My third choice is an unusual comedy-drama set during the Great Depression titled Fools’ Parade (1971). It boasts yet another terrific performance from James Stewart, who I think might have to be my pick as the greatest male movie actor of all time. Certainly he is among the top five (but that is an article for another time).
Stewart portrays a one-eyed ex-convict, just released from forty years in prison, determined to collect the $25,452.32 owed him by the State. Accompanying him, and released at the same time, are a former bank robber (Strother Martin) and a young man who had been convicted of rape (Kurt Russell). Together, they plan to open a general store with the money, but a corrupt policeman (George Kennedy) is in cahoots with the bank president (David Huddleston) to prevent the ex-con from collecting his savings.
The corrupt cop and two henchmen try to stop the ex-con and his friends, but only manage to kill an innocent bystander, for which they blame the ex-con. He responds by visiting the bank president in person, wearing a vest of dynamite and demanding the money that is rightfully his. This, of course, leads to higher levels of confrontation as the story climaxes.
Andrew V. McLaglen’s film is a droll comedy set against the dark days of the 1930s Great Depression. It is primarily a character piece, with Stewart fascinating as the ex-con shepherding his friends to a better life. George Kennedy is terrific as the bad cop with strange teeth, and Anne Baxter pops up in a colorful role as a patriotic madam without a bordello to call her own. The ex-convict’s false eye is a major plot device, predicting the future and even saving the group from harm at one point. The film attains a high level of poignancy from the ex-con’s quest for justice, especially when contrasted to other people in the film who are down on their luck, living in tent cities and who have lost everything they had.
Fools’ Parade is somewhat raw and crude, reflecting the humbling spirit of the time, but offers a hopeful vision for those willing to stand against corruption. It appears now and again on satellite TV; I recently taped it on Starz’ Mystery Channel after not having seen it since 1971. My rating: ✰ ✰ ✰. (4:3).