Dorathen Better Late Then Never

ThrillMessage There are better movies of two hours length. I loved the actress'performance.

Fairaher The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

Marva It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

lugonian JUDGE PRIEST (Fox, 1934), directed by John Ford, stars humorist/actor, Will Rogers, not playing a priest but a judge whose last name happens to be Priest. A touch of Americana set at the turn of the century, this is the sort of story with folksy characters both Ford and Fox Films are noted for, past, present and future. Often claimed as Rogers' best movie, it's not centered upon his character throughout its 80 minutes but often upon its citizens of the community, many being Civil War veterans and former slaves. The title character, however, is based on Irvin S. Cobb stories said to be lifted from characters from his childhood. The opening passage by Cobb himself is as reads: "The figures in this story are familiar ghosts of my own boyhood. The War between the States was over but the tragedies and comedies haunted every grown man's mind. The stories that were swapped took deep root in my memory. There was one man down yonder I came especially to admire, for he seemed typical of the tolerance of that day and the wisdom of that almost vanished generation. I called him Judge Priest, and I tried to draw reasonably fair likeness of him and his neighbors and the town in which he lived."In Old Kentucky Town, 1890: William Pitman Priest (Will Rogers), is a small town judge of the circuit court. While on the bench reading the comic pages of a local newspaper, he forces himself to endure the testimony of Horace Maydew (Berton Churchill) on the floor for the trial of ex-slave/chicken thief, Jeff Poindexter (Stepin Fetchit). Because Jeff knows the best fishing places in town, rather than sentence him to jail, the judge dismisses the trial only to spend the day fishing with him. Judge Priest's nephew, Jerome (Tom Brown), affectionately called "Rome," has returned home after graduating from a northern law school. He's in love with Ellie May Gillespie (Anita Louise), his childhood sweetheart living next door. Because nobody knows about her heritage and questionable background, Rome's snobbish mother, Carrie (Brenda Fowler) prefers Rome be going with an upper-class girl, Virginia Maydew (Rochelle Hudson). Though Ellie tries to let Rome off easy by going with the uncouth Gabby Rives (Matt McHugh), Judge Priest makes sure nothing develops from that relationship. Also in town is the mysterious Bob Gillis (David Landau), a blacksmith who says little and keeps very much to himself. Because Flem Talley (Frank Melton) quips some unkind words about Ellie May passing his barber ship, Gillis socks him to the floor in anger. Later Flem and his friends attack Gillis in a bar in vengeance. Gillis defends himself with a knife, wounding Flem. Gillis gives himself up to authorities, hires Rome as his attorney for the upcoming trial. Before the trial commences, Judge Priest is forced to withdraw from the case and have Judge Floyd Farleigh (Winter Hall) taking his place. While the trial seems to be going against Gillis for refusing to testify on his behalf, the Reverend Ashby Brand (Henry B. Walthall), a character witness, steps in with a very surprising testimony.Others members of the cast include: Roger Imhof (Billy Gaynor); Charley Grapewin (Jimmy Bagby); Hattie McDaniel (Aunt Dilsy); and Si Jenks. Francis Ford (John's brother) gets plenty of laughs as a tobacco chewing drunk looking for a good place to spit, even in the courtroom and parade. Other bits of nostalgia include taffy pulling and gathering of folks at functions or Sundays at the Episcopal Church.A well done comedy-drama with Will Rogers giving a commendable performance. Aside from his laid-back character with interesting things to say, he has somber moments too, where he talks to the photo and tombstone of his late wife, Margaret Breckenridge Priest, for comfort. He's a lonely man who, refusing to remarry, makes things right with others in the community. Hattie McDaniel, playing the maid, sings the traditional theme song, "My Old Kentucky Home." While the Judge Priest character was played earlier in a silent Will Rogers movie, BOYS WILL BE BOYS (Goldwyn, 1921) that role was enacted by another performer named Edward Kimball. John Ford brought back Judge Priest to the screen in THE SUN SHINES BRIGHT (Republic, 1953) by which Charles Winninger took over the old Will Rogers role with Stepin Fetchit once again playing Jeff Poindexter.Unavailable for viewing until the 1970s when JUDGE PRIEST emerged in revival movie houses, and decade later when introduced public television. Because it's become a public domain title, JUDGE PRIEST was distributed on video cassette by various companies (some including black screen exit music following its closing cast credits). Also available on DVD with Will Rogers' other comedy-drama, DOCTOR BULL (1933) on its flip side, and occasionally found on cable television, ranging from Encore Westerns to Turner Classic Movies (TCM premiere: May 9, 2006). While some of the humor and stereotypes might not prove favorable to contemporary viewers, for anyone who's never seen a Will Rogers movie, maybe JUDGE PRIEST would be a good introduction anyway. "Here, here. Court called to order." (***1/2).

sol- In one of his final silver screen performances before his untimely death in 1935, Will Rogers plays no-nonsense judge here whose lack of patience with pontificating lawyers and willingness to act friendly towards accused men causes a stir in his small, conservative Southern town. Rogers turns in a nice, human and down-to-earth performance and there is a lot to like about the way he stands out from the crowd by not looking down at the African American population in his town. The film is a comedy first and foremost though and with over half the gags coming from racist stereotypes (and the occasional stray goat), 'Judge Priest' is often a difficult film to sit through. The material is not particularly well paced either; the courtroom scenes are the definite highlight of the movie, but a few initial scenes aside, it is not until nearly one hour in that the film returns to court. It is odd to think that John Ford helmed this lightweight and frivolous film in the same year as one of his definitive masterworks, 'The Lost Patrol'. Comedy was never Ford's strongest suit though as 'Donovan's Reef' would later prove, and it is at least curious to see him give the genre a go. The film has some cool visual techniques too, such as one character's head superimposed over a montage of wartime memories, though these points of interest are admittedly few and far between.

wes-connors Writer Irvin S Cobb explains, "The figures in this story are familiar ghosts of my own boyhood. The War between the States was over, but its tragedies and comedies haunted every grown man's mind, and the stories that were swapped took deep root in my memory. There was one man 'Down Yonder' I came specially to admire for he seemed typical of the tolerance of that day and the wisdom of that almost vanished generation. I called him 'Judge Priest', and I tried to draw reasonably fair likeness of him and his neighbors and the town in which he lived. An old Kentucky town in 1890." The fair-minded judge is Will Rogers (as William "Billy" Priest), who reads the newspaper in his circuit courtroom while ex-Confederates try to jail sleepy ex-slave Stepin Fetchit (Jeff Poindexter) for stealing chickens. "Judge Priest" diverts the prosecutors with old Confederate stories, and takes the vagrant Mr. Fetchit back to his home, after a fishing trip. Meanwhile, singin' and dancin' "Mammy" Hattie McDaniel (as "Aunt" Dilsey) welcomes the Judge's handsome son Tom Brown (as Jerome "Rome" Priest) home. Mr. Brown has just received his law degree, from a college "up North"… Brown loves pretty neighbor Anita Louise (as Ellie May Gillespie), but a secret about her parentage threatens their relationship. All is resolved by the good Judge with help from town Reverend Henry B. Walthall (as Ashby Brand). It ends with a rousing celebration of the old Confederacy by director John Ford; he pointedly triggers the final parade with a mesmerizing Mr. Walthall, who bravely fought for the South in D.W. Griffith's "The Birth of a Nation" (1915).The Walthall connection would not have been lost on audiences in 1934, who made "Judge Priest" one of the year's biggest box office hits. That, and the racially insensitive impressions made by Fetchit and Ms. McDaniel, have sent this film to the back of the bus. "Judge Priest" was seen relatively rarely over the years, and still has the potential to offend. Fetchit's "Jeff" became a classic of its kind, unfortunately; at least, Mr. Rogers softens him. McDaniel is not able to infuse her "Mammy" with much depth or dignity (she would eventually accomplish this). Mr. Ford once called this his favorite film.Great moments include Rogers talking to his deceased wife - the scene where he speaks to the wall portrait of "Margaret" and their two dead children is classic. And, that "lonesome kind of sound" of the whippoorwill, as described by Brown, possibly lingered with likely young cinema goer Hank Williams. Fox Film's clout in the "Academy Awards" process had dimmed by 1934, or Rogers and Ford might have received "Best Actor" and "Best Director" nominations; and, if "Supporting Actor" awards were offered, Walthall's dramatic courtroom performance would have certainly been considered for one.******* Judge Priest (9/28/34) John Ford ~ Will Rogers, Tom Brown, Henry B. Walthall, Stepin Fetchit

MartinHafer This is a Will Rogers film directed by the great John Ford. However, despite this excellent pedigree, the film is a big misfire--particularly when seen with 21st century sensibilities. The biggest problem is that the film is also a Stepin Fetchit vehicle and this Black actor is at his worst in portraying the offensive and clichéd "stupid Negro" role. Fetchit is slow, shiftless and dumb--an image many White Americans at the time would laugh at or at least ignore. Now, his entire act just seems gross and insulting.Now if you ignore Fetchit's rantings, what are you left with in this film? Well, even without it, you've got a comedy set in Kentucky that is not particularly interesting or compelling. While Rogers is good as the leading character and he did a funny imitation of Fetchit in one scene, the rest of the characters are either wooden and dull (such as the niece and nephew) or like characters from a Li'l Abner cartoon! This one-dimensionality and poor writing conspired to make this more of a historical curio than a film any sane person would want to see.