Oh, but I think what you may not realize is how BELOVED Joseph Welch was to many Americans in the 1950's. He wasn't just a "real attorney." He was the man whose soft-spoken rebuke to Senator McCarthy finally--after years of suffering--put an end to the mad witch-hunting which plagued the United States then.
You can still sometimes catch a film clip of the tense moment when Mr. Welch said, in utter disgust, "Senator, have you no sense of DECENCY?" It is almost always replayed as the climax of any documentary history of "the McCarthy era."
He wasn't acting then, either, and it is probably one of the most stirring and moving little speeches ever made on film.
The respect people had for Mr. Welch--for having the bravery to say that, and to hurl the rebuke at Senator McCarthy that so many other men were afraid to hurl...that made him a cheered hero, a David who brought down a Goliath--and made the contemporary audience of the film respect the fair-minded judge instantly--which is probably what the director wanted.
Be sure you find and watch that famous moment...maybe someone put a clip of it on YouTube or something...and THEN take another look at "Anatomy of a Murder" and see if it didn't change your view of the man and the character of Judge Weaver!
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Having said all that, I'll add that I think you're mistaken. Yes, Joseph Welch is not a professional actor, and yes, if we look closely, we can see that his reactions to things are not natural, and his speech, though clear, sounds rehearsed. However, even an amateur actor can give great performances, and I think that Mr. Welch delivers, in spite of this, some of the funniest moments in the film. Indeed, I watch the film, mostly, just to enjoy HIM:
(1) "Skirmish over!"
(2) "Mr. Dancer, you will not blah-blah-blah, Mr. Beagler, you will not blah-blah-blah, and the Defendant will sit in his chair and keep his mouth shut; now go ahead!"
(3) "Swear the witness!"
That last line is my favorite moment in the film--he's so fed up with the nasty and unnecessary and unprofessional squabbling going on between Mr. Dancer and Mr. Beagler that he refuses to even address the latest round of squawking objections and just addresses his bailiff disgustedly. I love that moment in the film--I watch the whole film just to enjoy that one moment.
I should also add that the New York Times, in its famous little one-line reviews of movies in their Sunday T.V. guide, used to always single out "Judge Welch" as the big treat in this brilliant film.
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Zhang Yi Mou made his film "Not One Less" with an all-amateur cast, and with equally good results. I honestly don't think that a lack of craftsmanship and accomplishment necessarily means that a good director cannot coax a moving and enjoyable performance out of an amateur actor!
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rios_119
17 years ago
Thanks for your very thoughtful reply. While I was not aware of Joseph Welch before watching this movie, I am certainly impressed with -- and applaud his role -- in the Army/McCarthy hearings.
I agree with you that an amateur can give a professional performance (best example: William Wyler's use of the real-life amputee, Harold Russell in "The Best Years of our Lives". Russell won an Oscar for his performance.) But, unfortunately, Joseph Welch did not.
Totally agree that the lines he said were funny -- and I thoroughly enjoyed them. But those funny and endearing lines were written by someone else.
So, I don't take ANYthing away from the beloved, wonderful, courageous Mr. Welch -- but an actor, he ain't!
And, while Zhang Yi Mou (and other directors) can coax a moving and enjoyable performance out of an amateur actor, Otto Preminger certainly did not.
Again, the WORDS Welch said were funny and enjoyable, but his performance was jarring and distracting for me.
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tomok97
17 years ago
I agree whole-heartedly. The judge had some great lines but Welch's readings just didn't do it for me. He seemed like a really weak link in the film. I came here for the same reason you did...to find out who this actor was and how he ended up in the film.
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ecarle
17 years ago
"Amateurs" as actors are a tricky thing. Accomplished lawyers SHOULD be better...after all, they "act" when they speechify as litigators.
But Welch seems problematic in this role.
I was annoyed by the way he swung his head back-and-forth, to-and-fro as he delivered his announcements from the bench. It probably worked in a courtroom, but in movies, "less is more."
He also failed a standard test: there's a scene of him just walking across the outdoor area of the courthouse and on into it. Scenes of "people just walking" are where true actors do great, natural work. Welch is clearly aware that a camera is following him, and he "poses as he walks."
Still, Welch was important in the aftermath of McCarthy...and judges can have those weird quirks, too.
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tomok97
17 years ago
That's a great point about walking. I'll have to start looking for that in films. I know from the plays that I did in high school and college, it took a long time to get used to doing nothing on stage. Your hands don't have to always be moving. Sometimes we just stand and listen...and that's ok.
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bdh18
16 years ago
I highly recommend you(or anyone intersted in the historical event, time period and especially the people/characters involved)Watch the Documentary "Point Of Order" to see Welsh Vs McCarthy in the 1954 Army-McCarthy hearings RE-Private David Schine
Here is what IMDB has posted as the "Plot Summary" of the film-
Point of Order is compiled from TV footage of the 1954 Army-McCarthy hearings, in which the Army accused Senator McCarthy of improperly pressuring the Army for special privileges for Private David Schine, formerly of McCarthy's investigative staff. McCarthy accused the Army of holding Schine hostage to keep him from searching for Communists in the Army. These hearings resulted in McCarthy's eventual censure for conduct unbecoming a senator. Written by {[email protected]}
"HAVE YOU NO SENSE OF DECENCY SIR???!!!"-Welsh w/one of the most on point quotes EVER
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jmkeupp-1
15 years ago
I think that Joseph Welsh was the best actor in the film.
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bbmaps
14 years ago
So many of the posters seem to think that Welch's performance seemed to be read, most, apparently, because of his odd cadence when speaking. Listen then to the Army-McCarthy hearings, where he was definitely ad-libbing (as much as any lawyer does, anyway). He had the same unusual cadence when speaking off-the-cuff. Not sure where that came from, but it did add a nice flavor to the movie. It didn't detract in any major way, and his performance did move the story along...
I am reminded of the case of "Good Night and Good Luck," where test audiences for the George Clooney movie just hated the actor who played Senator Joseph McCarthy in the film, calling him a lousy actor, overwrought, obvious and fake. That was, of course, stock footage of the real Joseph McCarthy, who was obviously drunk in at least some of the hearings (he died of liver disease). Many people were so afraid of the goon back then, and now he looks like a clown. Never trust demagogues who are all that sure of themselves; they might be brilliant leaders, or they might be lying themselves blue. The latter is far more common.
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jgroub
9 years ago
Exactly. His cadence is just the same here as it was at the hearings, "in real life". And this guy is a personal hero to me, and has been for forever, so I don't see him as an actor; I see him as himself, promoted to become a judge.
I want the doctor to take your picture so I can look at you from inside as well.
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flkulchar
14 years ago
I wholeheartedly agree....The Judge was fantastic in the film; it seemed he was NOT even acting!
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veryhornyfox
13 years ago
I thought he performed well. Yes, he was given some good lines, but I thought he delivered them well.
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bmodica
15 years ago
Oh come on, Tahh. Why would anyone have heard of this guy, before he was idolized by the leftist press? If you read into what REALLY happened when he made that remark, you'd realize that what McCarthy had just revealed was already known; Welsh was just playing it up for the prosecution. In fact, most of what you "know" about McCarthy simply isn't true. His accusations about Communists in government service was correct, and those Communists were breaking the law. Contrast that with the Hollywood witch hunts, which McCARTHY HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH. The hunt for Communists in Hollywood was in the late 1940s, mostly before McCarthy came to Washington. They were put on by the DEMOCRATS in the House; popularly known as the House Un-American Activities Committee. McCarthy was a Senator. HE NEVER MET A MOVIE STAR. Furthermore, there's nothing illegal about being a Communist, yet the Democrats in the House persecuted people, just to get their names in the papers during a period of Soviet hysteria.
As for Welsh in the movie, I thought he was excellent.
Billy the Kid
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GuyOnTheLeft
10 years ago
I too thought he was awesome. I must say, though, that he gets too much credit for having "stood up" to McCarthy and even singlehandedly bringing McCarthy down, as even the official history at senate.gov claims:
https://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/minute/Have_you_no_sense_ of_decency.htm
The army hired Boston lawyer Joseph Welch to make its case. At a session on June 9, 1954, McCarthy charged that one of Welch's attorneys had ties to a Communist organization. As an amazed television audience looked on, Welch responded with the immortal lines that ultimately ended McCarthy's career: "Until this moment, Senator, I think I never really gauged your cruelty or your recklessness." When McCarthy tried to continue his attack, Welch angrily interrupted, "Let us not assassinate this lad further, senator. You have done enough. Have you no sense of decency?"
Overnight, McCarthy's immense national popularity evaporated.
The only problem with this narrative is that it doesn't fit the facts, assuming Wikipedia's graph of McCarthy's Gallup numbers can be trusted. Even at his peak in January 1954, the senator's approval rating was 50 percent, up against 29 percent disapproval. Decent, but not "immense national popularity" (and this after having been "underwater" the previous summer, at 34 percent approval against 42 percent disapproval). But then by April 1954, McCarthy's numbers had already dropped to 38 percent approval against 46 percent disapproval; in May, a little worse yet at 35 percent approval against 49 percent disapproval. So when Welch threw out the "no decency" remark, it was against a figure who had already worn out his welcome with the public.
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My top 250:
http://www.flickchart.com/Charts.aspx?user=SlackerInc&perpage=250
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jgroub
9 years ago
He may have worn out his welcome; I don't doubt what you read at Wikipedia. But that didn't make him any the less dangerous. He still held immense power, and Welch was the first one to take him down, dramatically, in front of the entire nation. After Welch, but only after Welch, it was all over but the shouting.
I want the doctor to take your picture so I can look at you from inside as well.
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