''State's Attorney'' is a 1932 American

pre-Code Pre-Code Hollywood was an era in the Cinema of the United States, American film industry that occurred between the widespread adoption of sound in film in the late 1920s and the enforcement of the Motion Picture Production Code censorship gui ...

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

made at

RKO RKO Radio Pictures Inc., commonly known as RKO Pictures or simply RKO, is an American film production and distribution company, historically one of the "Big Five" film studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Kei ...

and starring

John Barrymore John Barrymore (born John Sidney Blyth; February 14 or 15, 1882 – May 29, 1942) was an American actor on stage, screen, and radio. A member of the Drew and Barrymore theatrical families, he initially tried to avoid the stage, and briefly a ...

George Archainbaud George Archainbaud (May 7, 1890 – February 20, 1959) was a French- American film and television director. Biography In the beginning of his career he worked on stage as an actor and manager. He came to the United States in January 1914, and ...

directed and the film could more or less be considered a warm up for Barrymore when he later went to Universal to film the similar '' Counsellor at Law''. Remade in 1937 and 1951 both titled ''Criminal Lawyer''. The story was supposedly based on the life of criminal lawyer William J. Fallon, who defended 126 homicide cases without any convictions.

Plot

Tom Cardigan is a near-alcoholic defense attorney who handles a lot of cases for his childhood friend, gangster Valentine "Vanny" Powers. Powers thinks it would be a good idea for Cardigan to become Attorney General so his friend could do an occasional favor in return for Powers delivering the votes. Cardigan warns him that if Cardigan goes over to "the other side," Powers can expect no favors from him. Meanwhile, Cardigan decides to defend a homeless woman, June Perry, accused of "tapping at the window" and, after secretly fitting her with a wedding ring he keeps in his pocket, frees her by noting the presence of said ring (inferring she therefore could not be loitering for prostitution). He takes her home and, in a plot twist the Production Code would not allow, June stays there overnight. And every night thereafter. Cardigan's success as Attorney General makes him a likely candidate for Governor. A political kingmaker thinks it's possible and his daughter, Lillian, begins dating Cardigan. During a drunken spree, they get married and he then goes home to tell June the bad news. During his explanation, he realizes he has made a terrible mistake and that he loves June, not Lillian. Nonetheless, June leaves and Cardigan goes on a honeymoon bender for several days, alone. Meanwhile, June has returned to her old friends in the Powers mob at a bar. Unfortunately, she walks outside just in time to see Powers murder a man in cold blood. She turns and walks quickly away. Powers catches up with her and threatens to kill her unless June keeps her mouth shut. She agrees but an off-stage policeman overhears her agreement and jails her as a material witness. An Italian tenor, Mario, confronts Cardigan as he is sobering up, saying he wants to marry Lillian. Breathing a sigh of relief, Cardigan says he will annul his marriage. Later, Cardigan interviews the material witness and finds it's June (who refuses to return to him, thinking he has betrayed his values so he can become Governor). She adamantly maintains she did not see the murder so he releases her as a witness. At Powers' trial, the defense springs June as a surprise witness, forcing her to admit that she could see the killer but didn't see the murder and didn't recognize Powers. Shocking his assistants, Cardigan decides not to cross-examine her. Powers laughs heartily, stopping Cardigan in his tracks. The Attorney General then withdraws his waiver, whispering "that laugh is going to cost you your neck" to Powers and promptly badgers and confuses June so that she blurts out an identification of Powers as the killer. Begging the court's indulgence, Cardigan abruptly announces that his assistants will handle the rest of the case. He then confesses that he had been sent to reform school—with Powers—for burglary and will therefore not run for governor, returning to his defense attorney status immediately. (Powers had threatened to blackmail him if Cardigan prosecuted him.) Outside, June congratulates him for his courage and for choosing his values over his ambition. They embrace and leave hand in hand.

Cast

as Tom Cardigan *

Helen Twelvetrees Helen Marie Twelvetrees ( Jurgens; December 25, 1908 – February 13, 1958) was an American actress. She starred in Hollywood films in the sound film era from 1929 to 1939. Many of her roles were of "suffering women,” which reflected her tumul ...

as June Perry *

Jill Esmond Jill Esmond Moore (26 January 1908 – 28 July 1990) was an English stage and screen actress. Early life Esmond was born in London, the daughter of stage actors Henry V. Esmond and Eva Moore. Dramatist W.S. Gilbert and actress Maxine Elliott ...

as Lillian Ulrich *

William "Stage" Boyd William H. Boyd (December 18, 1886 in New York City, New York (state), New York – March 20, 1935 in Los Angeles, California) was an American actor billed as William "Stage" Boyd or William Stage Boyd. Biography Boyd was an early 20th century ...

as Valentine 'Vanny' Powers * Mary Duncan as Nora Dean *

Ralph Ince Ralph Waldo Ince (January 16, 1887 – April 10, 1937) was an American pioneer film actor, director and screenwriter whose career began near the dawn of the silent film, silent film era. Ralph Ince was the brother of John Ince (actor), John E. I ...

as Second Trial Defense Attorney *

Albert Conti Albert Maroica Blasius Franz Maria, ''Ritter'' Conti von Cedassamare (29 January 1887 – 18 January 1967), commonly known as Albert Conti, was an Austrian Americans, Austrian-American actor. He was a member of the noble Kaboga family. Biograph ...

as Mario * Frederick Burton as Second Trial Judge * C. Henry Gordon as Attorney Graves * Paul Hurst as Police Captain Morgan *

Oscar Apfel Oscar C. Apfel (January 17, 1878 – March 21, 1938) was an American film actor, director, screenwriter, and producer. He appeared in more than 160 films between 1913 and 1939, and also directed 94 films between 1911 and 1927. Biography Ap ...

as Mr. Ulrich *

Leon Ames Leon Ames (born Harry Leon Wycoff;U.S. Federal Census for 1910 for Fowler, Center Township, Benton County, State of Indiana, access via Ancestry.com January 20, 1902 – October 12, 1993) was an American film and television actor. He is best rem ...

as First Trial Prosecutor * Frank Mills as Courtroom Reporter/Speakeasy Patron

References

External links

* * * {{George Archainbaud 1932 films 1932 crime drama films American black-and-white films American courtroom films American crime drama films Films about lawyers Films directed by George Archainbaud RKO Pictures films 1930s English-language films 1930s American films English-language crime drama films