It is not a great film, but THE EARL OF CHICAGO has it's moments. Although Edward Arnold is playing a character ultimately getting even with Robert Montgomery for framing him (and sending him to prison for seven years), he actualy does show some interest in educating the latter. There is a scene where he finds out that Montgomery never learned American history, so he starts lecturing him about it as they take a drive. Later, as the car arrives and they get out, Montgomery (looking dumbfounded) says, "And you mean that the guy actually plugged him in a theatre?!" Arnold nods his head and says that's how it (presumably Lincoln's assassination) happened.
I won't go into the involved plot of how Montgomery, trying to turn legitimate after prohibition ends, finds he has inherited an English title, and how Arnold uses this to destroy Montgomery - only to be killed himself by Montgomery, who ends up being tried by his peers at Westminster, and being sentenced to death. I will only add that the murder of Arnold by Montgomery seems to be based on the 1760 Ferrers Case (brought up to 1940). In 1760, Laurence Shirley, 4th Earl Ferrers, in a fit of either madness or anger, shot and killed his steward, a Mr. Johnson. Ferrers was tried for this at Westminster, and tried to introduce evidence of his family's eccentric behavior. He was found guilty and hanged (and was the last British peer to die a felon's death - his only benefit being that he was hung with a silken rope, not a regular hemp one). I believe this is the only film that attempted to use that particular story in it's plot.
I won't go into the involved plot of how Montgomery, trying to turn legitimate after prohibition ends, finds he has inherited an English title, and how Arnold uses this to destroy Montgomery - only to be killed himself by Montgomery, who ends up being tried by his peers at Westminster, and being sentenced to death. I will only add that the murder of Arnold by Montgomery seems to be based on the 1760 Ferrers Case (brought up to 1940). In 1760, Laurence Shirley, 4th Earl Ferrers, in a fit of either madness or anger, shot and killed his steward, a Mr. Johnson. Ferrers was tried for this at Westminster, and tried to introduce evidence of his family's eccentric behavior. He was found guilty and hanged (and was the last British peer to die a felon's death - his only benefit being that he was hung with a silken rope, not a regular hemp one). I believe this is the only film that attempted to use that particular story in it's plot.