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Made when the Studios were Mostly, well, Studio Bound and Early Talkies were, well, a lot of Talk, this one had the Pleasure of an Actor who could Really Talk. John Barrymore had been doing it ever since Pictures Moved.

Coupled with a Heavy Stage Experience, He became one of the most Respected Actors of His Era. Although Surprisingly never Nominated for an Academy Award (He famously said they were afraid I would show up drunk and embarrass them and myself).

This Film also had the Advantage of a Pre-Code Freedom to Exercise some later to be Forbidden Behavior like Premarital Sex, and other Innuendos. But it is Barrymore's Charisma and Naturalism that Endears this Courtroom and Political Drama, also Helped by a Strong Supporting Cast.

It is Less Ham than usual for 'The Profile" and the Movie has a lot of Long Dialog Scenes that are Fascinating to Watch. This makes for a somewhat Stilted but Compelling Drama that is an Actor's Showcase and Barrymore Effortlessly Delivers.

Some HUGE film stars from the early (precode) days of talkies. It seems the first couple of films by helen twelvetwees were lost or destroyed. The older john barrymore gets top billing, as he had been around since the early days of the silent films. Some familiar faces in the supporting cast; ralph ince and his brother would both make it big as directors. Leon ames and oscar apfel were in so many films in the 1930s and 1940s. Cardigan is an attorney, who lets himself be manipulatd for money and power. But what happens when his own, close friends get involved in crimes? The trivia section tells us about the actual court case on which this is based. What will happen to his career and his friends? Directed by george archainbaud for rko radio pictures. Had worked at all the major studios. Story by louis stevens. Twelvetrees died young at 49 by overdose. More information on ruth snyder's court case in wikipedia dot org. It's quite good! And a good chance to see john barrymore at his hollywood prime. Also see dinner at eight, even better!

I only wish my mother were still alive so I could tell her I saw Helen Twelvetrees in a movie. I can just hear her now. "Helen Twelvetrees!!" That is a name out of the way, way distant past.

Twelvetrees appears in this precode film, "State's Attorney" with John Barrymore.

Barrymore is Tom Cardigan, attorney for the mob. Tom falls for June Perry (Twelvetrees) and she becomes his mistress. She tries to redeem him. Tom's boss, Vanny Powers (Boyd), thinks Cardigan should become District Attorney. There, he can really get the fix in for Powers.

Tom is elected He breaks up with June and takes up with the daughter (Jill Esmond) of a political boss, Ulrich. A big problem arises when Powers is arrested for murder and goes on trial. As far as Tom getting him off, it's going to be tough. June was a witness to the crime.

Over the top courtroom scenes, the style of the day, take a major role in the film. Barrymore had a very modern acting technique - he is always wonderful and never seems overdone unless it's deliberate, like the impresario in "Twentieth Century."

Always love to catch John Barrymore in a film.

As a bit of trivia, Jil Esmond, who plays the political boss' Ulrich's daughter, was a British actress and the first wife of Laurence Olivier.

John Barrymore's character, Tom Cardigan, bounces from bad to good, bad to good throughout "State's Attorney." The RKO story is good, but the film has remnants of production qualities from the silent era. All of the cast are OK, but none much better than that. Barrymore's Cardigan mirrors his own life of heavy drinking. He had been a heavy drinker since his teen years, and by age 50 for this film, he was an alcoholic.

Still able to perform, he would go on to make many more films before dying 10 years later of cirrhosis of the liver and pneumonia. Only a few of those would be top performances.

The life of a real lawyer, William J. Fallon, may have been the inspiration for this story. Fallon was known as the "Great Mouthpice."He was a prominent criminal lawyer who defended many homicide cases that resulted in no convictions. He befriended organized crime boss Arnold Rothstein who was implicated in the Black Sox Scandal. Fallon's lifestyle involved heavy drinking. He was just 41 years old when he died – probably from alcohol and other effects.

According to IMDb, John Barrymore's character in "State's Attorney" was based on a real attorney, dapper William J. Fallon. How close the character is to Fallon, I have no idea--though I strongly suspect that Fallon's story and this one are very, very different. This is because there are LOTS of hysterics in this one--so many that you just cannot believe the film has any semblance to real life.

The film begins with Barrymore playing Attorney Tom Cardigan. Cardigan seems to be perpetually inebriated--a role to which Barrymore was well suited. However, despite his drinking*, he is an expert attorney who always seems to win. So, he's a valuable asset to mobsters and other low-lifes who need him to help them beat the rap. In the process of doing his job, he meets a woman (Helen Twelvetrees) and they fall in love. While the film never comes out and says it, it's strongly implied that she becomes his mistress.

Surprisingly, his mobster friend has an idea--make Cardigan the State's Attorney where he can be even more helpful to the mob. However, it soon becomes apparent that Cardigan means to do this job well--and not use it as a revolving door for criminals. Cardigan now is interested more in becoming the next governor as opposed to becoming a rich, satisfied lawyer. What's next? See the film.

Because it's a film about lawyers, it's not surprising there are several courtroom scenes. However, to me this was the low point of the film as too often the proceedings became ridiculously melodramatic and shrill. Folks on the witness stand begin screaming their guilt, women break down and cry and, ultimately, Cardigan makes speeches instead of defends or prosecutes. It's a shame, as Barrymore was a fine actor but these scenes tend to bring down the overall quality of the movie. Fair but it sure should have been a lot better.