Judge Priest (1934) directed by John Ford - starring Will Rogers

Judge Priest paints a colorful picture of the Old South in 1890 in Kentucky. Ford further developed that idea in the superior 1953 follow-up called The Sun Shines Bright. In modern times the racial stereotyping of black actors Stepin Fetchit and Hattie McDaniel caused anger in the black community, especially at Fetchit for giving blacks a disturbing image. But when released, Fetchit was the first big black star (welcomed by the black community) and became rich from his controversial portrayal of a shuffling, lazy and inarticulate stammering idler.

Will Rogers is perfectly cast as the laid-back Southern Judge William Priest who has been on the bench for over 25 years in this Kentucky sleepy rural town, where most of the citizens are still reliving the Civil War by celebrating the Confederacy.

A comedy in its time, Judge Priest is both sweet and sad, amusing and horrifying. A window into the Hollywood view of the post-bellum South before Gone With the Wind defined it forever.

Since this film is only an hour and twenty minutes long, I'll be adding a short or two to the program.

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Host or Publisher Kinonik