There is some historical context needed for Tell It to the Judge (1949). During the Great Depression, and particularly as World War II raged, American women being in the workplace was seen as a positive. Typically, this was being employed as a reporter, and one of my favorite examples of this is His Girl Friday (1940). With the return of peace, women were expected to return to domestic roles, and you see this in Tell It to the Judge. My usual go-to for discussing such matters is to remind you that Catholicism has a variety of vocations for women that are less restrictive than what societal forces demand. This one is a little harder to stomach as the female lead, Marsha Meredith (Rosalind Russell), is trying to be confirmed as a federal judge. Will she choose career or tradition? Read on to find out.

We find out early in Tell It to the Judge what the United States Congress thinks of Marsha’s chances of being confirmed to the federal bench. Unfortunately, the senators are less interested in her legal qualifications than in her recent divorce from fellow attorney Peter Webb (Robert Cummings). Some believe a divorced woman is unsuitable to become a federal judge, while Marsha insists that getting rid of Peter should make her better at rendering sound judgments. While marriage is a wonderful thing, I would add here that the Faith would support female judges regardless of their marital status. Marsha leaves Washington for Palm Beach, Florida, where her grandfather, retired Judge MacKenzie Meredith (Harry Davenport), is determined to see her nomination succeed. Peter soon arrives because he needs testimony from showgirl Ginger Simmons (Marie McDonald) while preparing the defense of small-time gangster George Ellerby (Douglass Dumbrille). Ginger is also the reason Marsha divorced Peter. She had seen enough of the two together to assume the worst, while Peter maintains their meetings were entirely professional. When Marsha learns he is on the way, jealousy gets the better of her. She meets Alexander Darvac (Gig Young), a handsome man working as a shill for a gambling establishment, and allows him to take her out. Peter follows them, which proves useful when police raid the illegal casino. He helps Marsha escape through an old Prohibition tunnel, though their getaway ends with both of them in the water. They steal a boat and make their way to a lighthouse, where Peter gets Marsha to admit she still loves him. The divorced couple reconciles and remarries, which is complicated by Judge Meredith, who fears news of another sudden marriage will hurt Marsha’s confirmation chances. He convinces them to keep the remarriage secret until the Senate acts. This becomes difficult almost immediately. Ginger informs Peter that Ellerby has jumped bail and is downstairs at the hotel bar. Peter goes with her to investigate, and Judge Meredith sees the two together. Believing he is protecting his granddaughter, the judge takes matters into his own hands. A knockout drink intended for Ellerby is accidentally consumed by Peter, and Judge Meredith removes Peter’s clothes and puts the unconscious attorney aboard a train. When Peter fails to return, Marsha assumes he has once again chosen Ginger over her. Reporters then learn Marsha has remarried and demand to know the identity of her new husband. Unable to admit it is Peter, she invents a man named Roogle and claims the poor fellow died on their wedding night. Having created a deceased husband out of thin air, Marsha retreats to the Adirondacks to stay at the mountain home of her friend Kitty Lawton (Katharine Warren). Peter eventually gets off the train, figures out what happened, and follows her. Annoyed by Marsha’s story, he announces that Roogle is very much alive and coming to join them. Coincidentally, Alexander appears at the house, giving Marsha someone she can present as her supposedly dead husband. She persuades him to play Roogle, while Peter enjoys the chaos he has created. Ginger then arrives as well, and Peter hides her in his room, giving Marsha yet another reason to believe the worst about him. Kitty innocently decides that newlyweds Marsha and “Roogle” deserve privacy and arranges for them to spend the night alone in a separate house. After finding Ginger, Marsha becomes angry enough to go along with the plan. Once at the house, she sends Alexander to a nearby inn. Peter then appears, and Marsha lets him believe Alexander is still inside, hoping to make her real husband jealous. Their marital warfare continues until Marsha slips Peter sleeping pills and he passes out. Unfortunately, Alexander returns because the inn is closed for the winter. Having grown too enthusiastic about his role as Roogle, he announces his intention to exercise what he considers his husbandly privileges. Marsha responds by hitting him over the head and locking herself in the bedroom, which is considerably preferable to pretending that a false marriage creates any actual marital rights. Eventually, the layers of lies, jealousy, and misunderstandings unravel. Marsha learns that her grandfather was responsible for putting Peter on the train and therefore that her husband had not abandoned her for Ginger. Her nomination to the federal bench is approved, giving her the career achievement toward which everyone has been working. Yet, Marsha realizes that much of her ambition to become a judge came from wanting to please her grandfather. When forced to consider what she actually wants, she chooses Peter and returns to him. Thus, after divorcing, remarrying, hiding the remarriage, inventing a dead second husband, resurrecting him, and borrowing another man to play the part, Marsha and Peter finally end up where perhaps they should have remained all along: married to each other.

Any Catholic would applaud Marsha and Peter staying married at the end of Tell It to the Judge. Theirs is not the most traditional route to marital bliss, but every relationship is different. What would be important is whether this is what they are truly called to be. If God means for them to be husband and wife, then so be it, and let no one say otherwise. Before continuing, understand that my complaints are from the perspective of a twenty-first-century Catholic. At that time, as hinted at in the introduction, a greater emphasis was placed on women fulfilling a domestic role. There were also a fair number of women entering religious life, although such a notion seems almost alien when talking about this film. Yet, when discussing Marsha’s character, her ultimate choice does not make the most sense. It is logical regarding her feelings for Peter and how her grandfather meddled in the re-newlyweds’ business. The reason for my disapproval is because throughout she behaves as a self-possessed woman, if flighty when it comes to men. Further, she is the one who has been wronged by much of what happens around her. Kudos to her for being willing to forgive, but that does not mean she should give up her ambition of being a judge if that is what she wanted. Further, the suggestion that she cannot be a federal judge and a married woman is preposterous, admittedly more so in modern times. United States Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett is a devout Catholic and mother of seven. As such, if you see this movie, understand you are seeing an outdated way of thinking about the sexes.

Though you might not expect it from Tell It to the Judge, the film is all about gender dynamics. Marsha is nobody’s fool, and I appreciate her for it, even if I do not agree with her final decision. Women are not and should not be limited simply because they are women, and this movie almost grasps that concept.