On Trial

On Trial (1914), a play by Elmer Rice (then billed as Elmer L. Reizenstein). [Candler Theatre, 365 perf.] Robert Strickland ( Frederick Perry) is accused of murdering Gerald Trask ( Frederick Truesdell). According to the prosecution, Strickland repaid a loan of $10,000 to Trask, then later that evening returned to the Trask home to steal the money, killing Trask when he caught Strickland in the act. The defense is not helped by Strickland's silence or by the strange disappearance of Strickland's wife ( Mary Ryan). When she is finally found, she confesses that she had years before been seduced by Trask and had gone to his house the night of his murder to plead with him not to reveal her past; but, she insists, she did not murder him. The defense lawyer catches Trask's secretary, Glover ( J. Wallace Clinton), in some damaging contradictions and gets Glover to admit he stole the money but also insists he did not commit the murder. The jury acquits Strickland. The play is often said to be the first important drama to make use of the cinematic technique of flashbacks and one of the earliest that, in effect, recounted a trial from beginning to end. Its novelty and expense scared off numerous major producers, but when it finally opened under the aegis of George M. Cohan, Sam H. Harris, and Arthur Hopkins, the Globe hailed it as “the most striking novelty that has been seen for years,” adding correctly, “undoubtedly it will bring about important changes in the technique of the theatre.”