Hollywood Lawyer: The Jerry Giesler Story

by Jerry Giesler, Pete Martin

Overview

THE ACCUSED IS ENTITLED TO A DEFENSE.

Jerry Giesler believed the accused is entitled to a good defense. What he delivered, consistently, was a brilliant defense. Here are some of the people he defended:

Errol Flynn—charged with statutory rape on two counts;

Clarence Darrow—charged with attempted bribery of a jury;

Lily St. Cyr—charged with indecent exposure;

Charles Chaplin—charged with violation of the Mann Act;

Robert Mitchum—charged with illegal possession of narcotics.

The due processes of law make fascinating reading. When the cases are charged with the legal genius of a Giesler at work, the fascination cannot be denied!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781789122541
Publisher:	Papamoa Press
Publication date:	09/03/2018
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	293
File size:	11 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

HAROLD LEE “JERRY” GIESLER (1886-1962) was a U.S. defense attorney for many of the highest-profile litigations, both criminal and civil. His early life, however, was as remote from Hollywood’s glitter and tinsel as it is possible to be. He was born in the little town of Wilton Junction, Iowa, the elder son of a bank cashier. After his public-school education, he decided to enter the University of Michigan, because the football star, Willie Heston, played there. In 1905, after a summer-school make-up session in mathematics, his eyes gave out and a specialist advised him to take a year off to rest. He spent that year in Los Angeles, staying with the family of a school chum. He got a job driving a lumber wagon to support himself while he was attending the University of Southern California’s law school. Two years later, in 1907, he passed the state bar examination and began his practice in the law offices of Earl Rogers, where he stayed for several years, acting as attorney of record for some of Rogers’ historic cases. Eventually, Mr. Giesler branched out on his own, and, after his successful defense of Alexander Pantages in 1929, his rise was meteoric.

PETE MARTIN (1901-1980) was a prolific writer for The Saturday Evening Post, specializing in profiles of celebrities. His “I Call On...” column featured interviews with Zsa Gabor, Lucille Ball, Grace Kelly, Bing Crosby, and many others. Born in Virginia, he graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1924. His first job was that of art editor of College Humor magazine in Chicago at a time when an art editor could look out of his office window from time to time and witness noted skirmishes of the gangland wars. In 1925 he joined the staff of The Saturday Evening Post where he served as art editor for 12 years. As a Post staff writer, he authored numerous short stories, magazine serials and articles, some of which formed his book, Hollywood Without Make-Up (1948).