Criminal Court (1946)

The Age of Commercialism

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

This is a good noir-ish courtroom drama that is well acted and nicely paced, directed by Robert Wise. It is a b- movie but is very solidly made and it will hold your attention.Tom Conway stars as a criminal defense lawyer with a flamboyant courtroom style. In one particularly long courtroom scene early in the film Conway delivers a stunning performance. Anyone who has any doubts about Conway's acting abilities should view that one scene and they will change their mind. Little known Martha O'Driscoll is very beautiful in this, her nightclub scenes are well staged and her overall performance is first rate. Many fine performers such as Robert Armstrong and the great Addison Richards round out the cast.If you want to see courtroom dramatics and cunning legal maneuvers in a mid-1940's film-noir setting, "Criminal Court" is recommended for you.

***SPOILERS*** Interesting but a bit nutty courtroom drama with big time defense attorney Steve Barnes, Tom Conway, trying to get his client as well as girlfriend night club singer Georgia "On his Mind" Gale, Martha O'Briscoll, off on a murder rap that he in fact committed. Well not exactly murder but self-defense. That's when Georgia's mobbed up boss Club Circle owner Vic Wright, Robert Armstrong, got into a scuffle with Barnes and after he dropped his gun, that he was going to shoot Barnes with, it went off accidentally hitting and killing him!What started all this was Barnes planning to release to the press photos and motion picture film of Wright's brainless kid brother Frankie,Steve Brodie, paying off judges district attorneys and politicians to look the other way in not having him indited for, among other things, serving liquor to minors in his club as well as not having a genuine, his is faked, liquor license to boot! It was Georgia's misfortune to have dropped into her boss Vic Wright's office just as her lover Barnes checked out and be spotted, with smoking gun in hand, by kid brother Frankie! Barnes! Now determined to prove Georgia innocent Barnes tries to prove that he not Georgia was the one who gunned down Vic Wright! It never seemed to occur to Barnes that if he succeeded in getting Georgia off while getting himself convicted he may well up not only disbarred but put behind bars for life or even executed from killing Vic Wright! That's if his self-defense strategy in shooting Wright backfires and is not believed by the jury!**SPOILERS*** In a typical feel good Hollywood style ending everything turns out to be all right for both Bearnes and Georgia in the end. It's Bernes private secretary Joan Mason, June Claynorth, who in fact was secretly working for Vic Wright who was an eye witness to his death by being in the other room and watching the whole scene through a peephole. It's Joan who finally, with a little persuasion on Barnes' part, came through for him in the film's final and almost laughable sequence. But that's after a number of the late Vic Wright's goons were apprehend by the police right inside the courtroom spectator galley as they were about to blast Joan to keep her from talking!

Tom Conway stars in Criminal Court, a 1946 B movie also starring Martha O'Driscoll, and June Clayworth. Conway plays Steve Barnes, a lawyer with a great reputation who is going to run for DA. When his girlfriend (O'Driscoll, who in real life married big money and got out of Dodge) is accused of the murder of the gangster whose club she worked in, he defends her. It was an accidental shooting, and he actually did it. There is an eye witness, if only he can find out who it is -- and there is a lot of resistance to him finding out.This is a very light noir without much suspense, mildly entertaining. I always enjoy Tom Conway, and I wasn't that familiar with O'Driscoll, so I found it enjoyable.

Director Robert Wise, near the beginning of his career, made a decent lawyer film with a good ending. There's not much suspense, and the plot device owes much to the play, "Hat, Coat and Glove"; and it is no surprise that Tom Conway was in a film re-make of that play when it was made into a movie a second time. While this might not be great noir, it is certainly a "B movie" that is easy to watch.