'The Mouthpiece' has Warren William at his best

The Mouthpiece (1932)

Starring: Warren William, Sidney Fox, Ailine MacMohan, Ralph Incee, Willam Janney, Walter Walker, and Guy Kibbee

Directors: James Flood and Elliot Nugent

Rating: Eight of Ten Stars

An attorney (William) who has grown rich and powerful by using every trick to get gangsters and other criminals is reminded that there is more to life than money and winning when a naïve young woman (Fox) enters his life.

"The Mouthpiece" is equal parts courtroom drama, melodrama, and comedy, with Warren William delivering a fantastic performance in which he brings life to Vince Day, a brilliant man who finds his faith in the justice system shattered and his spirit broken when a man he sent to the electric chair turns out to be innocent. Instead of confronting his anger, as well as his feelings of guilt and self-doubt, he loses himself in a maelstrom of booze, womanizing, and partying... while using his knowledge of law and his ability to manipulate juries to prove over and over to himself that the courts and legal system are useless as vehicles to bring about justice. In the hands of a lesser actor, this character would come across as loathsome and pathetic beyond redemption, especially during the scenes where he starts to engage in some self-reflection and he initially retreats deeper into his protective cocoon of destructive behavior and self-gratification. William plays the character with such charm and energy that rather than joining in on his self-hatred by hating him, too, viewers instead will be rooting for him to rediscover the decent person he still is deep down.

As the film unfolds, viewers have an ally in Vince Day's no-nonsense legal secretary, Hickey (played by Ailine MacMohan). She sees the person that Vince could be if he would confront his demons, and she is a rock that keeps him slightly grounded by stepping in to curb his worst excesses and negative impulses. While it's the naivete and purehearted devotion to doing what is right (not to mention her absolute refusal to be drawn into Vince's dark world) of young the young typist, Miss Farraday (portrayed by Sidney Fox) that finally makes Vince rethink his life, it's Hickey whom he turns to for the support and encouragement he needs to change his life. It's also Hickey who is there when Vince ends up paying a heavy price for rejecting the man he'd become.

The relationship between Vince and Hickey are the most important one in the movie, and it is made even moreso by the fact that Warren William and Ailine MacMohan give the best performances in it. They are also great together, and each scene they share together are among the best in the film. The only parts that are better than William and MacMohan playing off each other are the courtroom scenes.

"The Mouthpiece" is one of five movies included in "Forbidden Hollywood Vol. 10", and it's such a good film that it's almost worth the price of the set by itself.