Thru Different Eyes
Cast & Crew
Thomas Z. Loring
Frank Craven
Mary Howard
June Walker
Donald Woods
Vivian Blaine
Film Details
Synopsis
District Attorney Steve Pettijohn is a guest lecturer at a law class, and to illustrate his theory about the unreliable nature of circumstantial evidence, describes the investigation following the murder of wealthy banker James Gardner: Six months after the killing, Steve obtains the conviction of Harry Beach, a bank employee and the fiancé of Sue Boardman, the niece of Steve's wife Margie. On the eve of Harry's execution, Sue and Margie plead with Steve to argue for a stay of execution, but he asserts that he cannot ask for one without submitting new evidence. Margie is angered because Jim's widow Constance is soon to marry her longtime sweetheart, Ted Farnsworth, but Steve discounts her theories about their possible guilt. Back in the class, Steve states that he felt Constance and Ted belonged together, and relates the happenings on the day of the murder: Steve receives a call informing him that Gardner's body has been found at his mountain lodge with his gun beside him. Sue arrives at the Pettijohn home and states that Harry has been missing since delivering some papers to the lodge. After Sue's departure, Constance arrives and tells Steve that she killed Gardner, who would not grant her a divorce and free her to marry Ted. Constance confesses that she went to the lodge to tell Gardner about her love for Ted, and that when he became drunk and violent, she shot him in self-defense with his gun, then was driven back to town by Harry, who had just arrived on an errand for Gardner. Steve has Constance arrested, but Ted arrives and makes a confession of his own, telling Steve that he shot Gardner during a struggle after a verbal fight over Constance. It soon becomes obvious that the lovers each have confessed only out of fear that the other would be arrested. However, when a forensic examination reveals that Gardner was not shot with his own gun, Steve focuses his attention on Harry, who is still missing. Harry is finally apprehended after an intensive search, and although he admits to struggling with the drunken Gardner, who was angry that he had driven Constance home, he swears that someone else shot him during their fight. Steve does not believe that Harry ran away because he was frightened, and the circumstantial evidence of Harry's presence at the lodge serves to convict him of Gardner's murder. Steve then tells the class what happened just before Harry was to be executed: Margie, still believing in Harry's innocence, lures Ted up to the lodge, where she and Sue torture him to make him confess. Ted maintains his innocence, but when Steve and the police arrive to free him, Margie finds the missing murder weapon in his car. Ted finally confesses, stating that he killed Gardner while he was fighting with Harry so that Constance would be free to marry him. As Steve finishes his tale, Margie enters the classroom and receives a standing ovation from the students for her detective work.
Director
Thomas Z. Loring
Cast
Frank Craven
Mary Howard
June Walker
Donald Woods
Vivian Blaine
George Holmes
Jerome Cowan
Charles Lane
James Flavin
Ruth Warren
Pat O'malley
Selmer Jackson
Charles D. Waldron
Irving Bacon
Dick Winslow
Harold Landon
Tom Seidel
Dick French
Cy Ring
Ben Carter
Ken Christy
George Lessey
Crew
Harry Brand
Charles [g.] Clarke
Richard Day
Samuel G. Engel
W. D. Flick
Chester Gore
Hal Herman
Herschel
Harry M. Leonard
Thomas Little
Louis Loeffler
Emil Newman
Sol Wurtzel
Film Details
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
The working titles of this film were Through Different Eyes and Mystery Story. According to studio publicity and a Hollywood Reporter news item, stage actor William Post, Jr. was originally cast in the role of "Ted Farnsworth" and was to have been borrowed from M-G-M for the role. The film marked the motion picture debut of singer Vivian Blaine and the return to the screen of actress June Walker, who was last seen in the 1930 M-G-M film War Nurse.
