The Trial of Mary Dugan

Veteran comedy director McLeod somehow landed up doing this serious legal melodrama and he adds a few nice touches to the proceedings which have been padded out by adding background to the original 1929 courtroom drama. Strangely though the film is about 10 minutes shorter than the earlier version it crams a lot more such as this background into it but that could be because by 1941 the average movie was moving more quickly than it would have in the early talkie era. And yet it still seems to move a bit slowly along. Another difference from 1929 is that by 1941 studio production values were more elaborate so this seems to be more of a polished effort. The story benefits considerably from the support offered by character actors Alma Kruger and Sarah Haden (presiding over the girls reformatory early on) Frieda Inescort, Marjorie Main (a swaggering landlady with hands on her hips) and Henry O'Neill (cross examining her in court).