Police Court (1932) watch online HD

That's how the credit reads at the start of the 1951 re-issue, and an all-star cast it is indeed, as a great cast of silent stars strut their stuff under the direction of Louis King in this variation of THE CHAMP, with Henry B. Walthall as an alcoholic ex-movie star and Leon Janney as his son. This cast knows how to play melodrama, and they do so in.... perhaps a little too well as perhaps a little more comedy relief might have helped -- or perhaps might have wrecked the emotional impact.

But Walthall is almost all of the show and he has some lovely scenes, particularly in the sequence where, back on the skids, and made up as Lincoln in a side show, he resists reciting the Gettysburg Address to sell patent medicine. The scenes on the movie set are also wonderful, with former real-life director King Baggott, playing a movie director performs his role efficiently and compassionately. But, as I said earlier, everyone is good here and the movie, while no classic, is well worth your time.

Henry B. Walthall was one of D.W. Griffith's original band of stock players. When talkies came in he was kept extremely busy until his death in 1936, when his commanding presence and beautiful speaking voice made him the centre of attention no matter how small his part. His part in "Police Court" was no exception. Although he didn't have a great deal to say, his quiet dignity gave this movie a lot of class.

Morning at the Police Court and renowned actor, Nathanial Barry (Walthall) is charged with habitual drunkenness. Rushing into court is Junior (Leon Janney), Nat's son, who has just secured him a job in a movie, thus saving him from a spell in jail.

There is a fascinating look behind the scenes at Monogram. Audiences, then, just couldn't get enough of movies with a "movie" background. There is also a parade of yesterday's stars - Aileen Pringle (who had the female lead) in a role similar to that of Irene Rich's in "The Champ", Walter James, a silent villain, King Baggott (as the director), Paul Panzer (the original villain in "The Perils of Pauline" (1914)) and Al St. John as Nat's friend "Skid". Nat is given the role of a minister but after a few false starts he finds he can't go on. He then gets a job in a carnival where he is forced to dress up as Lincoln and recite the Gettysburg address - his integrity is pushed to the limit and only his son's unwavering belief helps him through.

When Junior does the rounds of various studios, trying to interest them in his father, after a particularly impassioned speech he is hired as an actor himself. Starting with great promise, he begins to forget his lines - the worry and stress involving his father (who is now in prison) is proving too much. The ending wouldn't have left a dry eye in the audience as Nat gets compassionate leave from prison (as well as his sick bed) to help Junior with a particularly heart felt scene in the "film within the film".

Leon Janney gave a good performance in "Police Court" and proved he was a talented juvenile. He was a child actor who didn't really achieve stardom. He had the lead in "Penrod and Sam" (1931) and was quite memorable as Lew Ayre's kid brother in "The Doorway to Hell" (1930) but was a bit too old to be a cute kid. He made an appearance in the "Our Gang" short "Bear Shooters" (1930) but at 13 seemed an unlikely candidate for "Our Gang" stardom.

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Alcoholic has-been actor Henry B. Walthall (as Nathaniel "Nat" Barry) is hauled before the Hollywood "Police Court" for habitual drunkenness. Mr. Walthall is granted a reprieve, after teenage son Leon Janney (Nathaniel "Junior" Barry Jr.) pleads for mercy. Mr. Janney vows to keep Walthall off the bottle, and on screen. Janney tries to line up bit parts for his once famous father, but Walthall has trouble not only delivering lines, but also staying on the wagon.

It's great to see Walthall in a starring role, although this is a significantly more minor production than those the star appeared in during the silent era. Teen actor Janney is an unlikely, but effective co-star. The two are best in scenes on "sets", when they are actors playing actors. Henry King's lesser known brother Lewis directed "Police Court". And, King Baggot is certainly a good choice to play the movie director "Henry Field". Aileen Pringle (as Diana McCormick) and Fred Toones (as Snowflake) add femininity and racial "humor", respectively.

***** Police Court (1932) Louis King ~ Henry B. Walthall, Leon Janney, Aileen Pringle

This is actually a story of "father love", a rare topic in Hollywood movies, dealing with the oddest of movie fathers, a desperate alcoholic (Henry B. Walthall) who in the opening scene is scolded by a judge for being one of the finest actors in the American theater who has destroyed his life through booze. Teenaged son Leon Janney pleads for another chance for his father, just like Janet Gaynor and Judy Garland did in "A Star is Born" with Frederic March and James Mason, but despite Janney's trust in Walthall's determination to remain sober, he ends up in jail for six months thanks to becoming involved in a barroom brawl. That doesn't stop the big hearted Janney from continuing to fight for another chance for his father, and after telling off a movie mogul who won't give Walthall another chance, Janney finds himself offered the lead in a movie about.....get this....father love. Determined not to become a success without his actor father by his side, Janney pleads for the role of the father to go to his own dad, but after years of boozing it up, will Walthall be actually prepared to face his toughest assignment in front of the camera?

Where they got the title for this film is beyond me. There are only two scenes in a courtroom, and they only serve the purpose of moving the plot along. First, there's the establishment of loyal son Janney sacrificing everything for dad, and then, there's the scene of Walthall being sentenced. Everything in between shows the harshness of the acting profession, with Walthall going from well respected actor who has pretty much destroyed his life to a pitiful remnant of what he was before, cast in a small role in a movie, yet unable to finish his scenes due to obvious cirrhosis of the liver. Walthall then must take the only job available to him; Playing Abraham Lincoln at a traveling carnival, with his Gettysburg Address collecting a crowd even with carnival music in the background. Through it all, Walthall's character tries to retain all the dignity he can muster, and the actor delivers an outstanding performance. I'm sure the pathos involving son Janney must have had women crying their eyes out in the theater, but for as melodramatic and over the top as it is, it is also fortunately very touching. The ending scene is straight out of "A Star is Born" which was not originally made until five years after this poverty row drama was released.

Henry Walthall is probably not a name you'd recognize--even though he has well over 300 credits to his IMDb filmography. In addition, he was a huge stage star back in the day--and that is the key....back in the day. During the silent era, Walthall was a big star and appeared in such films as "Birth of a Nation" and "Wings"--both mega-hit films. But, by the 1930s, Walthall's star began to fade a bit. He was no longer the handsome leading man, so he began to take on a lot of supporting character roles--roles he usually did a great job in conveying.

A few years before his death, Walthall has a starring role here in "Police Court"--one of his few starring vehicles in the 1930s. He plays Nat Barry--a once-great actor who has descended to the world of drunks. His young son (Leon Janney) is convinced that somehow his father will lick his alcoholism and will once again be a big star. However, through the course of the picture, it becomes more and more obvious that the man is simply drinking himself to death. It's a shame, as his young son actually has a chance to become an actor himself---but the boy is in need of his father's strength and guidance.

This film is a mixed bag. On one hand, the plot (though a tad old fashioned in style) is rather original and interesting. Plus, when Walthall is on the screen, he is magnetic. But, the film also has a few problems--the biggest being believability. Additionally, the black character actor Fred 'Snowflake' Toones plays a nauseating role that is intended as comic relief--the sort of racist comic relief that would shock most modern audiences. Here, he not only plays a typical stupid black man role but a sex offender--all for laughs! My, how times have changed! So is it worth seeing? Well, if you are like me and you adore old movies, sure. But for you young whippersnappers who aren't impressed with old films, you could certainly do better. At best average despite Walthall's impressive acting.