Grand Jury

Grand Jury is a 1936 American crime drama film directed by Albert S. Rogell from a screenplay by Joseph A. Fields and Philip G. Epstein, based on a story by James Edward Grant and Thomas Lennon. Produced and distributed by RKO Radio Pictures, it premiered in New York City on July 31, 1936, and was released nationwide the following week on August 7. The film stars Fred Stone, Louise Latimer and Owen Davis, Jr. Plot George Taylor is one of the scions of town. When his son, John Taylor, is called to sit on the town's grand jury, the younger Taylor laments the necessity of the duty. His father quickly upbraids him for his lack of civic responsibility. The trial he is to serve on the grand jury for is to determine whether a local racketeer, Joseph Britt, should be tried for the murder of a young man. Fearful of vengeance by Britt, the grand jury refuses to indict. As he leaves the courtroom, Britt is shot and wounded by Tom Evans, the father of the murder victim. Evans is also a friend of George Taylor. A young cub reporter, Steve O'Connell, is filling in for a more senior reporter, scores the story, ingratiating himself to his boss. O'Connell is engaged to Edith Taylor, George's granddaughter. Using his connections, George Taylor gets O'Connell into see Evans, where he learns that Evans has evidence which will incriminate Britt, as well as several prominent local businessmen. When the story hits the papers, one of those prominent citizens, Jim Hanify, concocts a plot to have Evans released from jail, so that the gang can kill him. George Taylor is drafted to lead the cause to have Evans paroled, not knowing the true motives of Hanify. As he and O'Connell walk Evans out of the jail, Evans is gunned down by the mobsters. When O'Connell is scooped by other reporters, in spite of him being an eyewitness to the murder, he is fired by his boss. When the elder Taylor decides to track down the killers, he receives a threatening phone call from Britt, after which John Taylor hires a bodyguard to protect his father. George eludes the bodyguard, and blunders onto the hideout of the gang. While he is eavesdropping on the gangsters, he mistakenly believes their conversation as they are playing Monopoly to be a real conversation about their criminal activities. Eventually he is discovered and captured by the mobsters. When O'Connell shows up to rescue him, he is also captured. However, just before they are about to be shot by Britt, the police arrive to rescue the two.