IMDb > Counsellor at Law (1933)

Counsellor at Law (1933) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
7.9/10   498 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 3% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers:
Elmer Rice (play)
Elmer Rice (screenplay)
Contact:
View company contact information for Counsellor at Law on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
25 December 1933 (USA) more
Genre:
Plot:
Successful attorney has his Jewish heritage and poverty-stricken background brought home to him when he learns his wife has been unfaithful. full summary | add synopsis
User Comments:
Hard-boiled and fast-paced social commentary with John Barrymore in great form more (21 total)

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
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Additional Details

Runtime:
82 min
Country:
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Noiseless Recording Sound System)
Certification:
USA:Approved (PCA #4104-R, 5 February 1938 for re-release) | USA:TV-G (TV rating)

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Although Victor Adams was cast in the role of David Adams and that character is mentioned in the movie, his scenes were cut from the film before release. more
Quotes:
Bessie Green: [answering a call] I thought you were dead and buried. Well sure I missed you, like Booth missed Lincoln. What do you think I've been doing, sitting around the house embroidering doilies? more
Movie Connections:
Featured in Directed by William Wyler (1986) more

FAQ

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6 out of 6 people found the following comment useful.
Hard-boiled and fast-paced social commentary with John Barrymore in great form, 13 November 2006
8/10
Author: Camera Obscura from Leiden, The Dutch Mountains

Based upon the play "Counsellor at Law" by Elmer Rice, John Barrymore shines in this depression-era drama as George Simon, a Jewish lawyer who frantically juggles the scandals, crimes and crises that pass through his art deco office high in the Empire State Building. Simon is far from perfect and engages in insider trading and bleeds funds from wealthy clients, while tending to the needs of the less fortunate New Yorkers who come from his own working-class background. Everything seems to be going pretty well for him, but when a political enemy uncovers a past legal indiscretion and begins disbarment proceedings, Simon's socialite non-Jewish wife (Doris Kenyon) walks out on him and seeks comfort in the arms of another man (Melvyn Douglas). With the unflagging support of his faithful secretary (Bebe Dabiels in a truly magnificent performance) Simon attempts to exercise his legal skills to defend his reputation and protect those who rely upon him for justice.

Is George Simon a modern-day Robin Hood? In a sense he is, but he is far from perfect. Simon doesn't seem to grasp the many of his wrong-doings and largely blames his downfall on the outside world. John Barrymore gives a rich and very credible performance as a rags-to-riches Jewish lawyer, despite his Waspish appearance and Bebe Dabiels as his loyal secretary Miss 'Rexy' Gordon really gives a stand-out performance. A typical film of the era, fast-paced, and very stagy with the camera never moving out of the office, but thanks to Wyler's crisp direction and a superb cast this still makes very agreeable viewing, although the ending is so abrupt, I had to rewind in order to see what happened in order to see the last twenty minutes again. Everything goes so incredibly fast, attention must be paid.

Camera Obscura --- 8/10

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