One Paragraph Movie Review: Judge Priest

Two hundred and seventy-seventh film: Judge Priest, a 1934 mostly-courtroom drama about a wry and endearing small town judge that requires a suspension of post-1934 sensitivity to racism and a better familiarity with the American Civil War than I have to properly enjoy. A Will Rogers vehicle and my first encounter with the actor, the movie sashays lazily between mint juleps to shake a mildly humorous fist at prejudice in numerous forms, with its storyline largely unnecessary when compared to its Southern caricatures. Kindly judge defends taciturn war hero while preventing his wowser snob sister-in-law from frustrating her son’s attempts to woo a charming neighbour. Fine. Reviews call this movie ‘agreeable’ — and I agree — but it’s mostly just an inoffensive (if sometimes a bit offensive) way to spend an hour and a half. Worth it for the brief Hattie McDaniel/Will Rogers duet, but not to worry if you never see it at all. Two and a quarter taffy-pulling parties out of five.