The Mouthpiece (1932)

When a hot young prosecutor learns that a man he got convicted and executed was in fact innocent, he quits his DA job and becomes a defense attorney. He grows rich and powerful defending ... See full summary »

Directors:

James Flood, Elliott Nugent

Writers:

Frank J. Collins (play), Joseph Jackson (screenplay),

Stars:

Warren William, Sidney Fox, Aline MacMahon

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Warren William	...	Vincent 'Vince' Day
Sidney Fox	...	Celia Farraday
Aline MacMahon	...	Miss Hickey, Day's Secretary
John Wray	...	Mr. Barton
Mae Madison	...	Elaine
Ralph Ince	...	J.B. Roscoe
Morgan Wallace	...	E.A. Smith
Guy Kibbee	...	Bartender
J. Carrol Naish	...	Tony Rocco (as J. Carroll Naish)
Walter Walker	...	District Attorney Forbes
Stanley Fields	...	Mr. Pondapolis
Murray Kinnell	...	Thompson, Day's Butler
Noel Francis	...	Miss DeVere
William Janney	...	John 'Johnny' Morris

Storyline

When a hot young prosecutor learns that a man he got convicted and executed was in fact innocent, he quits his DA job and becomes a defense attorney. He grows rich and powerful defending guilty racketeers, but eventually sees the errors of his ways.

---

Plot Keywords:

underworld | ambush | frame up | playboy | moral transformation | 

---

Genres:

Drama

---

Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 May 1932 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros

Technical Specs

Runtime:

86 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Vince Day character is very loosely based on Bill "The Great Mouthpiece" Fallon, one of the great criminal defense attorneys of the 1920s, who successfully defended gambler Arnold Rothstein in the "Black Sox" Fix of the 1919 World Series.

---

Goofs

Just as Vince's car drives off after picking up Celia during her last day, a lighting stand can be seen briefly across a doorstep.

---

Connections

Version of The Man Who Talked Too Much (1940)

---

Soundtracks

"Frankie and Johnny"
(uncredited)
Music by Bert Leighton
Played when Vince is at the later party

User Reviews

Another Warren William Winner

A disillusioned Assistant DA becomes THE MOUTHPIECE for a scurvy assortment of crooks & criminals. His new public persona is mirrored by his shady, lustful private life. Can the influence of two very different women save him before it's too late?

Warren William drives this very entertaining, albeit forgotten courtroom melodrama. With its rapid-fire plot & smart aleck dialogue, the film is a perfect representation of its era.

William was ideal at this kind of role; indeed, he played several others in the early 1930's which were almost mirror images of Vincent Day, the shyster lawyer he gives life to here. With his patrician bearing & interesting bass voice, William's characters were always worth watching. In this film, his courtroom scenes are especially engrossing as he engages in histrionics & sly subterfuge to sway the juries. It is to Hollywood's discredit that this very fine actor is virtually unknown today.

Aline MacMahon gives another of her splendid performances, here as William's world-weary, tough-as-nails secretary who secretly loves him. Sidney Fox is very good as the innocent Southern girl who's smart enough to recognize William's wicked ways.

Guy Kibbee has the small role of a sympathetic bartender. Movie mavens will spot an uncredited Charles Lane as a hotel clerk.