JLRMovieReviews Spencer Tracy is judge Cass Timberlane, in this film adaptation of the Sinclair Lewis novel. He has carved out a nice little niche for himself and settled into a nice community with a steady girl, played by Margaret Lindsay and has some high society friends. But perhaps he gotten too used to his surroundings. Maybe he isn't as happy as he thinks (he is.) His cases have gotten a little monotonous, when a witness to an elderly lady falling on a city sidewalk is artist/designer Lana Turner, who lives outside of his social circle. She piques his interest with her looks, her youthful perspective on life, and her pictures of him. They form a friendship that leads to marriage, surprising his society friends who were expecting him to marry Chris (Margaret.) Attorney and friend Zachary Scott takes an instant liking to her as well. When she grows tired of trying to fit in and exasperated with her situation, arguing about it with Spencer, she winds up going to New York with Zachary. I don't how faithful this is to the book, but this is an example of how Hollywood would write themselves into a corner or a bad situation and then slap a pat or forced happy ending on it. People argue, can't get along and want their way until the final reel, where they say "we're so happy, let's live happily ever after." The viewers have to be placed in their situation and allowed for the natural feelings to be evolved and addressed for some final good closure. We do have this to a point, but just the same the scene with Lillian (Josephine Hutchinson) talking to Lana and the scene of Spencer and Lana's final confrontation feels a little bit like an afterthought. Being a Lana Turner fan, I may be kinder to this than a lot of others; I have always liked this film on the whole, but also felt the pat ending was a major flaw. Granted, we want them to be together but it somehow rings a little false.

DKosty123 Spencer Tracy was getting quite old when he made this one. He can still show some power here in his lead role as a stubborn judge with the young girl friend. He does a good job with a challenging script. Lana Turner as the love interest is very effective here. Considering the film's script, she does well too.There are sparks in the cast besides. I think in this case Tracy deserved better script. That seemed to hurt him in his last films. Are there better Tracy films? Yes, but this one is pretty good.Judge Timberlane may not chop down trees but he does Dispense Jusice with authority from the bench.

vincentlynch-moonoi Spencer Tracy is one of my two favorite film actors (the other being Cary Grant). That doesn't mean that I like every Tracy film ("Tortilla Flat" and "Woman Of The Year" being two good examples of Tracy films I didn't particularly like). But I do like two films which were fairly close together time-wise -- "Sea Of Grass" and this film, the former coming just before the latter. In "Sea Of Grass" we were introduced to the new "mature" Tracy, and that is reinforced in the opening courtroom scenes of this film. Clearly, perhaps because of his drinking, Tracy was aging quickly at this point in time. This is a Tracy that I really liked. The several opening scenes, including in his chambers (he's a judge in this film), were very pleasant, and got the film off to a good start.Lana Turner was at her peak of beauty around this time, and a much more assured actress than she had been 6 years earlier when she last co-starred with Tracy in "Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde". She seems very natural in this part, in both the good times and the bad. I usually enjoy Turner, although I remember seeing her on an interview show in her later years and being disappointed to find that she didn't seem very bright. The scenes between Tracy and Turner are excellent, with the exception of the death scene (after which she doesn't die) and the reconciliation, both of which are not done very well.It is said that Zachary Scott enjoyed playing scoundrels, the most notorious of which was the "cradle-robber" in "Mildred Pierce". I guess because of his penchant for playing such roles, I never really cared much for him...so much for type-casting. But, in "Pierce" and this film, I have to admit he was excellent.This film also contains one of my favorite scenes, though very brief, and it isn't even involving one of the stars. Josephine Hutchinson, wife of the doctor in this film, breaks down about the truth of her marriage toward the end of the film and throws a glass of champagne in her husband's face. Not sure why, but this is a scene that stuns me every time I see it.There are a number of other very recognizable support players in the film. If you're not paying attention, you might not recognize Mary Astor, who gets little screen time. The most interesting support player was Selena Royale, with whom Tracy had been a frequent costar in his early days in the theatre, and may have had an affair with. There's also a cameo with Walter Pidgeon and excellent cinematography.I know that the ratings here on IMDb are not high for this film, but I find it very watchable, and I'm glad to have it on my DVD shelf.

sumpleby I seem to be a dissenting voice, looking at the other comments on this film. I didn't find it tedious at all. It is a warm, leisurely paced story. Spencer Tracy turns in a sterling performance as a judge who holds firm to old-fashioned values, though his commitment to friendship does blind him to his friends' shortcomings. Lana Turner does OK as a woman from "the wrong side of the tracks" who loves the judge but mistakes his principles for a lack of courage. There are some weak points in the film. Zachary Scott is not convincing at all as the cad who seduces Jenny away from her husband. There is a slightly cardboard quality of the scenes with the judge's society friends. And the subplot of friends wanting the judge to fix a trial in their favor slides so much into the background that it might as well not be in the film at all. But on the whole, I found this to be one of the better May-December romance films I have seen.