Was this review helpful to you? / All That Money Can Buy / Street Date September 30, 2003 / 39.95 Starring Edward Arnold, Walter Huston, James Craig, Anne Shirley, Jane Darwell, Simone Simon, Gene Lockhart, John Qualen, H.B. * Paraphrased from “The Devil and Daniel Webster” by Stephen Vincent Benét “I still live” — those were the last words spoken by the great orator, Daniel Webster. Though both are most often remembered for other movies, Edward Arnold and Walter Huston turn in their best performances here. the devil replies, going on to list several wrongs done in the U.S., thereby demonstrating his presence in the U.S.. A nineteenth-century New Hampshire farmer who makes a pact with Satan for economic success enlists Daniel Webster to extract him from his contract. He is outraged but calms himself, thinking "for it was him they'd come for, not only Jabez Stone.". A down-on-his-luck farmer makes a deal with the devil for seven years of prosperity. "And who with better right?" Jon M. Chu and Alan Yang on the legacy of Fresh Off The Boat, Criminal Minds Premiere Exclusive: Reid Is Losing It, Little Pine Weasel . Webster says, "Mr. Stone is an American citizen, and no American citizen may be forced into the service of a foreign prince. A man and a patriot who is proud of his Union....A man who does not fear the most terrifyingly stacked 'other worldly' jury ever known to man....A brave and oh-so-cheeky stand-up man who fights the devil himself to win back a soul.. Daniel Webster is the man! It goes poorly for Webster, since Stone's signature and the contract are clear, and Mr. Scratch will not compromise. The Devil and Daniel Webster by Benét, Stephen Vincent, 1898-1943. he said, in a croak. “the devil and daniel webster” By Stephen Vincent Benét Hailed as an instant classic when published in The Saturday Evening Post in 1936, Stephen Vincent Benét’s “The Devil and Daniel Webster” stands in the front ranks of great American short stories. In his speech, Webster denounces slavery. For seven years of good fortune, Stone promises "Mr. Scratch" his soul when the contract ends. This FAQ is empty. The names Benét gives the devil—Mr. I've seen this show many times, and it's a 10/10. For the film, see. The trial is rigged against Webster. The devil says "I am merely an honest American like yourself — and of the best descent — for, to tell the truth, Mr. Webster, though I don't like to boast of it, my name is older in this country than yours. A jury of the damned enters, "with the fires of hell still upon them." 45 of 49 people found this review helpful. Like many tales about the good vs. the evil, the evil mostly steals the show from the good in "The Devil and Daniel Webster" (1941), a cautionary moral tale based on Stephen Vincent Benét's short story which is sort of a New England version of the tale of Faust. They had all done evil, and had all played a part in the formation of the United States: After five other unnamed jurors enter (Benedict Arnold being out "on other business"), the judge enters last. Scratch or the stranger—were both used around New England and other parts of the pre-Civil War United States: "Perhaps Scratch will do for the evening. Archibald MacLeish, a friend and associate of Benét's in the 1930s and until his death in 1943, also adapted the story as a play: Scratch (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1971). Few films have had as exalted, or as tumultuous, a history as The Devil and Daniel Webster. He does still live. Though it was made 70 years ago, the movie remains as a darkly enjoyable movie with the wonderful … And so it is. Originally conceived as a musical collaboration with Bob Dylan, the collaboration fell apart due to creative differences between Dylan and MacLeish. Humankind "got tricked and trapped and bamboozled, but it was a great journey," something "no demon that was ever foaled" could ever understand. Edward Arnold and Walter Huston in The Devil and Daniel Webster. Phil Reisman, Jr. adapted the story for a live television performance of "The Devil and Daniel Webster" on Breck Sunday Showcase (NBC, Feb 14, 1960, 60 min), starring Edward G. Robinson (Daniel Webster), David Wayne (Mr. Scratch), and Tim O'Connor (Jabez Stone). Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Webster then grabs the stranger and twists his arm behind his back, "for he knew that once you bested anybody like Mr. Scratch in fair fight, his power on you was gone." Jabez Stone is a hard-working farmer trying to make an honest living, but a streak of bad luck tempts him to bargain with the Devil himself. A down-on-his-luck farmer makes a deal with the devil for seven years of prosperity. Daniel Webster had faced tough juries before, But the bias before him was hard to ignore; He rethought his strategy and started again, Focused on things cherished by all free men. Benét adapted his story as a play, The Devil and Daniel Webster: A Play in One Act (New York: Dramatists Play Service, 1938), and also as a folk opera, The Devil and Daniel Webster: An Opera in One Act (New York: Farrar & Rinehart, 1939), music by Douglas Moore (Moore and Benét had earlier collaborated on an operetta, The Headless Horseman [1937], based on Washington Irving's short story "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" [1820]). The freshness of morning when you were young; The taste of good whiskey tickling your tongue; The dreams you had in days gone by; Sweet memories of the first girl to catch your eye. An unscrupulous movie producer uses an actress, a director and a writer to achieve success. Where to start? This theme of American patriotism, freedom and independence is the explanation for Webster's victory: the jury is damned to hell, but they are American and therefore so independent that they can resist the devil. Webster demands a trial as the right of every American. It's my favorite movie category, and this is the best one that I've ever seen. After being fished out of the sea by a sailer, three fugitives find themselves prisoners of the ship's brutal skipper who refuses to put them ashore and they hatch an escape plan during a crew mutiny. Webster states "If two New Hampshiremen aren't a match for the devil, we might as well give the country back to the Indians." With Edward Arnold, Walter Huston, Jane Darwell, Simone Simon. Little Pine Weasel . These ambiguities probably reflect ambivalent perceptions of this aspect of American history in the 20th century at the time of writing, rather than at the time when the story is supposed to take place. Gerald Mayo v. Satan and His Staff, "CTVA US Anthology - "Sunday Showcase" (NBC)(1959-60)", "Bob Dylan's First Musical Had a Devil of a Time", "Simpsons scripts: Treehouse of Horror IV (1F04) — Simpsons Crazy", "Watch The Simpsons Season 5 Episode 5 - Treehouse of Horror IV full episodes cartoon online", "Tripping the Rift - 01x05 - Devil and a Guy Named Webster - Video Dailymotion", "Chilling Adventures of Sabrina | Netflix Official Site", Exploits and Opinions of Dr. Faustroll, Pataphysician, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Devil_and_Daniel_Webster&oldid=1023855987, Adaptations of works by Washington Irving, Works originally published in The Saturday Evening Post, Fictional characters who have made pacts with devils, Articles with unsourced statements from October 2011, Articles with unsourced statements from June 2007, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Reverend John Smeet (fictional character), This page was last edited on 18 May 2021, at 18:48. The stranger looked a little embarrassed. To this Mr. Scratch insists on his own citizenship, citing his presence at the worst events in the history of the U.S., concluding, "though I don't like to boast of it, my name is older in this country than yours.". The next day he is visited by a stranger, identified as "Mr. Scratch", who offers to give him seven years of prosperity for his soul. The real Daniel Webster was willing to compromise on slavery in favor of keeping the Union together, disappointing some radical abolitionists, but he held that only the preservation of the Union could keep anti-slavery forces active in the slave areas. Howard Teichmann and Robert L. Richards abridged and adapted the screenplay. Mr. Scratch comes for Stone's soul at the appointed time, and Stone bargains for more years. Drama, Certificate: Passed An animated television film loosely based on the story, The Devil and Daniel Mouse, was released in 1978. True story of the doctor who considered it was not immoral to search for a drug that would cure syphillis. When Mr. Scratch comes to collect, orator and hero of the common man Daniel Webster comes to the rescue. Last Updated on May 5, 2015, by eNotes Editorial. The narrative includes direct references to factual events in the life of Webster and his family. Conscientious though they are in the reporting of legal minutiae, Konef-sky and King are really most concerned to … In New York, a woman who partially witnesses a killing from a train window seeks the aid of a crime novelist to solve the murder. Having promised his soul to the Devil in exchange for good fortune, Jabez Stone asks the talented lawyer Daniel Webster to get him out of the bargain. Warner, Lindy Wade Cinematography Joseph August Art Direction Van Nest Polglase Classifying the jurors as "Americans" involves a wider definition, including all who had a part in its history – even those who lived and died as English subjects before 1775, the Loyalists who actively opposed the creation of the U.S., and those Indians (like King Philip) who interacted with the new civilization. He tells of a New Hampshire farmer who sells his soul to the devil and is later defended by Daniel Webster, a fictional version of the noted 19th-century American statesman, lawyer and orator. "The Devil and Daniel Webster" is a short story by Stephen Vincent Benét. Webster makes him agree "never to bother Jabez Stone nor his heirs or assigns nor any other New Hampshire man till doomsday!". He foretells (actual) events in Webster's future, including his failure to become President (an actual ambition of his), the death of Webster's sons (which happened in the American Civil War) and the backlash of his last speech, warning "Some will call you Ichabod" (as in John Greenleaf Whittier's poem in reaction to Webster's controversial Seventh of March speech supporting the Compromise of 1850 that incorporated the Fugitive Slave Act, with many in the North calling Webster a traitor). Scratch admits that the United States will remain united after the war. When the troubled farmer realizes his mistake, he enlists the aid of the one man who might save him: the legendary orator and politician Daniel Webster. I'm not talking about Massachusetts or Vermont. After that Scratch refuses an extension. For Webster, freedom and independence defines manhood: "Yes, even in hell, if a man was a man, you'd know it.". When the devil arrives he is described as "a soft-spoken, dark-dressed stranger," who "drove up in a handsome buggy." The author also adapted it in 1938 as a folk opera, with music by Douglas Stuart Moore, a fellow Yale University alumnus. An escaped prisoner has to prove his innocence to a stuffy law professor with the help of a spirited school teacher. And everybody had played a part in it, even the traitors.". The Devil and Daniel Webster Material for the screenplay is taken from Stephen Vincent Benet's short story, an O. Henry prize-winner, and the author had a hand in the film version with Dan … A color videorecording of the production aired two years later on Breck Golden Showcase (CBS, Apr 30, 1962).[3]. The devil then provides the worst from Webster's perspective (and certainly, they are in Hell) examples of Americans for the judge and jury. He admits the wrongs done in the course of American history but points out that something new and good had grown from them and that "everybody had played a part in it, even the traitors." His education came from Yale University and the Sorbonne in Paris, France. On Daniel Webster: “Dan'l wasn't one of your gentlemen farmers; he knew all the ways of the land, and he'd be up by candlelight to see that the chores got done. Webster College is an elite liberal arts college in New England and from its less inclusive past has transformed into a centre of free thought, inclusiveness, and protest. On Broadway very briefly, Scratch starred Will Geer in the title role and Patrick Magee as Webster. The main character is… Edward Arnold, Walter Huston, and James Craig reprised their 1941 film roles in the "All That Money Can Buy" episode of Cavalcade of America (NBC Red Network, Oct. 20, 1941, 30 min). Expecting the usual loss, a boxing manager takes bribes from a betting gangster without telling his fighter. Webster starts to orate on simple and good things – "the freshness of a fine morning...the taste of food when you're hungry...the new day that's every day when you're a child" – and how "without freedom, they sickened." This desire to end the institution was a mainspring of his support for the Union. The Devil and Daniel Webster He finally says, "it's enough to make a man want to sell his soul to the devil!" This most recent version was made in 2001, but never had a wide theatrical release. Stephen Vincent Benét was born in 1898 in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Jabez Stone of Cross Corners, New Hampshire is a man of little luck, until, with his wife and children ill and a whitlow on his own thumb, he barks : From a betting gangster without telling his fighter, not only Jabez Stone ``... He admitted all the wrong and the starvations, something New had.. 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