True Confession
Encyclopedia
True Confession is a 1937 screwball comedy film
starring Carole Lombard
, Fred MacMurray
, and John Barrymore
. It was directed by Wesley Ruggles and based on the play Mon Crime, written by Georges Berr and Louis Verneuil
.
Ken represents Helen at the trial and believes that there is no way that the jury will believe that Helen did not commit the murder, and therefore has her plead self-defense. As the trial continues, an obnoxious man named Charley Jasper (Barrymore) believes that Helen did not murder Krayler, but he keeps it to himself. Helen wins the case and publishes a hugely successful novel of her life story. Having earned a fortune, Helen and Ken buy a lavish home on Martha's Lake, but Ken expresses remorse that their fortune has come out of crime. Helen wonders if she should confess her innocence, but Ken states that perjury would be worse than the crime she had already committed. Meanwhile, Charley visits Helen and Ken with Krayler's wallet and attempts to blackmail them into saying that he (Charley) killed Krayler and having Helen put into perjury. Helen then tells Ken that she did not kill Krayler and has Charley confess that his brother-in-law was the real murderer. Ken leaves the house, sickened by Helen's lying, but Helen chases after him and lies once more by saying that she is pregnant. Ken then takes Helen into the house in an attempt to teach her not to lie.
Screwball comedy film
The screwball comedy is a principally American genre of comedy film that became popular during the Great Depression, originating in the early 1930s and thriving until the early 1940s. It is characterized by fast-paced repartee, farcical situations, escapist themes, and plot lines involving...
starring Carole Lombard
Carole Lombard
Carole Lombard was an American actress. She was particularly noted for her comedic roles in the screwball comedies of the 1930s...
, Fred MacMurray
Fred MacMurray
Frederick Martin "Fred" MacMurray was an American actor who appeared in more than 100 movies and a successful television series during a career that spanned nearly a half-century, from 1930 to the 1970s....
, and John Barrymore
John Barrymore
John Sidney Blyth , better known as John Barrymore, was an acclaimed American actor. He first gained fame as a handsome stage actor in light comedy, then high drama and culminating in groundbreaking portrayals in Shakespearean plays Hamlet and Richard III...
. It was directed by Wesley Ruggles and based on the play Mon Crime, written by Georges Berr and Louis Verneuil
Louis Verneuil
Louis Jacques Marie Collin du Bocage , better known by the pen name Louis Verneuil, was a French playwright, screenwriter, and actor....
.
Plot
Helen Bartlett (Lombard) is the wife of the honest lawyer Ken (MacMurray). She is a "writer" but cannot think of anything to write and instead lives in her fantasy world of telling lies. When she discovers that they are broke, she attempts to get Ken to take a case of a man who stole hams. Ken finds out that the man really did steal the hams, and therefore does not take the case. Helen is forced to get a job as a secretary for businessman Otto Krayler (John T. Murray). While working, he attempts to seduce Helen, which causes Helen to quit the job. However, she discovers that she accidentally left her hat and coat at the apartment. She returns only to find that Otto Krayler has been killed and $12,000 of money the supposed motive. The police suspect Helen and take her into custody. To further complicate her situation, Helen divulges a vivid account of the murder, discussing how she did it and everything, and then says that she had nothing to do with it.Ken represents Helen at the trial and believes that there is no way that the jury will believe that Helen did not commit the murder, and therefore has her plead self-defense. As the trial continues, an obnoxious man named Charley Jasper (Barrymore) believes that Helen did not murder Krayler, but he keeps it to himself. Helen wins the case and publishes a hugely successful novel of her life story. Having earned a fortune, Helen and Ken buy a lavish home on Martha's Lake, but Ken expresses remorse that their fortune has come out of crime. Helen wonders if she should confess her innocence, but Ken states that perjury would be worse than the crime she had already committed. Meanwhile, Charley visits Helen and Ken with Krayler's wallet and attempts to blackmail them into saying that he (Charley) killed Krayler and having Helen put into perjury. Helen then tells Ken that she did not kill Krayler and has Charley confess that his brother-in-law was the real murderer. Ken leaves the house, sickened by Helen's lying, but Helen chases after him and lies once more by saying that she is pregnant. Ken then takes Helen into the house in an attempt to teach her not to lie.
Cast
- Carole LombardCarole LombardCarole Lombard was an American actress. She was particularly noted for her comedic roles in the screwball comedies of the 1930s...
as Helen Bartlett - Fred MacMurrayFred MacMurrayFrederick Martin "Fred" MacMurray was an American actor who appeared in more than 100 movies and a successful television series during a career that spanned nearly a half-century, from 1930 to the 1970s....
as Ken Bartlett - John BarrymoreJohn BarrymoreJohn Sidney Blyth , better known as John Barrymore, was an acclaimed American actor. He first gained fame as a handsome stage actor in light comedy, then high drama and culminating in groundbreaking portrayals in Shakespearean plays Hamlet and Richard III...
as Charley Jasper - Una MerkelUna MerkelUna Merkel was an American Tony Award-winning stage and film actress.-Life and career:Una Merkel was born in Covington, Kentucky, and grew up in Philadelphia and New York City. She bore a resemblance to actress Lillian Gish and began her career as a stand-in for Gish, most notably in the 1928...
as Daisy McClure - Porter HallPorter HallPorter Hall was an American character actor known for appearing in a number of films in the 1930s and 1940s...
as Prosecutor - Edgar KennedyEdgar KennedyEdgar Livingston Kennedy was an American comedic film actor, known as "the king of the slow burn". A slow burn is an exasperated facial expression, performed very deliberately; Kennedy embellished this by rubbing his hand over his bald head and across his face, in an attempt to hold his temper...
as Darsey - Lynne OvermanLynne OvermanLynne Overman was a film actor in the 1930s and early-1940s who often played a sidekick.-Selected filmography:* Dixie * The Desert Song * The Forest Rangers...
as Bartender - Irving BaconIrving BaconIrving Bacon was an American character actor who appeared in over 400 films. He played on the stage for a number of years before getting into films in 1920. Bacon was sometimes cast in films directed by his namesake Lloyd Bacon such as The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse...
as the coroner - Fritz FeldFritz FeldFritz Feld was a film character actor actor who appeared in over 140 films, both silent and sound. His trademark was to slap his mouth with the palm of his hand to create a pop sound.-Biography:...
as Krayler's butler - John T. Murray as Otto Krayler
- Richard CarleRichard CarleRichard Carle was an American film actor. He appeared in 132 films between 1915 and 1941.He was born as Charles Nicholas Carleto in Somerville, Massachusetts...
as Judge - Hattie McDanielHattie McDanielHattie McDaniel was the first African-American actress to win an Academy Award. She won the award for Best Supporting Actress for her role of Mammy in Gone with the Wind ....
appears in a small role as a maid named Ella.