1934·Comedy·1h 20m
7.1
★
Judge Priest, a proud Confederate veteran, restores the justice in a small town in the Post-Bellum Kentucky using his common sense and his great sense of humanity.
Directed by John Ford
judge
nephew
veteran
IMDB
N/A
Where to Watch
Cast
Will Rogers
Judge William Pitman 'Billy' Priest
Tom Brown
Jerome Priest
Anita Louise
Ellie May Gillespie
Henry B. Walthall
Reverend Ashby Brand
David Landau
Bob Gillis
Rochelle Hudson
Virginia Maydew
Roger Imhof
Billy Gaynor
Frank Melton
Fleming 'Flem' Talley
Charley Grapewin
Sergeant Jimmy Bagby
Berton Churchill
Senator Horace Maydew
Brenda Fowler
Mrs. Caroline Priest
Francis Ford
Juror No. 12
Crew
John Ford
Director
Irvin S. Cobb
Writer
Lamar Trotti
Screenplay
Sol M. Wurtzel
Producer
Popular Reviews
8 reviews
Alfred HitchTOK
6.0★ · 01/27/26
Judge Priest (Will Rogers) presides over court in a small Kentucky town, but his influence extends far beyond the bench, as he hopes to see his nephew Rome (Tom Brown) find love with neighbour Ellie May (Anita Louise) but will her mysterious parentage be the downfall of their union.
Sort of funny in a warm and fuzzy way with a nice performance from Rogers as the honourable relatable Everyman type, but also incredibly dated in its depiction of African Americans and in judicial process. The Judge makes a ‘woe is me’ heart felt speech about being forced to recuse himself, when in truth the request is far from unreasonable considering the defence lawyer is the Judge’s nephew!!
And the ‘evidence’ that sees the defendant win…has very little to do with the case at all!
445/1001 - 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die
Sort of funny in a warm and fuzzy way with a nice performance from Rogers as the honourable relatable Everyman type, but also incredibly dated in its depiction of African Americans and in judicial process. The Judge makes a ‘woe is me’ heart felt speech about being forced to recuse himself, when in truth the request is far from unreasonable considering the defence lawyer is the Judge’s nephew!!
And the ‘evidence’ that sees the defendant win…has very little to do with the case at all!
445/1001 - 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die
Judge Priest (Will Rogers) presides over court in a small Kentucky town, but his influence extends far beyond the bench, as he hopes to see his nephew Rome (Tom Brown) find love with neighbour Ellie May (Anita Louise) but will her mysterious parentage be the downfall of their union.
Sort of funny in a warm and fuzzy way with a nice performance from Rogers as the honourable relatable Everyman type, but also incredibly dated in its depiction of African Americans and in judicial process. The Judge makes a ‘woe is me’ heart felt speech about being forced to recuse himself, when in truth the request is far from unreasonable considering the defence lawyer is the Judge’s nephew!!
And the ‘evidence’ that sees the defendant win…has very little to do with the case at all!
445/1001 - 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die
Sort of funny in a warm and fuzzy way with a nice performance from Rogers as the honourable relatable Everyman type, but also incredibly dated in its depiction of African Americans and in judicial process. The Judge makes a ‘woe is me’ heart felt speech about being forced to recuse himself, when in truth the request is far from unreasonable considering the defence lawyer is the Judge’s nephew!!
And the ‘evidence’ that sees the defendant win…has very little to do with the case at all!
445/1001 - 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die
charlie
7.4★ · 08/29/24
As always, no matter the subject, John Ford gives his utmost respect to any character on screen. A celebration of not just casual freedom but the freedom of thought and action, do what you want to do, think what you want to think, all is good in John Ford's world
As always, no matter the subject, John Ford gives his utmost respect to any character on screen. A celebration of not just casual freedom but the freedom of thought and action, do what you want to do, think what you want to think, all is good in John Ford's world
Erik Olsson
3.0★ · 04/17/24
Considering the confederate romanticism, uncomfortable stereotypes, absolutely boring plot, and the fact this is an early sound film, the best descriptor I have of this movie is "White Noise".
Considering the confederate romanticism, uncomfortable stereotypes, absolutely boring plot, and the fact this is an early sound film, the best descriptor I have of this movie is "White Noise".
Mathias
4.0★ · 05/22/23
Still haven’t seen a single great movie from John Ford and this is by far the worst one so far
Still haven’t seen a single great movie from John Ford and this is by far the worst one so far
Greifff
6.1★ · 06/09/25