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.

Otto Kruger stars as a gifted criminal defense lawyer, Kent Barringer, in this well directed and fast paced crime drama. Barringer is a troubled, cynical man, who's wife left him ten years before for another man. He must now face his past when he is shocked to discover that his ex-wife was the victim of the man that he's defending for murder. This is a well plotted little budget film with an excellent cast, with MGM's usual first-rate production values. Staring along with Kruger, are old pro's like Una Merkel, Roscoe Karns and surprisingly Isabel Jewell, usually typecast as a gum chewing bimbo -- here getting to play a good girl with brains.

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.

Otto Kruger was an excellent actor and this film was a wonderful opportunity for him to demonstrate his skills. The film begins in Kruger's swank office. He's a rich and successful attorney with very few scruples as well as a rather jaded view of life and women. To sum him up, though successful, he's a self-centered jerk.

Into this office arrives a young woman whose father is up on murder charges. Kruger is too busy and way too egocentric to give the young woman a chance--even when he initially agrees to help her. Again and again, she's left waiting for him to get around to listening to her story. However, when he finally does, he is shocked to hear that the murder victim is actually Kruger's ex-wife who'd left him many years before! It seems that Kruger's idealism and sense of compassion left with her and all the old memories of her came flooding back. To make things worse, he learns that she was a horrid person and realizes what a waste his life has been since she left. Kruger then runs to the cemetery where she was buried--even though it was pouring down rain--and throws himself on the grave. A few days later, he turns up in the hospital suffering from the effects of exposure and nearly dies.

During this little episode, the girl's father's case came up in court and because Kruger wasn't there, the man was easily convicted sine it was passed off to a lawyer who was unprepared. When Kruger FINALLY recovers, he feels horrible for what he'd done and vows to make things right.

While this plot sounds a bit melodramatic (and it was), the acting and action were exceptional and the story very engaging. I really don't want to say more--it may spoil the film, but it's a nice story with a very tense ending. It's well worth a look--especially because of Kruger's terrific performance and range.

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.