True Confession (1937) in Color — Starring Carole Lombard & Fred MacMurray

True Confession (1937) — Buy This Classic in Color

In 1937, director Wesley Ruggles unleashed one of the wildest screwball comedies of the decade: True Confession. Starring Carole Lombard at her dizzy best, alongside Fred MacMurray, John Barrymore, and Una Merkel, the film spins a breathless tale of a compulsive liar whose tall tales land her in a murder trial. Lombard’s Helen is a pathologically untruthful scriptwriter who can’t stop inventing—even when a real-life corpse appears in her hallway. The result is a fast-talking, door-slamming farce that keeps you guessing until the final gavel. Own this classic movie in color as a DRM-free MP4 digital download for just €15.00.

Plot Summary

Helen Bartlett (Carole Lombard) is a young woman with an uncontrollable habit of lying. She invents stories about her past, her career, and her marriage to struggling lawyer Kenneth “Ken” Bartlett (Fred MacMurray). Ken, honest to a fault, begs her to reform, but Helen’s fibs are too ingrained—she spins fictions even when the truth would serve her better. Her latest fabrications have already cost Ken a promising job, and their finances are stretched thin.

Desperate for work, Helen takes a secretarial position with a wealthy playboy named Charley B. (John Barrymore). Charley leads a dissolute life, and Helen quickly finds herself caught in his schemes. When she refuses his advances, he fires her—but not before she invents a story about a stolen manuscript to gain sympathy. The lie spirals out of control when Charley is found dead, and Helen’s own typewriter is discovered at the scene. The evidence points directly at her.

Ken, still reeling from his wife’s deceptions, agrees to defend her in court despite his anger. He knows Helen may have written incriminating letters, but her constant lying makes her an unreliable defendant. As the trial begins, the prosecution—led by a sharp district attorney (Porter Hall)—piles on circumstantial clues. Helen’s own testimony, delivered with Lombard’s trademark comic timing, only digs her deeper.

Meanwhile, a mysterious figure named Treadwell (Edgar Kennedy) offers conflicting accounts of the night of the murder. Ken’s assistant Gertie (Una Merkel) provides comic relief with her own romantic dilemmas, while the judge (Richard Carle) struggles to maintain order in a courtroom that has become a circus. The film’s central question becomes: Can a pathological liar ever convince a jury of her innocence?

As the evidence mounts, Helen’s lies begin to intertwine with the truth so thoroughly that even Ken isn’t sure what really happened. A surprise witness appears, and the courtroom erupts in a final twist that will determine whether Helen walks free or faces a life sentence. The answer hinges on whether one of her stories turns out to be true.

Cast & Crew

Director: Wesley Ruggles
Stars: Carole Lombard, Fred MacMurray, John Barrymore, Una Merkel, Porter Hall

Why Buy This Classic in Color?

This digital download presents True Confession in a professionally colourised restoration that brings new life to the film’s period detail. The courtroom sequences gain palpable warmth from the wood-paneled décor and the rich tones of the lawyers’ suits, while Lombard’s costumes—frivolous 1930s dresses in pastel shades—pop with the vibrancy they would have had on a Hollywood soundstage. The colorization also heightens the contrast between Helen’s imagined worlds (often depicted in brighter hues) and the grim reality of the trial. It’s a careful, period-accurate recolouring that serves the performances rather than distracting from them. Experience this screwball gem the way it was meant to be rediscovered: in vivid, high-definition colour. Buy and download the DRM-free MP4 for €15.00 and start watching instantly.

Historical Significance

True Confession arrived at the peak of Carole Lombard’s reign as the queen of screwball comedy. Released in 1937, the same year as Nothing Sacred, it showcased her unparalleled ability to blend farce with subtle pathos. Director Wesley Ruggles, fresh from the Oscar-nominated I Met Him in Paris, guided her in a performance that foreshadowed her Oscar-nominated turn in My Man Godfrey (though that film was released earlier). John Barrymore, in his supporting role, brought the gravitas of a stage legend to a character both sleazy and sympathetic.

The film’s exploration of truth and lies—filtered through a comedic murder trial—was daring for its time. The Hays Code demanded morally upright endings, yet True Confession dances on the edge of cynicism, offering a resolution that feels both satisfying and slyly ironic. Critics praised Lombard’s “madcap energy” and MacMurray’s straight-man dignity. Today, the film stands as a prime example of 1930s studio comedy at its sharpest, and the colorized version opens the door for modern audiences who might otherwise overlook black-and-white cinema. It is a restoration that respects the original while inviting new viewers to enjoy it.

Technical Details

• Format: MP4 / MKV digital download
• Resolution: HD 720p
• Colorized: Professionally colorized from original black and white
• Audio: English original mono
• Runtime: 85 minutes
• DRM-free: Yes — watch on any device
• Instant download: Available immediately after purchase
• Price: €15.00

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Movie-Specific Questions

Q: Was True Confession originally shot in color?
A: No. The film was shot in black and white by Paramount Pictures in 1937. This download offers a later professional colorized restoration, not an original studio colour release.

Q: Is the story based on a true crime or a play?
A: The screenplay was adapted from a French farce by Louis Verneuil and Georges Berr, originally titled Mon Crime (later known in English as The Crime of a Fool). The film expanded the comic elements for American audiences.

Q: Did Carole Lombard perform her own stunts?
A: While Lombard was known for doing many of her own physical comedy bits, the film’s most outrageous moments—such as a fall down a staircase—were performed by a stunt double. She did, however, write many of her own improvised lines.

Digital Download Questions

Q: What format is the download?
A: The film is delivered as MP4 and MKV files that play on virtually any device.

Q: Is there DRM on the file?
A: No. The download is completely DRM-free so you can watch it on any device without restrictions.

Q: How quickly can I watch after purchase?
A: Your download link is available instantly after payment, so you can start watching within minutes.

Related Colorized Classics

• Angels Over Broadway (1940)
• The Case of Dr. Laurent (1957)
• To Be or Not to Be (1942)
• Assault on the Pay Train (1962)
• The Flying Serpent (1946)