Trial Without Jury (1950) User Reviews

To Catch The Conscience

[boblipton · 6/10 · 28 July 2020]

Kent Taylor wants to write a mystery play, something with psychology and depth to it. His producer, Theodore von Eltz, thinks he doesn't have it in him, although he's already put a director under contract. Then von Eltz turns up dead, and detective Robert Rockwell thinks Taylor did it. There isn't enough evidence, so Taylor writes a play based on the murder, hoping to catch the killer.

It's an intriguing idea, and director Phillip Ford tries to give it some oomph, directing the offstage scenes as if he is Mankiewicz in charge of ALL ABOUT EVE. The result is a decent mystery with an air of hysteria about it, diverting without being engrossing, and with the dialogue workmanlike rather than interesting of itself. With Barbra Fuller, Barbara Billingsley and the usual assortment of competent and undistinguished performers who made up the ranks of Republic's non-western features,

A pretty good Republic mystery

[searchanddestroy-1 · 18 October 2008]

As I expected, I was not disappointed by this story. However, it was rather a surprise to see a Republic film looking like an old Monogram or PRC 30's movie, a mystery movie, where the characters have to solve an enigma, to find the real killer, author of a crime of which the lead is accused of. The lead who absolutely must prove his innocence.

In this feature, the director of a theatre play as a quarrel with our hero about the play in question. And some time later the director is found dead. So, the lead character must find the real murderer of his boss. And for that, he doesn't find better than making a new play, where the story will be to solve the director's murder !!! In LIVE.

You see, it's very inventive. Very Republic, even if there is not much fists fight,with "flying chairs and furniture", as in the serials...

But a very good B picture. I recommend it.

This trial still needed an audience.

[mark.waltz · 4/10 · 17 December 2020]

There have been many an actor or director or playwright who have wanted to kill a producer, and in this Republic programmer with an incredibly large cast, they are all there as suspects, as well as the wife. With a cast lead by Robert Rockwell as the detective on the case, this is an enjoyable backstage mystery with all the trimmings but rather cardboard cliched characters that have been written about many times with darker shades.

Theodore von Elz is the unlucky victim with Ruthelma Stevens as the disgusted widow, Barbara Billingsley as a surprisingly vicious other woman and Audrey Long, Barbra Fuller and Kent Taylor among the other suspects. Like the musical "Curtains", the detective decides to use the action of the theater to expose the killer, so that's an interesting angle. Certainly unique, this does get a nice round of applause, but no standing ovation.