Judge Priest
| Judge Priest | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | John Ford |
| Produced by | Sol M. Wurtzel |
| Written by |
Irvin S. Cobb Dudley Nichols Lamar Trotti |
| Starring |
Will Rogers Tom Brown Henry B. Walthall Hattie McDaniel Stepin Fetchit |
| Cinematography | George Schneiderman |
| Edited by | Paul Weatherwax |
| Distributed by | Fox Film Corporation |
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Release date
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Running time
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80 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Judge Priest is a 1934 American comedy film starring Will Rogers. The film was directed by John Ford, produced by Sol M. Wurtzel in association with Fox Film, and based on humorist Irvin S. Cobb's character Judge Priest. The picture is set in post-reconstruction Kentucky and the supporting cast features Henry B. Walthall, Hattie McDaniel and Stepin Fetchit.
Will Rogers portrays Judge Priest. The film played a major role in earning Will Rogers' recognition as the number one box office star of 1934. Rogers received critical praise for his role, some noting that Rogers simply fell right into the role with his heart-warming personality. Rogers managed a balance of comedic one-liners with serious dramatics. The Tulsa Daily World summed up Rogers’ performance: “The star’s portrayal of Judge Priest has the mark of authenticity upon it…the unique blending of unique talent with a rich and splendid role.”
Judge Priest is an eccentric judge in a small Kentucky town. Although his wife died 19 years before the film takes place, he shows no interest in remarrying. He sometimes stumbles his words, but he shows his wit throughout the film. The Judge, despite all his talk of being a Confederate veteran, finds his best friend to be the black Jeff Poindexter, portrayed by Stepin Fetchit. Judge Priest has pride in his tolerance for others.
Rogers was killed in a plane crash on August 15, 1935, just a year after the release of Judge Priest.
Stepin Fetchit’s character in Judge Priest, Jeff Poindexter, is the early twentieth-century stereotypical black man. Jeff Poindexter is extremely dull, slow and lazy. Stepin Fetchit (born Lincoln Perry, 1902) built his reputation by stereotyping blacks in this manner. It was this portrayal of blacks that enraged many black activists who were fighting the very stereotypes he was portraying. Many labeled him a traitor and purposely avoided events that he was scheduled to attend.
Although Fetchit was uneducated, he was a very shrewd and calculating man. Despite the on-screen appearance of being dim-witted, he was aggressive with the moguls and producers who controlled Hollywood and took pride in being a “militant Negro”. Fetchit was able to work with both black and white actors, allowing him to reach high levels of success. In doing so, Fetchit was the first black actor to fight for equal treatment from Hollywood executives.
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