Monday, July 10, 2023

Sued for Libel (1939)

A very good crime drama which also has an interesting look at the radio industry in the classic pre-TV days.

A murder trial is coming to an end, will Pomeroy (Morgan Conway) be found guilty of killing the husband of Muriel Webster (Lilian Bond), she insists he is innocent. Meanwhile, at radio station NYEB Steve Lonegan (Kent Taylor) waits for the verdict so he can dramatise it on his highly popular radio show. However, due to a trick by reporter Maggie (Linda Hayes), Steve is told the verdict is guilty even though Pomeroy is acquitted. NYEB is left with egg on it's face and a lawsuit from an angry Pomeroy.

Lonegan is still investigating Pomeroy however, he thinks the man is guilty and also involved in an earlier murderer of a young woman. Muriel proves to be an unexpected information source after the murder of a doctor involved in the case but is everything as it seems?

This is a good drama with a complicated but logical plot and some real surprises in store. The radio scenes are also interesting, though dramatising real news events is rather cheesy, Keye Luke is the man with all the voices - though he is obviously dubbed!