''The Law in Her Hands'' is a 1936 American drama film directed by William Clemens and written by George Bricker and Luci Ward. The film stars

Margaret Lindsay Margaret Lindsay (born Margaret Kies; September 19, 1910 – May 9, 1981) was an American film actress. Her time as a Warner Bros. contract player during the 1930s was particularly productive. She was noted for her supporting work in successf ...

and

Glenda Farrell Glenda Farrell (June 30, 1904 – May 1, 1971) was an American actress. Farrell personified the smart and sassy, wisecracking blonde of the Classical Hollywood films. Farrell's career spanned more than 50 years, appearing in numerous Broadwa ...

. It was released by

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

on May 16, 1936. The film's working title was "Lawyer Woman". Mary and Dorothy open their own

law practice In its most general sense, the practice of law involves giving legal advice to clients, drafting legal documents for clients, and representing clients in legal negotiations and court proceedings such as lawsuits, and is applied to the professi ...

, but after months of rising debt and falling income, they start representing members of the

organized crime Organized crime (or organised crime) is a category of transnational, national, or local groupings of highly centralized enterprises run by criminals to engage in illegal activity, most commonly for profit. While organized crime is generally th ...

Plot

Two waitresses working in New York, Mary Wentworth (

) and Dorothy Davis (

), pass their bar exam and become lawyers. When their employer Franz (

Al Shean Abraham Elieser Adolph Schönberg (May 12, 1868 – August 12, 1949), known as Al Shean, was a comedian and vaudeville performer. Other sources give his birth name variously as Adolf Schönberg, Albert Schönberg, or Alfred Schönberg. He is mos ...

) takes a photo of the two women, he accidentally photographs a gangster in the background, just before the gangster throws a smoke bomb in the restaurant. This was an effort to intimidate Franz into joining the protection racket run by Frank Gordon (

Lyle Talbot Lyle Florenz Talbot (born Lisle Henderson, also credited Lysle Talbot; February 8, 1902 – March 2, 1996) was an American stage, screen and television actor. His career in films spanned three decades, from 1931 to 1960, and he performed on ...

). The perpetrator is arrested and the case is prosecuted by Robert Mitchell (

Warren Hull John Warren Hull (January 17, 1903 – September 14, 1974), known professionally as Warren Hull, was an American actor, singer and television personality active from the 1930s through the 1960s. He was one of the most popular serial actors in t ...

), who is Mary's boyfriend. At the trial, Gordon finds people to testify that the accused was not at the restaurant, but Mary and Dorothy show the photograph taken in the restaurant. Gordon is actually impressed by Mary and offers her a job as his lawyer, but she turns him down. This has also impressed Robert, but he still believes that the law is no profession for a woman, and asks her to quit and marry him instead. When a lawyer plants a bottle of liquor in a coat Mary has entered into evidence, she loses her first case in court. Hoping to discourage Mary, Robert suggests that she represent a man who has already signed a confession. Later, Mary decides to use the same trick and beats Robert in court. She also decides to take Gordon as a client and acquires a big reputation. When Mary learns that Gordon was responsible for the deaths of several people, she changes her mind and refuses to represent him anymore. However, Gordon forces her into defending him, and in court she deliberately gets herself disbarred from the case. No longer his lawyer, she accuses Gordon of the murders, allowing Robert to win the case and convict Gordon. Later, Mary marries Robert and decides to give up her law career.

Cast

as Mary Wentworth *

as Dorothy 'Dot' Davis *

as Asst. Dist. Atty. Robert Mitchell *

as Frank 'Legs' Gordon *

Eddie Acuff Edward DeKalb Acuff (June 3, 1903 – December 17, 1956) was an American stage and film actor. He frequently was cast as a droll comic relief, in the support of the star. His best-known recurring role is that of Mr. Beasley, the postman, in ...

as Eddie O'Malley *

Dick Purcell Richard Gerold Purcell Jr. (August 6, 1905 – April 10, 1944) was an American actor best known for playing Marvel Comics' Captain America in the 1943 film serial, co-starring with Lorna Gray and Lionel Atwill. Purcell also appeared in fil ...

as Marty *

as Franz *

Addison Richards Addison Whittaker Richards, Jr. (October 20, 1902 – March 22, 1964) was an American actor of film and television. Richards appeared in more than three hundred films between 1933 and his death. Biography A native of Zanesville, Ohio, Richa ...

as William McGuire *

Joseph Crehan Joseph A. Creaghan (July 15, 1883 – April 15, 1966) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 300 films between 1916 and 1965, and notably played Ulysses S. Grant nine times between 1939 and 1958, most memorably in ''Union Paci ...

as Dist. Atty. Thomas Mallon

Reception

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' movie review said: "Miss Margaret Lindsay is a beautiful young lady from Dubuque, Iowa, and, out of pure chivalry, we would have her protected from such amiable mediocrities as "The Law in Her Hands," which now occupies the screen at the Palace. Neither she nor the many other members of the Warner-First National stock company employed in the film can give substance to a narrative which, despite any amount of ingenious fabrication, could hardly aspire to be more than a congenial triviality."

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Law in Her Hands 1936 films Warner Bros. films American drama films 1936 drama films Films directed by William Clemens American black-and-white films Films about lawyers 1930s English-language films 1930s American films