The Case Against Mrs. Ames (1936) DVD-R

Starring Madeleine Carroll, George Brent, Arthur Treacher, Alan Baxter, Beulah Bondi, Alan
Mowbray
Directed by William A. Seiter

Print: black/white
Runtime: 85 min.
Genre: drama
Print Quality: B

When wealthy Mr. Ames is murdered, his beautiful wife Hope (Madeleine Carroll) is the
principal suspect. She is acquitted through lack of evidence, but it's hardly a happy ending:
her son Bobbie (Scotty Beckett) is taken away from her by spiteful relatives, who poison the
boy's mind against her. Making matters worse, assistant DA Matt Logan (George Brent) is
still convinced that Hope is guilty. Upon seeing Hope's devotion to her child, Logan softens a
bit and alters his strategy. He offers a huge reward for additional information pertaining to
the case, ostensibly to prove Mrs. Ames' guilt, but actually to clear her name so that she
and her son can be reunited. If the outcome of The Case Against Mrs. Ames seems
predictable, it is only because the actor who plays the real murderer was nearly always
revealed as the "surprise" culprit in the final reel.