Tell It to the Judge
November. 18,1949 NR
Marsha Meredith, an attorney-at-law, is nominated for a federal judgeship, but her nomination is opposed by a 'Good-Government' group that thinks her divorce makes her unfit for the job. This evolves into situations, happening in Florida, New England, Washington D.C., and the Adirondacks, such as the misunderstood husband trying to win back his wife, and the misunderstood wife trying to make her husband jealous, and one case of mistaken identity after another, after another.
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People are voting emotionally.
Fresh and Exciting
Don't listen to the Hype. It's awful
In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.
Director: NORMAN FOSTER. Screenplay: Nat Perrin. Additional dialogue: Roland Kibbee. Story: Devery Freeman. Photography: Joseph Walker. Film editor: Charles Nelson. Art director: Carl Anderson. Set decorator: William Kiernan. Costumes: Jean Louis. Make-up: Fred Phillips. Hair styles: Helen Hunt. Music composed by Werner R. Heymann, directed by Morris W. Stoloff. Assistant director: Sam Nelson. Sound recording: George Cooper. Western Electric Sound System. Producer: Buddy Adler.Copyright 16 November 1949 by Columbia Pictures Corp. No New York opening. U.S. release: December 1949. U.K. release: 10 April 1950. Australian release: 30 March 1950. 7,920 feet. 88 minutes.SYNOPSIS: Rosalind Russell is the judge-to-be, Robert Cummings her ex-husband who wants her back, Gig Young a playboy type that Russell is successfully using to bait Cummings.COMMENT: Robert Cummings certainly wins his spurs on this one as a "light comedian". Bob mugs, grimaces and pratfalls his way through a lot of frantic action before he finally wins the day (and the lady). If you like Mr Cummings (I don't mind him), you'll doubly enjoy the extra cornball efforts he brings to his role here. If you can't stand Cummings, avoid this film at all costs. You have been warned.Russell and Young do well by the main supporting slots, but it is young Marie McDonald who will attract most attention. Exquisitely costumed, Miss McDonald's only failure - and it's not her fault - is that her role is so intermittent. She keeps popping in and out of the action. We wish she would stay put for longer, before Cummings hustles her into the inevitable clothes closet.Despite some obvious process screen effects, the film is sound technically: The photography's glossy, the music score witty, the sets and costumes appropriately glamorous, whilst Foster's competent if none too subtle direction gets the most out of Perrin's amusing script. In short, this judge found it a most entertaining tale.
one from many romantic comedies from the 40's . not extraordinary but nice. and lovely for the seductive performance of Robert Cummings. a film about true love and the situations who transforms it in project. absurd in many scenes, lovely at all, it is the genre of film who seems be open window to a past period. because it has the innocence, the great, the flavor of lost age. Rosalind Russell could be the only challenge for viewer. because it is only a decent option for the role of judge but her rhythm is very different by Cummings' and that gives some fake nuances to the story. an inspired presence - Harry Davenport in a small role. short, a lovely movie. from the heart decade of a magnificent period for cinema.
Tell It To The Judge finds Rosalind Russell cast once again as career woman, in this case a lawyer about to be made a federal judge through the machinations of her grandfather Harry Davenport. But Senator Thurston Hall is questioning her character on the grounds of a messy divorce. Shows you how old fashioned this film has become and how terribly dated.Her ex-husband wants her back and Bob Cummings as the ex does get her back, kind of, sort of. But after that it all gets kind of wild as she uses Gig Young as a foil against Cummings and Bob keeps getting in trouble trying to hide witness Marie McDonald in one of his cases because Bob is a lawyer as well.What director Norman Foster did well with were some great supporting player performances from a cast of seasoned Hollywood professionals. I think the two most memorable are Clem Bevans as a lighthouse keeper with a side contract from Cupid and Douglass Dumbrille as Cummings playboy client. That one was really a case of reverse casting because Dumbrille is best known for playing slick villains, but I wish there had been more of him as the merry making playboy.Tell It To The Judge is certainly dated, but while it's not Rosalind Russell's best her fans will not be disappointed.
This is absolutely my favorite film of Robert Cummings. He's hysterical and lovable in every scene he is in. Bob plays a lawyer who is newly divorced from Rosalind Russell, and is determined to win her back. She on the other hand is determined to become a federal judge and wants nothing to do with him. A typical setup for the divorce-remorse films that came along in the 40s.Then there's Gig Young as the rival for Russell's affection, Clem Bevans as Mr. Roogle (it rhymes with bugle) and Marie McDonald adding a funny twist as the witness who keeps stalking Bob. For the most part, the cast is on top of their game and has some great moments. However, be forewarned, this is not Rosalind Russell's best work by a long shot. Despite the fact that she's given some wonderful performances (Auntie Mame, Trouble With Angels, etc) she's not very strong here and this is one situation where I really think another actress should have been cast. (Too bad Carole Lombard was already gone - she would have been PERFECT.) Some time the twists go a bit too far and get rather tedious on repeat watchings, but this is the screwball genre - it's not supposed to be realistic. It's a fun movie that still makes me laugh no matter how many times I see it. What more can you ask for?
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