To call this film a modest comedy would be understating things. Yes, it's a modestly budgeted affair from the folks at Republic Pictures but one that is rich in humor, ably carried off by leading man Edward Everett Horton. You read it correctly; Horton has a rare turn in a lead role as a persnickety judge, and he makes the most of it.
Supporting Horton for the film's 72 minute running time is Gladys George as his wife. The premise is fairly simple: Horton is overworked as the magistrate in a local community, and his wife's been pestering him for a vacation. So he decides to take her to a resort, but not before presiding over one more case. In the courtroom, he refuses to listen to the idea that a defendant had extenuating circumstances for what he'd done.
Horton rules harshly and sentences the guy to ten years in prison. As the man is hauled off, his girlfriend (Isabel Jewell) gives the ole judge an earful about how he lacks empathy and doesn't know anything about how other people live and struggle to survive. Horton is not moved to sympathy. He cites her for contempt of court, and she is also hauled away.
The next part of the story has Horton arrive home. Soon he and his wife (George) head off to the resort. Their car breaks down, and they end up at a roadside tavern/motel called The Jungle Club run by a man named Cookie (Paul Hurst). Cookie's a culinary wiz, but he's also a small time crook in cahoots with several others- Republic contract players Ruth Terry and Robert Livingston, plus freelancer Jack LaRue who specializes in low-rent thugs.
At first Horton and George are a bit snooty, but after a snootful of wine, they relax and start to enjoy their new surroundings. They become friends with Hurst and the rest of the gang then spend the night. There's a lovely song that feels like a morale booster, sung by Miss Terry, who usually was assigned roles in studio musicals. Everyone joins in and sings a verse, including Horton and George.
The next day Horton realizes just how shady everyone is (the alcohol from the night before has worn off). He decides he still likes these people, but they need help. They have mistakenly assumed he's some sort of mob boss, which he uses to his advantage to set up "crimes" that aren't really crimes to teach them important lessons about going straight. One of the so-called crimes has him helping them rob his house (to get rid of some expensive statues his wife bought, which he absolutely loathes!). It's an amusing premise. Horton performs all this with a wink to the audience.
Part of what makes the film so fun is the dialogue. At one point Everett exclaims: "These people are my guinea pigs, and the Jungle Club is my laboratory. I'm going to inoculate them with the virus of honesty." There is a scene where he tells the gang their former way of life is passé. And we hear something like "sashay your passé!"
By the end of the story, Horton has successfully rehabilitated them. But first his career as a judge is revealed when Jewell's character gets out of the hoosegow, arrives at the club and identifies him. He offers to reopen the case involving her boyfriend and admits he misjudged the man inside his courtroom. It's a tad sappy, but shows us that not only have the crooks changed, Horton has changed as well.
My only quibble with the film is that Gladys George's character disappears halfway through, when the focus switches to Horton's "lab" experiment with the others. She shows up again at the end, when the club has a reopening with everyone now on the right side of the law. In fact, Gladys George isn't even the main focus in some of the advertising for the movie...Horton is shown with Isabel Jewell on his lap! Still, this is a pleasant time passer with more than enough good parts to recommend it.
Supporting Horton for the film's 72 minute running time is Gladys George as his wife. The premise is fairly simple: Horton is overworked as the magistrate in a local community, and his wife's been pestering him for a vacation. So he decides to take her to a resort, but not before presiding over one more case. In the courtroom, he refuses to listen to the idea that a defendant had extenuating circumstances for what he'd done.
Horton rules harshly and sentences the guy to ten years in prison. As the man is hauled off, his girlfriend (Isabel Jewell) gives the ole judge an earful about how he lacks empathy and doesn't know anything about how other people live and struggle to survive. Horton is not moved to sympathy. He cites her for contempt of court, and she is also hauled away.
The next part of the story has Horton arrive home. Soon he and his wife (George) head off to the resort. Their car breaks down, and they end up at a roadside tavern/motel called The Jungle Club run by a man named Cookie (Paul Hurst). Cookie's a culinary wiz, but he's also a small time crook in cahoots with several others- Republic contract players Ruth Terry and Robert Livingston, plus freelancer Jack LaRue who specializes in low-rent thugs.
At first Horton and George are a bit snooty, but after a snootful of wine, they relax and start to enjoy their new surroundings. They become friends with Hurst and the rest of the gang then spend the night. There's a lovely song that feels like a morale booster, sung by Miss Terry, who usually was assigned roles in studio musicals. Everyone joins in and sings a verse, including Horton and George.
The next day Horton realizes just how shady everyone is (the alcohol from the night before has worn off). He decides he still likes these people, but they need help. They have mistakenly assumed he's some sort of mob boss, which he uses to his advantage to set up "crimes" that aren't really crimes to teach them important lessons about going straight. One of the so-called crimes has him helping them rob his house (to get rid of some expensive statues his wife bought, which he absolutely loathes!). It's an amusing premise. Horton performs all this with a wink to the audience.
Part of what makes the film so fun is the dialogue. At one point Everett exclaims: "These people are my guinea pigs, and the Jungle Club is my laboratory. I'm going to inoculate them with the virus of honesty." There is a scene where he tells the gang their former way of life is passé. And we hear something like "sashay your passé!"
By the end of the story, Horton has successfully rehabilitated them. But first his career as a judge is revealed when Jewell's character gets out of the hoosegow, arrives at the club and identifies him. He offers to reopen the case involving her boyfriend and admits he misjudged the man inside his courtroom. It's a tad sappy, but shows us that not only have the crooks changed, Horton has changed as well.
My only quibble with the film is that Gladys George's character disappears halfway through, when the focus switches to Horton's "lab" experiment with the others. She shows up again at the end, when the club has a reopening with everyone now on the right side of the law. In fact, Gladys George isn't even the main focus in some of the advertising for the movie...Horton is shown with Isabel Jewell on his lap! Still, this is a pleasant time passer with more than enough good parts to recommend it.