The Trial Of Mary Dugan

In her first sound picture, Shearer plays a Broadway show girl accused of killing her boy friend, a rich playboy, by stabbing him with a knife. Stone, a friend of Shearer's, serves as her attorney but decides against cross-examining witnesses. Hackett, Shearer's younger brother and himself a newly appointed member of the bar, is furious with this tactic. Stone mysteriously withdraws from defending Shearer, so Hackett takes over. Eventually it's revealed that Shearer had served as mistress to several wealthy individuals, using the money secured from each man to help finance Hackett's education. Hackett pursues with his defense, finally proving his sister innocent wh...