The Witness Chair

The Witness Chair is a 1936 courtroom drama film directed by George Nicholls, Jr. and starring Ann Harding and Walter Abel.[1][2][3]

The Witness Chair
Directed byGeorge Nicholls, Jr.
Produced bySamuel J. Briskin
Written byRita Weiman
Screenplay byRian James
Gertrude Purcell
StarringAnn Harding
Walter Abel
Music byRoy Webb
CinematographyRobert De Grasse
Edited byWilliam Morgan
Production
company
RKO Radio Pictures
Distributed byRKO Radio Pictures
Release date
  • April 24, 1936 (1936-04-24)
Running time
64 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Plot

Late one night, secretary Paula Young (Ann Harding) leaves the office of her boss, Stanley Whittaker (Douglas Dumbrille, locking the door and taking the stairs to avoid being seen by the elevator operator (Frank Jenks). The next morning, the cleaning lady finds Whittaker's dead body, an apparent suicide. Police Lieutenant Poole (Moroni Olsen) finds a letter signed by Whittaker in which the deceased states he embezzled $75,000. Soon, however, he suspects otherwise and, after investigating, arrests widower James "Jim" Trent (Walter Abel), the vice president of Whittaker Textile Corporation. The gun that fired the fatal shot belongs to Trent, and the typewritten suicide note, though signed by Whittaker, specifically states that Trent is not involved in the embezzlement.

The trial goes badly for the defendant. The elevator operator recalls seeing only Whittaker and Trent in the office building that night, and Martin (Paul Harvey), the prosecuting attorney, produces a possible strong motive: Trent's daughter Connie intended to run away with Whittaker that night. However, Paula interrupts the proceedings to claim responsibility for the crime. She had guessed that Whittaker intended to flee the country with Connie (she being unaware of his embezzlement) when two ship tickets were delivered to the office. With strong, concealed feelings for Trent, Paula forced Whittaker at gunpoint to sign the confession she had typed. However, Whittaker then tried to grab the gun, only to be fatally shot in the struggle. Trent asks Paula to marry him.

Cast

Critical reception

The New York Times dismissed it as "a lugubrious and mediocre film;"[4] while more recently Noirish called it a "very interesting B-movie," writing that "The Witness Chair is no hidden classic, but it’s a movie far better and certainly far more intriguing than its obscurity might suggest."[5]

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References
  1. "The Witness Chair (1936)". BFI.
  2. "The Witness Chair (1936) - George Nicholls Jr., George Nichols Jr. - Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related". AllMovie.
  3. "The Witness Chair (1936) - Overview - TCM.com". Turner Classic Movies.
  4. T.m.p (18 April 1936). "At the Palace" – via NYTimes.com.
  5. realthog (6 January 2018). "Witness Chair, The (1936)".
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