Strictly Dishonorable

A near-verbatim filming of Preston Sturges' 1929 Broadway hit, this is a surprisingly assured and technically polished film for one made just a couple of years into the sound era. Paul Lukas is a perfect Gus, and Sidney Fox makes a wonderfully sexy southern minx. Lewis Stone's turn as a (somewhat) drunken Judge is particularly fun for those who know him mainly as that paragon of sobriety, Judge Hardy. Though it lacks the genius of Surges' self-directed screenplays, this one is charming and human, and a must for the serious Sturges fan -- though it's not easy to find (I saw a rare screening last fall at the L.A. County Museum of Art).