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The Sun Shines Bright

Play trailer Poster for The Sun Shines Bright 1953,  1h 30m,  Comedy/ Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist 60% 5 Reviews Tomatometer 71% 250+ Ratings Popcornmeter
60% Tomatometer 5 Reviews 71% Popcornmeter 250+ Ratings
A straight-talking, sensible public servant, Judge William Pittman Priest (Charles Winninger) is friendly with most of the townspeople in his Kentucky hometown. The town's upper-class set feels differently, however, and backs a presumptuous Yankee newcomer, Horace K. Maydew (Milburn Stone), for the judge's seat at election time. Judge Priest has to use all his wiles to hang on to his office, while continuing to be a voice for the town's underclass and for democratic values.

Critics Reviews

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Rob Aldam Backseat Mafia Jan 21, 2022
Provides a snapshot of small-town politics at the beginning of the twentieth century. Go to Full Review
Clyde Gilmour Maclean's Magazine Nov 13, 2019
Director John Ford made this corny, over-sentimental Deep South melodrama between The Quiet Man and Mogambo. Shame on the great man. Go to Full Review
Ken Hanke Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC) Mar 17, 2015
5/5
Nostalgic for a world he never knew and which never really existed, progressive-minded and a little reactionary at the same time, innately sad for the passing of an era, deeply humane, and, yes, with a dash of utterly arbitrary beefcake. Go to Full Review
Jeffrey M. Anderson Combustible Celluloid Mar 28, 2013
A marvelously entertaining film, laid back and effortlessly told, despite the social commentary and intertwining subplots. Go to Full Review
Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews Dec 26, 2004
C
A heavy mix of mushy sentimentality and low-brow comedy. Go to Full Review
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The Sun Shines Bright

My Rating

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Cast & Crew

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John Ford

Director

Charles Winninger

Judge William Pittman Priest

Arleen Whelan

Lucy Lee Lake

John Russell

Ashby Corwin

Milburn Stone

Horace K. Maydew

Stepin Fetchit

Jeff Poindexter

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The Sun Shines Bright

The Sun Shines Bright (1954) The Sun Shines Bright (1954) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis A straight-talking, sensible public servant, Judge William Pittman Priest (Charles Winninger) is friendly with most of the townspeople in his Kentucky hometown. The town's upper-class set feels differently, however, and backs a presumptuous Yankee newcomer, Horace K. Maydew (Milburn Stone), for the judge's seat at election time. Judge Priest has to use all his wiles to hang on to his office, while continuing to be a voice for the town's underclass and for democratic values.
Director
John Ford
Producer
Merian C. Cooper, John Ford
Screenwriter
Irvin S. Cobb, Laurence Stallings
Distributor
Republic Pictures
Production Co
Argosy Productions Corporation
Genre
Comedy, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
May 2, 1953, Original
Release Date (DVD)
Oct 1, 2015
Runtime
1h 30m
Sound Mix
Mono
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.37:1)
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