Mr. District Attorney (1947)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

Robert B. Sinclair

Writers:

Ian McLellan Hunter (writer)
Phillips Lord (radio series)
(more)

Release Date:

20 February 1947 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Tagline:

There's A Law Against A Woman Like Her!

Plot Keywords:

Murder | Lawyer | Beautiful Woman

Cast

Dennis O'Keefe	...	Steve Bennett
Adolphe Menjou	...	Craig Warren
Marguerite Chapman	...	Marcia Manning
Michael O'Shea	...	Harrington
George Coulouris	...	James Randolph
Jeff Donnell	...	Miss Miller
Steven Geray	...	Berotti
Ralph Morgan	...	Ed Jamison
John Kellogg	...	Franzen
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Doris Houck	...	Secretary (as Doris Colleen)
Robert Barron	...	Leader of gang (uncredited)
Joan Blair	...	Mrs. Marsden (uncredited)
Willie Bloom	...	Mug (uncredited)
Paul Bradley	...	Bit Role (uncredited)
Bruce Cameron	...	Guard (uncredited)
Noble 'Kid' Chissel	...	Mug (uncredited)
Cliff Clark	...	Police Captain Lambert (uncredited)
Gino Corrado	...	Maitre D' (uncredited)
Frank Dae	...	Judge (uncredited)
Johnny Duncan	...	Newsboy (uncredited)
Ralf Harolde	...	Mr. Marsden (uncredited)
Holmes Herbert	...	Gallentyne (uncredited)
Al Hill	...	Hood (uncredited)
Ernest Hilliard	...	Businessman (uncredited)
Esther Howard	...	Bit Role (uncredited)
Fred Howard	...	Doctor (uncredited)
Boyd Irwin	...	Party Guest (uncredited)
Jerry Jerome	...	Bit Role (uncredited)
Donald Kerr	...	Reporter (uncredited)
George Lloyd	...	Bartender (uncredited)
Charles Marsh	...	Ambulance driver (uncredited)
Forbes Murray	...	Judge (uncredited)
Howard Negley	...	Detective (uncredited)
Frank O'Connor	...	Waiter (uncredited)
Frank Reicher	...	Peter Lantz (uncredited)
Gene Roth	...	Doorman (uncredited)
Cy Schindell	...	Truck driver (uncredited)
Arthur Space	...	Party Guest (uncredited)
Ted Stanhope	...	Maitre d' (uncredited)
Charles Trowbridge	...	Longfield (uncredited)
Emmett Vogan	...	Attorney Harper (uncredited)
Lillian Wells	...	Switchboard operator (uncredited)
Frank Wilcox	...	Defense Attorney (uncredited)
Robert Williams	...	Reporter (uncredited)

Directed by
Robert B. Sinclair

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Ian McLellan Hunter		writer
Phillips Lord		radio series (as Phillips H. Lord)
Ben Markson		adaptation
Sidney Marshall		story

Produced by
Samuel Bischoff	....	producer

Original Music by
Herschel Burke Gilbert		(as Herschel Gilbert)

Cinematography by
Bert Glennon
Henry Freulich		(uncredited)

Film Editing by
William A. Lyon		(as William Lyon)

Art Direction by
George Brooks
Stephen Goosson

Set Decoration by
Earl Teass

Costume Design by
Jean Louis

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
James Nicholson	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Jack A. Goodrich	....	sound (as Jack Goodrich)

Camera and Electrical Department
Ned Scott	....	still photographer

Music Department
Morris Stoloff	....	musical director (as M.W. Stoloff)

Production Companies

• Columbia Pictures Corporation

Distributors

• Columbia Pictures (1947) (USA) (theatrical)
• Kit Parker Films (2007) (worldwide) (all media) (copyright owner)
• VCI Home Video (2007) (USA) (DVD)

Also Known As:

District Attorney

Runtime:

USA:81 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:(Banned) (1947)

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

I just frisked your monkey out there and picked myself up a souvenir

(There are Spoilers) Quiting his high powered law firm by rejecting a case where he felt his client was guilty out of job attorney Steve Bennett, Dennis O'Keefe, catches the eye of the city's District Attorney Craig Warren, Adolphe Menjou, who hires him as his assistant D.A.

On Steve's first assignment involving power-broker James Randolph's, George Coulouris, real-estate & construction firm-Randolph & Longfield-he meets Randolph's private secretary Marcia Manning, Margerite Chapman, and it's love at first sight. Steve doesn't realize it but Marcia is a tough dame who knows what she want's and how to get it. What Marcia want's from Steve is what evidence the D.A's office has on her boss and secret lover James Randolph.

D.A Warren knows full well Marcia's background back in Kansas City where she was involved in a suspicious car accident, that she was acquitted of, were an important state witness was run down and killed. Not wanting to openly interfere in his assistants, Steve Bennet, love life Warren gets him out of the country to extradite a local hood, in Italy, so in time the big romance will cool off.

With Steve back in town, after some three weeks in sunny Italy, he finds out to his shock and surprise that his honey and the girl that he left behind Marcia had married her boss James Randolph while he was away! Holding his boss D.A Warren responsible from his break up with Marica Steve quits his job and eventually end up working as Randolph's attorney!

Steve soon finds out that Randolph is dirty and working with the mob as a front-man for mobster and nightclub owner Berotti, Steven Geray. The two hoods, Randolph & Berotti, are trying to get the city counsel to pass a bill to build a superhighway straight through the heart of the city's Westgate District.

Things start to get ugly with the so-called suicide of Randolph's legal expert Ed Jamison, Ralph Morgan, who was, in an effort to save his neck, ready to talk to the D.A's office to strike up a deal with D.A Warren. Meanwhile back in the Westgate District Berotti and Randolph's hoods shake down the merchants by forcing them to sell out to Randolph's firm. By buying up all the real-estate in Westgate Randolph and his silent partner Berotti will make millions when the superhighway is finally built!

It takes a while for the confused and love-sick Steve Bennet to get his head screwed back on in realizing that Marcia has absolutely no use for him other then have Steve used as a accessory to crime. It turns out that Steve's only reason in working for Randolph is to throw off the D.A's investigation of Randolph and Berotti criminal connections. By the time Steve realizes what a sucker he was it's almost too late from him to get out of the mess that he put himself into.

***SPOILER ALERT***In a desperate attempt to make up for what he did in helping the mob and their, or is it the other way around, stooge James Randolph Steve confronts Randolph at his office and ends up, in self-defense, shooting him dead. With a murder rap now hanging over his head Steve has only one choice left and that's to come clean! But with Marcia manipulating, from behind the scenes, him whatever evidence that can exonerate Steve in Randolph's murder has been destroyed! Or has it!