"-30-" is an anomaly among Jack Webb productions: it's the least realistic docudrama he ever made. Unlike "The D.I.," which got a ringing endorsement from the Marine Corps., journalists sneered at this picture. Newspaper critics harped on its wisecracks, its plot contrivances, and especially the constant abuse heaped on copy boys throughout the film. (Strangely, nobody commented on its LEAST realistic aspect: what kind of adoption agency releases a little boy to a family where the father refuses to meet with him?)
On the other hand, the film contains Webb's liveliest performance. His Sam Gatlin is animated and emotional. The closing scene, as Webb tries to explain to his second wife why he REALLY doesn't want to adopt a child, will shock you and perhaps put a lump in your throat. It's almost worth sitting through William Conrad's over-the-top, Edgar Kennedy-ish performance to see.
FACTOID: Warner Bros. really had a hard time marketing this one. In some cities, the ads labeled it a drama; in others, it was termed a comedy ("You'll laugh so loud, you might get arrested," read one ad under a picture of Jack "Sgt. Friday" Webb.) In the end, few people went to see it. It was the first Webb production to LOSE money, and it lost him his Warner contract.
On the other hand, the film contains Webb's liveliest performance. His Sam Gatlin is animated and emotional. The closing scene, as Webb tries to explain to his second wife why he REALLY doesn't want to adopt a child, will shock you and perhaps put a lump in your throat. It's almost worth sitting through William Conrad's over-the-top, Edgar Kennedy-ish performance to see.
FACTOID: Warner Bros. really had a hard time marketing this one. In some cities, the ads labeled it a drama; in others, it was termed a comedy ("You'll laugh so loud, you might get arrested," read one ad under a picture of Jack "Sgt. Friday" Webb.) In the end, few people went to see it. It was the first Webb production to LOSE money, and it lost him his Warner contract.