These are two such movies.
It's a Joke Son (1947) features a character that no one today under the age of 70 or 75 will likely remember: "Senator Claghorn", who had a popular (at the time) catchphrase "It's a Joke, Son". The character (a parody of a Southern Senator) was made famous by a radio performer, Kenny Delmar.
Some of the seniors knew of him.
This was the character's first (and only) movie; no follow-ups were made because it wasn't very successful. I suppose a modern equivalent would be from the 1990s when filmmakers made It's Pat and Stuart Smalley into movies (those characters were originally from television's Saturday Night Live).
It's hard to find this funny watching today. The others in the group didn't find it too funny either. The only part I liked is when a young boy about 5 years old helps Claghorn in the kitchen preparing a punch bowl. Since the boy can't read, he pulls out bottles of alchohol from the cabinet thinking its juice an pours it in the bowl. Then the punch is served to a group of Southern Confederate women and they all get tipsy.
There are a few notable stars in the movie, including Una Merkel playing his wife, and June Lockhart playing his daughter.
I think this is one movie where context is required before viewing. The opening scenes show a Confederate flag being raised, and Claghorn saluting it. Then his dog gets up on his hind legs and lifts one paw to salute, too.
I mean, come on. Is this sight gag really that funny?
Being the youngest person in the audience watching the film, I explained to the older film viewers that this would be horribly offensive today, and some of them understood, but one or two didn't see a problem with the film, I don't think. I didn't make a huge case of it since I was only a guest/visitor and not the programmer.
Judge Priest (1934) is yet another horribly dated comedy that I had serious problems with. It takes place in a Kentucy town in 1890, where everyone's a Confederate veteran or patriot, and where lynching is common.
Then we have some black characters, most notably Stepin Fetchit who does his typical subservient act. Rogers treats him in condescending ways when he's supposed to be a tolerant man of the town. Then there's the housekeeper played by Hattie McDaniel - this was her first credited screen role. She has a lovely voice and there's a few scenes of her singing, but she isn't given much to do but serve and cook. I'd rather see an entire film starring her in it. There's a terribly cringe worthy scene where she and Fetchit are together in a kitchen and Fetchit is trying to freeload some baked goods, reaching for a donut as if he's never eaten nor seen one in his life.
I can't stress how dated this is. It's hard for a young, modern, progressive to watch this and enjoy it. There's so much wrong about it.
The title character, a judge on the verge of retiring, is played by Will Rogers, and his character is often described as "open-minded", "fair" and "tolerant. The introductory prologue to the film says that Judge Priest character we're about to meet seemed "typical of the tolerance of that day and the wisdom of that almost vanished generation".
Huh? Judge Priest promoting racial tolerance? I don't think so. What movie are they talking about? In one scene Rogers does a poor imitation of Fetchit, and in every scene treats him in a condescending way. This has got to be one of the most dated and offensive movies for a modern viewer.
Most of the movie is made up of vignettes and is without a plot. It's not until the last third of the movie where an actual trial takes place where Judge Priest acts as a defense against the accused.
The climax of the movie comes when the Judge's son serves as a lawyer in a court case where a Confederate is on trial. In the accused's defense, Priest gets a pastor to testify and extol the virtues of a true Confederate patriot. Priest also gets Stepin Fetchin to play "Dixie" on the drums outside the courthouse (he promises him a new coat if he obliges). Fetchit is happy to support the Confederate cause for material goods.
This musical stunt gets all the Confederate jurors emotional, and gets them sentimental for Confederate Patriotism, and eventually let the accused free. The movie ends with a huge parade with "Dixie" playing and Confederate flags waving by almost everyone in the crowd.
According to the 1934 New York Times film review, the critic reported laughter and tears at the screening. Tears? Laughter? No one must have batted an eyelash or cringed?
For me, watching this movie was like watching people from another planet. This movie - as well as The Birth of a Nation and some others - is from a different era, a different time, and a different world.
Judge Priest been called "a slice of 19th century American life". I wouldn't want to live in that town depicted in this film.
A really interesting blog post talks about the racism in the film.
Ford went on to film this story again years later (The Sun Shines Bright in 1953).
