Ladies of the Jury

Probably not the ideal movie to educate someone on how the American jury system operates, "Ladies Of The Jury" is more of a wacky comic version of "12 Angry Men" - which it predates by 25 years! Edna May Oliver is fab, especially if you're already a fan, but what really makes this limited-set B-movie stand out from the rest is a wide array of colorful and distinct characters, acted with gusto by a largely - if not completely - unknown cast; I particularly liked one couple where the man has a flair for the poetic and the woman looks to be what you would call in modern terms a "nerd" (an unusual female portrayal for that time). If there is one flaw in this movie, it's the very abrupt ending - in fact, this may be the only movie in history where the resolution occurs over "The End" title card! **1/2 out of 4.

LADIES OF THE JURY is a little programmer boosted by the performance of leading player EDNA MAY OLIVER as a Bostonian aristocrat who is allowed to ask questions of the woman on trial for her life (JILL ESMOND), accused of murdering her husband.

Edna May is the only member of the jury who believes the woman "not guilty" on the first ballot. The balance of the courtroom scenes show how she turns everyone around to thinking differently.

Surprisingly, GUINN ("BIG BOY") WILLIAMS, who livens up the proceedings with some characteristic humor and facial expressions, is not even credited in the film's cast. Among the supporting players, he's the one that stands out.

Unfortunately, the script is uneven and the treatment is less than routine with the outcome assured. The abrupt ending makes no impact at all even though the last word goes to Miss Oliver.

The humor is scanty and it's surprising to see KEN MURRAY cast as a flippant juror whose attempt at comedy is not really successful.

Maybe it's because I had such low expectations, but I laughed over and over at this! Edna May Oliver is a gift beyond measure, although her best part is the first 10 minutes of the movie. And according to the TCM pre-talk, there were, indeed, some jurisdictions in the USA where jurors are or were allowed to ask questions of witnesses. The juror room scene is full of hilarious, exaggerated characters/stereotypes - although the religious zealot on the juror actually isn't all that exaggerated... The comments about women were over-the-top even then, obviously, and the use of the term "sugar daddy" may surprise people that think it's a new term. Comments like "Hey, talk American" the insults to the French, all of which were meant then to be so ridiculous as to be funny then, will make you think of your last pre-COVID Thanksgiving with THAT uncle. Why is this not a well-loved much loved classic?!?!?

Can someone tell me what the big deal was about 1957's Twelve Angry Men? It was a remake of a Playhouse 90 special, and in 1950 there was an extremely similar story about one juror pinned against eleven prejudiced ones: Perfect Strangers. Recently, I just discovered an even earlier version from 1932 with the same theme. In Ladies of the Jury, Edna May Oliver stars as an intelligent, intuitive juror who has the task of changing the other eleven people's minds when they're all set to vote the defendant guilty.

This movie is very dated, engaging in early 1930s tropes, like the overemotional judge, the long-winded stammerer, the gum-chewing floozy, and the low-class Greek. Edna usually took supporting parts in her career, so if you really like her you can rent this or her "Snoopy Withers" mysteries to see her in the lead. But I would really only recommend it if you want to see the original 12 Angry Men. There are times when it gets pretty silly, and it doesn't stand the test of time.

Snotty society lady Mrs. Livingston Baldwin Crane (Edna May Oliver) gets picked to be on a jury. Ex-chorus girl Yvette Gordon is accused of murdering her rich elderly husband.

This is 12 Angry Men but wackier. Edna May Oliver has a bit of fun. Every character is cracked. It's not really a mystery. The story has some unreal turns. Crane can't do her own investigation. All in all, there is some fun especially in the jury room.