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Shadow of the Law main poster

Shadow of the Law

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6.4/10 • 11

1930-06-061h 9m

CrimeDramaMystery

Two Women Want Him...One for His Money...One for His Love...And the Law Wants Him for Life!

John Nelson, a well-to-do businessman, is escorting a woman he knows as Ethel Barry to the door of her apartment suite when a man steps out of the shadows and angrily demands to know where she has been. The embarrassed Nelson excuses himself and goes to his rooms in the same hotel. The woman rushes into his apartment followed by the man who met her in the hall. The man threatens her with violence and Nelson comes to her defense. In the ensuing fight, the man is knocked out of the window and falls to his death to the pavement many stories down. He is charged with the killing and his only witness that can prove self-defense for him has disappeared, and can not be found.

Directors
Louis J. Gasnier
Writters
Max Marcin, John A. Moroso

Top Billed Cast

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  1. William Powell

    William Powell

    Jim Montgomery aka John Nelson

  2. Marion Shilling

    Marion Shilling

    Edith Wentworth

  3. Natalie Moorhead

    Natalie Moorhead

    Ethel Barry aka Ethel George

  4. Regis Toomey

    Regis Toomey

    Tom Owens

  5. Paul Hurst

    Paul Hurst

    Pete Shore

  6. George Irving

    George Irving

    Colonel Wentworth

  7. Frederick Burt

    Frederick Burt

    Detective Lt. Mike Kearney

  8. James Durkin

    James Durkin

    Prison Warden

  9. Richard Tucker

    Richard Tucker

    Lew Durkin

Reviews1

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CinemaSerf Avatar

CinemaSerf

Feb 16, 2024

6/10

This packs quite a lot into an hour or so, with William Powell doing just about enough to keep it afloat. He is the wealthy "Nelson/Montgomery" who in concluding a rather promising first date before an unfortunate encounter with a stranger (to him, anyway) who ends up splatted all over the pavement several stories below. Now he's in handcuffs and the only witness to the whole affair - indeed, the entire cause of the affair, has done a bunk. After three years incarcerated, he becomes a trusty - the warden wants him to do some snitching for him, but he manages to escape. Starting from scratch, with an whole new identity, he becomes successful but never lets up with his search for "Ethel" (Natalie Moorhead) whom he hopes has some answers. This isn't the usual predictable lunchtime fayre, the story has a little more depth to it and Moorhead is actually quite efficient as the rather odious creature whom he learns can not, should not, be trusted. Can he clear his name? Well it's not that unpredictable, but there are still enough sub-plots and characters to keep it interesting and it's well enough paced to rattle along episodically, but fine.

Media

  • Shadow of the Law poster
  • Shadow of the Law poster
  • Shadow of the Law poster

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Status
Released
Original Language
English
Budget
--
Revenue
--
Keywords
killingself-defensesuite