All That Money Can Buy aka The Devil and Daniel Webster (1941) Period Fantasy Noir

Directed by William Dieterle (The Life of Emile Zola, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Portrait of Jennie, The Accused, and Rope Of Sand these latter two Classic Film Noir). 

Written by Dan Totheroh and Stephen Vincent Benet and based on his story "The Devil and Daniel Webster."

Benet reworked Washington Irving's 1824 tale "The Devil And Tom Walker" into "The Devil and Daniel Webster." 

Irving's tale starts with Captain Kidd. He buries a treasure in a Wampanoag fortress in a swamp (a relic of King Philip's War of 1675–1678). Kidd makes a deal with the Devil to guard his treasure. Kidd dies before ever retrieving his treasure and has been guarding it ever since. Years later Tom Walker takes a trek through the swamp and finds the Wampanoag fortress and the Devil. The Devil offers Walker a deal, etc., etc. Its more intricate and includes Walkers wife in on the deal. 

Benet's screenplay co written with Totheroh also has a minor appearance of Captain Kidd, fleshes out characters such as Miser Stevens and adds Belle a witch who casts a spell of lust upon Jabez. 

"Benét and Totheroh also invent several new characters for the film adaptation. Of these, the most important is Belle. Loosely allied with Mr. Scratch, Belle is ostensibly Daniel’s nanny, but is implied to be Jabez’s mistress. Belle supplies a sexual temptation not present in the original story, and this complements the temptations of wealth and power. In this respect, the character anticipates the femme fatales found in the cycle of films noir that appear later in the forties, especially as played by Simone Simon at her most fetching." (by Jeff Smith in a guest post on David Bordwell's Observations on film Art)

The excellent Cinematography by Joseph H. August (The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Portrait of Jennie), and Music by the great Bernard Herrmann (Vertigo, Psycho, Taxi Driver). 

As far as the large ensemble cast goes there's a curious asterisk to be noted. Looking at the cast list on IMDb you would be hard pressed to think that the whole film revolved around Edward Arnold and Walter Huston. Watching the film you will notice that James Craig is basically the star of the piece and in most scenes from start to finish. He was sort of the studio's designated stand in for star Clark Gable who was serving in the military. 

James Craig as Jabez Stone

James Craig starred in a lot of B Westerns, his other most noted part was in Our Vines Have Tender Grapes, for other Noir he appeared in Side Street, Lady Without A Passport, The Strip, and While The City Sleeps. 

He plays as Jabez Stone a New Hampshire farmer. Once Gable returned he was delegated to more supporting cast roles. He quit the biz in the late 70's and ended up as a successful real estate salesman in Southern California.

Anne Shirley as Mary Stone

Simone Simon as Bell

Walter Huston as Mr. Scratch

Edward Arnold as Daniel Webster

Walter Huston (The Treasure of The Sierra Madre) must have enjoyed playing Mr. Scratch he does so with a fiendish relish. 

Anne Shirley who plays his wife Mary Stone was in Classic Noir Murder, My Sweet. Simone Simon, one of the original Femme Fatales was in the Classic La bête humaine, and in Fantasy / Horror Noir Cat People, she plays Belle a combo Lilith / Succubus /\seductress. 

Edward Arnold (The Glass Key (1935), Johnny Eager, City That Never Sleeps, Miami Expose) as lawyer Daniel Webster.

Jane Darwell as Ma Stone

The rest of the film has the ubiquitous Jane Darwell (The Grapes Of Wrath, The Ox-Bow Incident, My Darling Clementine, Caged) as Ma Stone. With Gene Lockhart (Red Light, House on 92nd Street) as Squire Slossum, John Qualen (Street Scene, Casablanca, Out of the Fog, Woman On the Run, Hollow Triumph) as Miser Stevens, H. B. Warner (Sunset Blvd) as Justice John Hathorne, Alec Craig as Eli Higgins, George Cleveland as Cy Bibber, Lindy Wade as Daniel Stone, Jeff Corey (Somewhere In The Night, The Killers, In Cold Blood, Once A Thief) as Tom Sharp (uncredited), and Carl Stockdale as Van Brooks (uncredited).

Story

Super imposed against a backdrop of white birches in a snowy landscape...

"It's a story the tell in the border country where Massachusetts joins Vermont and New Hampshire. It happened, they say, a long time ago. But it could happen - anytime - anywhere - to anybody... Yes it could even happen to you."

We see in the distance behind a gate, leafless trees, a winding dirt road to a farmstead. A plume of smoke wafting skyward into grey clouds. 

As ominous music plays the figure of a man wearing a well worn frock coat and hunters cap rises into the frame. He is looking at the farm. With a gloved hand he scratches his whiskers. 

He carries a cane tucked under his arm, as he pulls out a tablet and begins to flip through the pages. He stops at what he is searching for. The page reads. 

Jabez Stone

Cross Corners

New Hampshire

Age 27

Married 2 years

Children None

Credit None

We cut to a muddy barnyard. From the barn, Jabez Stone comes running out with a horse to hitch to a buckboard. He calls out to Ma and Mary. 

This is our introductions to the Stones. As Ma and Mary come to the wagon.

They were about to head out to church the first time since the beginning of winter. Ma makes a homey metaphor about the clouds in the sky looking cracked like when it's about ice out on the pond. 

About this time Mary comes out of the house and at the end of the porch calls for Jabez to help her too the wagon the mud being too deep. 

Jabez picks her up and carries her over.

About this time their dog goes to a chasing a piglet down a ditch where it breaks its leg. Jabez going to retrieve it slips, falls and, gets soaked in the rescuing. This thwarts the family's plan to go to church. 

Soon after, during a rainstorm, while Ma is reading from the good book in lieu of attending services in Cross Corners, a delegation of three farmers, one from Massachusetts, one from Vermont and one from New Hampshire visit Jabez making a proposal to join a farmers grange to promote the well being of the local farming community.

Jeff Corey as farmer

"When Webster speaks the stars and stripes fall out of the skies"

Jabez tells them he'll have to think it over and he'll give them an answer next week. One of the farmers mentions that Daniel Webster is working on a uniform law on bankruptcy, Jabez tells them that he heard tell, that when Webster speaks, the stars and stripes fall out of the sky.

Cut to Daniel Webster writing a speech. Up until this point the film played it straight Hollywood high key lighting. From here out little by little we start going "noir."

Now we get a stylistic shot of Daniel Webster seated at a table with quill pen in hand, writing his speech. Ominously leaning over him is the shadow of Mr. Scratch whispering a stream of discouraging words. 

Mr. Scratch: [whispering to Webster while he writes his speech]: Listen, Black Daniel, you're wasting your time writing speeches like that. Why worry about the people and their problems? Think of your own. You want to be president of this country, don't you? And you ought to be! Inauguration Day parade: Bands playing, horses prancing, the sun shining on the stars and stripes waving in the breeze, crowds cheering 'Daniel Webster, President of the United States of America!' Don't be a fool. Stop bothering with that speech and get busy promoting yourself...

Daniel Webster: BE STILL!

We get a sequence touching on Websters bill before congress, various farmers gathered hearing the latest news on handbills. 

This segues to Jabez, Mary and the Sheriff of Cross Corners. Jabez is reading also about Websters bill. The Sheriff reminds Jabez that bill or no bill he owes Miser Stevens a payment by tonight on his farms mortgage. 

Once the Sheriff is gone Jabez asks Mary what are they going to do? Mary tells him there's her butter money, Jabez replies that he used it to pay the vet bill on the horse. Mary suggests that he take miser Stevens a sack of seeds. Jabez protests at first but agrees. But it won't be enough.

Ma has the calf ready to load in the buckboard to go with the seeds. Here a series of misfortunes befall Jabez, Mary falls off the buckboard and gets hurt while trying to load the calf. 

Then a fox kills two Plymouth rock hens, and then. when carrying the sack of seeds out of the barn. Jabez accidently catches the sack against the barn door hasp spilling the contents into a puddle. 

Jabez: If that ain't enough to make a man sell his soul to the Devil, and I would to for about two cents... I guess nobody heard. I hope not 

"I guess nobody heard. I hope not"

Jabez turning towards the barndoor pauses suddenly and reaches into his pocket and pulls out two one cent pieces, to a peal of thunder.

He then hears a voice call "Neighbor Stone" and a great cacophony of barn animals raise a great commotion. Jabez turns, and sees an eerie light stabbing out of the dark interior. A crack between worlds. 

The light throws unnatural shadows through dust and smoke, where there should be no light. A man seemingly materializes out of the light and walks towards him. Mr. Scratch is wearing his "hunting clothes" holding up one finger to his lips and whistling. That seems to calm down the critters. 

In its place we hear what can be described as the sounds of a glass harp. In actuality it was the recorded sound of the hum of telephone wires vibrating. 

In Scratch's other hand he holds his cane and cigar. From Scratch's introduction on everything is now depicted in a strangely flickering light 

Jabez walks towards the man. 

Jabez: Who you?

Mr. Scratch [pulling a business card out of a pocket and offering it to Jabez]: My name is Scratch. I often go by that name in New England.

Jabez: I don't have any business with you.

Jabez turns to get away. Scratch's proffered business card flashes into flame and disintegrates. 

Mr. Scratch [playing upon Jabez's pride]: Do you deny that you called me? I've known other people in other states who went back on their word but I didn't expect it in New Hampshire. 

Jabez turns from the doorway and returns to Scratch.

Jabez: I'm from New Hampshire and if I say I called you I did. Guess I did.

Mr. Scratch: You had a lot of bad luck these days. And yet it's all so unnecessary. When I think of your opportunities.

Jabez: My opportunities. 

Mr. Scratch: You have one of the richest farms in the county. You just go about it the wrong way. Ah, so many men do. Hard work - that's all right for people who don't know how to do anything else. It's all right for people that aren't lucky. But, once you're lucky, you don't have to work for other people. You make them work for you.

Jabez gets excited he turns his head to look behind him, he then goes to the door to see if anyone is there. He then turns back to Scratch excitedly and grabs his arm

Jabez: Now mister that sounds alright, but how do I go about it?

"that sounds alright"

Mr. Scratch [laughs]: Well a man like yourself can find money anywhere, money to pay his bills, money for his wife and children, enough to be a rich man. All he needs is a friend to point it out to him. Like this. 

Scratch here kicks the barn floor which splinters open revealing a growing mound of gold coins.

"gold"

Jabez: It isn't real, it can't be. 

Jabez heads towards the door. Scratch gabs him "Wait" and tells him to touch it. 

Mr. Scratch: Touch it with you're hand.

Here a voice calls out Jabez's name. He goes to see who called. Its the three famers who approached him about the grange. He's in a daze about the gold and pretty much shoos them away in his hurry to get back to Scratch. 

Jabez: Tell me where did it come from?

"Where did it come from?"

Mr. Scratch: You know the old story, about the Hessian wagon train that was ambushed on it's way to Saratoga. Some of the gold was buried under your barn.

Jabez: Yea. Why shouldn't it be.

Mr. Scratch: Of course. People forget and the man who knew about it died, well you know how these things happen.

Jabez: Mine, mine... 

Mine, mine...

Mr. Scratch: Yes that's right Mr. Stone. Oh ah there's one little formality... [pulls out a piece of paper] I would like your signature here.

Jabez [examining Mr. Scratch's contract]: What does it mean here, about my soul?

Mr. Scratch: Why should that worry you? A soul? A soul is nothing. Can you see it, smell it, touch it? No. This soul, *your* soul, are nothing against seven years of good luck. You'll have money and all that money can buy. 

Scratch pricks Jabez's finger, and to a peal of thunder he signs his name on the contract.

On his way from the barn Scratch uses his cigar to scorch the date seven years in the future April 7 1847, when their agreement must be fulfilled. 

So for time Jabez prospers becoming the richest man in New Hampshire but it slowly changed his persona from friendly neighbor to hardnosed business man.  

But, of course, it also all starts slowly going Noirsville and then accelerates with two occurrences, the birth of Daniel, Jabez and Mary's son, and the sudden arrival of Belle the new nanny / maid / seductress. 

Noirsville 

 

It all culminates nicely in the trial of Jabez Stone vs The Devil aka Mr. Scratch. Jabez is defended by orator Daniel Webster, prosecuted by Mr, Scratch with a judge from the Salem witch trials and jury of the damned who file up out of their graves through the barn's floor. 

It's one of the highlights of the film, along with the frantic and feverish "pop goes the weasel" hoe down fiddled by Mr. Scratch in the barn, and  later Belle's danse macabre with Miser Stevens. 

Director Dieterle creates a beautiful Noir Fantasy with the cinematography of Joseph H. August filming Darrell Silvera's sets lit with Vernon L. Walker's flickering lighting effects, with Bernard Hermann's  Oscar winning score. The glass harp like sounds of telephone wires vibrating in the wind becomes the leitmotif of the netherworld. 

The entire ensemble cast is excellent with Simone Simon as bewitching Belle, She has an impish smirk that will remind people of Ellen Barkin's smirky smile. 

Walter Huston's portrayal of Mr. Scratch is memorable, his exaggerated facial expressions and mannerisms are a hoot and it garnered him an Oscar nomination. Even his hunters cap in certain head positions and interesting chiaroscuro lighting gives the impression of horns. 

I was surprised James Craig didn't have a more memorable career, he was very good in this. 10/10

P.S. An anachronism nerd, like me, will notice things occasionally. So what's out of place is the hot blast kerosene lanterns seen in the film. There shouldn't be any. They should be dead flame whale oil type lanterns.