JohnHowardReid Copyright 6 November 1936 by Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc. New York release at the Rialto, 12 May 1937. U.S. release: 24 April 1937. 10 reels. 83 minutes.SYNOPSIS: Patricide - obviously suggested by the Edith Maxwell case.COMMENT: This engrossingly dramatic Warner Bros social documentary has been produced on an extremely lavish scale. Director Curtiz is in his element with the huge crowd scenes and has creatively and imaginatively handled the stunning courtroom sequences as well as the film's other tense moments. Unfortunately, despite Curtiz's forceful efforts - aided by wonderfully skilful photography by Ernest Haller - the powerfully suspenseful atmosphere is a little undermined not only by some trite dialogue and stereotyped characterizations, but by some misguided efforts at comedy relief. Scriptwriters Norman Reilly Raine of Tugboat Annie fame and Luci Ward of innumerable "B" westerns are solely to blame.In the Edith Maxwell part, Josephine Hutchinson plays with spirit yet dignity. A difficult role, but she handles it with perfect assurance and ease. Barrat is equally right as her brutal father. In a more conventional role, Brent comes across with reasonable force. Heading a great Warner Bros support cast, Marcia Mae Jones deserves a special mention as the heroine's understandably rebellious child-bride sister, whose flight is the catalyst for "murder".

Torchy In spite of its faults, I was really impressed by this movie. Warner made a number of social justice flicks during the thirties, and I thought this was one of the best. Strong performances, tight script and lots of action.Some people have complained about certain plot points, and it's true that the writers could have made things more believable. And while some of the mountain folk are portrayed sympathetically, over all the script does not paint a flattering picture of the townspeople. My biggest problem with the script is the ending. For most of the film the main character is determined to become a nurse so that she can help her community. At the end she decides to dump all that and become a housewife. I didn't buy it.Still, this movie really pulled me in, and the tension keeps building right up to the climax. Writers Norman Reilly Raine and Luci Ward do a good job with the characters and situations. Josephine Hutchinson is excellent, and most of the cast is strong. Michael Curtiz keeps the pace brisk. The scenes where the young woman confronts her father are intense and harrowing. I think this movie is one of Curtiz' high points from the thirties, and it's a shame it's not better known.

grafxman The movie is entertaining but bears absolutely no resemblance whatsoever to hillbillies I grew up with. Behaving the way he does, the father character would have been shot dead in his teenage years where I come from in West Virginia. A brutal thug like him would never have fathered any children if he did survive because no woman would ever have married him.In the hillbilly culture where I come from, the family group is typically one of matriarchy. As for the father selecting his daughter's husband, that is totally and completely ludicrous. In the hillbilly culture I grew up in, father's will typically object strenuously to their daughter's selection of a mate but that's only because he doesn't want her to leave the house.As for the doctoring there, most people don't go to doctors or dentists. The hillbilly medical practice goes like this: you ignore the pain until it either goes away or gets so bad you can't stand it and you have to go see a doctor. If it goes away, which it usually does, then you didn't need a doctor anyway. If it gets so bad you can't stand it then maybe it's something serious or maybe it's something you can live with. Dental practice goes like this: you never do anything to your teeth until the cavities get so bad you can't stand the pain. Then you go to the dentist, get them pulled and get false teeth.Personally speaking, I never brushed my teeth until I joined the Navy in 1963! I never took a shower either! Needless to say, those bad practices and habits were quickly altered in boot camp.

mark.waltz Backwoods nurse Josephine Hutchinson and doctor Guy Kibbee want to start a series of clinics to help the poor people who can't afford medical attention. Unfortunately, Hutchinson is saddled with an abusive father (Robert Barrat) who uses his temper to keep his wife (Elisabeth Risdon) and two daughters (Hutchinson, Marcia Mae Jones) in line. With the help of doctor Kibbee and his spinster fiancée (wicked witch Margaret Hamilton), Hutchinson escapes to the city for training, and comes back to fulfill her dream with Kibbee. Unfortunately, her father is unwilling to take her back into his life, and takes his frustrations out on younger daughter Jones. When Jones turns to her older sister for help, an accidental death puts Hutchinson on trial for murder. Her New York lawyer beau George Brent comes to the mountains to help her, leading the way to a gripping conclusion.I was pleasantly surprised by how gripping this film was from start to finish, filled with humor, romance, and melodrama. Hutchinson, one of the most underrated leading ladies in history, is convincing; beautiful, yet not glamorized. She has audience sympathy from beginning to end. Brent, who would support many of Hollywood's most popular leading ladies of the 30's and 40's (Davis, Stanwyck, Oberon, Francis, etc.), does his job well; it is a shame that in few Hollywood films of this era, he would be the focus of the story. Risdon and Jones as Hutchinson's mother and sister, do well in small, yet important roles. Barrat, as the abusive father, is so hateful, though he gives his character a quiet proudness that influences his shameful violence. It is hard to praise a performance which requires him to be so hateful, but yet, it is filled with realism that any abused child can relate to.In comic second leads, Guy Kibbee and Margaret Hamilton are hysterical as an engaged couple heading towards the altar for 30 years. (Hamilton, it should be noted, was only 35 when this film was released!) Their wedding scene is absolutely hysterical. For one of the few times in her film career, Hamilton plays a totally sympathetic character, making it hard to believe just two years later, she would enter film immortality as the wicked witch in "The Wizard of Oz". In a small role as Hutchinson's New York chum, Mona Barrie makes the most of her few scenes. "Mountain Justice" is a film regularly seen now on TCM, and makes fascinating viewing.