Stronger Than Desire

WALTER PIDGEON stars as a man famous for being a defense lawyer who gets women cleared of murder charges in circumstantial cases.

Little does he know that he's soon going to be taking a case where a woman (ANN DVORAK) is charged with murdering her husband--and that his own wife (VIRGINIA BRUCE) was involved with the murdered man (LEE BOWMAN). In fact, his wife thinks she murdered Bowman in an accidental struggle over a gun. All of this leads to a courtroom scene where a plot twist reveals what really happened.

What distinguishes this little programmer from most B-films produced by MGM are the performances. Particularly effective are Virginia Bruce who manages to overcome a tendency to be bland by giving a very earnest performance as the woman who finds herself in difficult circumstances after realizing her friendship with Lee Bowman is really a set-up for blackmail.

And ANN DVORAK, never one of my favorite actresses, is really outstanding here as Bowman's long suffering wife who doesn't know that her lawyer's wife is "the other woman" involved with her husband. Not only is she photographed attractively, but she makes the most of a meaty supporting role.

RICHARD LANE does his usual competent job in a supporting role but it's the ladies who stand out in performances worthy of a better script. ILKA CHASE does her usual "best friend of the leading lady" bit, the sort of role she was relegated to throughout most of her career. Little ANN TODD is tolerable as the child who wishes her father could spend more time with her.

While Pidgeon is solid as the lawyer, it's Virginia Bruce and Ann Dvorak who have the most rewarding roles and take most of the spotlight.