Sued for Libel (1939)
** (out of 4)
Decent mystery about radio broadcaster Steve Lonegan (Kent Taylor) who puts on a radio show dealing with a local trial where Albert Pomeroy (Morgan Conway) is accused of killing his business partner. Lonegan gets the wrong word and announces that Pomeroy has been found guilty, which isn't correct and soon the freed man plans on suing for libel. This doesn't sit too well with Lonegan so he sets out to prove Pomeroy really is guilty. At just 66-minutes this film goes by rather quickly but there are just way too many dry moments that keep it from being more entertaining. The film does manage to have a decent story idea but sadly not enough is done with it especially when you consider a large portion of the running time just has various cast members standing around talking about things that really don't advance the plot or add anything to it. The film does contain an excellent twist at the end, which I won't reveal and this here makes the film worth sitting through. What really keeps the film going are the rather good performances with Taylor leading the way with a strong performance. I also thought Linda Hayes was memorable in her role as a reporter and Lillian Bond is also extremely good as the dead man's widow. Conway is dependable in his part as is Richard Lane who adds some nice comic touches. Keye Luke also has a small role. SUED FOR LIBEL will mainly appeal to those who enjoy watching all those "B" movies that turn up on Turner Classic Movies. This one here is worth watching for fans of the genre but it's doubtful others will find enough here to make it worth sitting through.
** (out of 4)
Decent mystery about radio broadcaster Steve Lonegan (Kent Taylor) who puts on a radio show dealing with a local trial where Albert Pomeroy (Morgan Conway) is accused of killing his business partner. Lonegan gets the wrong word and announces that Pomeroy has been found guilty, which isn't correct and soon the freed man plans on suing for libel. This doesn't sit too well with Lonegan so he sets out to prove Pomeroy really is guilty. At just 66-minutes this film goes by rather quickly but there are just way too many dry moments that keep it from being more entertaining. The film does manage to have a decent story idea but sadly not enough is done with it especially when you consider a large portion of the running time just has various cast members standing around talking about things that really don't advance the plot or add anything to it. The film does contain an excellent twist at the end, which I won't reveal and this here makes the film worth sitting through. What really keeps the film going are the rather good performances with Taylor leading the way with a strong performance. I also thought Linda Hayes was memorable in her role as a reporter and Lillian Bond is also extremely good as the dead man's widow. Conway is dependable in his part as is Richard Lane who adds some nice comic touches. Keye Luke also has a small role. SUED FOR LIBEL will mainly appeal to those who enjoy watching all those "B" movies that turn up on Turner Classic Movies. This one here is worth watching for fans of the genre but it's doubtful others will find enough here to make it worth sitting through.