''The Expert'' is a 1932 American pre-Code comedy-drama directed by

Archie Mayo Archibald L. Mayo (January 29, 1891 – December 4, 1968) was a film director, screenwriter and actor. Early years The son of a tailor, Mayo was born in New York City. After attending the city's public schools, he studied at Columbia Unive ...

and starring

Chic Sale Chic (; ), meaning "stylish" or "smart", is an element of fashion. It was originally a French word. Pronounced Chick. Etymology '' Chic'' is a French word, established in English since at least the 1870s. Early references in English diction ...

and Dickie Moore. It is based on a 1924

Edna Ferber Edna Ferber (August 15, 1885 – April 16, 1968) was an American novelist, short story writer and playwright. Her novels include the Pulitzer Prize-winning '' So Big'' (1924), ''Show Boat'' (1926; made into the celebrated 1927 musical), '' Ci ...

and George S. Kaufman play, '' Minick'', which is based on the short story "

Old Man Minick ''Old Man Minick'' is a short story by American author Edna Ferber first published in 1922. It was adapted into '' Minick'', a Broadway play staged in 1924, as well as the 1925 silent film '' Welcome Home'', the 1932 film '' The Expert'', and the ...

" by Ferber. The film was produced and distributed by

Warner Brothers Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

. The Library of Congress holds a print.

Cast

- Grandpa John T. Minick * Dickie Moore - Dickie * Lois Wilson - Nettie Minick *

Ralf Harolde Ralf Harolde (born Ralph Harold Wigger, May 17, 1899 – November 11, 1974) was an American character actor who often played gangsters. Between 1920 and 1963, he appeared in 99 films, including '' Smart Money'' with Edward G. Robinson and ...

- Jim Crowley *

Adrienne Dore Adrienne Dore (born Elizabeth Himmelsbach; May 22, 1907 – November 26, 1992) was an American actress, model, and beauty pageant winner. She was first runner-up in the Miss America 1925 pageant, competing as Miss Los Angeles. Dore went on to ...

- Sadie Crowley *

Earle Foxe Earle Foxe (born Earl Aldrich Fox; December 25, 1891 – December 10, 1973) was an American actor. Early years Foxe was born in Oxford, Ohio, to Charles Aldrich Fox, originally of Flint, Michigan, and Eva May Herron. He was educated at Ohio Sta ...

- Fred Minick *

Noel Francis Noel Francis (born Noel Frances Sweeney, August 31, 1906 – October 30, 1959) was an American actress of the stage and screen during the 1920s and 1930s. Born in Texas, she began her acting career on the Broadway stage in the mid-1920s, befo ...

- Daisy * Elizabeth Patterson - Miss Crackenwald *

Dorothea Wolbert Dorothea Wolbert (April 12, 1874 – September 15, 1958) was an American film actress. She appeared in more than 140 films between 1916 and 1957. She appeared on the television series '' I Love Lucy'' (with her character named Dorothea Wolb ...

- Annie *Charles E. Evans - Hard of Hearing Grant Resident *

Louise Beavers Louise Beavers (March 8, 1902 – October 26, 1962) was an American film and television actress. From the 1920s until 1960, she appeared in dozens of films and two hit television shows. She was most often cast in the roles of a maid, servant ...

- Lulu *

Walter Catlett Walter Leland Catlett (February 4, 1889 – November 14, 1960) was an American actor and comedian. He made a career of playing excitable, meddlesome, temperamental, and officious blowhards. Career Catlett was born on February 4, 1889, in S ...

- Al *

May Boley May is the fifth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars and is the third of seven months to have a length of 31 days. May is a month of spring in the Northern Hemisphere, and autumn in the Southern Hemisphere. Therefore, May ...

- Mrs. Smallbridge *Ben Holmes - Price *William Robyns - Briggs *

Zita Moulton Zita Moulton (1883 – December 25, 1987), also known as Zita Gordon, was an American model and actress who appeared in theatre and film in the 1920s and 30s. She was featured in fashion photographs throughout the period and performed in Duffy ...

- Miss Lippencott *Elsa Peterson - Miss Stack *Adolph Leonard -

Reception

A 1932 review in ''

TIME Magazine ''Time'' (stylized in all caps) is an American news magazine based in New York City. For nearly a century, it was published weekly, but starting in March 2020 it transitioned to every other week. It was first published in New York City on Ma ...

'' described the film as "a profligate adaptation of Edna Ferber's story Old Man Minick." According to a 1932 review in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'', "The story of Old Man Minick's misadventures when he comes to live with his son in Chicago is told in a halting, disjointed script which seems never quite sure where it is going. By trying to tell too much of Edna Ferber's novel, the adapters have blurred the picture and made much of it unconvincing."

References

External links

''The Expert'' at IMDb.com
* * 1932 films Films directed by Archie Mayo Warner Bros. films Films based on short fiction American films based on plays American comedy-drama films 1932 comedy-drama films Films based on works by Edna Ferber 1930s American films 1930s English-language films {{1930s-comedy-drama-film-stub