Within the Law

Shop assistant Ruth Hussey (Mary) is falsely accused of theft and prosecuted by department store owner Samual S Hinds (Gilder) as an example to others. She is sentenced to 3 years in prison and promises to get revenge on him.

What makes this enjoyable is that there are no pathetic women who cry and go all soppy or scream and faint and all that kind of nonsense which I find intolerable. So, the film scores an extra point for me on this front. Hussey vows revenge and that is exactly what she does as she emerges from her time in prison having studied legal loopholes. This allows her to execute her plans on her release and ensure that she operates within the law.

The cast are all good. I couldn't stand Tom Neal (Dick) as the department store's son at the beginning but he won me over so another point for that. Speaking of Tom Neal, this cast contains 3 people who you should read up about - Tom Neal, Paul Kelly (Joe) and Rita Johnson (Agnes). A couple of nasty people and a victim of a cover-up - a hairdryer accidently 'fell' on her head causing brain damage!!!

An entertaining short film that is worth keeping to watch again.

Back in the days before television, there was nothing wrong with being a "B" movie. They went by quickly and some were pretty darned entertaining -- "Within the Law," for example. Ruth Hussey plays a sweet young girl who's accused of theft. Despite being innocent, she's sentenced to three years in jail and comes out swearing revenge against the department store tycoon who testified against her. Her plan -- to humiliate him by marrying his son. But she falls in love with the guy which creates a problem when a few old friends try to rope her into robbing the tycoon's home. Does it all work out in the end? Of course. But along the way, there are several lively twists along with contributions from old pros like Paul Kelly and William Gargan.

Allow me to preface this review by stating that I've read the original source of this story (a play produced in 1912) as well as the 1930 Joan Crawford version, Paid. With this context, my review is equal parts a commentary on this movie alone and a commentary on an adaptation and remake.

I've grown to appreciate the talents of Ruth Hussey after tracking down her available films, and while I do see her as MGM originally saw her (a potential replacement for Rosalind Russell who was a potential replacement for Myrna Loy should either one get on Louis B. Mayer's bad side {as Myrna did when she went on strike after the success of The Thin Man for more money}), she more than proves herself capable of dependable acting and even great drama in the vein of Susan Hayward (too bad Hussey hadn't been born ten or fifteen years later) in Within the Law.

The plot is simple: shop-girl Mary Turner is falsely accused of theft from her place of employment and sentenced to three years in prison, vowing revenge on the man who sent her there--her employer. This version is much more brisk than Crawford's Pre-Code melodrama, which, as a Crawford vehicle, paid more attention to its star than the actual story. This is the result of the script for Hussey's version pulling the plot out of its stage-roots and casting an attractive and charismatic actor (Tom Neal) as Richard Gilder. Also, as amusing as Marie Prevost was, Rita Johnson's "Aggie Lynch" was suitably brazen and funny as the "Aggie Lynch" from the play. However, like Paid, Within the Law cannot escape its source material and I can see why the up-and-down drama of the last act can come across as stupid. The plot twists are very plausible and characteristic of 1912, but in 1930 or 1939, they are simply over the top.

But the acting is superb, even though I must admit that given a bit more of the MGM polish and a higher tier of actors and actresses, Within the Law could have been a perfect Myrna Loy vehicle (and I did see shades of Myrna in Ruth Hussey's performance). Though this is obviously a programmer and most likely a vehicle for testing audience reaction of Hussey, it is just as entertaining as MGM's "A" pictures of this period.

This programmer, starring Ruth Hussey, concerns a woman, Mary, who, unjustly accused of stealing, vows revenge on her employer. While in prison, she studies law books and realizes that one can use the law to commit crimes and stay out of jail. She joins a team of con artists, of whom a prison friend, Agnes, is a member.

Mary's knowledge of legal cons is a boon to her friends, as it would be today if she had worked at Enron. It's the most interesting part of the movie. Life becomes a little more complicated for her when she sets out to use her boss' son as revenge.

This is an ordinary B movie. What's fun is that it was made in the 1938-1939 era when Gone with the Wind was all the rage. When Mary asks the prison librarian for a book, Gone with the Wind is suggested. Her friend Agnes refers to herself as Scarlett O'Hara. Guess everybody had it on the brain.

When live theatre was popular, talented, young writers aspired to see their work on stage. In this adaptation, the tools of the dramatist are put to good use: reversals, rising and falling action, minor and major crises. Ruth Hussey plays a young woman working in a department store, accused of theft when stolen goods are found in her locker. Despite her protestations of innocence, the stern store owner insists on prosecution. During her three years in prison, where she is befriended by beautiful Rita Johnson, she makes full use of the library, where she studies and learns how to steal "within the law." There's never a dull moment in this compact 65 minute drama, with good actors and snappy dialogue. With newsreels, trailers, and a cartoon, it makes for a satisfying evening.