With real material abundant on the great Earl Rogers, this ridiculous melodrama based on his daughter's book of the same title is not worth watching. Glenn Ford stood out as the only professional who rose above the lack of script and direction to deliver a believable performance.
It's a good thing that this was released (just 3 years) after Adela Rogers' (author) death so that she never had to see it.
A truly epic film could be made about this legal defense legend, who in his only role as prosecutor in the LA Times bombing, defeated the bomber's defense attorney Clarence Darrow, then defended Darrow against jury tampering charges and got him acquitted.
Adela's book 'Final Verdict' (1962), and 'Take the Witness' (1932), both outline Earl Rogers as a groundbreaking attorney who introduced modern forensics, ballistics, alcohol defense, and other modern concepts into American courts with a flair never before seen. Roger's precedent of allowing the defendant (Darrow) to summarize his own defense to the jury was cited in the Simpson trial in the 1990's.
His life would make an excellent TV miniseries centered around his most famous and groundbreaking cases - without the needless melodrama.
Someone please make it.
It's a good thing that this was released (just 3 years) after Adela Rogers' (author) death so that she never had to see it.
A truly epic film could be made about this legal defense legend, who in his only role as prosecutor in the LA Times bombing, defeated the bomber's defense attorney Clarence Darrow, then defended Darrow against jury tampering charges and got him acquitted.
Adela's book 'Final Verdict' (1962), and 'Take the Witness' (1932), both outline Earl Rogers as a groundbreaking attorney who introduced modern forensics, ballistics, alcohol defense, and other modern concepts into American courts with a flair never before seen. Roger's precedent of allowing the defendant (Darrow) to summarize his own defense to the jury was cited in the Simpson trial in the 1990's.
His life would make an excellent TV miniseries centered around his most famous and groundbreaking cases - without the needless melodrama.
Someone please make it.