Shadow of the Law (1930 film)
Shadow of the Law is a 1930 American pre-Code film directed by Louis J. Gasnier and starring William Powell, Richard Tucker, and Regis Toomey. Plot Mechanical engineer James "Jim" Montgomery escorts attractive blonde Ethel George to her apartment, one floor up from where he himself lives. However, inside she is startled to find an angry Lew Durkin, a "Chicago millionaire". Jim leaves, but later she flees to his place, chased by Durkin. When Durkin starts strangling the woman, Jim intervenes. In the ensuing fight, Jim punches Durkin, who then falls out the window to his death. Anxious to avoid the scandal and publicity, the woman runs away. When Police Lieutenant Mike Kearney arrives, Jim makes a mistake and claims there was nobody else in the room. When Kearney tells him that an eyewitness saw him push Durkin out the window, he tells the truth, but Kearney does not believe his changed story. They go upstairs to see Miss George, but she is gone. Without her testimony, Jim is convicted and sent to prison for life. He shares a cell with Pete for three years. Then the warden asks him to find out who Pete's accomplices were and the hiding place