Main Cast: Glenn Ford, Dorothy McGuire, Arthur Kennedy, John Hodiak, Katy Jurado
Release Year: 1955
Country: US
Run Time: 105 minutes
Plot
Adapted by Don M. Mankiewicz from his own novel, Trial is a surprisingly timely story of how justice can sometimes be compromised by "special interests". It all begins when Mexican youth Angelo Chavez (Rafael Campos) is placed on trial for the murder of a white teenaged girl. Battling the lynch-mob mentality in and out of the courtroom is relatively inexperienced defense attorney David Blake (Glenn Ford). Believing that anything done on behalf of his client is for the common good, Blake approves the organization of an "Angelo Chavez Society" to pay the boy's court costs and ostensibly see that justice is done in the face of small-town prejudice. Soon, however, Blake discovers that both he and his client are being used as dupes by a Communist lawyer, who hopes that Chavez will be found guilty and executed, thereby creating a martyr for the Red cause. Much was made in 1955 of the fact that the presiding judge is a black man, played by Juano Hernandez. A bit creaky at times, Trial nonetheless still packs a wallop when shown today. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Rafael Campos - Angel Chavez; Juano Hernandez - Judge Theodore Motley; Catherine Neilson - Washerwoman; Robert Middleton - A.S. "Fats" Sanders; Rodney Bell - Lew Bardman; Robert Bice - Abbott; Whit Bissell - Sam Wiltse; Frank Cady - Canford; Elisha Cook, Jr. - Finn; Frank Ferguson - Kiley; Robert Forrest; Richard Gaines - Dr. Schacter; Everett Glass - Dean; Paul Guilfoyle - Cap Grant; Percy Helton - Youval; John Hoyt - Ralph Castillo; Barry Kelley - Jim Backett; David Leonard - County Clerk; Mitchell Lewis - Jury Foreman; Mort Mills - Reporter; Grandon Rhodes - Terry Bliss; Charles Tannen - Bailiff; James Todd - Minister; Vince Townsend, Jr. - Dr. Abraham Tenfold; Frank Wilcox - Lawyer No. 2; Wilson Wood - Checker; Sheb Wooley - Butteridge; Michael Dugan - Pine; John Maxwell - Benedict; Richard Tyler - Johnson; John Lyons; Charlotte Lawrence - Mrs. Webson; Ann Lee - Gail Wiltse; John Rosser - Assistant District Attorney; Charles Evans - Lawyer No. 1; Dorothy Green - Mrs. Ackerman
Credit
Randall Duell - Art Director, Cedric Gibbons - Art Director, Mark Robson - Director, Albert Akst - Editor, Daniele Amfitheatrof - Composer (Music Score), Daniele Amfitheatrof - Musical Direction/Supervision, Robert Surtees - Cinematographer, Charles Schnee - Producer, Fred MacLean - Set Designer, Edwin B. Willis - Set Designer, Warren Newcombe - Special Effects, Don M. Mankiewicz - Screenwriter, Don M. Mankiewicz - Book Author
This article is about the 1955 film starring Glenn Ford. For the 1962 film "The Trial", based on the Franz Kafka novel and directed by Orson Welles, see The Trial (1962 film).
For the 1993 film "The Trial", also based on the Kafka novel, see The Trial (1993 film).
Angel Chavez (Rafael Campos) is a Mexican American who lives in the small California town of San Juno. During an annual event called Bass Night held at the town beach,he has wondered into the beach which is off-limits to Mexican Americans. There he meets up with a non-Hispanic girl from his high school class. She is suddenly struck down by a heart attack and dies. Angel is arrested and charged with murder. The film then cuts to the State University where a law Professor ,David Blake (Glenn Ford) is told he can no longer teach because he has never been to court to defend a client. Blake asks if he finds work with a law firm for the summer and gets courtroom experience, would he be able to teach in the fall semester.The dean agrees and Blake goes out to find work. He goes to a small law firm run by Bernard Castle (Arthur Kennedy). Castle wants to defend Angel Chavez and agrees to hire Blake to handle the case. Castle then leaves on a trip to New York City to raise money to defend Chavez with Angel's Mother (Katy Jurado). He leaves behind his law clerk Abbe Nyle (Dorothy McGuire) to help Blake and they soon fall in love. During the picking of a jury,Blake is called to New York to join Barney at a rally and discovers that Barney is a leader in a Communist group and he is using David as a propaganda tool. David is insulted and betrayed by Barney but he soon returns to San Juno to see the trial to the end.
