Night Court (1932)

Judge Moffett is as crooked as they come and the Board of Judicial Corruption is after him. So he hides out in the poor part of town. While there, she drops the bankbook that Moffett has ... See full summary »

Director:

W.S. Van Dyke

Writers:

Bayard Veiller (by), Lenore J. Coffee (by),

Stars:

Phillips Holmes, Walter Huston, Anita Page

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Phillips Holmes	...	Mike Thomas
Walter Huston	...	Judge Moffett
Anita Page	...	Mary Thomas
Lewis Stone	...	Judge Osgood
Mary Carlisle	...	Elizabeth Osgood
John Miljan	...	Crawford
Jean Hersholt	...	Janitor
Tully Marshall	...	Grogan
Noel Francis	...	Lil Baker

Storyline

Judge Moffett is as crooked as they come and the Board of Judicial Corruption is after him. So he hides out in the poor part of town. While there, she drops the bankbook that Moffett has listing his accounts and Mary returns it to him. But Moffett thinks Mary saw the book and he puts her away for six months on a trumped up charge. Mike is overcome with grief and when he comes to his senses, he talks to Mary who tells him about the book. This gets Mike beat up and put on a boat to South America, but he jumps ship and plots his revenge.

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Plot Keywords:

judge | confession | baby | robbery | social worker | 

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Taglines:

Its Frankness Will Thrill You---Its Truth Hold You Breathless---

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Genres:

Crime | Thriller

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 June 1932 (USA)

Also Known As:

Bekänn!

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Soundtracks

"Happy Days Are Here Again"
Music by Milton Ager
Lyrics by Jack Yellen
Hummed by Anita Page

User Reviews

Watch it for Walter

Shot in 1932, "Night Court" sometimes comes off as a stereotypical mellerdrama of the period. But when Walter Huston is on screen, the movie zooms forward into another era of acting and storytelling. As a night court jurist on the make and the take, Huston's Judge Moffet is a fascinating portrait of malevolence and corruption. Anita Page as the sweet young housewife he frames as a prostitute and Phillips Holmes as her bewildered husband valiantly battle their way through a cornfield of hokey dialogue. Yet in Huston's scenes -- whether he's dispensing justice to assorted thieves, drunks and hookers or confronting Lewis Stone as an anti-crime campaigner -- the writing is sharp, surprisingly realistic. Or maybe, thanks to his performance, it just seems that way.