An upstate Michigan lawyer defends a soldier who claims he killed an innkeeper due to temporary insanity after the victim raped his wife. What is the truth, and will he win his case?
Frederick Manion (Ben Gazzara), a lieutenant in the army, is arrested for the murder of a bartender, Barney Quill. He claims, in his defense, that the victim had raped and beaten up his wife Laura (Lee Remick). Although Laura supports her husband's story, the local paper has reported that the police surgeon can find no evidence that she has been raped. Manion is defended by Paul Biegler (James Stewart), a humble small-town lawyer and recently deposed district attorney. During the course of interviews, Biegler discovers that Manion is violently possessive and jealous, and also that his wife has a reputation for flirting with other men. Biegler realizes that the prosecution will try to make the court believe that Laura had been drunk and was picked up by the bartender and then her husband killed him and beat her up when he discovered they had been together. Manion pleads "not guilty" and Biegler, who knows that his case is weak, tries to find evidence that will save Manion.—alfiehitchie
Paul Biegler is a small town lawyer who until recently had been the local district attorney and given a lack of clients, he spends a lot of time fishing. When a murder takes place in a trailer park on the outskirts of town, he is asked to defend Lt. Frederick Manion who admits to having killed Barney Quill, a local bar owner who allegedly raped his wife. Manion claims to have had a form of temporary insanity. The case is both prominent, with the State's Deputy Attorney General personally prosecuting the case and lurid, given the rape and the sexual nature of much of the testimony. Biegler and his friend former lawyer Parnell McCarthy, now a bit the worse for wear and given to drink, must find a way to convince the jury when they little or no evidence to support their case.—garykmcd
In Iron County, Michigan, former District Attorney Paul Biegler has limited legal work and spends his new found time fishing and playing jazz piano. However, he, with the assistance of his alcoholic aged colleague, former lawyer and friend Parnell McCarthy (who is past the prime of his professional life) and his no nonsense secretary Maida Rutledge, decides to take the case of Army Lt. Frederick "Manny" Manion, who is charged with the murder of local bar owner Barney Quill. Biegler's decision to try the case is despite his dislike of Manion's brash and insolent attitude, and despite the fact that Manion currently has no money to pay for his services (Manion agrees to sign a promissory note once out of prison). Biegler realizes that he will have an uphill battle as Manion doesn't remember the actual act of shooting Quill but acknowledges that he did indeed kill Quill. The killing was prompted by Quill's alleged rape of Manion's wife, Laura. There is no physical evidence of that act beyond Laura's black eye and other signs of physical abuse. The rape may also be a problem for Biegler as Laura is a seductive woman who many may consider the instigator of an extra-marital liaison. Biegler instructs the Manion's not to tell a lie to him or in court, but he still plans on getting Manion off on the charge and having Manion plead not guilty. In court, he faces the unknown in the form of Judge Weaver. In court, he also faces not only the current District Attorney, but also the bulldog of an Assistant Attorney General, Claude Dancer.—Huggo
Paul Biegler is a small-town lawyer. He was once the District Attorney of the area but, after 10 years in the job, lost the role in an election. Feeling betrayed by his community, he now has his own legal practice but few clients, preferring to spend his time fishing. Now he gets a huge case - an army Lieutenant has apparently murdered another man after that man allegedly raped his wife. The case will require every ounce of Biegler's cunning, experience and courtroom theatrical ability, especially when the prosecution bring in a famed hotshot attorney from the state's capital.—grantss
In the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, small-town lawyer Paul Biegler (James Stewart), a former district attorney who lost his re-election bid, spends most of his time fishing, playing the piano, and hanging out with his alcoholic friend and colleague Parnell McCarthy (Arthur O'Connell) and sardonic secretary Maida Rutledge (Eve Arden).
One day, Biegler is contacted by Laura Manion (Lee Remick), the wife of US Army Lieutenant Frederick "Manny" Manion (Ben Gazzara), who has been arrested for the first-degree murder of innkeeper Bernard "Barney" Quill. Manion does not deny the murder, but claims that Quill forced himself upon his wife. Even with such a motivation, getting Manion cleared of murder would be difficult, but Manion claims to have no memory of the event (driven mostly by Beigler's insistence that the only defense Manion has is of temporary insanity), suggesting that he may be eligible for a defense of irresistible impulse-a version of a temporary insanity defense.
Biegler's folksy speech and laid-back demeanor hide a sharp legal mind and a propensity for courtroom theatrics that has the judge busy keeping things under control. However, the case for the defense does not go well, especially since the local district attorney (Brooks West) is assisted by high-powered prosecutor Claude Dancer (George C. Scott) from the Attorney General's office.The investigations reveal that Barney Quill was a ex-boxer and had done time in federal prison. After his death, his bar was managed by his manager Mary Pilant (Kathryn Grant), who is also poised to inherit all of Quill's wealth. Biegler spends a lot of time with Laura, to get her story straight. She is very flirty with Biegler, but backs off the moment Biegler mentions that Manion suspects the 2 of them of having an affair.
further investigations also reveal that Mary Pilant might have been Quill's mistress and that Quill was enraged by Mary's affair with a local, and got drunk and one night took his frustration out on Laura by forcing himself on her.One night Biegler has to pull away Laura from a jazz joint, where she is drunk and flirting with the army boys. Bielger strongly admonishes Laura and asks her sternly to be nothing but the perfect wife till the trial is over.
Furthermore, the prosecution tries at every instance to block any mention of Manion's motive for killing Quill (The prosecution has not allowed Laura's photos to be part of the evidence on the night she was forced upon, nor would they allow the examining doctor to make any remarks on whether Quill ejaculated before his death. Also, none of the witnesses are allowed to answer any questions re: Laura's appearance while Quill's & Manion's appearance are debated at length). Biegler eventually manages to get Laura Manion's forced sex encounter into the record (During the cross questioning of a witness that prosecution brought to the stand) and Judge Weaver (Joseph N. Welch) agrees to allow the matter to be part of the deliberations. However, during cross-examination, Dancer insinuates that Laura openly flirted with other men, including the man she claimed forced himself upon her. Psychiatrists give conflicting testimony to Manion's state of mind at the time that he killed Quill. Dancer says that Manion may have suspected Laura of cheating on him because he asked his wife, a Catholic, to swear on a rosary that Quill forced himself upon her. This raises doubt as to whether the act was non-consensual. Moreover Dancer also establishes a pattern of jealous rage with Manion and clearly claims that Manion may have shot Quill in a fit of jealous rage when he found Laura lying on a Rosary about her forced sex by Quill.
Quill's estate is to be inherited by Mary Pilant (Kathryn Grant), whom Dancer accuses of being Quill's mistress. McCarthy learns that she is in fact Quill's daughter, a fact she is anxious to keep secret since she was born out of wedlock. Biegler, who is losing the case, tries to persuade Pilant that Al Paquette, (Murray Hamilton) the bartender who witnessed the murder, may know that Quill admitted to forcing himself upon Laura, but Paquette is covering this up, either because he loves Pilant or out of loyalty to Quill. Through Pilant, Biegler tries to persuade Paquette to testify for the defense, but Paquette refuses.
During the trial, Laura claims that Quill tore off her panties while forcing himself upon her; these panties were not found in the crime scene, where she alleges the forced sec encounter took place. Pilant, unaware of any details of the case, voluntarily returns to the courtroom to testify that she found the panties in the inn's laundry room. Biegler suggests Quill may have dropped the panties down the laundry chute, located next to his room, to avoid suspicion. Dancer tries to establish that Pilant's answers are founded on her jealousy. When Dancer asserts forcibly that Quill was Pilant's lover and that Pilant lied to cover this fact, Pilant shocks everyone by stating that Quill was her father. Manion is found "not guilty by reason of insanity". After the trial, Biegler decides to open a new practice, with a newly sober McCarthy as his partner.
The next day, Biegler and McCarthy travel to the Manions' trailer park home to get Manion's signature on a promissory note which they hope will suffice as collateral for a desperately needed loan. It turns out the Manions have vacated the trailer park, however, with the trailer park superintendent commenting that Laura Manion had been crying. Manion left a note for Biegler, indicating that his flight was "an irresistible impulse"-the same terminology Biegler used during the trial. Biegler states that Mary Pilant has retained him to execute Quill's estate. McCarthy says that working for her will be "poetic justice".
