Judge Priest (1934)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

John Ford

Writers:

Irvin S. Cobb (character "Judge Priest")
Dudley Nichols (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

28 September 1934 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Mellow as a mint julep and twice as refreshing.

Plot:

Judge Priest, a proud Confederate veteran, uses common sense and considerable humanity to dispense justice in a small town in the Post-Bellum Kentucky.

Plot Keywords:

Judge | Kentucky | Veteran | Nephew | Sister In Law

Cast

Will Rogers	...	Judge William 'Billy' Priest
Tom Brown	...	Jerome Priest
Anita Louise	...	Ellie May Gillespie
Henry B. Walthall	...	Reverend Ashby Brand
David Landau	...	Bob Gillis
Rochelle Hudson	...	Virginia Maydew
Roger Imhof	...	Billy Gaynor
Frank Melton	...	Flem Talley
Charley Grapewin	...	Sergeant Jimmy Bagby
Berton Churchill	...	Senator Horace Maydew
Brenda Fowler	...	Mrs. Caroline Priest
Francis Ford	...	Juror No. 12
Hattie McDaniel	...	Aunt Dilsey (as Hattie McDaniels)
Stepin Fetchit	...	Jeff Poindexter

Runtime:

80 min (copyright length)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Noiseless Recording)

Certification:

Canada:G (Ontario) | USA:Approved (PCA #111) | USA:TV-G (TV rating)

Company:

Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

Stepin Fetchit reprised his role for the 1953 remake, The Sun Shines Bright (1953).

Quotes:

[first lines]
Judge William 'Billy' Priest: Hear! Hear! Hear! Court's called to order!

Movie Connections:

Featured in John Ford (1990) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Old Folks at Home (Swanee River)

Very good Ford

Judge Priest (1934)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

Wonderful film has Will Rogers playing the title role who has his own way of making justice prevail. Set in a small Kentucky town, the judge must battle a wide range of subjects but all of them seem to center around a mysterious man who is charged with assault. I wasn't too thrilled with the previous Rogers/Ford film that I watched but this one here hits all the right marks. Ford's love of Southern loyalty is certainly on full display from start to finish but he also paints a film that isn't really about anything yet it's about everything. Ford paints a terrific and authentic view of the South and even manages to work other items in like patriotic war battles and moving on in time. I think some of the best moments happen between Rogers and a black man named Jeff (Stepin Fetchit) who the judge saved from being hung. The two share several scenes together and their relationship comes off very sweet and human. The performances are all extremely good with Rogers leading the way as the soft spoken judge. Tom Brown and Anita Louise are also very good as Rogers' nephew and his girlfriend. The scene stealer comes from Henry B. Walthall who plays a Reverend with a secret past that comes out during the final courtroom scene. It's forgotten today that at one time Walthall was considered one of the greatest actors out there and his performance here is very thrilling and certainly grabs ones attention.