it on Amazon Video and Apple TV Store.
- Released
- Runtime
- 1h 29m (89 min)
- Director
- Mervyn LeRoy
- Original language
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English - Studio
- The Vitaphone Corporation
- After the credits
- No No extra scene
What Is Five Star Final About?
The premise of Five Star Final without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.
A picture as sensational as its subject! Driven by a ruthless pursuit of headlines, a corrupt newspaper magnate compels his editor to publish a sensational serial dramatizing a long‑ago murder, thereby subjecting the surviving woman to relentless public humiliation and psychological torment.
Five Star Final Themes & Keywords
· 50 tags- playing bridge
- housewife
- photograph
- apartment
- drunkenness
- slang
- winking
- intercom
- new york
- sarcasm
- water cooler
- pleading
+38 more Show fewer
- grief struck
- remorse
- bartender
- exploitation
- box camera
- revolver
- apology
- street sweeper
- psychotronic film
- new york city
- pre code film
- social message film
- roll call opening credits
- forbidden love
- boss secretary relationship
- workplace drama
- suicide of mother
- society melodrama
- newspaper editor
- marriage engagement
- social commentary
- tabloid journalism
- alcoholic
- feminist
- newspaper journalist
- newspaper publisher
- newspaper owner
- impostor
- managing editor
- journalism ethics
- murder case
- split screen
- newspaper office
- reputation
- unscrupulous reporter
- scandal
- radio news
- disguise
Where to Watch Five Star Final
Rent or buy it from Amazon Video and Apple TV Store. US availability and prices from JustWatch.
Streaming availability in the US, powered by 
Five Star Final Cast & Characters
Edward G. Robinson leads the cast as Joseph W. Randall, with Oscar Apfel as Bernard Hinchecliffe and Frances Starr as Nancy (Voorhees) Townsend. Directed by Mervyn LeRoy; 25 actors are credited in all.
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Director Mervyn LeRoy
-
Edward G. Robinson as Joseph W. Randall - Oscar Apfel as Bernard Hinchecliffe
- Frances Starr as Nancy (Voorhees) Townsend
- H.B. Warner as Michael Townsend
Also Starring in Five Star Final
· 21 more- Marian Marsh Jenny Townsend
- Anthony Bushell Phillip Weeks
- George E. Stone Ziggie Feinstein
- Ona Munson Kitty Carmody
- Boris Karloff T. Vernon Isopod
- Aline MacMahon Miss Taylor
- Purnell Pratt Robert French
- Frank Darien
- Jack Wise
- Robert Elliott R.J. Brannegan
- James Donlan
- James P. Burtis
- David Torrence
- Franklin Parker
- Polly Walters Telephone Operator (uncredited)
- Arnold Lucy
Show all 25 cast members Show fewer cast members
Five Star Final Plot Summary
What happens in Five Star Final from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 14 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 4-minute read.
Spoilers ahead
In this tense social thriller, Joseph W. Randall, Edward G. Robinson, is the managing editor of the New York Evening Gazette. He has spent years trying to legitimize the paper by dialing back sensationalism and foregrounding responsible reporting, yet the paper’s circulation has fallen sharp and cold. When owner Bernard Hinchecliffe contemplates a dramatic comeback—a retrospective on a 20-year-old murder to rekindle interest—Randall reluctantly agrees to pursue the scandal. The case centers on Nancy Voorhees, a stenographer who shot her boss after he reneged on a promise to marry her. The verdict had been softened by the jury’s sympathy for her pregnancy, and Nancy was acquitted, a twist of fate that still haunts the city’s memory.
Full summary
The whole story of Five Star Final, scene by scene
Five Star Final Trailers & Videos
The trailer of Five Star Final.
How Well Do You Know Five Star Final?
9 questions about the story, each with a hint if you get stuck. Pick an answer to see whether you were right.
Question 1 of 9
- Question 1: not answered
- Question 2: not answered
- Question 3: not answered
- Question 4: not answered
- Question 5: not answered
- Question 6: not answered
- Question 7: not answered
- Question 8: not answered
- Question 9: not answered
Who is the managing editor of the New York Evening Gazette?
Five Star Final Also Known As
5 alternative titles, including “Spätausgabe” and “Петзвезден финал”.
- Also known as
-
- Spätausgabe
- Петзвезден финал
- Пять последних звезд
- 最后的五颗星
- Sed de escándalo
Seen Five Star Final?
Movies Like Five Star Final
Films with a similar story, tone or audience, including Five Star Murder, Five Corners and Five Minutes to Live.
Five Star Final FAQ: Where to Watch, Cast & Runtime
Runtime, release date, director, cast, where to watch and post-credit scenes of Five Star Final, each answered in a sentence.
How long is Five Star Final?
Five Star Final runs 1 hour 29 minutes (89 minutes).
When was Five Star Final released?
Five Star Final was released on September 10, 1931.
Who directed Five Star Final?
Five Star Final was directed by Mervyn LeRoy.
More films by Mervyn LeRoy Who is in the cast of Five Star Final?
Five Star Final stars Edward G. Robinson as Joseph W. Randall, Oscar Apfel as Bernard Hinchecliffe and Frances Starr as Nancy (Voorhees) Townsend, among 25 credited actors.
Where can I watch Five Star Final?
In the US, Five Star Final is available to rent or buy on Amazon Video and Apple TV Store (availability from JustWatch).
Does Five Star Final have a post-credit scene?
No. Five Star Final has no extra scene during or after the credits.
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