Attorney for the Defense

The first half of this movie is a fine example of a fast-paced pre-code drama raising moral issues (i. E., how far should an attorney go in prosecuting a doubtful case) with crisp dialogue, surprising plot twists, and a cynical attitude. About midway it slows down and resolves in a tepid courtroom scene with the climax pulled out of a hat as in a lesser Perry Mason episode. Too bad. Worth a watch for pre-code buffs and those who enjoy any courtroom scene as long as the good guy wins.

PC alert: Talented black actor Clarence Muse, who seldom got meaningful roles in that era, plays a key witness. He isn't treated disrespectfully but Muse was made to act the role in the stereotypical eye-rolling childish manner and cornball dialect then seemingly required.

***SPOILERS*** Being the 18th man to be sent directly to the Sing Sing electric chair James Wallace, Dwight Frye, makes a ruckus at his trial sentencing accusing the local D.A William "Hot Seat" Burton, Edmund Lowe, of railroading him like the other 17 men prosecuted by him just to get publicity in order to get himself elected in his upcoming race against Governorn F.D Roosevelt for governor of the Empire State of New York. This big victory on "Hot Seat's" part soon falls apart after Wallace's execution that the murder that he was zapped or executed for was admitted in a death bed confession, in knowing that he's got nothing to lose anyway, by the real murderer as he was about to check out for good!

In Burton trying to repent for sending an innocent man James Wallace as well as who knows how many more to the electric chair he takes it upon himself to pay for the late James Wallace's son Paul's, Don Dillaway, collage tuition in order to make up for what he did to his dad. Paul being both young and in love as well as a bit stupid falls head over heels for the two timing gold digger Val Lorraine,Evelyn Brent, who was a former old flame of Burton. It's Lorraine who uses the poor and love sick sop to steal a number of document from Burton's office safe in order to blackmail him that can have him disbarred. That in him stealing cash or chump change from his clients; That they probably didn't miss anyway.

***SPOILERS*** The rub in all this is that after Paul found out what Larraine was up to and how she played him, her lover, for a sucker he got gloriously drunk and passed out in her apartment only to find her dead when he finally, after about 5 hours, came to. In pops "Hot Seat" Burton who to save Paul's drunk and sorry a** from getting burned takes responsibly for Lorraine's murder, or so were made to believe, and is set to got on trial for it in order to prove his, Burton's, innocence. Using all the skills of a shyster or lawyer Burton draws out the true killer of Lorraine by playing the fool and letting the prosecution make him look, with him helping out, like a complete idiot on the witness stand. The link that prove's that the person who murdered Lorainne wasn't him is a bruise she had on her neck that was the results of a ring that her killer wore. Which Burton used to punch out one of the members of the audience with to prove his case!

P.S With all that now behind him Burton finally proposes to his long time and suffering private secretary Ruth Barry, Constance Commings,who put up with all his BS all these years and waited for him to finally pop the question. That's before he drops dead, he's some 15 years older then her, or is killed by one of his outraged clients or or one of those, after being released from prison, innocent men that he sent up the river.

This is the weakest of all those 1932 lawyer films inspired by real life celebrity prosecutor turned defender, Gene Fowler. It's weaker in terms of story, direction and especially its star, Edmund Lowe. This role relies on the charisma of the lead but unfortunately Edmund Lowe just doesn't have it. He's not a bad actor, he simply doesn't sparkle. Compared with his counterparts in the other 1932 lawyer films he doesn't have either: the sleazy charm of Warren William in MOUTHPIECE, the over-the-top extravagance of John Barrymore in STATE'S ATTORNEY or the warmth of William Powell in LAWYER MAN. He's just an actor reading his lines - you don't feel as though you want to know anything about him.

Of all these similar movies, the story in this one is possibly the most interesting and unexpected but because of the pedestrian direction and the one dimensional characters you never fully engage with it. On paper this probably sounded really exciting and handled differently it could have been but it looks like Columbia picked their B team for this and it shows.

Attorney for the Defense (1932)

*** (out of 4)

Far-fetched but entertaining courtroom drama has Edmund Lowe playing lawyer William Burton who makes a living and headline off of sending people to the electric chair. Things change when he sends a man (Dwight Frye) to the chair who turns out to be innocent so the lawyer gives up his D.A. job and promises to support the man's widow and child. Ten years later the kid is now an adult in college and might have killed a woman who was trying to blackmail the lawyer. ATTORNEY FOR THE DEFENSE comes from Columbia and is a good example of a pre-code drama with some real sexuality as well as a dark plot full of twists and murder. I'm not going to sit here and say the film was flawless but it's certainly an entertaining picture that manages to keep one caught up in the story from the story to the end. I've always been very hit and miss on Lowe as an actor with most of his films and performances just not connecting with me but that's certainly not the case here because this is the best I've ever seen him. I thought the performance was excellent no matter what the screenplay called for. This includes him being cocky early on and more sensitive towards the end of the film. In the movie's highlight, after news breaks that the man was innocent, the lawyer goes to see the man's family and this is an exceptionally great sequence with Lowe really selling the emotions. Evelyn Brent is a real snake as the woman using blackmail and Constance Cummings is also very good as the lawyer's partner. Donald Dilloway is also good as the grown up boy and Dorothy Peterson is also good in her role. The supporting cast includes the before mentioned Frye, Nat Pendleton and Clarence Muse. The courtroom scene contains some very good energy, although the twist in the story is pretty far-fetched. Still, fans of these early courtroom dramas has enough working here to make this worth sitting through.

Edmund Lowe is the "Attorney for the Defense" in this 1932 film also starring Evelyn Brent and Constance Cummings.

Lowe is Burton, a prosecutor who manages to put 17 men into the electric chair. The last one ends up being executed by mistake when there is a death bed confession. Lowe goes to the man's family and offers to help and support the mother and son in any way he can.

Burton then resigns as prosecutor and opens a law practice as a criminal defense attorney

Fast forward a few years, and Paul Wallace (Don Dillaway), the son of the dead man, is a football star at his school and has been given the best education. Burton wants him to work in his office.

Burton has a girlfriend Val (Brent), and he learns she's also having a relationship with a crook, Bradley Page (Nick Quinn). He drops her. Paul then takes up with her, surprisingly, and he and Burton fight about it. Burton knows she's no good and is using Paul.

Paul hears Val on the phone and realizes that indeed, he has been used. We don't know what happens after that, only that Burton arrives at the apartment and finds Paul unconscious and Evelyn dead. Burton takes the rap and decides to defend himself in court, and, knowing Paul innocent, reveal the true murderer.

The problem with this film for me is that there were so many of this type of film made in the '30s - William Powell, Warren William, so any actors played great attorneys. It's hard to keep them all straight.

I see raves here about Evelyn Brent. She was terrific, but I frankly couldn't see young Paul being taken with herl

The reason I watched this is because I'm a huge fan of Constance Cummings. She plays Burton's secretary. Here she's a beautiful ingenue. She had a huge theater career on both sides of the pond, and in her seventies played a stroke victim in a show, Wings. She doesn't have much to do here, but I still love her.

Clever courtroom antics by Burton, who is well played by Edmund Lowe.