Lady In The Death House (1944) CRIME-THRILLER

[Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Applause] [Music] oh please just a few minutes more i'm almost finished you please give this letter to the warden it's for mr finch i will the last mile the last long walk to the death chamber and eternity an eye for an eye a life for a life it is so written the state which cannot give life demands a right to take life mary kirk walked those 39 steps unafraid leaving behind a letter a document of courage [Music] in one hour i shall be dead killed by the hand of the man i love i can hear the preparations for my execution i can feel the expectant hush through the cold walls the time element made this case tough i saw fence tonight at the grotto about seven still trying to solve the case even at that late hour i don't deserve so much credit dr bradford's the one you boy should feature well give us a story that's why we're here i'm sorry mitch well this is the key that unlocked the merry kirk murder case it belongs in here until it becomes exhibit a something to remind me that you're never licked until you give up i remember that case finch a pistol pack and mama was she tough that ace of spades was the killer's calling card in the macomber murder boy was she torrid i thought you were falling for a finch how about the little blonde who met you in a grotto tonight susie you're a wolf in criminologist clothing i'm supposed to be a psychologist well boys here's the story starting at the beginning some of you may not know that part well none of us knew you were in on until after the trial at the beginning of the night i met brad dr bradford i dropped into the grotto for a drink [Music] so after all that what could i do i just had to accept the mink coat [Music] [Applause] [Music] oh i'm sorry that's all right anyone with me you know about the bird trying to fly with one wing bradford's the name dr dwight bradford when i had friends they'd call me brad my name is finch waiter waiter two more the same bob we've had enough i want a drink put that thing down and get me a drink [Music] office around here no i'm not a practicing physician i'm doing some research if you're lucky doing something you like aren't you charles finch the criminologist i've seen your picture in papers i keep insisting that i'm a psychologist and i say i'm a scientist but i haven't proved it yet that's not all i've got another job have to scientists really make a living but i don't talk about it oh please bob i wish you wouldn't to do all right there's a one-woman fire you were pretty good yourself i'll fix that for you uh-huh there we are sorry to do this to your co-customer oh that's unnecessary i guess you'll have to come along that's all right you better go back and finish your drink here excuse me good night the black islam is taking me home [Applause] [Music] um come on in we're inspecting the damage oh this is my sister susie kirk mr finch how'd you do nothing exciting like that ever happens to me it's always mary don't buy the doctor it's completely ruined susie didn't you come in just before we did oh why no i've been home all evening i knew susie was live i thought no more about it in fact the incident had been almost forgotten when one night i received a call from dr bradford he wanted me to meet him in his laboratory saying there was a special reason for requesting it mr finch i wanted to tell you some of the things i'm doing bourbon and soda isn't it and no ice no and no idea a few months ago the papers and magazines carried some surprising stories about the celebrated dr ziegfeld who has since died he claimed he had revived animals after they had been dead for some time yes i read about it now from my own research i'm convinced he was right and i'm determined to carry on his work the very essence of life i believe clings to cells and is held in the heart of atoms for an indefinite length of time depending somewhat upon how we meet our end if you could find some way to bring people back from that borderland you'd be one of the world's great benefactors take for instance a case of death by drowning or electrocution i told you i had a job i dislike that i hate i'm the executioner for the state i'm the man who throws the switch to kill those condemned to die that's uh not what one might call a present job but uh in your case i can understand it not only that but i must work it costs quite a lot to run this laboratory and i have to have money and i suppose you have opportunities to study those who have been legally put to death only within its permission must be obtained there's a lot of red tape and properly so this is undoubtedly an imposition but i simply had to talk it over with someone you're a criminologist and a psychiatrist here's to mary and to me you don't mean it my congratulations not so fast what will she think when i tell her about my my job i don't believe any psychologist could answer them without knowing mary better depends entirely upon her temperament she might understand regard the matter with a complete objectivity and she might loathe me finish your drinking come with me i can't stand the suspense any longer i want you to have dinner with us tonight at the grotto if you will of course here's to luck good luck [Music] glad to see you again a man named richard was telephoning susie and he was so insistent that i was trying to find out where she was could you leave a message for her yes i did i left word where she could find me mary i would you would would you care for a drink i'd like a cup of coffee coffee wait uh bring the lady a cup of tea please i said coffee she said coffee murray this is probably the strangest that this is probably the strangest [Music] proposal yes that's it proposal what kind of proposal why uh you know uh a proposal yeah proposal it's probably the strangest proposal because i mean it's rather odd that uh the guy who's gonna propose invites a third party to be president such a time mary i want you to to is uh mary the word yes it is yes that's the word i love you or perhaps i better leave no no no don't you leave there's some things about me that marry my snow she might want to talk them over with you well i have an idea suppose you go to the bomb finish your drink and i'll stay here and talk to mary all right give me a high-ride ball but a lot of high-ride balls how about a german with bingerail germany if you could look upon dr bradford merely as an instrument of the law oh but surely he could get another job if he loves me he does love you and we might get him another job you suggest in fact i already have an idea that might work out but mary try to understand that his chief reason for holding this position is because through his prison association he had opportunities for investigation oh but i couldn't cinch i simply couldn't they'll keep believing me at night tonight wait watching the clock knowing that when the hour came brad would oh i couldn't i've got to speak to you for just a moment excuse me what happened i'll be right back did you tell her yes what does he say you could if you wanted to you just won't help me i can't why don't you tell me who's in trouble he's a friend of mine and i'm i feel i'm responsible the one who was calling this evening i don't know who you're talking about susie i'm sorry i haven't the money you would if it wasn't for it wasn't for what [Music] nothing your sister seems upset can i be of any assistance no thanks susie's always taking somebody else's troubles on her shoulders sit down mary well i'm sorry brad there's nothing more to be said is there mr finch has probably told you how i feel about things but somebody has to do it it doesn't have to be the man i oh give it up brad please i i can't marry not yet take me home brad some time passed i used to see brad now and then he was quite depressed dejected one night we were dining together at the grotto when but uh let's get back to this letter for a moment in a few minutes i must answer with my life because out of my father's past a specter has come back to haunt me to provide a motive for murder now in order to better understand this we should know a little more about mary so yeah i said all right oh miss kirk mr gregory i've got to find some filing space and these papers are very old can't we destroy them or store them someplace my my tom logan i was too smart for that crook i was appointed head of the civic committee to clean up the city picked the right man busted the racketeers in jig time logan was killed that was a dozen years ago how'd you know that the complaint stated oh of course i thought you were too young to remember about the age of tom logan's oldest girl i should guess and there was a younger one mother died when she was born i tried to find them both plunk them in a reform school but some relative of the mothers took her out of the state two little crooks i suppose couldn't be anything else blood will tell i pride myself on the fact that everyone working for me and my bank comes from the right people i personally examine their backgrounds and know they can all be trusted what about me you're the one exception however frank ross my oldest friend recommended you his words good enough for me you've been with me for five years and you wouldn't be in this confidential position if you hadn't shown the right stuff thank you mr gregory what about the papers you can get rid of them those are cluttering up things with these records i've got a whole scrabble newspaper clippings at home i'll take care of these the first thing in the morning and if there's nothing more i'll go home now all right good night i told you never to come here again i don't want susie to know ah slow down i got good news for you i'm leaving town i'm uh taking up a little collection from some of my friends and uh thought maybe you'd like to contribute i haven't gotten much you've taken almost tom logan plenty when the going was rough and that's something you wouldn't want me to tell mr gregory i think it over be worth a lot to you wouldn't it you never saw me again [Music] that money i've saved is for susie her education she's going to college this fall susie can go to work i've got to have 500 more and then i'll never come back you can tell mr gregor if you want [Music] everything [Music] [Applause] [Music] what happened mary what did you he says somebody named mary done it [Applause] get me the police quick i may have some news for you good news it'll take a little time but mary what's happened well i was hoping i could find you here something dreadful has happened please come with me right now you say you found the man before he died and he said something about this girl he said mary why did you who was the man who was he mary you better tell us the police can find out who are you she's my sister suzanne what do you know about the man that was murdered here tonight was it that blackmailer [Music] his name was willis millen good now we're going places milan huh milan i know he was a front man for tom logan when he was running that pinball racket so he was blackmailing you was he yes and you stood as long as you could but tonight you're about and you hit him over the head with that statue i didn't kill him i wasn't even in the room brad you believe me don't you of course i do we'll get your fingerprints off that statue you'd rather expect to find her fingerprints on it wouldn't you this is her home you know every so often we bump into you charlie finch you've probably forgotten that i have a couple of witnesses who saw her hit him over the head i'm afraid i'll have to ask you to come to headquarters miss kirk have you found any other clues i didn't search the place one of the boys did he didn't find anything this isn't one of those tough cases that depends on clues perhaps but my experience is there's no such thing as a sure conviction not even when there's a confession the girl claims she didn't do it perhaps you'll need a key to unlock a mystery before you're through sergeant it'll take more than the key to get her out of jail i had a key all right with a key without a door to unlock it wasn't difficult to find out where milan lived but the key didn't fit his lock then i questioned susie regarding her boyfriends and she was reticent she was more than that she was cagey sometimes i thought you didn't care what happened to mary then one day i discovered the thumbprint on the key which maxed exactly with one i had found on the statue there were plenty of mary's prince there so they disregarded the only important one mr gregory of course will always believe that i'm guilty he will probably witness my execution with a smile well he won't have long to wait they will come for me soon now i went to see gregory your interest in this case mr finch is in my opinion entirely unwarranted the shame and humiliation this has brought upon me is almost unbearable i can't hold my head up again i can understand your emotion mr gregory but it's the girl who's going on trial for her life tom logan's daughter that's the bitter play i have to swallow if you could in some way help me to clear her you'll be helping your own case at the same time real well being you may feel very sorry for mary kirk much more to be said i don't blame those people at the trial it was all against me i lived a nightmare of days [Music] i first met mr mellon one night when my sister was out he came to the house did he mention money yes he supposed i knew mary was paying him did you tell her about the visit yes but i never mentioned i knew about the money robbery couldn't have been the motive we found a large rule of bills in his pocket [Music] if i'd known she was using an alias that she was tom logan's daughter objection sustained i can say what i think not in this court mr gregory it is mary kurt logan who is on trial not her father but you will confine your answers to the questions asked susie do you believe your sister is guilty yes why do you think that i heard mary threaten him once when i was in the bedroom and she didn't know it then i seen her bring something down over his head and he fell you could identify her you are sure it was the defendant we went in yes we know mr avery but you need to tell the judge and this jury that you could be sure it was the defendant but the figures on the window shade were so distinct you couldn't be mistaken i'm positive i gotta believe my own eyes there's only one thing to do but merely understand perhaps this insanity will convince some of them when i came out of the bedroom i saw no one he was lying there i wanted to get help [Music] in all of my 16 years as attorney for this county i've never tried a case so clear-cut everything is there the alias under which the defendant was known the blackmailer from out of her past the growing desperation the final demand and the killing why should i waste your time pointing out the little things that go to prove her guilt we've presented witnesses to the crime this is a question of honesty human beings can be mistaken two witnesses have sworn they identified the defendant but it is possible through the confusion of rapid action silhouetted on the window shade that they could be wrong i put the defendant on the witness stand so you could judge her honesty if she were dishonest she could have claimed milan attacked her and she struck him in self-defense she didn't claim it because she was telling the truth we find the defendant guilty as charged on the night of april 15th at 11 o'clock [Music] [Music] i don't suppose after that moment but before it occurred to either mary or brad but the fates were so conspires to make him the executioner of the girl he loved yet fantastic inhuman him what you will each read the thought in the other's eyes bradford could have refused that is true however he didn't perhaps he hoped to bring her back to life after she'd been declared legally dead up to this point there was nothing unusual as murder cases go but a strange psychological change was taking place as you will see except for brad and me i don't suppose there was a single person who believed her innocent neither did the boys who've been covering murders for years now if you've been in my place and believed her innocent what would you have done gone after susie that's exactly what i did susie was an interesting psychological study although emotionally unstable she was not vicious now mind you when i say susie lied she did but she was convinced that mary was guilty why shouldn't she protect her boyfriends they were innocent however there was one who wasn't innocent but someone susie by no stretch of the imagination could connect with the crime and like many adolescents her defense mechanism made her evasive i know you're anxious to help your sister of course but how can i help her someone might have killed milan while she was in the bedroom i suppose they could but mary said she didn't see or hear anyone someone who got in the back door to the kitchen one of your boyfriends perhaps mr finch if you forget your indignation perhaps i can save your sister from the electric chair what do you want to know to start with the first night i met you the night that dr bradford and i brought your sister home i saw you get out of a coupe in front of your house you told your sister you've been home all evening i i was home no matter what you think i just went out when i heard someone honk who was the man i don't remember let's see who was it oh yes bill ellsworth that's who it was where can i find him oh i haven't the remotest idea he's a boy i meant at a dance you might give him the name of all the other boys you know but you go out with all of them i hope you've got plenty of paper well i could believe there'd be a long list oh mr fence good morning does bill ellsworth live here he does when he's home but he's been in south america for over a year i thought so excuse me there wasn't a clue in the whole list a lot of youngsters most of them many of them like yours were not even in the country and i had caught susie in another lie what about miller's friends minimum was always a cheap drafter a coward i tried through his friends to get a clue but even the underworld despised him well he was no friend of tom logan's and while we're on the subject gregor was out to make a name for himself that's why he went after logan on his pinball machine to hear gregory tell it you'd think mary's father was a gangster he was running a legitimate business after the city council banned the games that was my chief reason for investigating milan's friends i hoped i might be able to hang something on gregory well as you know there was an appeal motion for a new trial was denied but anything to gain time however we lost once more i went to see mary not yet is the trouble in finding someone with a motive do you remember the night you came out of the grotto to meet brad and me and you were late you said some man had been telephoning susie do you recall his name no i don't it was a first name i never heard susie mention him before but try what it was what did he say well he didn't say much he was excited and said tell her tell her yes i can't remember perhaps this will help when susie came into the grotto what did she say did she use his name no all she said was that she had to have some money and i tried to find out what it was for but she wouldn't say she wanted me to lend it to her how much did you want a thousand dollars you and brad were there at the time i didn't feel i could pursue the subject i just told her i couldn't let her have it someone a man susie knew had to have a thousand dollars maybe she'll remember that i'll come again really call me tonight will you anything new from finch no he's still at it and he's the best man in the country it's good to have a friend like him i wish i could help as much if i could only do something you've done everything anybody could you know i love you mary and you believe me don't you i do the matrix has come from me now and i must close this but i want to tell you something it will be difficult for you to believe incredible as it may seem as the hour of our execution approached mary became resigned to the fact that driving the executioner for the state to quote her i wanted to be brad i know now how the women of our western plains must have felt when facing death at the hands of savages by a process of reasoning she became to regard brad the executioner as but one small cog in the machinery of the law by which it was doomed to die the jurors that voted for conviction the judge who passed sentence were far more responsible in her opinion well she's right but who'd expect a woman to be that logical that brings us to tonight uh at the grotto and susie the usual device yeah just the man i want to see any last-minute developments in the merry kirk case w seven o'clock yes the execution will come off on schedule at 11. you asked me to meet you here well yes and you're right on time come on let's find a boo finch is still trying i talk to that little damon she doesn't know anything and i mean anything and coffee susie i don't believe you are consciously sending your sister to the electric chair but i am positive that you hold the key to the murder if you bring that subject up again i'll leave you've lied to me several times who are you protecting sit down if you attempt to leave i'll take you to jail for questioning jail yes jail now whom are you protecting you're protecting someone and i believe that that man killed milan i'm not protecting anyone i've got a right to some privacy oh do you think i'd keep anything back if i thought it would save mary's life let me be the judge of that susie seemingly unimportant things are sometimes the greatest importance of the trained investigator of course you want to save mary but you're working on the assumption that she's guilty you told me that i don't believe she is i'll tell you tomorrow everything i know you'll see then how unimportant oh please don't do that [Music] makes me nervous oh of course but tomorrow will be too late i just happen to know something which doesn't concern anyone in the world but at whom someone you wouldn't know it has nothing to do with me or you or mary or anyone else [Music] you better put that car key back in your pocket before you forget it how'd you know it's a car key would just as well be a house key oh i don't know i just supposed [Music] no no message for me no sir mr finch has a telephone not since early this afternoon it was nice of him to give me hope nothing from no doctor she didn't ask for for someone else to take my place no sir susie i'll let you keep your secret if you tell me the name of the man who was in the coupe the one you said was bill ellsworth i said that because it was none of your business i never dreamed you'd check up on me who was it that key belongs to the man who was in the coupe i'm sure of it what's his name ah i remember his name you try to borrow money from your sister for him his name is richard you wouldn't tell me because you're afraid he might involve you in some personal scandal he was very close to you wasn't he am i right no no but i promise to keep you out of it susie look at it my way richard had a key to the back door how did you know that i didn't you've just told me oh needing money desperately he got into the kitchen he saw the roll of bills up millen had and possibly have done it i'm convinced that he did otherwise how did his car key have been on your floor oh horrible but it's too late he's leaving town tonight alone or with somebody else he wouldn't do that don't be too sure do you think we can find him susie we can't it's too late i tell you we can't come on let's try here's where he keeps his car is he getting away in it yes that's what he said that's his car lord we're in time where does he live around the corner [Music] so [Music] the key fits all right now there's nothing to do but wait and pray pray that he comes in time [Music] what time is it [Music] you've got half an hour half an hour richard susie what are you doing here i just had to see it before you left i needn't have gone if you got me that money why didn't you grab millen's money when you had a chance where were you i protected you now you're deserting me you're letting my sister die why you family you are all right out quick snell's proved to be a coward at heart he wasn't hard to handle he was stalling as much as i suspected he worked at gregory's bank and wanted to be a big shot so he stole some money and tried to cover it up then he stole some more to make his first theft good and so on susie was flattered by his attentions and tried to get some money for mary for him heaven knows what reason what really happened was i told you never to come here again i don't want susie to know ah slow down i got good news for you i'm leaving town i'm uh taking up a little collection from some of my friends and uh well maybe you'd like to contribute you've taken over i helped tom logan plenty when the going was tough and that's something you wouldn't want me to tell mr gregory that money i've saved is for susie her education she's going to college this fall susie can go to work i've got to have 500 more and then i'll never come back you can tell mr gregor if you want to [Music] everything [Music] [Music] mr millen [Music] [Music] [Music] so [Music] until gregory hears this hello give me governor harrison on the phone and hurry it's a matter of life and death try the executive mansion he told me he needed hello out or find him all right we'll cry there governor hanson had a broadcast tonight his wife doesn't know where he went from there oh yes is governor harrison there left 10 minutes ago did he go home did he have anybody with him justice chauffeur thank you susie get on that telephone and keep trying the police here will help you tell mrs harrison who you are and we have a confession we are fighting against time get me a motorcycle escort i am going to try and convince that warden if i can get there in time oh couldn't you tell a phone he won't listen to anybody but the governor that's the law but if i can see him i might get him to delay the execution oh get the governor somehow state prison [Music] foreign [Music] [Applause] [Music] what are we doing here jenny oh this is it good it's not a very nice place for a governor to be seen by deters jennings nice places as you call them never have the kind of sandwiches i like what can i do for you oh excuse me i just listened to you on the radio governor harrison it sure was as well speech thank you now could you make us a couple of denver sandwiches smothered in onion i'll make you the best ones you ever eat [Music] about time dr bradford yes i i know of course you know how i feel how we all feel about it thank you [Music] there's always the millionth chance the governor will intervene i'll be right by the telephone sir [Music] so [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] we're late get on with the doctor come come no one wants to see that girl die but the law says she must no word from finch no and none from the governor she's innocent warden you know she is i believe she is since coming to know her but we can't kill her we can't we have no choice maybe you have no choice but i have i'm not going to throw the switch until i hear from finch think of the girl you can't let her sit there waiting it's torture i can't i can't pull yourself together you're a doctor i'm human listen warden i thought i could i refused to give up this job when she asked me to this is different i love her i can't kill her no no law stand aside i'll throw this away no you won't no one will i'll give you one more chance if you refuse i'll call the guards with orders to shoot call them that'll give her a few more minutes and it'll take them some time to get me call them listen to me and you'll have the scoop of the year we've got snell's confession my sister's innocent help me please please [Music] i'll give you one last chance come on [Music] [Applause] i'm glad you like it governor [Music] we are interrupting this program for an important announcement we are trying to reach governor harrison if governor harrison hears this please call warden lewis at once snell a bank teller has confessed to the murder of willis millen mary kirk logan is innocent governor harrison please call warden lewis immediately just keep him here until i come out yes yes sir it's the governor stop what the governor state the execution the bank teller the name of smell has confessed governor has known the facts but it satisfied itself thank heaven dr bradford saved her is the governor on the wire yes release her [Music] put this all together brad and bring mary to me as soon as you have a release the warden gave me this when i was leaving that letter be worth a nice piece of change to my paper sorry max it doesn't belong to me no now let's not be so solemn it's a rare thing for the ghost elect to be able to destroy her last will and testament it reminds me this letter is your appointment to the staff of the chicago research foundation and professor michaelson thanks for everything ah well here's to the new job a lovely wife dear friend i prefer my toast this way waiter wait put that thing down and get me a drink please bob you've had enough i want a drink darling i think we better leave this is where we came in coming no no i uh i think i'll stay i still have my overcoat and you never can tell [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] you

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Keywords: MOVIES, Lady In The Death House (Film), #classicmovies, classic movies, Lady In The Death House (1944), FILM, PUBLIC DOMAIN, classic movie, CLASSIC, Movie, CRIME-THRILLER, filmstruck, FREE, crime

Id: Y6ZozfsxzXE

Length: 55min 25sec (3325 seconds)

Published: Fri Jun 28 2013