Handle with Care (1958)

At a college located in the small town of Haverton, law Professor Roger Bowden's third year Evidence class is about ready to hold its annual final project, a mock grand jury investigation. As usual, they will be investigating the workings of an imaginary town, one that generally has some built-in salacious or exotically criminal element. And as usual, Bowden appoints the class' leading student as the District Attorney, this year being Zachary Davis. And as usual, the DA can appoint his assistant DA, who Zach chooses being his girlfriend, Mary Judson, and his investigative team. But Zach, who may be the brightest law student Bowden's ever taught among an already special class, wants to do things a bit differently. Rather than make believe, he wants to investigate the goings-on in Haverton. This suggestion sits a bit uneasy with most of his classmates including Mary, who were born and raised in Haverton, and whose parents have held positions of authority in town. Conversely, Zach is an outsider in more ways than one. He is not from Haverton, and has a bit of a chip on his shoulders as he does not come from a wealthy family, and his father was once incarcerated. But ultimately the class goes along with Zach's suggestion. As Zach and his team uncover one minor problem after another, they all end up being explainable. But Zach thinks he himself has uncovered a powder keg of a corruption story involving misappropriation of funds by the town's current mayor and oft mentioned as a possible gubernatorial candidate, the beloved Dick Williston, when he was the county tax collector. As Zach doggedly questions the mayor, Zach becomes persona non grata among many of the long time town residents who staunchly defend Mayor Williston. Will anything the mayor has to say about the missing on paper quarter of a million dollars be explainable in a court of law? And is it any different than being explainable in a moral sense?