Criminal Court (film)
| Criminal Court | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Robert Wise |
| Written by | Earl Felton |
| Screenplay by | Lawrence Kimble |
| Produced by | Martin Mooney |
| Starring | Tom Conway Martha O'Driscoll June Clayworth |
| Cinematography | Frank Redman |
| Edited by | Robert Swink |
| Music by | Paul Sawtell |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | RKO Radio Pictures |
Release dates | |
Running time | 60 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Criminal Court is a 1946 American crime drama film directed by Robert Wise and starring Tom Conway, Martha O'Driscoll and June Clayworth.[2] It was produced and distributed by RKO Pictures.
Wise, who made the movie while under contract to RKO, called it "kind of nothing."[3]
Plot
Hotshot lawyer Steve Barnes is a candidate to be district attorney. His girlfriend Georgia Gale has a job singing for nightclub owner Vic Wright, a gangster who works for the mob boss, Marquette.
Steve has film footage of Vic and brother Frankie committing crimes. He rejects a $50,000 bribe made in the form of a campaign donation. Joan, his secretary, spies on Steve for the gangster. She witnesses a struggle for a gun and sees Vic accidentally shot dead.
Georgia is seen leaving the scene and is charged with murder. Marquette will have his stooge Joe West give false testimony to convict her unless Steve plays ball.
Steve realizes just in time that Joan is involved and calls her to the stand. West tries to shoot her, but is overcome. Joan tells what really happened and Georgia goes free.
Cast
- Tom Conway as Steve Barnes
- Martha O'Driscoll as Georgia Gale
- June Clayworth as Joan Mason
- Robert Armstrong as Vic Wright
- Addison Richards as District Attorney Gordon
- Pat Gleason as Joe West
- Steve Brodie as Frankie Wright
- Robert Warwick as Marquette
- Phil Warren as Bill Brannegan
- Joe Devlin as Brownie
- Lee Bonnell as Gil Lambert
- Robert Clarke as Dance Director
Production
Filming took place in March 1946.
Reception
Variety called it a "neat courtroom melodrama" with "excellent pace".[4]
References
- ^ a b "Criminal Court: Detail View". American Film Institute. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
- ^ "Criminal Court (1946) - Robert Wise | Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related | AllMovie".
- ^ Walker, Elsie; Johnson, David T. (2008). "Robert Wise". Conversations with directors : an anthology of interviews from Literature/film quarterly. Scarecrow Press. p. 103.
- ^ "Criminal Court". Variety. August 14, 1946. p. 10.
External links
- Criminal Court at IMDb
- Criminal Court at the TCM Movie Database (archived version)
- Criminal Court at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films