A compassionate lawyer pretends to be heartless in order to boost his clientele, but it jeopardizes his romantic life.A compassionate lawyer pretends to be heartless in order to boost his clientele, but it jeopardizes his romantic life.A compassionate lawyer pretends to be heartless in order to boost his clientele, but it jeopardizes his romantic life.
Jackie Averill
- Boy with Lollipop
- (uncredited)
Conrad Binyon
- Boy
- (uncredited)
Morgan Brown
- Pedestrian
- (uncredited)
Paul E. Burns
- Farmer
- (uncredited)
Ralph Byrd
- Reporter
- (uncredited)
James Carlisle
- Client
- (uncredited)
Hobart Cavanaugh
- Mr. Throckmorton
- (uncredited)
Edward Clark
- Jury Member
- (uncredited)
Chester Clute
- Lawyer
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaIn March 1943, when the film was in wide release, a lawsuit brought by a group of lawyers from New Haven, Connecticut charged that this comedy "showed the legal profession in a disreputable light." The complainants asked for the movie to be withdrawn, but their plea was thrown out by Connecticut Superior Court Judge Patrick O'Sullivan.
- Crazy creditsEddie Anderson is credited as only "Rochester."
- ConnectionsVersion of The Meanest Man in the World (1923)
- SoundtracksI Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now?
(uncredited)
Music by Joseph E. Howard and Harold Orlob and lyrics by William M. Hough and Frank R. Adams
Featured review
Jack Benny's film appearances were (usually) pretty good...
... and this one is no exception.
In this amusing, if brief, comedy from 20th Century Fox and director Sidney Lanfield, Jack Benny stars as Richard Clarke, a smalltown attorney who moves to NYC in order to impress his prospective father-in-law. His girlfriend Janie (Priscilla Lane) can't wait to get married but she's unaware that Richard's law practice is going no where. It isn't until he starts acting cutthroat and mean that things start to become lucrative. Also featuring Eddie "Rochester" Anderson, Edmund Gwenn, Matt Briggs, Anne Revere, Margaret Seddon, Helene Reynolds, Ralph Byrd, Edward Gargan, Hobart Cavanaugh, Lyle Talbot, and Tor Johnson.
This seemed like a filmed version of a radio play, as almost all of the humor is verbal, and maybe that is to be expected as Benny was so big in radio at the time. That's a nice change of pace when slapstick seemed to rule the day in film comedy of the period. Benny and Anderson are a terrific team, naturally, and they play off each other like the seasoned pros they were. I also liked Anne Revere in an atypical role as Benny's bored, underpaid secretary.
In this amusing, if brief, comedy from 20th Century Fox and director Sidney Lanfield, Jack Benny stars as Richard Clarke, a smalltown attorney who moves to NYC in order to impress his prospective father-in-law. His girlfriend Janie (Priscilla Lane) can't wait to get married but she's unaware that Richard's law practice is going no where. It isn't until he starts acting cutthroat and mean that things start to become lucrative. Also featuring Eddie "Rochester" Anderson, Edmund Gwenn, Matt Briggs, Anne Revere, Margaret Seddon, Helene Reynolds, Ralph Byrd, Edward Gargan, Hobart Cavanaugh, Lyle Talbot, and Tor Johnson.
This seemed like a filmed version of a radio play, as almost all of the humor is verbal, and maybe that is to be expected as Benny was so big in radio at the time. That's a nice change of pace when slapstick seemed to rule the day in film comedy of the period. Benny and Anderson are a terrific team, naturally, and they play off each other like the seasoned pros they were. I also liked Anne Revere in an atypical role as Benny's bored, underpaid secretary.
helpful•20
- AlsExGal
- Feb 1, 2023
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Languages
- Also known as
- Pior que uma Fera
- Filming locations
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime57 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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Top Gap
By what name was The Meanest Man in the World (1943) officially released in Canada in English?
Answer