State's Attorney (film)
| State's Attorney | |
|---|---|
Theatrical Poster
|
|
| Directed by | George Archainbaud |
| Produced by |
James Kevin McGuinness (associate producer) David O. Selznick (executive producer) |
| Written by |
Louis Stevens (story) Gene Fowler (script) Rowland Brown (script) |
| Starring |
John Barrymore Helen Twelvetrees |
| Music by |
Max Steiner Ray Heindorf |
| Cinematography | Leo Tover |
| Edited by | Charles L. Kimball |
| Distributed by | RKO |
|
Release date
|
May 5, 1932 (New York) May 20, 1932 (nationwide; US) October 16, 1933 (Portugal) March 26, 1937 (France) |
|
Running time
|
73 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
State's Attorney is a 1932 American Pre-Code drama film made at RKO and starring John Barrymore. George Archainbaud 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.
In this pre-Production Code drama, John Barrymore plays near-alcoholic defense attorney Tom Cardigan who handles a lot of cases for his childhood friend, gangster Valentine "Vanny" Powers (William "Stage" Boyd who used "Stage" as his middle name to distinguish him from the better known William Boyd of Hopalong Cassidy fame).
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 (Helen Twelvetrees), 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 (Jill Esmond), 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.
...
Wikipedia