The Women in His Life

One of the shining examples of the mastery of screenwriting from the Golden Age of Hollywood, by F. Hugh Herbert (not to be confused with comic actor Hugh Herbert from the same era). Viennese-born Herbert (Sitting Pretty, The Moon is Blue, etc.) was also the President of the Screen Writer's Guild.

In this film we experience the commanding embrace of a well-conceived story brought to resplendent life by the notable actor Otto Kruger and a fine cast. Kruger, a major Broadway star of the 1920s later became a reliable and extraordinary screen character actor.

Today gems like this can be encountered only fleetingly on Turner Classic Movies. Worthy of study, they are not to be found on Home Video, another oversight of movie moguls who often sit on top of forgotten gold mines while churning out garbage that sustains illiteracy and decimates popular values. This is just one of hundreds for which we owe Ted Turner a debt of gratitude.

Not a great movie by any means. However, you will see Otto Kruger like you've never seem him before. His performance is outstanding, ond I had never been a fan of his ever, until now. See it just for him.

Kent Barringer (Otto Kruger) is a self-assured cynical womanizing successful defense lawyer. He gets another guilty man off. He uses every trick to win his cases. He keeps a picture of an old flame to remind him that love is an illusion. He gets a case defending a supposed innocent murderer. He is shocked to find the victim to be his pictured ex.

This is a pre-Code drama. I really like the premise and the start. I would like a more dashing and younger lead. Otherwise, Otto Kruger is pretty good. I don't buy the doppelganger defense. Everybody has a doppelganger. Kent didn't actually prove anything. As for the big case, I thought he would do more investigating after the loss. The second half is not as compelling.

Otto Kruger is a top defense lawyer. He's also a ladies' man who works his adoring staff of secretary Una Merkel, co-counsel Ben Lyon, and investigator Roscoe Karns hard. He has taken on the defense of Samuel S. Hinds at the behest of Irene Hervey, when he learns something startling about an old flame. He goes on a bender and has a breakdown on top of that. Lyon takes over the case, and Hinds is convicted and sentenced to death. Kruger says he'll get him acquitted on appeal.... and then does nothing that anyone can see.

It's practically a one-man show for Kruger in various modes; during his recovery from his breakdown he gives the impression of a man who has aged thirty years on sheer acting chops. Even the usually rambunctious Karns and Miss Merkel don't do much to distract from him. While there are some issues in the denouement sequences, George Seitz acquits himself well in his first credit as a director at MGM, by sticking to Kruger.

This is part love story and part courtroom drama. Otto Kruger plays, Kent Barringer, a supremely confident trial lawyer who just can't lose, but is ultimately selfish and soulless. A woman begs him to work Pro Bono on the case of her father who is accused of murder, but after promising to do so, Kruger ignores her. When he finally gets around to reviewing the facts of the case, he realizes he is connected with it in a very personal way, and this realization ultimately leads him to a new approach on life.

The film is entertaining but a bit too melodramatic and fantasy-bound for my tastes. Kruger is proficient in his role and great fun to watch. I look forward to seeing more of his work since is the first film I've ever seen him in. The supporting cast does good work yet there aren't any standouts.

Fun Fact: This is the earliest on-screen appearance of a pinball machine.