Just so...so bad

A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."

Excellent characters with emotional depth. My wife, daughter and granddaughter all enjoyed it...and me, too! Very good movie! You won't be disappointed.

Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

Sued for Libel (1939)** (out of 4) Decent mystery about radio broadcaster Steve Lonegan (Kent Taylor) who puts on a radio show dealing with a local trial where Albert Pomeroy (Morgan Conway) is accused of killing his business partner. Lonegan gets the wrong word and announces that Pomeroy has been found guilty, which isn't correct and soon the freed man plans on suing for libel. This doesn't sit too well with Lonegan so he sets out to prove Pomeroy really is guilty. At just 66-minutes this film goes by rather quickly but there are just way too many dry moments that keep it from being more entertaining. The film does manage to have a decent story idea but sadly not enough is done with it especially when you consider a large portion of the running time just has various cast members standing around talking about things that really don't advance the plot or add anything to it. The film does contain an excellent twist at the end, which I won't reveal and this here makes the film worth sitting through. What really keeps the film going are the rather good performances with Taylor leading the way with a strong performance. I also thought Linda Hayes was memorable in her role as a reporter and Lillian Bond is also extremely good as the dead man's widow. Conway is dependable in his part as is Richard Lane who adds some nice comic touches. Keye Luke also has a small role. SUED FOR LIBEL will mainly appeal to those who enjoy watching all those "B" movies that turn up on Turner Classic Movies. This one here is worth watching for fans of the genre but it's doubtful others will find enough here to make it worth sitting through.

"Drama in the News" radio host and part-time magician Kent Taylor (as Stephen "Steve" Lonegan) receives a phony tip and broadcasts the wrong verdict in a high profile case. The misinformation starts as a practical joke by attractive Linda Hayes (as Maggie Shane), who is really targeting fast-talking reporter Richard Lane (as Smiley Dugan) for targeting her pretty legs with paper-wads from a slingshot. With his station sued for a million dollars, Mr. Taylor decides to investigate the case. Old and new murders add to the mystery. Morgan Conway (as Albert Pomeroy) squirms and Lilian Bond (as Muriel Webster) schemes...****** Sued for Libel (10/27/39) Leslie Goodwins ~ Kent Taylor, Linda Hayes, Lilian Bond, Richard Lane

RKO described this, to the exhibitors, as: "Bullet-swift action, spine-chilling thrills, seat-glueing suspense, breathless mystery, and a delightful, smartly-dialogued love affair---these are the highlights in this gripping triple murder drama laid against a newspaper and radio background. Revolving around three reporters, a murder suspect, and a mysterious widow, all of whom become enmeshed in a sequence of exciting events set in motion by a front-page murder trail, the story machine-guns to a thunderbolt climax that will leave audience gasping! It's an outstanding whodunit! And what a cast to make it live on your screen! RKO gave the audience: The trial of Albert Pomeroy (Morgan Conway) on the charge of murdering Edward Webster, which arouses interest because Webster's widow, Muriel (Lilian Bond)insists Pomeroy is innocent. Meanwhile, back to radio station NYEB, owned by the Evening Bulletin. Steve Lonegan (Kent Taylor) waits for a flash from Smiley Dugan (Richard Lane, insufferable as always)so he can broadcast the verdict---But Dugan leaves and asks reporter Maggie Dugan (Linda Hayes)to tip him off it something happens...and something happens when the jury comes in unexpectedly (as was always the case when a Richard Lane character is off doing whatever Lane characters went off to do when they were supposed to be doing something else)and this jury comes in with a "Not Guilty" verdict. But fun-loving Maggie, as a gag, phones Smiley and tells him Pomeroy was found guilty, and unreliable (as always) Smiley relays said information to Lonegan who tells a waiting world that Pomeroy was found guilty, signs off the air, locks up the station and goes home...and leaves the station wide open for a million-dollar libel suit.Lonegan and Colonel White (Thurston Hall) decide that the only out from paying Pomeroy a million bucks (in 1939 USA money, or about six trillion dollars in 2006 money)is to dig up something on Pomeroy that will force him to drop the suit, and the good Colonel dispatches Lonegan out to get this done, as no character ever played by bustery Thurston Hall was inclined to pay out money for anything, down to and including getting his shoes shined. So ace-digger Lonegan discovers that a former Pomeroy secretary, Stella Trent , had committed suicide three years earlier, and that a Dr. Bailer was involved. Lonegan (and Maggie) hotfoot it over to Bailer's office, and discover that Bailer has just recently had his throat cut and is more than a little bit dead. Then lawyer Justin Walsh drops by the Evening Bulletin and informs Steve and Colonel White that he has just learned that Pomeroy did indeed kill Webster (see opening trial notes), and he has withdrawn as Pomeroy's attorney. He cites Widow Webster as his source of this information,although, when least heard from, Widow Webster was proclaiming that Pomeroy was innocent. It gets a bit more complex as the frames slowly roll by and, ere long, Lonegan is riding in a car with the real killer but he is the only one in the cast of still-living characters and remaining audience members who doesn't know his car companion is the real killer.The last crew credit on the film reads..."Magic Sequences supervised by Hubert Brill,approved by the International Alliance of Magicians." No telling how that is now being reported.

This taut mystery, filmed just before "noir" began, is genuinely suspenseful. It has a wonderful jazzy rhythm.The scenes in which a radio show is being broadcast are fun and -- it seems -- accurate. Keye Luke is as always an asset, here as one of the radio players.Linda Hayes is a great, angular heroine, looking a bit like Katharine Hepburn. And Lillian Bond, in a crucial role, looks fabulous --especially with the wind blowing her hair in a convertible. She looks a little like Clara Bow and a lot like someone who could have been a star in the 1970-90s.Calling all cars: Be on the lookout for this little gem!