All the atmosphere and threadbare splendor of a little Kentucky hamlet in the reconstruction days is brought to the screen in the cinema version of Irvin S. Cobb's "Judge Priest." Old men in tattered gray jackets sit whittling on the court-house steps; bearded jaws work the faster at mention of how the Yankees field at Chickamauga; and in the barber shop across the street loafers nudge each other as the girl in crinoline sweeps by.

Into this scene the lanky, linen-suited figure of Will Rogers, as Judge Priest, blends admirably well. The good judge dispenses juleps as well as justice, and tempers the letter with the spirit of the law. But at length his benevolent reign is threatened by the presence of a political rival in the person of a blustering, sycophantic old ex-senator. Moreover, the family of young Rome, (Tom Brown) objects to his affection for the town school teacher, (Anita Louise) who, though pretty, is not of quality folks. Anita Louise, in this role, reminds one of magnolia blossoms in the spring.

Things come to a head when Judge Priest, temporarily disbanded, helps defend a stranger on trial for the knifing of one Elisworth Brown, local dude and "jelly-bean" par excellence. The jury seems ready to admit that Master Brown richly deserves his portion, but nevertheless is prone to regard the unsociable defendant, who probably did not fight for the Stars and Bars, with a jaundiced eye. Judge Priest turns the tables in masterful fashion. While the strains of "Dixie" are wafted into the hushed courtroom, the parson, (Henry B. Walthall) comes forward as character witness on behalf of the defendant. The resulting climax will cause Guiseppe Vespucci, of South Boston, to rise tearful from his seat and give the rebel yell.