O Inimigo da Light

Joe Stevens (Lee Tracy) is a sleazy ambulance-chasing lawyer among many others. He arrives at an accident site and tries to sign up beautiful Dorothy Mason (Madge Evans). She's actually an investigator working for the other side while pretending to be his client.

Lee Tracy is fun as the fast talking sleazy lawyer. The two leads have a fun meet-cute at the accident. This is a fine rom-com although they get separated in the second half. This should concentrate solely on being a rom-com and keep these two together as much as possible. I also don't believe him going straight. It would be more fun if they both go crooked and that can only work if it's her idea.

Crooked lawyer Stevens always seems to be on the scene first, and talks the victim into suing someone for a huge amount of money. And his flam flam of a doctor Prescott (Frank Morgan) goes along with it and comes up with the phony diagnosis. Madge Evans is Dorothy, his latest case. After losing so many cases to Stevens, the streetcar company decides to start fighting back. And Dorothy isn't who she seems to be! Charles Butterworth is in here as a falling down con man, and of course he knows Stevens. We follow Stevens around as he tries one caper after another. It's silly, but kind of fun. Even a hitler joke, and this was only 1933. Directed by Jack Conway. No oscars, but he sure worked with some biggies: wallace beery, jean harlow, the barrymores. Butterworth always looked older, but actually died young at 49.

Sometimes when you run into an old, obscure movie, one of the credits will suggest whether it's worth watching. Take "The Nuisance," written for the screen by Sam and Bella Spewack, a team with a flair for sparkling dialogue whose Broadway credits include "Kiss Me Kate." In "The Nuisance," they provide Lee Tracy with the verbal firepoweer for his performance as a fast-talking, charmingly corrupt, ambulance-chasing lawyer whose pet target is the local streetcar company. With the help of Frank Morgan as a boozy medico with a gift for doctoring x-rays, he turns small accidents into big paydays. When the company hires lovely Madge Evans to entrap Tracy, the fun begins, building to a hilarious lesson in the antiquated laws of the land. (Watching one scene, I was reminded of the fact that it was still supposedly illegal to shoot rabbits from a moving elevated train in Manhattan even after all the El trains were torn down.) The result is a fast, frequently funny film with a surprisingly modern feel. In fact, despite scenes like a courtroom battle involving the fare to ride a streetcar -- five cents -- "The Nuisance" doesn't seem as outdated as the laws it satirizes

Lee Tracy is excellent as a shady lawyer who recruits clients at accident scenes. When possible, he reaches the scene moments ahead of the ambulance; when necessary, he arranges the accident itself. Swooping in, he informs his clients what their injuries are, whisks them off to the hospital, and lines up personal injury lawsuits that range from dubious to downright phony and are driving the insurance company crazy. What can they do to stop him? Insurance man John Miljan has a plan….

Madge Evans is an accident victim who willingly falls in with a Tracy scheme—and it's as we are getting to know her character that the plot takes a welcome and exciting turn. Evans has the most developed and difficult role here; the question of which side she is on is one that not even she is sure she can answer.

Frank Morgan is outstanding but rather sad as a doomed alcoholic doctor who assists Tracy in his schemes. Charles Butterworth is sidekick and right hand man "Floppy," a professional accident victim who joins Tracy's team.

The dialog flies past, especially when Tracy delivers it; he's dashing, deceitful, villainous, charming—it's a larger than life character and Tracy fills the role perfectly. Overall, the picture is somewhat less than totally believable…but it's a lot of fun to watch and follow along.

I'd seen this before but was still knocked out by it. This holds true for "The Half-Naked Truth" too. To my great surprise it does not, for me, with "Blessed Event." The first time I saw that, I couldn't believe its brilliance. The second time, several years later, it still looked good but packed no real punch. (Tracy is also excellent in "Bombshell" with the sensational Jean Harlow and, decades later, in "The Best Man.") This movie is funny, starting, and touching. It moves with ease from one of these to another. Frank Morgan, another extremely versatile performer, is very touching as the alcoholic doctor who works with ambulance-chasing lawyer Tracy on his schemes.

All the supporting cast is good, with special mention given to Charles Butterworth as floppy, the con many who was faking being hit by cars before Tracy meets up with him again and will probably be doing it till he finally really does get run over.