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The Public Defender

"A powerful plea for justice. The scales weigh the balance-on one side "Justice for the Rich"-on the other side "Ignominy for the poor." On which side will it balance?"

When bank president Leslie Morrison dips into the till, he seeks to place the blame on bank clerk David Moulton by altering the figures in Moulton's books. He lays his plan carefully, but upon leaving the building late one night, Morrison falls into an elevator shaft and is killed. Moulton, the one man known to have been there, is charged with murder and tried by district attorney Robert Murdock. Unable to afford a competent defense, Moulton is convicted and sentenced to die in an electric chair. However, Mary Reed, a stenographer who loves Moulton, appeals as a last resort to the newly elected public defender, Arthur Nelson. Nelson investigates the case and discovers evidence on the very eve of the execution, evidence that will warrant a stay. Rescued from death in the nick of time, Moulton is granted a new trial under the supervision of the public defender and is found innocent.

Top Cast

  • Frank Keenan

    Frank Keenan

    Robert Murdock

  • Alma Hanlon

    Alma Hanlon

    Mary Reed

  • Robert Edeson

    Robert Edeson

    Arthur Nelson

  • John St. Polis

    John St. Polis

    David Moulton

  • Florence Short

    Florence Short

    Rose Moulton

  • Louis Stern

    Louis Stern

    Leslie Morrison

  • Tex La Grove

    Tex La Grove

    Walter Holmes

  • Harry Kingsley

    Harry Kingsley

    Arthur Stevens

  • Helen Conwell

    Helen Conwell

    'Queenie' La Mar

Overview

When bank president Leslie Morrison dips into the till, he seeks to place the blame on bank clerk David Moulton by altering the figures in Moulton's books. He lays his plan carefully, but upon leaving the building late one night, Morrison falls into an elevator shaft and is killed. Moulton, the one man known to have been there, is charged with murder and tried by district attorney Robert Murdock. Unable to afford a competent defense, Moulton is convicted and sentenced to die in an electric chair. However, Mary Reed, a stenographer who loves Moulton, appeals as a last resort to the newly elected public defender, Arthur Nelson. Nelson investigates the case and discovers evidence on the very eve of the execution, evidence that will warrant a stay. Rescued from death in the nick of time, Moulton is granted a new trial under the supervision of the public defender and is found innocent.

Rating

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