True Confession

Synopsis: Helen and Ken are a pretty strange couple. She is a pathological liar, and he is a scrupulously honest (and therefore unsuccessful) lawyer. Helen starts a new job, and when her employer is found dead, all the (circumstantial) evidence points at her. She is put on trial for murder, and her husband defends her. He thinks she is lying again when she says she didn't do it, and insists she plead that she did, but in self defense. Charlie, a shady, odd character who may or may not know something about what really happened, hangs around the courtroom and jail making rude comments and noises. After Helen is acquitted, he tries to blackmail them.
Genre: Comedy, Crime
Director(s): Wesley Ruggles
Production: Paramount Pictures
 
IMDB:
7.4
APPROVED
Year:
1937
85 min
91 Views


Mrs. Zimmerman, Tony Krauch.

Mr. Zimmerman's wife's cousin

Tony Krauch.

Tony Krauch. Mrs. Zimmerman's

wife's cousin.

Mrs. Zimmerman's maiden name

is Durphy.

Tony Krauch.

Tony Krauch, Mr.

Zimmerman's wife's cousin.

Meat bill. Meat bill.

- Kenneth Bartlett's office.

- Hello, Ken, I got one!

- I got a case for you.

- Yeah? Well, who is it? What's it about?

You know Zimmerman's Meat Market,

two stores this side of the corner?

You know the Zimmerman

that's gonna sue us if we don't pay?

Well, it's not Mr. Zimmerman,

but it's Mr. Zimmerman's wife's cousin.

- B-But what's happened?

- I'm telling you.

Tony Krauch is in trouble. He's

accused of stealing a carload of hams.

Mrs. Zimmerman knows that you're a lawyer, and she

thinks maybe if you handle the case for Tony Krauch,

we'll be able to pay

her husband for the meat.

- Isn't it wonderful?

- And he didn't do it, did he?

He didn't really steal

the carload of hams, did he?

Oh

- I forgot to ask, but probably he didn't, Ken. Well, I'm sure he didn't.

But even if he did,

you've got to take the case.

You just can't represent people who

aren't guilty. You can't afford to.

If he didn't do it,

I'll be glad to represent him.

But if he

- if he's guilty, I won't touch it. You know that.

He's on his way to your office now.

Mrs. Zimmerman just called him up.

If you get Tony Krauch acquitted, Mrs. Zimmerman has

another cousin, a lady cousin, who wants a divorce.

Ken, this is the biggest break

you've ever had.

Will you let me know how it comes out? Will you let

me know just as soon as you've talked to Tony Krauch?

Sure I'll call ya. I'll let you

know what happens. And here's hoping.

And will you please take the case,

even if he-

I mean, will you

let me know right away?

Yes, I love you too.

Good-bye, honey. Good luck.

H- How- How do you do?

I'm Tony Krauch.

Oh, y-yes. My wife, Mrs. Bartlett, uh,

phoned that you were coming here and-

They can't prove nothin'.

Fine.

Naturally, when a-

when a man is innocent-

Mr. Krauch,

I'll admit frankly I'm far from

being a prominent attorney,

but I do have certain principles and a

code of practice to which I strictly adhere.

['m, uh

- Well, ['m a stickler for honesty. Okay by me.

What I mean is I must know right at the start

whether you stole the hams or didn't steal them.

Of course

I didn't steal no hams.

Well, then that settles everything.

I'll be glad to represent you,

and I'm certain we shall prove

your innocence in a court of law.

You tell 'em. I got alibis,

plenty of alibis. Good.

Uh, now, Mr. Krauch,

before we delve into the facts, I think

we should have a perfect understanding.

I'm very happy to represent you,

and I'm going to ask a fee of one hundred dollars.

Okay by me.

That's fine, Mr. Krauch.

Now, of course, you gotta wait.

Wait? Yeah, for your dough.

I mean until I sell the hams.

Mmm. Hello. Hello.

Oh, Ken. Ken, what happened?

- He stole the hams.

- But what happened?

- You turned him down?

- In a way. I mean, I threw him out.

You threw him out?

Ken, doesn't it mean anything to you that you've

just thrown out the cousin of our butcher's wife?

Where are we gonna get our meat now? And where

are we gonna get the money to trade any place...

if you won't take

a case when it's offered to you?

Oh, Helen, how can you talk like that

when I've told you the man is guilty?

Well, I don't care whether he's guilty or not.

Somebody's got to represent him. Who are we-

Helen, listen. I love you,

but I'm not going

to argue with you about a man...

who promises to pay me out of the

money he gets for selling the hams.

All right. I love you too.

See ya tonight. Good-bye.

Hello? Mr. Krayler, please.

Helen Bartlett.

Oh, yes. Hello, Mr. Krayler.

Yes, yes, I've been thinking it over.

I don't see any reason

why I shouldn't take the job.

Thanks. It's awfully

nice of you to offer it.

Oh, certainly, Mr. Krayler.

Tomorrow morning?

Thank you.

Good afternoon.

Mr. Davenport's office.

Oh, Helen.

Daisy, I want you to come over

right away. Yes, I have to see you.

Say, what do you think I am? I can't get up and walk

out of the office in the middle of the afternoon.

- What's it all about?

- Well, I can't tell you on the phone. Come on over.

I told ya, I can't leave.

Anyway, I have a date later.

Well, what is it?

If you can't tell me over the phone,

I just won't hear it, that's all.

I have to stay here and finish some

letters and take care of the office.

You won't come?

Oh, Daisy, then I'll have to tell you.

I went to the medicine cabinet,

and I was dizzy.

I got the wrong bottle and-

Oh, Daisy!

The wrong bottle? Helen!

Hello! Hello! Helen!

She's poisoned!

Where is she? Helen.!

How do you feel?

What was it? Which bottle?

Hmm?

I said-

You were lying again.

You didn't take poison.

Oh, that.

I just had to see you, Daisy.

I suppose it doesn't mean a thing to you that I

practically have heart trouble from rushing over here.

I'm sorry, but you

have to help me out.

Oh, what is it this time?

Another of your fairy tales?

No, honest, Daisy.

Ken isn't doing well.

My stories aren't selling, so I

- Well, of course, they aren't selling.

The people you write about

- they're crazy. Who could believe 'em?

I believe them! I live every story

with them! Why, those publishers-

Oh, but like I said, we aren't doing

well financially, so I got a job.

No.

Yes.

And what'll Ken say? He won't say

a word, 'cause he's not gonna know.

Oh, that's grand. A wonderful

insurance for a happy marriage.

Got any cold water?

Uh-

Helen, if you think you can hold down a

job six days a week without Ken knowing it-

It's five days a week. Well, all

right, five. I still say that you can't-

And $50 a week. And three hours

a day. And guess what I am.

No, thanks.

Well, I'm a private secretary

to a broker.

Are you serious?

Of course I am.

And who thought to offer you

a proposition like that?

Mr. Krayler, Mr. Otto Krayler.

He was an old friend of my father.

Mmm, five days a week, three hours a day,

$50 a week, private secretary to a broker-

And you can't even take

shorthand. Well, I can learn.

That's not all

you're gonna learn.

Helen, you're stark, staring mad.

I am not!

Well, all I can say is,

it was nice knowing you...

while you were happily married,

and I'll be seeing you.

You don't need me.

I do!

I'm all excited, and Ken will notice

if we're alone and ask questions.

You know how lawyers are-

asking questions, practicing.

Well, I still have a date,

so let him pract- Ooh!

Hello.

Hello.

Who's that?

Well?

I'll pay you next week.

Don't make me laugh.

You owe me $12, and I'm

here to get the typewriter.

You got your nerve! Get out

of here. Don't make me laugh.

Nothing could make you laugh.

Listen, I really mean it.

I'll pay you next week. Will you please

leave the typewriter here until then?

I- I need it for my business.

No.

Good-bye, baby.

[f your business wasn't bad,

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Claude Binyon

Claude Binyon (October 17, 1905 Chicago, Illinois – February 14, 1978 Glendale, California) was a screenwriter and director. His genres were comedy, musicals, and romances. As a Chicago-based journalist for the Examiner newspaper, he became city editor of the show business trade magazine Variety in the late 1920s. According to Robert Landry, who worked at Variety for 50 years including as managing editor, Binyon came up with the famous 1929 stock market crash headline, "Wall Street Lays An Egg." (However, writer Ken Bloom ascribes the headline to Variety publisher Sime Silverman.)He switched from writing about movies for Variety to screenwriting for the Paramount Studio with 1932's If I Had A Million; his later screenwriting credits included The Gilded Lily (1935), Sing You Sinners (1938), and Arizona (1940). Throughout the 1930s, Binyon's screenplays were often directed by Wesley Ruggles, including the "classic" True Confession (1938). Fourteen feature films by Ruggles had screenplays by Binyon. Claude Binyon was also the scriptwriter for the second series of the Bing Crosby Entertains radio show (1934-1935). In 1948, Binyon made his directorial bow with The Saxon Charm (1948), for which he also wrote the screenplay. He went on to write and direct the low-key comedy noir Stella (1950), Mother Didn't Tell Me (1950), Aaron Slick of Pun'kin Crick (1952), and the Clifton Webb farce Dreamboat (1952). He directed, but didn't write, Family Honeymoon (1949) as well as Bob Hope's sole venture into 3-D, Here Come the Girls (1953). After his death on February 14, 1978, he was buried at the Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California. more…

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