'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.

'Guilty Hands' turns mystery tropes upside down

Guilty Hands (1931)
Starring: Lionel Barrymore, Kay Francis, Madge Evans, Alan Mowbray, William Blakewell, and C. Aubrey Smith
Director: W.S. Van Dyke and Lionel Barrymore

Rating: Seven of Ten Stars

Richard Grant (Barrymore), a former district attorney now in private law practice, conceives and commits the perfect murder to protect his naïve daughter (Evans) from a long-time client who is a sociopathic monster (Mowbray). 

"Guilty Hands" is one of those films that turns the standard tropes of detective stories upside down. Not only do we know who committed the murder and why, but the authority figure directing the investigation is also the murderer and all he's doing is shoring up the idea that his staged suicide WAS suicide and that there is no other explanation that his victim killed himself.

The tension in the plot arises from the viewers wanting Grant to get away with his crime, because the man he murdered was a piece of garbage that needed to be taken out, but also from the knowledge that Grant is a killer and he shouldn't be allowed to get away with it. There's also the minor mystery as to how Grant managed to make it appear as if he was in his rooms even as he was committing murder... a question that the one character who suspects the truth--the victim's long-time lover Marjorie (Kay Francis)--sets out to answer, even as Grant is convincing everyone, including the police, that his version of events is the only possible explanation. The stakes are upped when Marjorie finds the evidence she is looking for, but will it be enough to overcome Grant's expertly staged "suicide" and the high regard he is held in? (There are a couple other twists that keep the tension growing as the film unfolds--and the ultimate conclusion remains in doubt until, literally, the film's final moment.)

From the mysterious, somewhat disorienting opening shot and dialogue through the dramatic climax "Guilty Hands" moves along at such a rapid clip that it's 69-minute runtime feels much shorter; there isn't a second wasted on things that don't either establish characters and/or drive the narrative forward. Although this is without question Lionel Barrymore and Kay Francis's movie--they have the best scenes and lines, and when they're playing off each other, they give us the film's most dramatic moments--but the rest of the cast is also perfect in their parts. 

Madge Evans, as the young lady who is about to make the biggest mistake of her life, is so charming and likable; and Alan Mowbray, as the truly awful man who uses and disposes of women as casually as he does paper napkins, is so smarmy and downright obnoxious both give such excellent performances that the audience accepts Grant's notion that some murders are not only morally justifiable but necessary. Evans and Mowbray may not be the stars, but they provide the fuel for Barrymore and Francis's explosive performances and thus are every bit as important to the film's overall greatness. (Francis also has a scene with Mowbray that is among one of the film's highlights, where Francis and Mowbray act out a scene that solidifies just how vile a character the soon-to-be murder victim is.)

With all the praise I'm heaping on the actors and the story of this film, why is it only getting a Seven of Ten? Because for all the excellence here, there are some really baffling displays of technical incompetence d craftsmanship so inept that amateurs might have been embarrassed to have the work be seen by the public.

First, there are several instances of sloppy editing that causes minor continuity errors (like characters repeating the same actions twice in row), and moments of actors standing still and waiting for someone to shout "Actions!" or starting to relax after "Cut!" has been exclaimed. Second, and far worse, is the laughably bad sound design. I realize sound was new, but the frequently recurring sounds of thunder in this film sound like something you might expect to hear in a community theatre, but which is completely laughable in a film featuring major stars that was made by a major studio. In fact, the thunder in this film is so bad that it couldn't have sound more phony if it was done on purpose. It would have completely undermined the second half of the movie if not for the excellent performances and tight script.

"Guilty Hands" is one of five films in the "Forbidden Hollywood Vol. 10" collection, and it is almost worth the price by itself.

'The Strange Case of Dr. Rx' is worth investigating

The Strange Case of Doctor Rx (1942)

Starring: Patric Knowles, Anne Gwynne, Mantan Moreland, Edmund McDonald, Shemp Howard, Samuel S. Hinds, and Lionel Atwill

Director: William Nigh

Rating: Seven of Ten Stars

A successful private detective (Knowles) puts off early retirement at the behest of both a friend in the police department (McDonald) and a high-powered attorney to mob (Hinds) whose clients are being murdered by a seemingly invisible, intangible assassin.

"The Strange Case of Doctor Rx" is a fast-paced comedy-thriller starring a solid cast of mostly under-appreciated B-movie actors who are working with a script full of snappy dialogue and an intriguing murder mystery that deepens and becomes more convoluted as the film unfolds. In fact, everything about this film becomes more convoluted as it unfolds.

By the time "Strange Case" came to an end, I had the amusing thought that someone had challenged writer Clarence Upton Young to include every single mystery B-movie mainstay into one script... and he accepted. As this film unfolds, we get a charming gentleman detective and his befuddled manservant; a go-to-any-lengths-to-get-the-story lady reporter; cops who are tough but not bright; a rich, possibly crooked lawyer with a possibly even more crooked wife and family; gangsters and a gun moll; a suspicious mystery man who may or may not be the killer; a mad scientist; and a guy in a gorilla suit. In the end, nothing makes a whole lot of sense--and it feels a little like Young was hard-pressed to even formulate a satisfactory resolution to the everything-but-the-kitchen-sink mess he'd created. (I was left with one major question at the end, a question that was obviously left unanswered on purpose as it gave Mantan Moreland an opportunity to give us one final, mildly disturbing laugh.

Speaking of Mantan Moreland, this is another one of those films where he's more of a hero than any of the other characters give him credit for; his character isn't as smart as the one he portrayed in 1941's "King of the Zombies", but he absolutely key to the main hero's success and he makes a great personal sacrifice in the process. So, Moreland is perfectly cast here, as is everyone else. Most of the players in the film are at their best, with Moreland, Anne Gwynne, and Shemp Howard (of Three Stooges fame) are particularly fun to watch, even if Gwynne's performance is undermined a bit by the disjointed manner in which her character drifts through the story. Lionel Atwill plays a small but crucial role in the film, and the presence he lends is more a result of brilliant casting than anything Atwill does on screen. (Although, given his ability to slather on the villanous attitude, perhaps the harmless air he  air he has about him in the few scenes he's in is remarkable. At any rate, Atwill just being there brings with it certain expectations that help drive the story along and make it that much more entertaining.

"The Strange Case of Doctor Rx" is one of five movies included in the "Universal Cult Horror Classics" collection, despite the fact even the most creatve marketing executive or inventive critic could come with a good reason for why it should be considered a horror film. Nonetheless, it's fun flick, and it's presence is one of the many reasons why the set is worth owning if you enjoy old-time B-movies.

The Case of the Disappointing Perry Mason Movie

The Case of the Black Cat (1936)

Starring: Ricardo Cortez, Garry Owen, Jane Bryan, June Travis, Harry Davenport, George Rosener, Nedda Harrigan, Carlyle Moore Jr., Bill Elliott, Clarence Wilson, Craig Reynolds, and Guy Usher

Director: William McGann and Alan Crossland

Rating: Four of Ten Stars

A very rich, very grumpy old man (Davenport) dies in a mysterious fire after ordering his attorney, Perry Mason (Cortez), to change his will to completely cut his granddaughter (Bryan) from receiving any inheritance while tying other bequests to the continued employment of the mansion's caretaker (Wilson) and the continued well-being of his pet cat. When the heirs object to the will, Mason finds himself with a cat as his de-facto client... but eventually ends up defending the granddaughter's husband (Moore) for murder.

I have read that the creator of Perry Mason, Earl Stanley Gardner, hated Ricardo Cortez as the famous lawyer. I can see why. Although his portrayal of Mason is vaguely similar to that of Gardner's reportedly favorite Mason, Raymond Burr, it has twice the smarm and barely a fraction of the charm that Burr brought to the character. Cortez, however, is far from the worst thing about this movie.

The biggest problem with "The Case of the Black Cat" is that it may be the stagiest movie ever released. The framing of many scenes and the placement of actors within those scenes feels like their on stage, and the way every line is delivered so as to not step on the line delivered prior to it--including ones where one character is supposed to interrupt another--highlights this feeling even more. I am generally forgiving about this to films from the early days of sound, but by 1936, the technology was solid enough, and the actors should have been comfortable enough performing within its strictures that my patience is a bit short. Perhaps I could have been less bothered by the stageyness of it all if there had at least been a solid adaptation of the Gardner story here, but even that is lacking. Although Mason and Paul Drake solve the mystery, they don't really do a whole lot to do so... and the most important thing poor Della Street gets to do is babysit a cat. Worse, the court-room finale consists mostly of bad acting, worse dialogue, and Perry Mason summarizing the film's convoluted mystery plot without proving anything in particular or even answering some very key questions... and yet the judge dismisses the case without raising those questions.

It's a shame this film is so flawed, because Ricardo Cortez and June Travis were actually quite good as Perry and Della. Cortez's smarm was dialed back in scenes shared with her and their banter was among the most genuine-seeming dialog in the film. It's a shame that this was the only film they appeared in together, because think they could have done some excellent work.

"The Case of the Black Cat" was the fifth of six Perry Mason films produced by Warner Bros. during the mid-1930s, all loosely adapted from Gardner novels, and it was the only one where Ricardo Cortez wore Mason's suits. All of them are included in a reasonably priced collection, with two films to disc.

The good and the bad balance each other in the second Perry Mason film

The Case of the Curious Bride (1935)

Starring: Warren William, Margaret Lindsay, Allen Jenkins, Owlin Howland, Donald Woods, Thomas E. Jackson, Claire Dodd, and Barton MacLane

Director: Michael Curtiz

Rating: Six of Ten Stars

Famed defense attorney Perry Mason (William) must uncover the truth buried beneath lies and police corruption when a former lover (Lindsay) comes to him for help with a blackmail case but ends up being accused of murdering the blackmailer.

"The Curse of the Curious Bride" was the second Perry Mason film produced by Warner Bros. during the mid-1930s. Reportedly, although film reviewers said nice things about it at the time, and it did well financially, Perry Mason's creator, Earl Stanley Gardner strongly disliked it. And I think it's clear why.

Although the film is fast paced, features an engaging mystery with stakes that keep getting raised as it goes, and a suspect pool that keeps getting larger instead of smaller as the story unfolds, it spends too much time trying to be a comedy. From banter that isn't entertaining, to scenes that are supposed to be funny but are mostly just dumb, and renaming and reshaping of Paul Drake into the third-rate comic relief Spudesy Drake, just about every attempt at humor in this film falls flat and just lays there on the floor, stinking like a dead fish in the sun. They only supposed-to-be-funny bits that come close to working is when Perry Mason is being overly dramatic and flamboyant in front of newspaper reporters.

It's a shame that the filmmakers decided to lean so heavily on badly done comedy in this picture, because, unlike so many other Perry Mason tales, this one gives a lot of insight into what he does for fun and who he spends time with outside of the law offices and courtrooms. In some ways, Mason feels like a more fully rounded character in this film than he did even after the total of two decades of television series and made-for-TV movies starring Raymond Burr. This aspect, combined with the fact that the film features a great cast, which could have made this a great Perry Mason movie is why I'm giving it a Six instead of the Five it probably deserves.

Another quirk of the film is that it never enters a courtroom; in fact, the case at the center of the film never even makes it to trail. While the concluding "action" doesn't always take place in a oourtroom in Perry Mason stories, there's at least some sort of legal proceeding at some point. Here, the closet we get is Mason meeting with the District Attorney, in a scene that's more there to underscore the corruption of the D.A. and the police department more than anything else.

And speaking of the corrupt police department... corruption is another aspect of this film that's unusual when compared to other Perry Mason screen adventures I've seen. While the police and prosecutors are often shown as either dimwitted, lazy, or just unwilling to look beyond their initial conclusions when it comes to getting their convictions, they aren't usually out-and-out corrupt like they are here. For example, the police detectives don't just go where the evidence takes them here--they all but frame their prime suspect for murder while the prosecutor prevents Mason from seeing her. (On the other side of the coin, however, Mason engages in corruption to a degree that I've also not seen any screen incarnations do up to this point. While I'm used to Mason playing a bit loose with the spirit of the law or bending procedural rules, and even the law, almost to the breaking point, he goes well beyond that in this film.)

Some of the elements which seemed out of place to me probably did not appear that way to audiences in 1935. Corrupt police and prosecutors were the norm in detective films of the day, and the Perry Mason Formula didn't have 85 years of development behind it like it does now. (And, for that matter, the corruption of the justice system that exists everywhere in this movie might be something that will allow newcomers to Perry Mason--via the excellent series that recently ran on HBO.)

"The Case of the Curious Bride" in included with five other Perry Mason films that were produced by Warner Bros. in the 1930s. It's a reasonable priced set, and I think it's worth checking out for Perry Mason fans, old and new.

The FIRST Screen Perry Mason!

The Case of the Howling Dog (1934)

Starring: Warren Willam, Mary Astor, Helen Trenholme, Russell Hicks, Grant Mitchell, Gordon Westcottt, Dorothy Tree, and James Burtis

Director: Alan Cosland

Rating: Six of Ten Stars

High-powered attorney Perry Mason (William) is paid an outrageously high retainer to step in if a petty feud over a howling dog between two millionaire neighbors (Hicks and Mitchell) gets out of hand. After a series of bizarre lies come to light, his client vanishes, and the neighbor is murdered by a woman who may or may not be his wife (Astor), Mason finds himself earning what appeared to be easy money.

"The Case of the Howling Dog" was the first screen version of the legendary slightly-shady-but-never-crooked attorney Perry Mason. It was the first of four films starring Warren William as the Mason, and he is great in the role. William presents just the right mix of slippery conman and dogged champion of justice for his client that's needed to present a likable lawyer who is willing to do anything to protect his clients, so long as its within the letter--if not always the spirit--of the law.

Mystery-wise, this one was easy to figure out. I knew where the film was going well before it got there, who did it, and where the very literal bodies were buried. I was briefly thrown off the scent because the film literally lies to the viewers in one scene, showing us something that turns out to have never happened. I don't mind this sort of thing if it's happening during a character's fake description of events, but here it's an unforgivable sin, especially in a mystery movie. It cost the film a Full Star, knocking it down to a low Six. (It took "not playing fair with the audience" to a level that I don't recall ever seeing a film stoop to before, and until this point, I would have been forgiving of the film and just assumed that the twists and turns and "who, what, where" were so easy for me to predict due to the many mystery movies I've watched and stories I've read... but then came the "cheat" and I knew I . The sad thing is that it's not at all a bad sequence, and it would have been perfect if it had been used as I suggested--as the visuals for a character narrating the events.)

On the plus-side, though, every actor in the film is perfectly cast, with Warren William and Helen Trenholme (as Della Street) being particularly strong. ("The Case of the Howling Dog" is one of only two movies that Trenholme was in; she was a respected stage actress before her flirtation with the movie business, and she was one for a decade afterwards. It's a shame she didn't find a place in films, because she's a lot of fun to watch in this one.)

Another strong point of "The Case of the Howling Dog" is how the film establishes Perry Mason's law practice, as well as providing insight into his character. The first few minutes of this picture make it clear that Mason is a big shot at the head of a firm employing several associates, inhouse investigators, and even an inhouse psychologist. The also deftly establish the breadth and depth of Mason's experience as a lawyer and with life, showing that while he may be representing the rich and famous now, he started out defending more common people (and criminals) with legal troubles--and that his firm still represents them to this day.

Finally, and perhaps the biggest factor in its favor, this film is never boring and not a moment is wasted. Every second on screen drives the story or offers important character development and insight.

"The Case of the Howling Dog" is available as part of a collection containing all the 1930s movies featuring Perry Mason (most of them starring Warren William). The set is reasonably priced, and if the rest of the films are as good as this one, it's well worth the money. I shall find out, as I work my way through it!

'Counsellor at Law' is undeservedly obscure

Counsellor at Law (1933) 
Starring: John Barrymore, Bebe Daniels, Onslow Stevens, Isabel Jewell, Melvyn Douglas, Doris Kenyon, Thelma Todd, John Hammond Dailey and Vincent Sherman
Director: William Wyler
Rating: Eight of Ten Stars

George Simon (Barrymore) is a workaholic and a highly successful attorney who clawed his way up from the gutter to an office high atop New York City in the Empire State Building. Over the space of a few days, he finds his professional and personal life crumbling to ruins.

"Councellor at Law" is a swift moving drama whose origins as a stage play are clearly evident throughout its run-time. While that's usually a negative in these reviews, this film is the exception that proves the rule. All the film's action takes place within the high-cielinged, art-deco rooms that make up the Law Office of Simon & Tedesco, so the limited locations and characters moving about as if they're following blocking on a stage and arriving stage left and existing stage right isn't a distraction. It also helps that the entire cast is made up of actors who are film veterans--some of whom got their start as child actors during the silent film days, like Bebe Daniels--and therefore are all giving cinematic-oriented performances rather than being stagey and projecting and emoting so the audience in the back rows can pick up on what's going on.

John Barrymore and Bebe Daniels, the film's stars, give particularly impressive performances. They both give perfect examples of what "show, don't tell" means. Daniels' character never expresses the deep love and respect she has for her boss, Simon, nor how much it pains her to see how blind he is to the disrespect and disregard he gets from the blue-blood wife (Doris Kenyon) he loves above everything else. Bebe had, literally, grown up on movie stages and at this point had more than 20 years of film acting behind her--and it shows. Similarly, Barrymore's best moments in the film come in near-wordless scenes, and the moments in the picture when he lost all hope and is contemplating suicide are some of the most impactful bits of filmmaking I've come across. (Barrymore's acting is top-notch, but he is ably supported by a director and technical crew who understood how to take full advantage of the black and media they were working in.)

While Barrymore and Daniels shine the brightest here, the supporting cast is also spectacular. Among the most remarkable performances are Thelma Todd in a small, but important role, as one of George Simon's shady clients with a case against an even shadier person who as wronged them; Doris Kenyon as Simon's snobbish wife whose actions demonstrates that he only has value to her so long as she can exploit his love for her and desire for acceptance in her social circles, with Melvyn Douglas taking a turn as a blue-blood leech with with lecherous designs on the wife underscoring this point; and Onslow Stevens and Isabel Jewell, as Simon's law partner and the office receptionist/switchboard operator respectively, providing office and period flavor for the story.

All in all, this film is an example of all the good things works from this period has to offer. It's got cool art-deco sets (since it's set during the 1920s, probably right around the time the stock market is getting ready to crash); a flawed hero who is obviously the embodiment of the film's major social and political messages but who is the creation of writers who have enough respect for the audiences intelligence that he isn't also a funnel-shaped mouthpiece for those messages; and snappy dialogue that moves scenes from lighthearted to dramatic with blinding speed.

I only have one real complaint about this film, and it relates to an otherwise excellent sub-thread about office romances/sexual harassment that runs through the film. While one of the clerks is constantly and crudely hitting on the receptionist, a young lawyer in the firm is just as constantly and politely asking Bebe Daniels' character on dates. She constantly rebuffs him with escalating hostility, because she is increasingly distraught over how everything is falling apart for George Simon, as well as Simon's obliviousness to how he is being badly used by people he thinks are on his side. Ultimately, the young lawyer has had enough of her coldness, stops pursuing her, but he hands her a letter of some sort during their last exchange. We never find out what's in that letter, and I really wanted to know what that was because that subplot (out of the many in the film) remains unresolved at the end.

"Councellor at Law" is an undeservedly obscure film. If you appreciate early talkies, or have been impressed with John Barrymore and Bebe Daniels in other roles, you need to see it.