Slightly Honorable (1940)

Director:

Tay Garnett

Writers:

Ken Englund (screenplay)
John Hunter Lay (screenplay)

Release Date:

22 January 1940 (USA)

Genre:

Mystery

Tagline:

It's Gay! It's Goose-pimply! It's grand! It's ga-ga!

Plot:

A lawyer is framed for the murder of a young party girl and tries to clear his name. |

Plot Keywords:

Murder | Lawyer | Beautiful Woman | Frame Up | Corruption

Cast

Pat O'Brien	...	John Webb
Edward Arnold	...	Vincent Cushing
Broderick Crawford	...	Russ Sampson
Ruth Terry	...	Nightclub singer
Alan Dinehart	...	District Attorney Joyce
Claire Dodd	...	Alma Brehmer
Phyllis Brooks	...	Sarilla Cushing
Eve Arden	...	Miss Ater
Douglass Dumbrille	...	George Taylor
Bernard Nedell	...	Pete Godena
Douglas Fowley	...	Madder
Ernest Truex	...	P. Hemingway Collins
Janet Beecher	...	Mrs. Cushing
Evelyn Keyes	...	Miss Vlissingen
John Sheehan	...	Mike Daley

Also Known As:

Send Another Coffin (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

85 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:Approved | Sweden:(Banned) | Spain:13

Company:

Walter Wanger Productions

Quotes:

Alma Brehmer: Look, there are very few things in my life that I really regret. One of them is the time I wasted on you.
Pete Godena: Cool off, Snow White! Now let's you and me have a nice little heart-to-heart talk, hmm?
Alma Brehmer: What would you use?

A rare find

What a surprise. This film, which showcases the under-remarked comic skills of Pat O'Brien is a genuine treat which belongs right up there with "The Front Page" (with O'Brien and James Cagney) its remake "His Girl Friday" and the best of the 'Thin Man' series. Director Tay Garnett is probably best known for directing some of the better series in the early days of television ("Bonanza", "The Untouchables" "Naked City", "Rawhide")and at least two film classics ("The Postman Always Rings Twice" , "A Connecticut Yankee In King Arthur's Court"). After seeing this film one can only guess that the reason his name is not as well known as that of Sturgess or Capra or even Wilder is that he moved to television at a time when that medium was seen as a real threat to the film industry and thereby encountered some resentment. How else to explain the fact that "Slightly Honorable" is not mentioned on more 'Best' lists?

O'Brien is probably more likable (and believable as a semi-romantic lead) here than in almost any of his other films. Always effective in serious dramas he reminds us of how versatile some of our greatest stars of middle period American cinema (Cagney, John Wayne, Katherine Hepburn,Clark Gable) were-switching effortlessly from drama to comedy in a way that seems to be beyond the scope of some later stars.

Much the same can be said for Ruth Terry who would own this film were it not for the strength of her co-star's performances. Terry retired before she was 45 years old. By that time she was reduced to bit parts but a look at her work here will have you shaking your head in wonder at how that happened.

A great performance from Broderick Crawford and standout supporting turns from Eve Arden and Claire Dodd (among others) crackerjack pacing and set design,snappy clever and first rate dialogue combine to make for a wonderful hilarious film that deserves a wide audience and a restoration treatment to enhance the sometimes muddy soundtrack and occasional glitch in the currently available print. Do NOT hesitate to rent this one.

By the way, contrary to IMDb's spell checking feature "dialogue" is NOT a misspelling. Look it up.