The Celluloid Courtroom : A History of Legal Cinema

192 Pages·2005·11.885 MB·English

by  Ross D. Levi

"i i n i in i n i»11 ti i i i i i in
The Celluloid Courtroom
i i 1111 i i i»»11»i i i » i » i « in
This page intentionally left blank
The Celluloid
Courtroom
A History of Legal Cinema
Ross D. LEVI
PKAEGER Westport, Connecticut
London
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Levi, Ross D., 1967-
The celluloid courtroom : a history of legal cinema / Ross D. Levi.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-275-98233-5 (alk. paper)
1. Justice, Administration of, in motion pictures. 2. Lawyers in motion
pictures. I. Title.
PN1995.9.J8L48 2005
791.43'6554—dc22 2004028024
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data is available.
Copyright © 2005 by Ross D. Levi
All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be
reproduced, by any process or technique, without the
express written consent of the publisher.
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 2004028024
ISBN: 0-275-98233-5
First published in 2005
Praeger Publishers, 88 Post Road West, Westport, CT 06881
An imprint of Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc.
www.praeger.com
Printed in the United States of America
@r
The paper used in this book complies with the
Permanent Paper Standard issued by the National
Information Standards Organization (Z39.48-1984).
10 9 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 21
To my teachers...
who whether in writing, film or the law taught me to see
the world with new eyes, especially two who passed on
during the writing of this book: Mr. Rick Kravet and
Dr. Murray Yaeger.
And to my greatest teachers,
my Mom and Dad.
This page intentionally left blank
Contents
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction: Making the Case xi
1. The State versus...: The Client 1
2. All Rise: The Judge 39
3. Trial of One's Peers: The Jury 61
4. Shysters and Saints: The Lawyer 85
Conclusion: Summary judgment 127
Appendix: Order in the Court 135
Notes 157
Index 159
This page intentionally left blank
Acknowledgments
For film credit information contained throughout this book, I oc
casionally referred to Castell, Ron, ed. Blockbuster Video Guide to
Movies and Video 1995. New York: Dell Publishing, 1994; Halliwell,
Leslie. Halliwell's Film Guide. 7th ed. New York: Harper & Row,
1989; but most especially to the International Movie Database
(IMDb), which can be accessed at http://www.imdb.com. It is an
invaluable resource, so comprehensive that to pass it over in favor
of any reference book would be folly. As a consequence, the IMDb
should rightfully be relied on as the reference source for movie
credits contained herein that I did not gather directly from the films
themselves or, in some cases, for confirmation of credit information
in a more easily accessed format. I also utilized http://www.lawyer-
jokes.us for the great jokes at the beginning of Chapter 4. Trust me, it
was difficult to pick only a few.
On a personal note, I would like to express my gratitude to my
friend and former intern, Eric Lichtenfeld, who started me on the
path to this book and who always kept me thinking more deeply
about film. Eric, when you left me you were but a learner, now you
are the master.
I would also like to pay tribute to two late, great artists: Fred
Ebb, the lyricist of such wonderful musicals as Chicago, which is
discussed in this book, and whose death made the newspapers the
day I handed in my manuscript; and Vito Russo, author of The