“…the picture became greater and greater…”

Jim Bishop, The Mark Hellinger Story, 1952, pp. 330-331

…He showed the producer a new picture book of New York City entitled The Naked City. The author of it was Weegee, a fat little cigar-smoking photographer who literally slept in his car near a short-wave radio. He picked up all the police calls and, because he was already on the road when an exciting call came in, Weegee very often was at the scene of a crime before the police. His book of photos was stark and hard…

…When Hellinger decided to use it he phoned Weegee. He explained that there was no value in the book, as such, for a motion picture. But that he liked the title. Instead of buying the name outright, Mark said, he’d put Weegee on the payroll at a hundred a week as still photographer for the period during which the picture was being shot. Weegee accepted. Hellinger explained that the photographer wouldn’t be expected to give up his regular daily work at all; in sum, the hundred [$100 in April 1947 had the same buying power as $1,408.30 in January 2024] a week would be side money…
Jim Bishop, The Mark Hellinger Story, 1952, pp. 330-331

Mark Hellinger (March 21, 1903 – December 21, 1947)