''On Trial'' is a 1928 American
talking drama film
In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...
produced and distributed by
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...
, and directed by
Archie Mayo
Archibald L. Mayo (January 29, 1891 – December 4, 1968) was a film director, screenwriter and actor.
Early years
The son of a tailor, Mayo was born in New York City. After attending the city's public schools, he studied at Columbia Unive ...
. The film starred
Pauline Frederick
Pauline Frederick (born Pauline Beatrice Libbey, August 12, 1883 – September 19, 1938) was an American stage and film actress.
Early life
Frederick was born Pauline Beatrice Libbey (later changed to Libby) in Boston in 1883 (some sources stat ...
,
Lois Wilson,
Bert Lytell,
Holmes Herbert
Holmes Herbert (born Horace Edward Jenner; 30 July 1882 – 26 December 1956) was an English character actor who appeared in Hollywood films from 1915 to 1952, often as a British gentleman.
Early life
Born Horace Edward Jenner, (some sou ...
, and
Jason Robards
Jason Nelson Robards Jr. (July 26, 1922 – December 26, 2000) was an American actor. Known as an interpreter of the works of playwright Eugene O'Neill, Robards received two Academy Awards, a Tony Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and the Cannes ...
. The film is based on the 1914 Broadway play of the same name by
Elmer Rice
Elmer Rice (born Elmer Leopold Reizenstein, September 28, 1892 – May 8, 1967) was an American playwright. He is best known for his plays ''The Adding Machine'' (1923) and his Pulitzer Prize-winning drama of New York tenement life, '' Street Sce ...
. A
silent version of the film was also released on December 29, 1928.
The
first film was released in 1917, starring
Barbara Castleton,
Sidney Ainsworth
Sidney Ainsworth (born Charles Sydney Ainsworth, often credited as Sydney Ainsworth; December 21, 1872 – May 21, 1922), was a screen and stage actor who appeared in his first movie in 1909. He was born in Manchester, England and died in Madison, ...
, and
Mary McAllister. It was
remade again in 1939 with
John Litel
John Beach Litel (December 30, 1892 – February 3, 1972) was an American film and television actor.
Early life
Litel was born in Albany, Wisconsin. During World War I, he enlisted in the French Army and was twice decorated for bravery. Ba ...
,
Margaret Lindsay
Margaret Lindsay (born Margaret Kies; September 19, 1910 – May 9, 1981) was an American film actress. Her time as a Warner Bros. contract player during the 1930s was particularly productive. She was noted for her supporting work in successf ...
, and
Edward Norris
Septimus Edward Norris (March 10, 1911 – December 18, 2002) was an American film actor.
Early years
Norris was born in 1911, the son of a prominent Philadelphia gynecologist, who was described in a newspaper article as "a famous surgeon and ...
.
Plot summary
A man is put on trial for the murder on his best friend. A young attorney wants to become successful and decides to defend him. However, he is very inexperienced.
Cast
*
Pauline Frederick
Pauline Frederick (born Pauline Beatrice Libbey, August 12, 1883 – September 19, 1938) was an American stage and film actress.
Early life
Frederick was born Pauline Beatrice Libbey (later changed to Libby) in Boston in 1883 (some sources stat ...
as Joan Trask
*
Bert Lytell as Robert Strickland
*
Lois Wilson as May Strickland
*
Holmes Herbert
Holmes Herbert (born Horace Edward Jenner; 30 July 1882 – 26 December 1956) was an English character actor who appeared in Hollywood films from 1915 to 1952, often as a British gentleman.
Early life
Born Horace Edward Jenner, (some sou ...
as Gerald Trask
*
Richard Tucker
Richard Tucker (August 28, 1913January 8, 1975) was an American operatic tenor and cantor. Long associated with the Metropolitan Opera, Tucker's career was primarily centered in the United States.
Early life
Tucker was born Rivn (Rubin) Ticke ...
as Prosecuting Attorney
*
Jason Robards, Sr. as Defense Attorney
*
Franklin Pangborn
Franklin Pangborn (January 23, 1889 – July 20, 1958) was an American comedic character actor famous for playing small but memorable roles with comic flair. He appeared in many Preston Sturges movies as well as the W. C. Fields films '' Interna ...
as Turnbull
*
Fred Kelsey
Frederick Alvin Kelsey (August 20, 1884 – September 2, 1961) was an American actor, film director, and screenwriter.
Kelsey directed one- and two-reel films for Universal Film Manufacturing Company. He appeared in more than 400 films betw ...
as Clerk
*
Vondell Darr as Doris Strickland
*
Edmund Breese
Edmund Breese (June 18, 1871 – April 6, 1936) was an American stage and film actor of the silent era.
Biography
Breese was born in Brooklyn, New York. His parents were Renshaw Breese and Josephine Busby.
The Opera House in Eureka Spring ...
as Judge
*
Edward Martindel
Edward Martindel (July 8, 1876 – May 4, 1955) was an American stage and film actor who appeared on Broadway and in more than 80 films between 1915 and 1946.
Born in Hamilton, Ohio, he was the son of Dr. and Mrs. Frank Martindell. His si ...
as Dr. Morgan
Reception
According to Warner Bros records, the film earned $1,089,000 domestically and $365,000 in the rest of the world.
Preservation status
The 1928 film version of ''On Trial'' is now considered
lost. However,
Vitaphone soundtrack discs for the film survive and are housed at the
UCLA Film and Television Archive
The UCLA Film & Television Archive is a visual arts organization focused on the preservation, study, and appreciation of film and television, based at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
Also a nonprofit exhibition venue, the ar ...
and
British Film Institute
The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery (United Kingdom), National Lot ...
. The film's trailer also survives.
See also
*
List of lost films
References
External links
*
* (1917)
* (1939)
1928 films
1928 drama films
American black-and-white films
American courtroom films
American drama films
American films based on plays
Films directed by Archie Mayo
Lost American films
Transitional sound films
Warner Bros. films
Films with screenplays by Robert Lord (screenwriter)
1920s American films
{{1920s-drama-film-stub