Between the Lines

Between the Lines

Year: 1977

Runtime: 101 mins

Language: English

Director: Joan Micklin Silver

ComedyDrama

Set in 1970s Boston, the quirky team behind the Back Bay Mainline—an influential underground paper from the ’60s—juggles dwindling budgets of $75 a week, shifting cultural tides, and a looming takeover by a media conglomerate, all while navigating humor, adventure and a budding romance among staff.

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Timeline & Setting – Between the Lines (1977)

Explore the full timeline and setting of Between the Lines (1977). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

1970s

Set in the era of shifting media empires, the film captures the late-1970s newsroom energy and the rise of corporate consolidation. A culture of activism and personal ambition colors the lives of reporters and editors. The action revolves around a threatened independent paper negotiating with a powerful buyer.

Location

Boston, Back Bay

The story unfolds in Boston’s Back Bay, centering on the local alternative newspaper. The Back Bay Mainline newsroom anchors the drama, reflecting a gritty, community-driven press scene. The city’s mix of historic architecture and working-class journalism provides a tight, urban backdrop for a fight against corporate takeover.

🏙️ City 🗺️ Neighborhood 🗞️ Press Scene

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 18:07

Main Characters – Between the Lines (1977)

Meet the key characters of Between the Lines (1977), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Harry Lucas

Harry is the disenchanted lead reporter at The Back Bay Mainline. He feels his best days are behind him and longs for meaningful change through journalism. He harbors deep feelings for Abbie, but she rejects his romantic advances; He later loses his job as part of the paper's takeover and fantasizes a dramatic act, then ultimately reconciles with Abbie at a bar.

🎯 Journalism 💔 Romance 🧭 Moral conflict

Abbie

Abbie is a talented photographer at the paper and a steady, grounding presence in the newsroom. She has an on-and-off relationship with Harry, navigating the tension between love and career aspirations. She remains central to the newsroom dynamics and, after a rocky start, reconciles with Harry at the bar.

🎯 Photography 💔 Romance 🧭 Integrity

Laura

Laura is a founding reporter living with Michael; she is a key voice at the paper and grapples with balancing personal life and professional commitments. She ultimately sacrifices her own career to accompany Michael to New York, highlighting the personal cost of career and relationship choices under corporate pressure.

🎯 Journalism 💔 Relationship 🧭 Sacrifice

Michael

Michael is a pretentious writer who plans to relocate to New York using proceeds from his upcoming book. He patronizes and ignores Laura at times, driving a wedge in their relationship and illustrating the self-centered ambition that accompanies literary success.

🎭 Ego 📚 Writer 🗽 Ambition

Roy Walsh

Roy Walsh leads the group aiming to purchase and control The Back Bay Mainline. He embodies corporate pressure and political maneuvering, and he is connected to calls to dismiss Harry during the power struggle for the paper.

🏢 Corporate 🥇 Power 🎭 Authority

Lynn

Lynn is the kind-hearted administrator at the paper. She is dedicated to the newsroom but resigns when the takeover intensifies, signaling the personal toll of corporate influence on staff and operations.

💼 Administration 🧭 Loyalty 🗂️ Structure

David

David is an eager cub reporter who bikes to work and pursues a big, potentially risky story. He faces danger when a shady record producer sends goons to assault him, illustrating the hazards faced by ambitious journalists.

🎯 Journalism 🚲 Youth 🛡️ Risk

Max

Max is a flaky music critic who adds color to the newsroom dynamics. He collaborates with others and ends up a bit of comic relief, even to the point of conning a stranger into buying him a drink.

🎤 Music 🌀 Quirky 🗞️ Journalism

Frank

Frank is the beleaguered editor-in-chief under pressure from the takeover and internal newsroom politics. He remains a focal point in the newsroom's struggle to maintain direction amid corporate threats.

🗞️ Editor 🧭 Pressure ⚖️ Ethics

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 18:07

Major Themes – Between the Lines (1977)

Explore the central themes of Between the Lines (1977), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

🗞️ Independent Press

The film centers on The Back Bay Mainline, an independent newspaper fighting against a powerful corporate buyer. It highlights the pressure to compromise integrity in pursuit of profits. Through newsroom turmoil and staff debates, the theme explores what journalism owes the public versus what it costs to resist consolidation. The story asks whether a small, community-focused paper can survive in a media landscape increasingly dominated by conglomerates.

💔 Romance & Conflict

Romantic entanglements sharpen the newsroom tensions. Harry's unrequited feelings for Abbie clash with Laura's relationship with Michael. The movie shows how personal ambitions and love intersect with career decisions, pushing characters to choose between loyalty and self-advancement. The outcome reveals how relationships are strained by the pressures of a newsroom under corporate threat.

🔎 Investigation & Truth

David chases a potentially risky story, illustrating the drive for real reporting. The pursuit leads him into danger when a shady producer dispatches goons and violence interrupts the investigation. The trio of Max, Harry, and Abbie works to intercept the threat, underscoring the collaborative nature of investigative journalism. The theme emphasizes truth-seeking as a core newsroom value.

🧭 Moral Compass

Harry's disillusionment with writing and his sudden fantasy of taking action against corporate power reveal a crisis of purpose. The narrative questions what a journalist owes to their readers and to themselves when change seems impossible. The stakeholders’ clash, from editors to paper owners, tests personal ethics and public responsibility. In the end, reconciliation and quiet acts of defiance underline a more hopeful path forward.

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 18:07

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Between the Lines Summary

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Between the Lines Summary

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Between the Lines (1977) Plot Summary & Movie Recap

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