Counsellor at Law (1933)

Successful attorney has his Jewish heritage and poverty-stricken background brought home to him when he learns his wife has been unfaithful.

Director:

William Wyler

Writers:

Elmer Rice (play), Elmer Rice (screenplay)

Stars:

John Barrymore, Bebe Daniels, Doris Kenyon

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
John Barrymore	...	George Simon
Bebe Daniels	...	Regina 'Rexy' Gordon
Doris Kenyon	...	Cora Simon
Isabel Jewell	...	Bessie Green
Melvyn Douglas	...	Roy Darwin
Onslow Stevens	...	John P. Tedesco
Thelma Todd	...	Lillian La Rue
Clara Langsner	...	Lena Simon
John Hammond Dailey	...	Charlie McFadden (as J. Hammond Dailey)
Mayo Methot	...	Zedorah Chapman
Robert Gordon	...	Henry Susskind (as Bobby Gordon)
Malka Kornstein	...	Sarah Becker
Vincent Sherman	...	Harry Becker
Marvin Kline	...	Herbert Howard Weinberg
T.H. Manning	...	Peter J. Malone

Storyline

Crackerjack lawyer George Simon is a workaholic, and a successful one, at that. Having just gotten a woman acquited of a murder charge, he is juggling cases ranging from breaking a will to quashing the disorderly conduct charges against the son of a woman he knew in the old neighborhood, before he became a hot shot counsellor. He adores his wife Cora, who feels she married a bit below her station. His step-children think so, too. His secretary Rexy adores him, although he is oblivious to the fact. Threatened with losing his practice due to a discretion in a case seven years earlier, his wife leaves for Europe until the scandal blows over, and he comes to realize (just in time) who his true friends are.

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Plot Keywords:

secretary | jewish | lawyer | infidelity | false alibi | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

TV-G

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Italian Yiddish

Release Date:

25 December 1933 (USA)

Also Known As:

Der Staranwalt von Manhattan

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

82 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Noiseless Recording Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The play opened on Broadway in New York City, New York, USA on 6 November 1931 and closed in July 1932 after 232 performances. Many of the cast originated their movie roles in the play: John Hammond Dailey, Malka Kornstein, Marvin Kline, T.H. Manning, John Qualen, Angela Jacobs, Elmer Brown and Conway Washburne. Also in the opening night cast was Paul Muni (who turned down his role of George Simon for the movie) and Ned Glass. Vincent Sherman was in a Chicago production of the play.

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Quotes

Bessie Green: Who's calling, please? Mr. McKey? K as in kitty?

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Connections

Featured in American Masters: Directed by William Wyler (1986)

User Reviews

One of my secret favorites!

This film is so rare that probably few people have heard of it. What a terrible shame! The only copy I have was taped from cable TV several years ago. I

never dreamed that I would be reading such appreciation of this little treasure by so many others! There should be a movement afoot to try to bring this

wonderful work out of obscurity, at least to get it on video!

I have read that John Barrymore considered himself miscast here. But I think he was the best possible choice for this film role (played on Broadway by Paul

Muni). At a time when Hitler was just coming to power, I wouldn't want to

imagine the response by the average U.S. moviegoer toward an actual Jewish

actor trying to elicit sympathy for the personal struggles of a Jewish man trying to get himself accepted into Gentile society in this way.

As for the office setting, well, I work for a New York law firm, and this film hits the target dead on! It evokes perfectly the scurry of New York office life, as well as the latest technologies, the fashions and the speech patterns of the period, like that adorable switchboard operator! Bravo to William Wyler!

I have seen many, many John Barrymore movies, and I agree with everyone

else writing here that this must certainly be his best surviving performance, his monument, for those of us who never saw his Richard III or Hamlet. It's even

better than "Twentieth Century" and "Grand Hotel". In an era when silent-movie histrionics was still evident in the acting style, his performance is subtle, nuanced, very modern and deeply affecting, especially in that final scene!