David Harum

... and based on the novel by Edward Westcott. Rogers stars as David Harum, a small town banker in the 1890's. His unconventional ways and folksy wisdom endear him to some, but rankle others, like church Deacon Perkins (Charles Middleton), with whom he gets into a back-and-forth horse-trading contest. Harum's newest bank employee John (Kent Taylor) falls for local beauty Ann (Evelyn Venable), a union that the banker tries to facilitate from behind the scenes.

The source novel was a big hit, but for dubious reasons; many businessmen liked the excuses made by the lead character for morally questionable business practices ("stick to him before he sticks it you"), excuses that they themselves started implementing in the real world.

The novel's success led to a stage adaptation and a film in 1915. This 1934 version proved to be one of Fox's biggest hits, and a radio show adaptation started in 1936 ran for 15 years. This film is like many of Rogers' others from the period, such as Doctor Bull and Judge Priest, with Will acting as a benevolent, down-home philosopher and sometime romantic matchmaker for his younger co-stars.

Stepin Fetchit, a frequent Rogers co-star, appears once again, this time even more incomprehensible than usual. Louise Dresser, as Rogers' sister, doesn't get a lot to do. One notable aspect of this film is the depiction of harness racing, which rarely appears in cinema.

This movie is mostly agreeable fluff, easily digested and quickly forgotten.

"David Harum" (no relation to Procol Harum) was a popular novel which had already been filmed as a silent in 1915. In upstate New York, during the Victorian era, banker Harum (Will Rogers in this version) and Deacon Perkins (Charles Middleton, excellent as always) have been bitter rivals for years, ever since the Deacon once sold Harum a blind horse. They continue to engage in the fine art of horse-trading, each determined to get the better of the other.

After their latest horse-trade, Perkins seems to be the winner: Harum has been lumbered with a "racehorse" that simply refuses to gallop at all. But then Harum accidentally discovers that the horse is a trotter, not a runner... and the horse will trot very rapidly, but only when sung to. Armed with this knowledge, Harum enters his horse in a trotting race (with himself in the seat) and wins easily, by singing to his horse all through the race. Oh, and there's the usual boring romantic subplot (typical for Will Rogers's movies at Fox), which also ends happily.

Will Rogers was an excellent horseman, but it would have been unrealistic (and possibly dangerous) to expect him to ride for speed: he was 55 years old when "David Harum" was released. The climactic scene of this movie features Rogers as the jockey of a winning racehorse. However, this is a trotting race, so Rogers isn't in the saddle ... instead, he's seated in a sulky cart behind the trotter. This enabled the film director James Cruze (sadly underrated) to film an extremely realistic climax. Rogers's racing scenes are filmed from the horse's position, with Rogers seated in a cart directly behind the camera, whilst stunt riders manoeuvre trotting horses behind him. The fakery is less noticeable than usual here, and it makes an exciting climax to the film.

For some reason, most of Will Rogers's films during his 20th Century-Fox period included a "yassuh!" role for a black actor playing a racial stereotype. Here, it's Stepin Fetchit, playing a stable groom named Sylvester. I can see why Stepin Fetchit is so embarrassing (or infuriating) for modern viewers. In real life, Will Rogers was supposedly a pillar of integrity and human decency, but (in this film, and in so many others) he doesn't seem to mind in the slightest while African-American actors such as Stepin Fetchit and Fred "Snowflake" Toone humiliate themselves playing subhuman stereotypes. I know that this sort of racial humour was considered "normal" in the 1930s, but there seems to be much more of it in Will Rogers's films than in those of most other actors of this period ... except of course for Al Jolson and Eddie Cantor.

I'll rate "David Harum" 4 out of 10. I would have made it 5/10, if the racial jokes weren't there. Director James Cruze deserves to be better known, but this isn't one of his best films.

The presence of Stepin Fetchit in a Stepin Fetchit part mars what would otherwise be an enjoyable Will Rogers film. Rogers plays the title role in David Harum, a small town banker who is a pillar of his late Victorian era community who engages in a rivalry over horses with Charles Middleton, they keep trying to sucker the other in horse trading.

As a foil for the folksy Will Rogers, Charles Middleton as the 'Deacon' is almost perfect. Middleton who gained his greatest fame as Ming the Merciless in Flash Gordon contrasts beautifully with Rogers. He's a pious old skinflint and he takes over the mortgage on Sarah Padden's home. Watch how Rogers gets her out from under without loss to her pride.

The harness race with Middleton and Rogers at the county fair is something to see. The Great Dan Patch never had to have such incentive to win his race as the horse Rogers drives.

Louise Dresser is fine as Mrs. Rogers and Kent Taylor plays an earnest young apprentice banker who Rogers takes a liking to. Sad, but Stepin Fetchit as the groom who goes with the trotting horse is really at his shuffling worst in this film.

It could have gotten a notch of two higher from me, but for that.

"David Harum" is one of the most unusual performances for Will Rogers. Usually, he plays a very simple man with simple and strong values. However, in this film, he's not exactly an admirable man in some ways--and it sure takes a while for you to realize that he IS a decent guy after all! Because of this, folks who love the nice-guy that Rogers usually plays, my advice is to hold on--keep watching the movie as eventually you come to really like the guy.

One of the oddest things about this film is that David Harum (Rogers) is a banker--the sort of person you'd NEVER expect the populist Rogers to play in a movie! Bankers were often the sorts he would have made fun of an criticized in that gentle Rogers manner, as Rogers message was mostly to the common man--the sort that were affected greatly by the Depression and who often blamed bankers and investors for the financial mess. And, for some time, Harum seems a lot like a disreputable sort. Despite his folksy talk and simple clothes, Harum is a hard business man and lying a tricking people is pretty much his style when it comes to his favorite avocation, horse trading. He LOVES to trick his neighbors when trading and selling horses and his sister chides him for this. So, as I said above, it was hard to like him for much of the film. But, by the time he's involved in the big race at the end of the film, you're pulling for him as well as the nice couple he's befriended.

So is the film any good? Sure. The acting by Rogers is what it always is--gentle, natural and amazingly good. Additionally, the story is nice and you come to realize that some of the folks Harum cheated were jerks and sure had it coming! Is it a great Rogers film? No. There are a few problems with it--particularly with the use of the black actor Stepin Fetchit. He was in several other Rogers films and once again plays an incredibly dumb and almost sub- human sort of character. Folks back in the 1930s LOVED seeing Fetchit play these awful characters--but folks today will most likely be offended (as well they should). I was particularly shocked when Harum traded not only a horse but Fetchit along with it--like he was as commodity and not a human being. Sad, though it does not destroy the film. But, because of it, it's probably unlikely that you'll ever see this film on television.