The Devil and Daniel Webster

Original title: All That Money Can Buy

19411941
PassedPassed
1h 47m

James Craig, Anne Shirley, and Simone Simon in All That Money Can Buy (1941)

Theatrical Trailer from Warner Bros. Pictures

Play trailer1:58

Drama Fantasy Romance

A nineteenth-century New Hampshire farmer makes a pact with Satan for economic success, then enlists famed orator Daniel Webster to extract him from his contract.A nineteenth-century New Hampshire farmer makes a pact with Satan for economic success, then enlists famed orator Daniel Webster to extract him from his contract.A nineteenth-century New Hampshire farmer makes a pact with Satan for economic success, then enlists famed orator Daniel Webster to extract him from his contract.

Director
- William Dieterle
Writers
- Stephen Vincent Benet(story "The Devil and Daniel Webster")
- Dan Totheroh(screen play)
Stars

See production, box office & company info

See more at IMDbPro

Won 1 Oscar
- 2 wins & 1 nomination total

Videos1

The Devil and Daniel Webster

The Devil and Daniel Webster

Walter Huston in All That Money Can Buy (1941)

Edward Arnold, James Craig, and Walter Huston in All That Money Can Buy (1941)

Edward Arnold and Walter Huston in All That Money Can Buy (1941)

Edward Arnold, James Craig, and Walter Huston in All That Money Can Buy (1941)

Walter Huston in All That Money Can Buy (1941)

Edward Arnold in All That Money Can Buy (1941)

Anne Shirley in All That Money Can Buy (1941)

Edward Arnold and Walter Huston in All That Money Can Buy (1941)

James Craig, Anne Shirley, Simone Simon, and Anita Lee in All That Money Can Buy (1941)

Edward Arnold, Walter Huston, and Simone Simon in All That Money Can Buy (1941)

James Craig, Anne Shirley, and Simone Simon in All That Money Can Buy (1941)

Edward Arnold, James Craig, Walter Huston, Anne Shirley, and Simone Simon in All That Money Can Buy (1941)

Director
- William Dieterle
Writers
- Stephen Vincent Benet(story "The Devil and Daniel Webster") (screen play)
- Dan Totheroh(screen play)
All cast & crew
See more cast details at IMDbPro

A down-on-his-luck farmer makes a deal with the devil for seven years of prosperity. When Mr. Scratch comes to collect, orator and hero of the common man Daniel Webster comes to the rescue. —Little Pine Weasel <kristinat@cerritos.edu>

horse drawn sleigh soul devil new hampshire deal with the devil 157 more

Taglines
- A GREAT MOTION PICTURE DARES TO BE DIFFERENT! (original print media ad - all caps)
Genres
Certificate
- Passed
Parents guide

Trivia
William Dieterle had a habit of directing with white gloves on. Robert Wise said that everyone thought it was because he had a germ or dirt phobia. During shooting of one scene, Dieterle noticed there wasn't enough mud on a carriage wheel. He pulled off his gloves, grabbed some mud, rubbed it onto the wheel, then wiped his hands on his pants and put the gloves back on to continue directing.

Goofs
Shortly after filming had begun, Thomas Mitchell fractured his skull and was replaced by 'Edward Arnold'. Not many scenes had been shot, none were re-shot, so Mitchell is still visible in some scenes.

Quotes
Mr. Scratch: You shall have your trial, Mr. Webster. But I'm sure you'll agree, this is hardly the case for an ordinary jury.
Daniel Webster: Let it be the quick or the dead, so long as it is an American judge and an American jury!
Mr. Scratch: 'The quick or the dead!' You have said it.
[he stomps on the barn floor; a door opens]
Mr. Scratch: You must pardon the leathery toughness of one or two.
Jabez Stone: [afraid] Mr. Webster!
[a line of ghosts begin entering from the trapdoor]
Mr. Scratch: Captain Kidd - he killed men for gold. Simon Girty, the renegade - he burned men for gold. Governor Dale - he broke men on the wheel. Asa, the Black Monk - he choked them to death. Floyd Ireson and Stede Bonnet, the fiendish butchers. Walter Butler, King of the Massacre. Big and Little Harp, robbers and murderers. Teach, the Cutthroat. Morton, the vicious lawyer... and General Benedict Arnold. You remember him, no doubt.
Daniel Webster: A jury of the damned...
Mr. Scratch: [laughs] Dastards, liars, traitors, knaves. Your suggestion, Mr. Webster - 'the quick or the dead.'
Daniel Webster: This is outrageous, I asked for a fair trial...
Mr. Scratch: Americans, all.

Crazy credits
For some prints released under the title "The Devil and Daniel Webster", the opening credits start with the phrase "in front of the camera..." followed by a list of names only of the primary cast (no character names) and then the phrase "in back of the camera..." followed by a list of names only of the primary production crew, without their job roles, ending with the phase "all collaborated on the picture...." Then the title card is shown, with a story credit to Stephen Vincent Benet, and the note "this picture was originally shown with the title 'all that money can buy'." The title card is all in lower case. Finally, the opening prologue is shown as noted in another crazy credit item.

Alternate versions
Over the years, this film was re-released more than once, partly because of its poor box office, and gradually cut down to 85 minutes. It remained in this form for many years, until it was recently restored to its full length. When this was done in the 1990s, it was unfortunately all too easy to tell which sections are restored... all the footage from the 85 minute version was in absolutely pristine, mint condition, while the long-lost, formerly missing footage has less than perfect sound and picture quality. However, the quality has been considerably improved on the DVD and on recent TV showings.

Connections
Featured in Ain't It Cool with Harry Knowles: Citizen Kane Is the Best Film of All Time (2012)

Top review

8/10

The Devil Is No Match for an American Politician

This film could never work now, because Americans are far too cynical to accept a politician beating the Devil in a battle of morals. Now the politician would be in the Devil's hip pocket. "The Devil and Daniel Webster" is a creepy, effective little morality tale about a farmer who sells his soul to the devil in exchange for prosperity and the politician who ends up defending him and winning it back.

What seemed startling in 1941 feels mostly creaky by today's standards, but there are still some fresh moments of film making in this one. William Dieterle was obviously open to experimentation when it comes to the use of cinematography and sound, and the movie has a striking visual look. The plot is mostly connect the dots, and there are no real surprises, but I don't know that one watches a morality tale for surprises in the first place.

Walter Huston is extremely creepy as the Devil (aka Mr. Scratch). He received a Best Actor Academy Award nomination for his performance even though, based on sheer screen time, he really has more of a supporting role. But he's so effective when on screen that his presence dominates the film even when he's physically absent, which probably accounts for the lead nomination.

Edward Arnold is pretty good too as Daniel Webster. Also standing out is Jane Darwell (Ma Joad in "The Grapes of Wrath") as a hardened farm mother.

Parts of this film have a wicked sense of humour, which I thoroughly enjoyed. The trial at the end (with a literal jury of the damned), is especially amusing.

On a sidenote, the film was successful in capturing the 1941 Academy Award for Best Dramatic Score.

Don't expect to see any points made that haven't already been made a thousand times in a thousand other movies, but enjoy the originality of the film technique on display.

Grade: A-

helpful•29

9

evanston_dad
Apr 29, 2005

Release date
- October 17, 1941 (United States)
Country of origin
- United States
Language
- English
Also known as
- Daniel and the Devil
Filming locations
- RKO Studios - 780 N. Gower Street, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA
Production company
- William Dieterle Productions
See more company credits at IMDbPro

Runtime
1 hour 47 minutes
Color
- Black and White
Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1

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