Mr. District Attorney

When the story begins, DA Craig Warren (Adolph Menjou) approaches a young lawyer he just observed in court. Warren is impressed with Steve Bennett (Dennis O'Keefe) and offers him a job. For a while, Bennet is a very valuable asset to his boss...so valuable that Warren does something truly awful. When he learns that Bennett is dating Marcia Whiting (Marguerite Chapman), however, he takes it upon himself to talk to Marcia....to tell her to break off her relationship with him! Why? Because she has a past and Warren is worried it will harm Bennett's chances of one day becoming the District Attorney. She agrees and, not surprisingly, when Bennett finds out about this he is furious. But by now the damage has been done...and she's married some mobster. Bennett, naturally, quits his job.

Soon Bennett is offered a chance to defend his ex-girlfriend...and when he does it, the mob thinks they have a lawyer who will do their bidding...and they're right. Is there any hope for Bennett? And what's next?

The first half of the film is excellent...and hooked me. The second half, while not terrible, is REALLY tough to believe. Neat...but tough to believe. Overall, a very good time-passer.

Dennis O'Keefe can't stomach defending men he knows to be guilty, so he joins D. A. Adolphe Menjou's office. His boss is pleased with his work until he loses a case. Menjou thinks his mind isn't on his business, so he investigates and discovers O'Keefe is in live with Marguerite Chapman. She was tried for murder in Kansas City, but beat the rap. Menjou thinks she did it, and sends O'Keefe to Italy to get a witness. While he's gone, Miss Chapman marries her boss and the local mob's, George Coulouris. O'Keefe returns, finds out what happened, and quits.

It all runs back to Phillips Lord's radio series of the same name, and with an involved and noirish plot, this runs along pretty well. A good part of that can be attributed to the cast, which includes Michael O'Shea, Jeff Donnell, Steve Geray, and Ralph Morgan. Although as a mystery it's no great shakes, the fast pace keeps things interesting.

A young assistant DA gets mixed up with an unscrupulous woman and her criminally connected husband.

On the whole, the movie is a rather pleasant surprise, thanks to a lively cast and an edgy script. From the unpromising title, I expected a replay of the radio series that was nothing special. Instead, however, the movie plays more like a 40's noir than a legal documentary.

The story's crux revolves around Marcia's (Chapman) ruthless manipulations, and Chapman is excellent as the designing spider woman. As a result of the clever script and adept acting, it's hard to detect Marcia's true intentions. That leaves us in the same position as her paramour, the befuddled Steve (O'Keefe). But, Steve's none too ethical himself since he hires out to crooked businessman Randolph (Coulouris), after leaving the DA's office. Together, Marcia and Steve make a good tarnished pair, well suited to noir.

It's a dynamic Adolph Menjou as the truculent DA, however, who makes the film work. Thanks to actor Menjou, we understand why Steve has a love-hate relationship with his boss. As a result, Steve's basic dilemma revolves around which he will follow—the DA and his profession or Marcia and her allure. Fortunately, if things get too heavy, the lively Harrington (O'Shea) is around with his well-scripted quips.

Despite its assets, the film's far from a classic, but does remain a lively little programmer thanks to a large dose of Hollywood professionalism.

I won't rehash the entire storyline here as that's already been done. I will say that Mr. District Attorney is a better and more enjoyable film that I initially expected. It's filled with a solid and well rounded cast all of which bring the goods. With Chapman strong and only surpassed by Adolphe Menjou, who I think really pulls everything together nicely. The script is pretty good as well and it does a credible job of keeping the true motives of Chapman's character intentionally hazy as long as is needed. The end isn't really a surprise but still everything leading up to it, including steady and brisk direction, all contribute to a positive viewing experience.

Marguerite Chapman is a dream of beauty here, she is loved by too many, Dennis O'Keefe is one of them, employed by Adolphe Menjou as the District Attorney, who drives him hard, but this whole intricate business would have been a total bore, in spite of constant crossfire conversation with bullets flying around everywhere, if Michael O'Shea wasn't there to humour it up. But for him the show would have been as dreary as Anna Karenina. Because of his sugar and spice the cocktail becomes tasty, and at least you won't fall asleep. There is a mystery as well, there are too many murders crowding in upon each other, some of them anonymous, but the final murder attempt closes the case with a vengeance, as there are no more crooks left to murder.