Judge Priest 1934

Meet Judge William "Billy" Priest, played by the legendary Will Rogers. www.millcreekent.com

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• Judge
• Priest
• Will
• Rogers
• Classic
• Westerns
• Mill
• Creek

[kingod615]

this is str8 coonary and buffonary!

[vstasov]

A miracle that this is on YT.

Thank you so much. A rare bit of history.

[Steadno]

wow

[MrRealityone]

Note the judge uses the word "boy" when speaking to Fetchin as oppose to the word "boys" when speaking to the whites in this clip.It surely has 2 different meanings,the 1st is said as means of derogation,that was very common back then.Reminds me of that "N" word !I agree,He was a sellout,just like most of these black rappers and singers now,PROMOTING hate and destruction for their own people just for fortune and fame.The young minds is eating it up,living by this self'destruction!...w/a Shame!

[gswuk]

I don't understand how or why people have anything positive to say about this film. This is the cinematic equivalent of a minstrel show. The reason Fetchit's funny is because of racial stereotyping that's endured for the whole fucking time we've been a country. He acts slow, sleeps in court, he's being convicted for stealing a chicken of all things. Films like this where African Americans were depicted as one dimensional "coon"'s or "tom"'s reinforced racist beliefs of the time that still exist.

[SuperFishman54]

Stepin Fetchit was a great clown and Hattie McDaniel was wonderful every movie she was in she was the star. Stepin and Hattie both made the country look at the way African Americans were thought of at that time. And did it in a way white america could accept. Along with Will Rogers they exposed racism and bigotry. All the characters were an exaggeration of life good and bad. From the pompous windbag lawyer to Judge Priest himself. In this movie we see the good and the ugly about ourselves.

[Patriot1862]

They've been showing the movie lately on encore movie channels - its great and now one of my all time favorites!!

[agatematt]

Fox forced John Ford to edit out one of the most powerful scenes in the picture when Judge Priest faces down a white mob intent on lynching an innocent young black man for raping a white girl. The white barber was the real culprit. Ford never really forgave Fox and in 1952 he made "When the Sun Shines Bright" and included the mob scene. In the victory parade after Priest's re-election the mob marched through the streets with a banner reading "He saved us from ourselves!"

[hatmap]

A shiftless and unintellectual---but warm and harmless---Negro male portrayed by the great Stepin Fetchit, a legendary and much-loved black American! If they made a film of his life and career, who would be a good choice to play him? Maybe a rapper?

[88948895611499]

this shit is embarrassing to watch... i couldnt even finish watching this clip!!! SMH!!

[eparkbuckeye]

God bless Sherman.

[fscofi]

If you can't see exactly what Will Rogers felt about racism and bigotry from watching him here you must be blind. I agree the world was and is more than cruel to minorities but I believe Mr. Rogers fought against injustice all his life. It was a pleasure to see him even though it is painful to watch the denigration of the poor black man by the seemingly superior white men. To me Judge Priest is a thinly veiled criticism of Jim Crow.