All That Money Can Buy (1941)

Director:

William Dieterle

Writers:

Stephen Vincent Benet (story)
Dan Totheroh (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

29 October 1941 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Fantasy | History | Horror

Tagline:

A GREAT MOTION PICTURE DARES TO BE DIFFERENT! (original print media ad - all caps)

Plot:

A 19th Century New Hampshire farmer who makes a compact with the Devil for economic success enlists Daniel Webster to extract him from his contract.

Plot Keywords:

Farmer | Devil | Deal With The Devil | Orator | New Hampshire

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 1 nomination

Cast

Edward Arnold	...	Daniel Webster
Walter Huston	...	Mr. Scratch
Jane Darwell	...	Ma Stone
Simone Simon	...	Belle
Gene Lockhart	...	Squire Slossum
John Qualen	...	Miser Stevens
H.B. Warner	...	Justice John Hathorne
Frank Conlan	...	Sheriff
Lindy Wade	...	Daniel Stone
George Cleveland	...	Cy Bibber
Anne Shirley	...	Mary Stone
James Craig	...	Jabez Stone
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
William Alland	...	Guide (scenes deleted)
Sarah Edwards	...	Lucy Slossum (scenes deleted)
Fern Emmett	...	Wife (scenes deleted)
Jim Farley	...	Studio Gateman (scenes deleted)
Robert Emmett Keane	...	Husband (scenes deleted)
Anita Lee	...	Infant
Robert Pittard	...	Clerk (as Bob Pittard)
Ferris Taylor	...	President (scenes deleted)
Frank Austin	...	Spectator (uncredited)
Walter Baldwin	...	Hank (uncredited)
Eddie Borden	...	Poker Player (uncredited)
Hazel Boyne	...	Woman (uncredited)
Sonny Bupp	...	Martin Van Buren Aldrich (uncredited)
Bob Burns	...	Townsman (uncredited)
Tex Cooper	...	Townsman (uncredited)
Jeff Corey	...	Tom Sharp (uncredited)
Alec Craig	...	Eli Higgins (uncredited)
Eddie Dew	...	Farmer (uncredited)
Patricia Doyle	...	Servant (uncredited)
Robert Dudley	...	Lem (uncredited)
Charles Herzinger	...	Old Farmhand (uncredited)
Harry Hood	...	Tailor (uncredited)
Harry Humphrey	...	Reverend (uncredited)
Thomas Mitchell	...	Daniel Webster in some long shots (uncredited)
Stewart Richards	...	Doctor (uncredited)
Sherman Sanders	...	Caller (uncredited)
Carl Stockdale	...	Van Brooks (uncredited)
Robert Strange	...	Court Clerk (uncredited)
Jim Toney	...	Farmer (uncredited)
Virginia Williams	...	Baby (uncredited)

Directed by
William Dieterle

Writing credits
Stephen Vincent Benet		story "The Devil and Daniel Webster" &
Dan Totheroh		screenplay and
Stephen Vincent Benet		screenplay

Produced by
William Dieterle	....	producer
Charles L. Glett	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Bernard Herrmann

Cinematography by
Joseph H. August		(as Joseph August)

Film Editing by
Robert Wise

Art Direction by
Van Nest Polglase

Set Decoration by
Darrell Silvera

Costume Design by
Edward Stevenson

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Argyle Nelson	....	assistant director

Art Department
Alfred Herman	....	associate art director (as Al Herman)

Sound Department
Hugh McDowell Jr.	....	sound recordist
James G. Stewart	....	sound recordist

Special Effects by
Vernon L. Walker	....	special effects

Music Department
Bernard Herrmann	....	conductor
Bernard Herrmann	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Other crew
Peter Berneis	....	dialogue director

Production Companies

• William Dieterle Productions

Distributors

• RKO Radio Pictures (1941) (USA) (theatrical)
• Astor Pictures Corporation (1952) (USA) (theatrical) (re-titled) (re-release)
• Embassy Home Entertainment (1987) (USA) (VHS)
• Criterion Collection, The (1991) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Criterion Collection, The (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• Criterion Collection, The (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Embassy Home Entertainment (????) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Nelson Entertainment (????) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video (????) (USA) (VHS)

Also Known As:

The Devil and Daniel Webster (International: English title) (USA) (reissue title)
A Certain Mr. Scratch (USA) (alternative title)
Daniel and the Devil (USA) (reissue title)
Here Is a Man (USA) (trailer title)
Mr. Scratch (USA) (alternative title)

Runtime:

107 min | USA:85 min (cut version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #7238) | Sweden:15

Company:

William Dieterle Productions

Trivia:

Bernard Herrmann's Oscar-winning musical score included recordings of the humming of telephone wires (heard when Mr. Scratch first appears to Jabez Stone in his barn), and four violin solos of Pop Goes The Weasel, recorded separately and laid over each other on the soundtrack to form a single violin solo (heard when Mr. Scratch plays his fiddle at Jabez Stone's barn dance).

Goofs:

Anachronisms: Characters in this film set in pre-Civil War America routinely use the phrase "loan shark" despite the fact that it came into the English language between 1900 and 1905.

Quotes:

Daniel Webster: If two New Hampshire men aren't a match for the devil, we'd better give this country back to the Indians.

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in "The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror IV (#5.5)" (1993)

My favorite movie

Why would someone who has thoroughly enjoyed movies such as "Judge Dredd" and "Wild at Heart" consider this to be "my favorite movie"?

One word - "fantasy". It's my favorite movie category, and this is the best one that I've ever seen. The 1940s was the decade in which horror melodramas and fantasies really began to ramp up, and this movie helped to set the standard. Stephen Vincent Benet's story is a bit changed, but not enough to diminish this American Gothic tale.

Aside from being superior entertainment, the movie simply has no weaknesses. Where to start? The casting and acting are extraordinary. Though both are most often remembered for other movies, Edward Arnold and Walter Huston turn in their best performances here. Simone Simon (known today for the "Cat People" movies) is exceptional as Belle. Anne Shirley, James Craig, and the stellar supporting cast are also great.

This is Bernard Herrmann's best film score. William Dieterle's direction is quirky and involving, propelling the film along at a fast clip. Admittably, the characters are caricatures, but Dieterle helps us to feel their trials and tribulations. The movie also features brilliant cinematography, exceptional production values, and truly superior editing (this was an early job for director Robert Wise). The scenes are quite stagey, but never disjointed - the logic of the story is unmistakable and riveting.

Huston is the ultimate "Mr. Scratch". I've seen this show many times, and it's a 10/10.