In the gritty, bustling heyday of print news in 1880s New York, a hard-nosed newspaper man (Gene Evans) quits his job at The Star, a prestigious paper run by an unscrupulous editor (Mary Welch), to start his own publication. Made with little more than his own meager resources and industry know-how, the newsman runs The Globe with journalistic integrity while publicizing the arrival of The Statue of Liberty, the building of The Brooklyn Bridge, and fighting off his frequent and often brutal rivals. Once a correspondent himself, "Park Row" is Sam Fuller's tough, romanticized view of the prominence of the newspaper industry, which may hold special significance in this modern era of waning print journalism. The film is compacted though energetic and highly entertaining, featuring fine performances from a largely unknown cast.
