The Trial of Mary Dugan | 1929 | Drama, Courtroom

Title: The Trial of Mary Dugan | 1929 | Drama, Courtroom Director: Bayard Veiller Studio: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Starring: Norma Shearer, Lewis Stone, H. B. Warner, Raymond Hackett, Lilyan Tashman, Olive Tell Based on: The 1927 play The Trial of Mary Dugan by Bayard Veiller Release Date: June 8, 1929 Runtime: 113 minutes Format: Black-and-white; Movietone sound; also released in a silent version Country: United States Language: English Genres: Drama, Courtroom --- Chapters: 00:00:00 Opening titles and arrest 00:18:30 Indictment and counsel strategy 00:40:00 Prosecution presents its case 01:05:00 Jimmy Dugan takes over the defense 01:35:00 Final testimony and verdict --- Summary: A New York showgirl, Mary Dugan, is charged with murdering her wealthy lover. As the sensational trial unfolds, her retained attorney’s cautious tactics frustrate her brother Jimmy, a newly minted lawyer who boldly assumes the defense. Through testimony that exposes Mary’s past sacrifices and relationships, Jimmy challenges the prosecution’s narrative and pursues the alternative culprit in court, steering the proceedings toward a dramatic resolution. --- Background: Adapted from Bayard Veiller’s 1927 Broadway hit, this Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer production was directed by Veiller himself and marked MGM’s first all-dialogue dramatic feature, following the studio’s early sound breakthrough with The Broadway Melody. The film opened in New York on March 28, 1929, and saw wider U.S. release on June 8, 1929; AFI records list a 113-minute running time and Movietone sound, with both sound and silent versions prepared for different markets. The property was remade in multiple languages in 1931 and again in English in 1941. --- Trivia: Norma Shearer’s performance here is cited as her first all-talking role. Bayard Veiller, author of the stage play, directed the film; it was his only sound-era directing credit. State and city censors imposed various cuts; in Pennsylvania, dialogue deletions produced silent sections, and Chicago briefly banned the film after first allowing an “adults only” showing. MGM produced Spanish-, French-, and German-language versions in 1931 rather than dub the original, given the film’s dialogue-heavy courtroom sequences. --- Public Domain / Rights: Original Release: June 8, 1929 Original Studio / Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Copyright Status: Public Domain Renewal: Unknown --- Hashtags: PublicDomain ClassicFilm NormaShearer MGM PreCode CourtroomDrama 1929 Source page: https: //commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Trial_of_Mary_Dugan_(1929).webm Direct media URL: https: //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3f/The_Trial_of_Mary_Dugan_%281929%29.webm