A Reel Retro Review: THE DEVIL AND DANIEL WEBSTER (1941)

With no new films to review for the foreseeable future, Reel Speak’s new feature, Reel Retro Reviews, will randomly review a classic film from the TCM broadcast schedule every Monday. Not just for the sake of filling time, but to hopefully introduce some classic, overlooked, and perhaps forgotten screen gems to those of us who may be unfamiliar or unawares of their existence.  

The tale of selling one’s soul to the devil is as old as the devil himself. William Dieterie’s 1941 film THE DEVIL AND DANIEL WEBSTER may not be the definitive screen version, but it is one of the most earnest…and ambitious for its time. 

Jabez Stone (James Craig), is a down-on-his-luck farmer struggling to provide for his family. After a very bad day, he proclaims that he would sell his soul to the devil for just two cents. He is then promptly visited by the devil (Walter Huston), who calls himself Mr. Scratch. A deal is made for his soul for seven years of good fortune. Years later, when Mr. Scratch comes to collect, Jabez calls on the assistance of Daniel Webster (Edward Arnold), a local politician who challenges Mr. Scratch to a trial by jury for Jabez’s soul. 

THE DEVIL AND DANIEL WEBSTER plays out like most sell-your-soul tales that cinema has been telling for a hundred years. To us they are very familiar, but this version could be considered to be ground zero. The film goes through the necessary steps, with Jabez struggling to make ends meet, striking the deal, and then losing his practical soul as he acquires riches and shuns his friends and own family. 

The film has the down-home American vibe, with Jabez portrayed as the aw-shucks type, and Webster as the flag-waving, super-patriotic Washington statesman. For 1941 the style is common, but where the film breaks ground for its time is when it dips its tail into the horror genre, with several scenes shot and cut to generate maximum creepiness that really works. For 1941 it is very daring. 

Director William Dieterie, who had just helmed the classic THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME (1939), puts together a great looking film with some startling visual effects that are shockingly good for their age. The film clicks along nicely, and its tight 107-minute run-time goes by quickly. The sound mixing and editing were groundbreaking for its time, with the creepy effect heard whenever the devil is present a highlight. 

Performances are excellent. James Craig as Jabez carries the film, and his scenes with his wife, played by Anne Shirley, give the film an added emotional heft. Edward Arnold as Daniel Webster is like rolling thunder and is a dominant force on the screen. The show is stolen by Walter Huston as Mr. Scratch/the devil…who looks and sounds a lot like an older Daniel Day-Lewis. He is creepy, funny, and fascinating to watch as he whispers temptations into the ears of the townsfolk. Also stealing some screentime is the lovely Simone Simon, who comes in as Scratch’s assistant and does a fine job in seducing Jabez and the audience. 

The final showdown, in which Daniel Webster acts as a Jabez’s lawyer in a trial for his soul…attended by a jury of some of Hell’s most ruthless inmates, is a brilliant piece of writing with Webster’s closing argument dipping into Americana in a way that resonates today. It’s a battle against evil that is smartly done and makes THE DEVIL AND DANIEL WEBSTER worthy of the title of a classic. 

BOTTOM LINE: See it 

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Some Reel Facts: The film was released with the alternate titles ALL THAT MONEY CAN BUY, MR. SCRATCH, DANIEL AND THE DEVIL, and HERE IS A MAN. The film was edited by Robert Wise, who would later go on to direct WEST SIDE STORY (1961), THE SOUND OF MUSIC (1965), and STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE (1979).