Ladies of the Jury (1932)

Terrible acting, screenplay and direction.

Save your money for something good and enjoyable

everything you have heard about this movie is true.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

I watched this film for one reason--Edna May Oliver. Cinephiles in the know adore this actresses films--even if she's pretty much forgotten today. However, this courtroom drama turned out to have a lot of shortcomings--mostly because the courtroom procedures were completely ridiculous. No courtroom on this planet is run this way and no judge is that stupid! For example, the lady on trial for murder CONSTANTLY interrupts the proceedings and even chases the jurors as they leave the box to deliberate--begging them to find her innocent!! As for the lawyers, the argue with each other openly in court and scream and yell at witnesses! And, a couple of the jurors make inappropriate comments during the trial that clearly would have had them disqualified. Once in the jury room, most of the jurors seemed much less intelligent than Mr. Potatohead! Now I don't mind a little leeway here, but all this ruined the film for me--most of this wasn't funny and just seemed dumb.Believe it or not, this totally brainless movie was reworked into the teleplay and movie "12 Angry Men"--a movie classic!!! I watch that instead, as despite having Oliver, "Ladies of the Jury" is junk.

It's too bad that real trials aren't like the one depicted in this film. The trial and jury deliberations shown in this film are completely unrealistic, but what does that have to do with good movie making? I love Edna May Oliver's rendition in the Hildegard Withers series, which this film is NOT part of. It is, however, a worthy precursor of her later sleuthing roles.The film is something of a comic version of 12 Angry Men. A single juror votes not guilty, then, using appeals to the prejudices and passions of the other jurors more than reason, persuades other jurors to change their vote to "Not Guilty" until the final scene where the innocence of the accused is "proved". A fast wrap up has the jury declaring, in voice over on the end credit, that they find the defendant "Not Guilty".You won't find realistic situations anywhere in this film. What you will find is an acting tour de force by Edna May Oliver, excellent characterizations by the rest of the cast, an excellent period piece of the early 1930's.This is not a film for everyone. It is a film for true cinephiles. Not a classic, but a classic example of early talkies.I'm sorry I could not explain it's appeal better, but it's appeal is ephemeral. Good acting, good humor, good story - good, good, good. Good enough to make it's flaws worth ignoring.

LADIES OF THE JURY is a little programmer boosted by the performance of leading player EDNA MAY OLIVER as a Bostonian aristocrat who is allowed to ask questions of the woman on trial for her life (JILL ESMOND), accused of murdering her husband.Edna May is the only member of the jury who believes the woman "not guilty" on the first ballot. The balance of the courtroom scenes show how she turns everyone around to thinking differently.Surprisingly, GUINN ("BIG BOY") WILLIAMS, who livens up the proceedings with some characteristic humor and facial expressions, is not even credited in the film's cast. Among the supporting players, he's the one that stands out.Unfortunately, the script is uneven and the treatment is less than routine with the outcome assured. The abrupt ending makes no impact at all even though the last word goes to Miss Oliver.The humor is scanty and it's surprising to see KEN MURRAY cast as a flippant juror whose attempt at comedy is not really successful.

If you love Edna Mae Oliver, then see this film. It's hers all the way as she destroys the jury system in this comedy. A close second would have to go to Guinn "Big Boy" Williams, who is also a riot. It's too bad the studios never gave this great actress more opportunities to shine in the lead roles.