The Star Witness

This is one of those films that looks so "dated" that being that way is part of the fun. You see and hear things you would NEVER see or hear on the silver screen today. Some of that is good; some it too corny for words, some of it bad (depending on your viewpoints on certain cultural issues.)

For instance, in this short (68 minutes) 1931 film you have:

The grandpa of the family that is featured in this story extolling the value of patriotism and why one should speak up against criminals for the good of the United States (picture that in today's films!)

A district attorney (Walter Huston) almost begging for death penalty sentences and the populace shown as supporting it 100 percent (once again, picture that in modern-day movies.)

Along the way you have some shocking violence, such as a young boy being picked up a few times and literally thrown head first into a closet, and his father being picked up and swung repeatedly head-first into a wall. This is a tough stuff, to say the least.

Yet the film is dotted with comedy, mostly by the patriotic grandpa, memorably played by Charles "Chic" Sales. There are a bunch of laughs for all those who view this unique crime film. And, for soft touches, there are the two young boys, one of whom - Dickie Moore - went on to become a pretty famous child actor in his day. Here, he is just a little tyke of about 5 years of age who, understandably, is far from being a polished actor, but you can see stardom for him on the horizon. In fact, he did just that the following year with a solid performance in "Blonde Venus," starring Marlene Dietrich.

Anyway, this is an entertaining film because of an effective mixture of violence, comedy and sentimentality....and it has a nice feel-good ending and a thought-provoking message. It was up for an Academy Award, too, for "Best Writing, Original Story." I am sorry to say it is only available for viewing on cable TV as it has never been put out on VHS or DVD.....and that's a shame.

This film, an early William Wellman, has an important message, particularly today. It posits the notion that sometimes there are things more important than your own personal safty or well-being. The film, which has Walter Huston as the lead, is stolen by the performance of "Chic" Sales as Grampa. He's the most completely drawn character in the film and a joy to watch. You'll recognize some familiar faces if you watch many movies from the '20's and '30's. Wel worh your time to watch if you get the opportunity. Recommended.

Smooth programmer from that gangster mecca of the 30's, Warner Bros.- First National. Chic Sale's boisterous old man steals the show as a Civil War vet who's not about to surrender to age. (Actually, Sale's still in his 40's.) The actor spreads it on pretty thick, while the rest of the cast remains surprisingly low-key for the time. As the hard-driving DA, Huston's his usual authoritative self, lending the movie a sense of needed gravity.

Except for the shootout scene, the movie's more a family drama than anything else. Witnesses to the shootout, the Leeds' family, has to decide whether to testify against the chief gangster or endanger the one young son who's being held hostage. In short, is their first duty to community or to family. The dilemma generates the movie's main suspense. My favorite scene, however, is the family dinner where the two little boys see who can out pig-stick the other as the dishes get passed around. It's a lively, well-directed bit of nonsense.

It's easy to miss what Grandpa' s (Sale) sometimes saying when he orates on the duties of being an American. His repeated references to the problems "foreigners" are making sounds rather contemporary (2015). But for Gramps, it sounds like he's blaming Italians since the gangster "Campo" is the one making problems for his family. But then in 1931, big Al Capone was making headlines as the racketeer boss of Chicago. So he may be the real reference behind Gramps' innuendo. Otherwise, the old man makes a pretty good case for putting community first.

That aside, the movie's a generally entertaining, smoothly directed artifact of the period.

...Our the grandpa's hour.

More than the gangsters ,it's a detailed depiction of an American family circa 1930:the father,proud of his job who worries about his son who's given up high school,the mum everyone would like to have ,the daughter who forgets dinner time in her squeeze's arms,and the twins who are absolutely lovable ("Don't go to sleep first ,please!").

And there's the grandfather ,playing the Yankee doodle on his flute .Have you noticed that this tune plays the same role as Doris Day's "Que Sera Sera" in Hitchcock's "The man who knew too much" (1956)?And there's this grandpa who is finally the most courageous person of the family .So old he does not even tell you his age ,but proud of his country and resisting to the gangster's hateful blackmail.

A good film by Wellman.

A family witnesses a gangster commit murder and are then threatened into keeping quiet in this fine Pre-Coder directed by William Wellman. Walter Huston plays the tough district attorney who pressures the family to testify. Huston made a lot of great movies, particularly in the early '30s. He's good in this but he's outdone by scene stealer Chic Sale as the Civil War veteran grandfather who insists upon doing his civic duty and fighting back against the criminals, no matter the cost. He's hammy but in the best way. Dickie Moore is very cute as one of the little kids. The rest of the cast is solid, including Grant Mitchell, Sally Blane, Nat Pendleton, and Ralph Ince as the gangster killer. It's a movie made in the early sound era so it's a little creaky. There's also some preachiness that seems to be off-putting to some reviewers but didn't bother me much as it's all well-intentioned and understandable, especially in the time in which it was made. It's a good movie that will please most fans of the kinds of urban crime dramas WB made so well. Go into it with the right frame of mind and I'm sure you'll enjoy it.