The Nuisance

Fast-talking ambulance chasing lawyer Lee Tracy and his drunk doctor friend Frank Morgan have a pretty good set-up going. They get to accident scenes first and immediately convince the people involved they are hurt and need to sue. But the insurance company is onto their tactics, so they set Tracy up with investigator Madge Evans. Tracy is immediately attracted to lovely Ms. Evans and before long has fallen in love with her. Largely unknown little gem with a crackling script. Tracy is great in a part tailor-made for him. I continue to be impressed by Evans. She's one of those actresses with lots of talent and good looks that, for whatever reason, never made it big. Frank Morgan is terrific in a sympathetic role. Nice support by Charles Butterworth as a man named Floppy who throws himself in front of cars so he can sue. Also David Landau and John Miljan make good villains. This is an underrated and very enjoyable film.

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.

PRE-CODE HOLLYWOOD 1930 -1934, WHEN MOVIES WERE SEXY, SMART, COMPLEX AND A HELL OF A LOT OF FUN.

An ambulance-chasing lawyer gets tangled up with a female investigator out to end his shyster ways.

Director: Jack Conway Writers: Chandler Sprague (story), Howard Emmett Rogers (story) Stars: Lee Tracy, Madge Evans, Frank Morgan

The fast-talking Stevens plays every trick he can against the "soulless corporations" on behalf of the downtrodden whether it is ethical or not until he is ensnared by a beautiful woman. Now can he become honest or will he lose her?

The great Lee Tracy stars in one of his best roles in The Nuisance - a fast-paced, cynical comedy (with doses of drama) about a shrewd (and none-too-honest) ambulance-chasing lawyer who has refined the business of obtaining large settlements for accident claims into a science. The fast-talking Tracy is, of course, the lawyer in question, and he's brilliant in the part. But don't overlook the presence of Frank Morgan (in the days before he became completely mired in being the Wizard of Oz) as his drunken doctor cohort or the great Charles Butterworth as a professional victim. It's all bright, funny and hard as nails.

Lee Tracy was unique. No one talked as fast as he did, and certainly no one ever backed that talk up with such eloquent and fascinating hand gestures. The experience of watching a Lee Tracy performance is like witnessing a strangely graceful machine gun going off. The film ,I suspect because of its lackluster title , isn't one of Tracy's better-known movies, but it's still one of his best.

There are some very good supporting turns in the film. Frank Morgan's perpetually pickled doctor manages to be both funny and tragic , and his fate is actually disturbing. The great Charles Butterworth has a nice role as a man who specializes in faking accidents. The underrated Madge Evans , stands out here where she's given something worthwhile to do.

The Nuisance is a solid comedy, a triumphant story of using American cunning to repudiate corporate greed with wits and verve- and very pre-Code in just how far it goes to show such an anti-hero succeed so admirably. It's very funny and brash, and if any of this sounds like fun, you're in for a treat.

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.