''Trial'' is a 1955 American

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- ...

directed by Mark Robson and starring Glenn Ford, Dorothy McGuire, Arthur Kennedy and

Juano Hernandez Juano G. "Juano" Hernández (July 19, 1896 – July 17, 1970) was a Puerto Rican stage and film actor who was a pioneer in the African American film industry. He made his silent picture debut in ''The Life of General Villa'', and talking pi ...

. Based on the novel written by

Don Mankiewicz Don Martin Mankiewicz (January 20, 1922 – April 25, 2015) was an American screenwriter and novelist best known for his novel, ''Trial''. Early life Born in Berlin, Germany, he was the son of Sara (née Aaronson) and the screenwriter Herman J ...

, it is about a Mexican boy accused of

rape Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual penetration carried out against a person without their consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or ...

and murder; originally victimized by prejudiced accusers, he becomes a pawn of his

communist Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, ...

defender, whose propaganda purposes would be best served by a verdict of guilty.

Plot

Angel Chavez (

Rafael Campos Rafael Campos (13 May 1936 – 9 July 1985) was an actor from the Dominican Republic whose credits include ''Blackboard Jungle'' (1955), '' Dino'' (1957), ''The Light in the Forest'' (1958), ''Slumber Party '57'' (1976), ''The Astro-Zombies'' (19 ...

) is a Mexican-American teenager who lives in the small

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

town of San Juno. During an annual event called Bass Night held at the town beach, he wanders onto the beach, which is off-limits to Mexican Americans. There he meets a non-Hispanic girl he knows from high school, but she has a weak heart due to rheumatic fever and dies suddenly, and Angel is arrested. On the grounds that her heart attack was caused by Angel's attempt to seduce her—which, as they were minors, would have been statutory rape even if consensual—he is charged with felony murder. A racist mob attempts to break Angel out of jail and

lynch Lynch may refer to: Places Australia * Lynch Island, South Orkney Islands, Antarctica * Lynch Point, Marie Byrd Land, Antarctica * Lynch's Crater, Queensland, Australia England * River Lynch, Hertfordshire * The Lynch, an island in the Rive ...

him, but the warden persuades them to stop by promising that the youth will be executed after a fair trial. David Blake ( Glenn Ford) is a law professor at the state university. He is told he must stop teaching until he has had some courtroom experience. Rejected by many law firms, he finds work at a small one run by Barney Castle ( Arthur Kennedy). Castle wants to defend Angel and agrees to hire Blake to handle the case. Castle and Angel's mother ( Katy Jurado) travels to New York City to raise money to defend Angel. Castle leaves his law clerk Abbe Nyle ( Dorothy McGuire) to help Blake, and they fall in love. Detectives working for Castle's firm uncover an attempt to tamper with the jury on behalf of the prosecution, but a new jury panel is called. Over a weekend break during jury selection, Castle calls Blake to New York to join him at a fundraising rally. Blake quickly realizes that Castle is primarily using the case as a propaganda and fundraising tool for a

Communist Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, ...

group. Insulted at being used, Blake returns to San Juno to see the trial through to the end and represent Angel's interests. Blake's trial strategy is to rebut the prosecution's case sufficiently that he does not need to present a defense. However, at the last moment, Castle returns and, using his influence on Angel's mother, threatens Castle with removal unless Angel testifies. Blake realizes that Castle wants the teen subjected to a harsh cross-examination that will ensure his conviction and execution; he then will be a martyr, and Castle will be able to use the case as a fundraising tool for the

Communist Party A communist party is a political party that seeks to realize the socio-economic goals of communism. The term ''communist party'' was popularized by the title of '' The Manifesto of the Communist Party'' (1848) by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engel ...

. Blake remains on the case, but the cross-examination goes as poorly as feared. Chavez is found guilty, and as the jury did not suggest leniency, the death penalty will be automatic. Castle then does have Blake fired to keep him from speaking during sentencing, but he arrives anyway and requests and receives amicus status. Blake now says that, because the charge of murder was based on a technicality, it is appropriate for the judge to apply another technicality, Chavez's status as a minor, in sentencing. Instead of being hanged, the boy can simply be sent to

reform school A reform school was a penal institution, generally for teenagers mainly operating between 1830 and 1900. In the United Kingdom and its colonies reformatories commonly called reform schools were set up from 1854 onwards for youngsters who wer ...

. When the prosecutor agrees that this would be fair, the African-American judge (

) accepts the suggestion. He then sentences Castle, who has tried to race-bait him during Blake's argument, to 30 days in jail for contempt. Blake and Abbe Nyle leave the court together.

Cast

* Glenn Ford as David Blake * Dorothy McGuire as Abbe Nyle * Arthur Kennedy as Barney Castle * John Hodiak as District Attorney Armstrong * Katy Jurado as Mrs. Chavez *

as Angel Chavez *

as Judge Theodore Motley * Robert Middleton as A.A. 'Fats' Sanders * John Hoyt as Ralph Castillo * Paul Guilfoyle as Cap Grant * Elisha Cook Jr. as Finn * Ann Lee as Gail Wiltse * Whit Bissell as Sam Wiltse * Richard Gaines as Dr. Johannes Albert Schacter * Barry Kelley as Jim Brackett * Eddie Baker as Electrician (uncredited) * Rodney Bell as Lew Bardman (uncredited) * Robert Bice as Abbott (uncredited) *

Frank Cady Frank Randolph Cady (September 8, 1915 – June 8, 2012) was an American actor best known for his role as storekeeper Sam Drucker in three American television series during the 1960s – '' Petticoat Junction'', '' Green Acres'', and ...

as Canford (uncredited) * Hal K. Dawson as Nervous Man (uncredited) * Charles Evans as Lawyer #1 (uncredited) * Frank Ferguson as Kiley (uncredited) * Joe Flynn as Speakers Bureau (uncredited) *

Leonard Freeman Leonard Freeman (October 31, 1920 – January 20, 1974) was an American television writer and producer who is best remembered as the creator of the CBS series ''Hawaii Five-O'' in 1968. He appeared in a 1953 episode (#112) of the TV serie ...

as Reporter (uncredited) *

Everett Glass Everett Glass (July 23, 1891 – March 22, 1966) was an American character actor who appeared in more than eighty films and television shows from the 1940s through the 1960s, including '' Invasion of the Body Snatchers'' (1956) and episodes of ' ...

as George - Law School Dean (uncredited) * Dorothy Green as Mrs. Mary Ackerman (uncredited) * Percy Helton as Youval (uncredited) * Natalie Masters as Rally Chairman (uncredited) * John Maxwell as Benedict (uncredited) * Philo McCullough as Prospective Juror (uncredited) * Mort Mills as Reporter (uncredited) * Grandon Rhodes as Prof. Terry Bliss (uncredited) * Charles Tannen as Bailiff (uncredited) * Frank Wilcox as Lawyer #2 (uncredited) * Harry Wilson as Courtroom Spectator (uncredited) * Jean Wong as Chinese Girl (uncredited) * Sheb Wooley as Butteridge (uncredited) * Wilson Wood as Airline Boarding Checker (uncredited)

Reception

According to MGM records, the film earned $2,312,000 in the U.S. and Canada and $993,000 elsewhere, resulting in a profit of $518,000.

Awards and nominations

References

External links