Not for Publication

Not for Publication

Year: 1984

Runtime: 88 mins

Language: English

CrimeComedyMystery

A scandalous comedy follows a tenacious tabloid reporter and her rookie photographer, newly assigned to cover the mayor of New York City. While chasing a story, they uncover a tangled web of conspiracy and political corruption that could implicate the beloved mayor himself, forcing them into a wild chase for the truth.

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Not for Publication (1984) – Full Plot Summary & Ending Explained

Read the complete plot breakdown of Not for Publication (1984), including all key story events, major twists, and the ending explained in detail. Discover what really happened—and what it all means.

Lois Thornedyke is an ambitious journalist who works for The Informer, a tabloid newspaper in New York City. Though her editor Troppogrosso wants her to focus on “sex, scandal, and sin”, Lois longs for the days when the newspaper was called The Enforcer, which was then run by her father and had a more respected image. At The Informer, Lois writes under the pen name Louise Thorne. She also moonlights as a volunteer for the re-election campaign of Mayor Claude Franklyn. Franklyn, attracted to Lois and unaware of her affiliation with The Informer, recruits her as his personal assistant. Lois hires Barry Denver as a photographer for Franklyn’s campaign, though Barry’s previous experience was in ornithological photography.

Troppogrosso assigns Lois to investigate a sex club called The Bestiary after he gets a tip that the mayor will be in attendance. Barry and Lois are able to sneak into the club dressed in animal costumes. Though they do not see the mayor, the party is interrupted when a gang of burglars storms the club. Posing as thieves themselves in order to get a scoop, Lois and Barry end up in the thieves’ hideaway, where Barry discovers to his dismay that Lois is actually Louise Thorne of The Informer, and that he has inadvertently been working for the tabloid the whole time.

It is revealed that Franklyn is actually the boss of the crime syndicate that was involved in the club robbery, and he had hired Troppogrosso to orchestrate the robberies as well as to run the tabloid, which is fifty percent owned by Franklyn. Franklyn admits this to Lois and Barry while they are on a plane en route to a campaign event. In exchange for not releasing the incriminating evidence to the public, Lois makes a deal with the mayor to have the name of The Informer changed back to The Enforcer. Later, the front page of the revamped newspaper announces that the mayor has won re-election and Lois and Barry are engaged.

Last Updated: October 09, 2025 at 14:47

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