Lawyer Man

Despite two very winning star players, this picture is all surface: a trite story with no depth of characterization whatsoever, constructed of an unusually large number of very brief scenes which move the plot along but are not sufficiently developed to generate any feeling for the characters. The potential "meat" of the story concerns a presumed crisis of conscience for William Powell as a very capable but too ambitious attorney, along with his relationship with radiant Joan Blondell as the secretary/Girl Friday he takes for granted. Lots of potential here, all of it sacrificed to keep the plot moving.

William Powell plays an ambitious bush league lawyer who goes to work for a high-class law firm, taking along his trusted secretary Joan Blondell. It isn't long before Powell's clashing with a corrupt political boss and getting involved with the wrong women. When things come crashing down for him, Powell vows to become successful no matter what tactics he has to use.

Enjoyable Pre-Coder from Warner Bros with nice work from Powell and the always dynamite Joan Blondell. She's great here, throwing in one snappy rejoinder after another. Kinda hard to believe anybody would look twice at another woman if they had sexy young Blondell as an option, but perhaps that's more my personal taste. The supporting cast is nice. The script is fun, though nothing groundbreaking. It's all pretty simple and familiar stuff but well-done and entertaining.

Lawyer Man casts William Powell as an attorney with a storefront practice on the Lower East Side of New York where he makes a living of sorts defending indigent or close to indigent clients for meager fees. But he's got talent and white shoe lawyer Alan Dinehart invites him into his firm even though Powell has gotten on the wrong side of political boss David Landau. Helen Vinson who is Dinehart's sister also takes a shine to Powell.

But Powell also has actress Claire Dodd doing a number as well on him with a phony breach of promise suit that lands Powell in one big jackpot. Only faithful secretary Joan Blondell stands by him.

This to me was obviously a film that was meant for James Cagney and Cagney probably turned it down. Powell was a guy who did belong on the Upper East Side with the white shoe firm, Cagney would have been perfect casting as the fish out of water.

Joan Blondell is always good and there's a nice performance by Allen Jenkins as a hood who Powell defends and who later comes through for him in an hour of need.

Despite miscasting Lawyer Man is still a decent film though it will never be on the top ten list of films of William Powell.

That song, mentioned above, played throughout the film. William Powell is "Lawyer Man" in this 1932 film also starring Joan Blondell, Allen Jenkins, Helen Vinson, and Claire Dodd.

Powell plays Anton "Tony" Adam, a lower east side attorney with a small practice. He comes to the notice of a higher-priced attorney who invites him to become a partner. His secretary (Joan Blondell) of course goes with him. But Adam runs into trouble almost immediately when he takes a breach of promise case. The case is merely a setup by the corrupt political machine to frame him. Adam is thrown out of the partnership. On the face of it, he decides that if he can't beat 'em, join 'em. Actually, he has something else in mind.

Powell is very good, but he's too uptown to be a lower east side lawyer. The role was more suited for other contract players, such as Jimmy Cagney or Humphrey Bogart. Blondell is great as a secretary who's smarter than her boss, in love with him, and can see his mistakes before he even makes them.

William Powell is worth seeing in anything, even something he's not quite right for, and Joan Blondell is always a delight. This was probably a B film as it's pretty short.

A Pre-Code movie that would be G-rated by today's standards, "Lawyer Man" is entertaining and good fun but should be billed as a drama/comedy, if you can imagine such. It moves very quickly as its star, William Powell, goes from honest, hard-working lawyer to shyster and back in 72 easy minutes. The problem is that, apart from Powell, all the other characters are two-dimensional, and are seemingly there for Powell to bounce lines off. David Landau, especially, was criminally wasted (no pun intended) as the 'big boss' and king-maker. Despite his role, he was likable while enduring endless insults from Powell. Most men in his position probably would have had Powell 'rubbed out' early on.

That said, there is a lot to like in this picture. First off, there is Powell himself, elegant and dapper while miscast as a lower East Side lawyer representing lower class shlubs. There is also Joan Blondell, in her customary role as the torch-bearing secretary overlooked by Powell. There is Alan Dinehart, an excellent 30's character actor with a part that was too small for his talent. Despite the seriousness of the plot, much of it is played for laughs. In one amusing scene, two hit men turn soft in a goofy confrontation with Powell. Throw in some laughs via Blondell wise cracks, and you have a basically good-natured movie which I would rate a seven.

P.S. Do you like old standards? This picture has some of the best you can hear nowadays on the soundtrack, played in the background by a 30's band.