The Waterbury Democrat., 1944-04-04
HOMETOWN LAWYER !.
When Celebrities Go To Court Jerry Giesler
STEALS THE SHOW
BY ERSKINE JOHNSON
NEA Correspondent


Hollywood, April En Jerry Gies-
Ter tried for role in the movies as
q brilliant defense attorney, studio
casting directors would brush him
off because he doesn't look like
one.
Sorry" they'd say, but you're
not the type"
But in the same courtroom with
one of the screens greatest &C
tors, Charlie Chaplin, and his
one time protegee, Joan Barry, Jer-
ry Giesler is the star.
This business of stealing the
show from illustrious Hollywood
clients such as Chaplin and Err
rol Flynn is getting to be a habit
with this tall, 57-year-old attor-
ney. In fact, Jerry !Giesler is
recognized as one of the best
criminal lawyers in the United
States, and one Of the best court
room actors.
Yet as a rule, Giesler doesn't
shout or gesticulate or pace back
and forth in front of jury. In
Hollywood parlance, Jerry under
plays his role. But he doesn't
hesitate, on occasion, to go all out
for drama. In the Flynn case, he
impersonated Peggy Satterlee in
five-minute soliloquy which would
have made any actor envious. And
once, in an obscure murder trial, he
fell off a piano stool half a dozen
| times to drive home O point to the
jury.
But in underplaying, there's no
one in Hollywood who can top Jerry
GieSler.
HE DOESN'T SHOUT
He steals the spotlight and
sways juries by not raising his
voice, by not hammering at a wit
ness. Yet his questioning is
scalpel-like. He is a master tech
nician with great persuasive pow
ers.
Like all great actors, Jerry
Giesler is fastidiouS dresser,
always wearing finely tailored
$50 suits, suede shoes and $40
neckties. Like an actor, too, he
is particularly sensitive about his
semi bald head. Whenever some
one points camera at him, Jerry
invariably reaches for his hat.
All Hollywood has heard of his
unsuccessful trials of dozens of
kinds of hair reStorerS.
GieSler was trained to be q
Snowman as well as an attorney.
There are only two autographed
pictures in his office. One is OF
Clarence barrow, his boyhood
idol, the other of Earl Rogers, the
great western criminal attorney
for whom he worked as office boy
while attending he University OF
Southern California law school
81 years ago. Both Darrow and
Rogers were great showmen.
1t was for another great show
man, Alexander Pantages, that
Jerry Giesler won his first big
case, in 1880. Pantages, defend
ed by two Los Angeles attorneys
was convicted of criminal assault
on testimony of the actress Eu-
nice Pringle.
Pantages then dismissed his two
attorneys and hired Giesler to
write an appeal and demand new
trial, and Pantages was acquitted.
SHE KNEW HER PART -~
Giesler won the case by intro
ducing transcripts which showed
that Miss Pringle, over a two
year period, had told her story
eight different times, hardly
changing a single word. He ar
gued that she was an actress
that she had learned the role, and
never forgot her lines.
The case attracted national at
tention, and since then Giesler has
been sitting at the attorneys table
at all of Los Angeles great Grim
inal trials. And emerging VIC
LoriouS.
Giesler successfully defended
Moe THE Gimp" Snyder, husband
of Ruth Fitting, on an assault-w with
a-deadly-Weapon charge. He won
an acquittal when Dance Director
Busby Berkeley was accused Of
manSlaughter after an automobile
accident in which three people
were killed.
He proved that Paul Wright
manager of Los Angeles Union Air
terminal, was insane when he
KILLED his wife and his best TREND
IN the now famous white flame
case. Wright testified that nj
couldndt remember what happened
that white flame flashed be-
fore his eyes. And, more recently
Glesler won acquittal for Errol
Flynn on two charges of Crimlna
assault brought by Betty Hansen
and Peggy Satterlee.
GieSler'S fees for these cases are
gossip for big figures. He is saic
20 have received $4,000 for &c.
lending Flynn, and to be getting
100000 as Chaplin's counsel.
In crCSS-eXam4natIon, GieSler i.
inclined to be earneSt ana 1r4eno-
ly. He once told a friend: II hatt
to see women cry, and l nevel
trek woman witness into a spell
OF weeping" Chaplin cried TO-
MIN, however,
Although his job is keeping peopl,
out OF Jail, this attorney enjoys thu
admiration and respect of law en-
forcement officials. Asked if he know
anything bad about Giesler, Chic
Trial Deputy Daniel Beecher of Tn,
district attorneys office said:
Nothing. If Jerry Giesler cam
in here and told me something
would believe him just as soon a
I'd believe one of my own deputies.