That is the theme of this sentimental comedy/drama remake of John Ford's "Judge Priest" which he also directed, and which he also asked black comical character actor Stepin Fetchit to repeat his role of the slow-witted servant. Not much has changed in almost two decades, and in the case of Hollywood's treatment of black characters, this is on the same scale as "Gone With the Wind". Cheerful mammys, singing darkies, almost missing the days of slavery, and in the case of Stepin Fetchit, he actually sits in on one of the meetings of the aging confederate soldiers as their servant, not their equal. At the heart and soul of this flawed but entertaining film is Charles Winninger, taking on the role which Will Rogers had played years before. He's running for re-election and finds opposition for the first time in years against a ruthless opponent.
This is a small-minded community with Jane Darwell as the town matriarch who greets each of the young ladies coming into a town dance with the same fake compliment of her being the bell of the ball. When an outcast from years before returns, the past of her illegitimate daughter (Arlene Judge) is threatened to be revealed, and this leads to Judge Priest standing up for decency over human judgments and the moral pointing of the finger. Yet, there are tons of stereotypical southern characters tossed into the mixture, especially the presence of two moonshine making hicks (one played by a young Slim Pickens), a typical "Negro spiritual", and a ton of dialog rolling off the tongues of holier than thou sweeter yet as dangerous as honey rolling off a hive filled with swarming bees. The return to the screen after a 20 year absence of Dorothy Jordan (as Judge's unfortunate dying mother) is of particular interest as even with little dialog, she breaks your heart just with her sadly pathetic presence.
In spite of the bell of falsehoods this film rings, I can't dismiss it as a film I didn't enjoy, because it showed that even in one small way through Winninger's character, people were changing somewhat, even if the whole racist stereotypes and praising of a way of life that just could not continue to be grated somewhat on my nerves.
This is a small-minded community with Jane Darwell as the town matriarch who greets each of the young ladies coming into a town dance with the same fake compliment of her being the bell of the ball. When an outcast from years before returns, the past of her illegitimate daughter (Arlene Judge) is threatened to be revealed, and this leads to Judge Priest standing up for decency over human judgments and the moral pointing of the finger. Yet, there are tons of stereotypical southern characters tossed into the mixture, especially the presence of two moonshine making hicks (one played by a young Slim Pickens), a typical "Negro spiritual", and a ton of dialog rolling off the tongues of holier than thou sweeter yet as dangerous as honey rolling off a hive filled with swarming bees. The return to the screen after a 20 year absence of Dorothy Jordan (as Judge's unfortunate dying mother) is of particular interest as even with little dialog, she breaks your heart just with her sadly pathetic presence.
In spite of the bell of falsehoods this film rings, I can't dismiss it as a film I didn't enjoy, because it showed that even in one small way through Winninger's character, people were changing somewhat, even if the whole racist stereotypes and praising of a way of life that just could not continue to be grated somewhat on my nerves.