The World Was His Jury (1958)

An infamous lawyer (Edmond O'Brien), who is notorious for defending guilty clients, is asked by a ship company to defend the Captain (Robert McQueeney, who gave up acting to become a priest) of a luxury liner that sank and killed over 100 passengers and crew due to the Captain's negligence. Directed by Fred F. Sears (EARTH VS. THE FLYING SAUCERS), this courtroom drama plays out like an episode of PERRY MASON. We get a little domestic background with the attorney and his wife (Mona Freeman), who has a distaste for her husband's clientele but the majority of the movie takes place in the courtroom. As a courtroom drama, it's okay but it's not special enough to make a big screen event. But it was produced by Sam Katzman, Columbia's resident king of cheap so it didn't cost much but ten years later, something like this would have shown up as a TV movie of the week. With Karin Booth, Paul Birch and John Beradino.