Main Street Lawyer (1939)

Director:

Dudley Murphy

Writers:

Harry Hamilton (story)
Joseph Krumgold (screenplay)

Release Date:

3 November 1939 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

GANGLAND MEETS ITS MASTER! (original poster-all caps)

Plot:

Flossie, girl friend of gangster Tony Marco, is released from the state penitentiary. With Marco and Ballou...

Plot Keywords:

Prison | Letter | Attorney | Penitentiary | Employee

Cast

  (Credited cast)

Edward Ellis	...	Abraham Lincoln 'Link' Boggs
Anita Louise	...	Honey Boggs
Robert Baldwin	...	Tom Morris
Harold Huber	...	Tony Marco
Clem Bevans	...	Zeke
Margaret Hamilton	...	Lucy, Boggs' Housekeeper
Beverly Roberts	...	Flossie
Henry Kolker	...	Donnelly, District Attorney
Willard Robertson	...	John Ralston
Richard Lane	...	Ballou, Marco's Lawyer
Ferris Taylor	...	Trial Judge
Wallis Clark	...	Reynolds

Also Known As:

When Gangland Strikes (UK)

Runtime:

USA:53 min (edited version) | USA:72 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:Approved | USA:Passed (National Board of Review)

Company:

Republic Pictures

Movie Connections:

Remade as When Gangland Strikes (1956)

The viewers suffered the most.

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

Flossie (Beverly Roberts), girl friend of gangster Tony Marco (Harold Huber), is released from the state penitentiary. With Marco and Ballou (Richard Lane), his lawyer, she goes to Corinthia to deliver a letter to "Link" Boggs, from her cell-mate who died while in the prison. The woman had been sent to prison by Boggs, and there had given birth to a baby daughter. Boggs adopted the child, named her Honey, and had bought her up as his own.

District Attorney Boggs enrages John Ralston (Willard Roberston), virtual owner of the town, when Boggs refuses to prosecute a Ralston employee who had stolen his week's wages two days before payday because he needed it to meet payment on a new stove for his mother. Ralston threatens to have Boggs recalled.

The court-room scene is witnessed by Marco's group, and Ballou seen an opportunity to keep Marco from prison, who has been indicted in the Big City by District Attorney Donnelly (Henry Kolker), by getting a change of venue. Ballou takes the letter so he can use the information about Honey (Anita Louie)to blackmail Boggs. Honey is in love with Tom Morris (Robert Baldwin), young attorney and nephew of Ralston.

Boggs, after reading the letter, "throws" the prosecution of Marco...and is recalled from office, and Tom is elected District Attorney of Corinthia. This serves to break up his romance with Honey.

Boggs then persuades Tom to reopen the case against Marco. Marco offers Ralston a bribe in the form of a real estate deal if Ralston will have Tom drop the case. An argument follows, Marco shoots Ralston; and Honey, on her way to see Tom at Ralston's office, is circumstantially entangled and accused of the shooting.

Now, Boggs has to defend his adopted daughter who is being prosecuted by her former fiancée, who still loves her but is a true-blue-to-the-law fire-eater prosecutor.

And, why is this? Because Boggs wanted to shield his adopted daughter from learning she was the child of a jail-bird.