IMDb > The Sun Shines Bright (1953)

The Sun Shines Bright (1953) More at IMDbPro »


Overview

User Rating:
7.0/10   263 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?

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Director:

John Ford

Writers:

Laurence Stallings (screenplay)
Irvin S. Cobb (short stories "The Sun Shines Bright", "The Mob from Massac" and "The Lord Provides")

Contact:

View company contact information for The Sun Shines Bright on IMDbPro.

Release Date:

2 May 1953 (USA) more

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Plot:

John Ford weaves three "Judge Priest" stories together to form a good- natured exploration of honour... more | add synopsis

Awards:

Nominated for BAFTA Film Award. Another 1 nomination more

User Comments:

My all-time favourite movie! more (10 total)


Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
Charles Winninger ... Judge William Pittman Priest
Arleen Whelan ... Lucy Lee Lake
John Russell ... Ashby Corwin
Stepin Fetchit ... Jeff Poindexter
Russell Simpson ... Dr. Lewt Lake
Ludwig Stössel ... Herman Felsburg (as Ludwig Stossel)
Francis Ford ... Feeney (Old Backwoodsman)
Paul Hurst ... Army Sgt. Jimmy Bagby
Mitchell Lewis ... Sheriff Andy Redcliffe
Grant Withers ... Buck Ramsey
Milburn Stone ... Horace K. Maydew
Dorothy Jordan ... Lucy Lee's mother
Elzie Emanuel ... U.S. Grant 'You Ess' Woodford
Henry O'Neill ... Joe D. Habersham
Slim Pickens ... Sterling, Lanky Backwoodsman
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Additional Details

Runtime:

90 min | 100 min (video version) | USA:92 min (original theatrical version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1 more

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

USA:Approved (MPAA rating: certificate #16222) | Argentina:Atp | West Germany:12 (f) | UK:PG | UK:A (original rating) (cut) | Finland:S | Sweden:Btl


Fun Stuff

Quotes:

[the prayer he says at the funeral of Lucy Lee's mother]
Ashby Corwin: Gentle Jesus, meek and mild, / look upon a little child. / Pity her simplicity; / suffer her to come to thee. / Amen.
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Movie Connections:

Featured in John Ford (1990) (TV) more


FAQ

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3 out of 4 people found the following comment useful.
My all-time favourite movie!, 14 April 2006
10/10
Author: gw5438 from United Kingdom

'The Sun Shines Bright' is my all-time favourite movie and, though it is now more than 50 years old, there is not one better that has been made since. I first saw it on BBC TV way back and, having taped it for my own use, I never tire of it. The plot, based on stories by Irvin S. Cobb, is beautifully acted out, especially by Charles Winninger as Judge Billy Priest. The evolving drama is most moving. The post-Civil War period setting and atmosphere are perfectly caught by the greatest of all movie directors, John Ford, and the 'moral' (an apparently out-dated word, but still as relevant today as in the 1950s when the movie was made) of this splendid entertainment is still worth marking, learning and inwardly digesting. If Kentucky is still as it is pictured, even if in black-and-white, may I please move there right now?!

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Related Links

Full cast and crew Company credits External reviews
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