Slightly Honorable

• Director: Tay Garnett
• AMG Rating:
• Genre: Mystery
• Movie Type: Comedy Thriller, Detective Film
• Themes: Murder Investigations, Miscarriage of Justice
• Main Cast: Pat O'Brien, Edward Arnold, Broderick Crawford, Ruth Terry, Claire Dodd
• Release Year: 1940
• Country: US
• Run Time: 75 minutes

Plot

The successful producer-director combination of Walter Wanger and Tay Garnett served up another winner with Slightly Honorable. Adapted from F. G. Presnell's novel Send Another Coffin, the story concerns the efforts made by corrupt politician Cushing (Edward Arnold) to frame honest attorney John Webb (Pat O'Brien) for the murder of Alma Brehmer (Claire Dodd). In concert with his diligent and apparently slow-witted assistant Rus Sampson (Broderick Crawford), Webb hopes to squelch Cushing's plan by locating the real murderer-who turns out to be a lot closer to Webb than he'd ever imagined. Ruth Terry has one of her best screen roles as a birdbrained nightclub hoofer who helps Webb clear himself. Like many Walter Wanger productions of the period, Slightly Honorable is currently available on the public-domain video market. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Cast

• Pat O'Brien - John Webb
• Edward Arnold - Vincent Cushing
• Broderick Crawford - Russell Sampson
• Ruth Terry - Ann Seymour
• Claire Dodd - Alma Brehmer

Alan Dinehart - Commissioner Joyce; Janet Beecher - Mrs. Cushing; Phyllis Brooks - Serilla Cushing; Douglas Dumbrille - George Taylor; Bernard Nedell - Pete Catina; Eve Arden - Miss Alter; Evelyn Keyes - Miss Vlissenger; Addison Richards - Commissioner Fromm; Douglas Fowley - Charles Madder; John Sheehan - Mike Deley; Howard Hickman - Senator Scott; Willie Best - Art, the Elevator Operator; Robert Middlemass - Sen. Barry; Ernest Truex - P. Hemingway Collins; Cliff Clark - Capt. Graves; Eddy Chandler - O'Leary, the Cop; John Deering - Radio Announcer; Jack Greene - Detective; Dick Rush - Detective; Art Baker - Radio Announcers; Wheaton Chambers - Guest; Frank Dae - President of Senate; Charles French - Pallbearer; Bud Jamison - Humboldt, the Cop; Marjorie "Babe" Kane - Switchboard Operator; George Magrill; Victor Potel - Proprietor; Zack Williams - Black Preacher; Taylor Garnett - Reporter

Credit

Alexander Golitzen - Art Director, Tay Garnett - Director, Otho Lovering - Editor, Dorothy Spencer - Editor, Werner Janssen - Composer (Music Score), Jule Styne - Composer (Music Score), George R. Brown - Songwriter, Merritt B. Gerstad - Cinematographer, Tay Garnett - Producer, Ken Englund - Screenwriter, Robert Tallman - Screenwriter, John Hunter Lay - Screenwriter, E.G. Presnell - Book Author