During his wife's trial for arson, Frank Ryland enters the courtroom dressed as a clown to express his total contempt for the legal system. He publicly apologizes to Helen for his lack of courage while the Judge attempts to maintain order and direct the jury toward a guilty verdict.
JUDGE: However sympathetic you may feel, Helen Ryland stands accused of a very serious crime. You must put all emotion aside and decide purely and simply on the basis of the evidence...
FRANK: Frank Ryland, husband of the accused. And, yes, this is to show my contempt for this court, my contempt for any court, my contempt for anything to do with the law.
JUDGE: Mr Ryland -
FRANK: My wife said the law was a joke, and I argued... not because I thought she was wrong but because I didn’t have her courage. If I’d half the guts she has, it’d be me in that dock... I’m sorry.
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