The Mouthpiece (1932)

Directors:

James Flood
Elliott Nugent

Writers:

Frank J. Collins (play)
Earl Baldwin (adaptation)

Release Date:

7 May 1932 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

When a hot young prosecutor learns that a man he got convicted and executed was in fact innocent, he quits his DA job and becomes a defense attorney...

Plot Keywords:

Law | Underworld | Alcoholic | Ambush | Bartender

Cast

Warren William	...	Vincent 'Vince' Day
Sidney Fox	...	Celia Farraday
Aline MacMahon	...	Miss Hickey, Day's secretary
John Wray	...	Mr. Barton
Mae Madison	...	Elaine
Ralph Ince	...	J.B. Roscoe
Morgan Wallace	...	E.A. Smith
Guy Kibbee	...	Bartender
J. Carrol Naish	...	Tony Rocco (as J. Carroll Naish)
Walter Walker	...	District Attorney Forbes
Stanley Fields	...	Mr. Pondapolis
Murray Kinnell	...	Thompson, Day's butler
Noel Francis	...	Miss DeVere
William Janney	...	John 'Johnny' Morris

Runtime:

86 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:Unrated

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

The Vince Day character is very loosely based on Bill "The Great Mouthpiece" Fallon, one of the great criminal defense attorneys of the 1920s, who successfully defended gambler Arnold Rothstein in the "Black Sox" Fix of the 1919 World Series.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: As we follow Vince Day across a street in a crane shot, the shadow of the crane, as well as a camera and cameraman and focus puller, fall across the street in front of him.

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in Counsel on De Fence (1934)

smoothy Williams

As a retired lawyer i would have loved to have the great art deco office in which Williams luxuriates.Also if only i could have had a secretary like Aline MacMahon!Obviously Williams doesn't realise what a gem he has in MacMahon and decides he would try the lounge lizard approach with innocent Fox.Now why she wants to marry her simpering boyfriend rather than enjoy a life of luxury with Williams is a mystery.After all going up to his flat to work in the middle of the evening seems a bit strange,and to find your boss in a smoking jacket even stranger.In my view this is a hugely entertaining film,which i had seen only once before at the NFT.I cannot understand why BBC and Channel 4 in particular are quite happy to show Randolph Scott and Audie Murphy westerns for the umpteenth time but cannot give air time to this film and other classic films of the era.