Judge Priest

John Ford's Judge Priest (1934) stands mostly a curio today. Badly dated, talky and ponderous, its appeal to modern audiences is nonexistent.

Judge Billy Priest (Will Rogers) is the judge presiding over a 19th Century Kentucky town. Priest helps black worker Jeff Poindexter (Stepin Fetchit) escape a false charge and takes the man under his wing. Nephew Jerome (Tom Brown) has just been appointed to the bar, but his mother won't accept Jerome's romance with Ellie May (Anita Louise). Things become nasty, however, when vagrant Bob Gillis (David Landau) kills a man. A conflict of interest forces Priest to turn over the case to Jerome, but it's Reverend Brand (Henry B. Walthall) who drops the biggest bombshell.

We've discussed before how comedy is not John Ford's forte. Judge Priest comes billed as a comedy but doesn't get a single laugh in its entire run-time. The movie's light on slapstick but the silly banter between the lovers, the goofy courtroom antics and ministrel-show antics really grate. This film was a big hit in 1934, or so I'm told; if so, tastes in humor really have changed.

Judge Priest contains some non-PC elements to rankle modern viewers, especially the stereotyped black characters. Mostly though, its problems lie in simple craftsmanship. The movie is very slow and ponderous, taking forever to get going or generate interest, and can't really decide if it's a straight comedy, drama or a mix of both. Occasionally an involving scene crops up, only to be smothered by repetitive filler. And I'm still not clear on what we're supposed to get out of the finale. Ford's direction is fairly flat, though he stages the courtroom scenes well (presaging Young Mr. Lincoln) and provides some interesting Griffith-esque montage work in the overwrought climax.

Will Rogers is the film's saving grace. The legendary humorist is perfectly cast as the wise, witty and worldly judge, dispensing sanity and wry commentary, and getting the movie's big emotional scene dealing with his deceased wife. Henry B. Walthall does well in his featured bit as a gabby priest. The black characters are rather hideous. Stepin Fetchit (Bend of the River) was a gifted comedian and actor, but his schtick here is just cringe-inducing. The talented Hattie McDaniel (Gone With the Wind) does little more than sing, God bless her.

So yeah, you can probably skip Judge Priest unless you're a Will Rogers enthusiast (any of those around?) or a Ford completist.