The Meanest Man in the World

The Meanest Man in the World is a 1943 film directed by Sidney Lanfield, starring Jack Benny and Priscilla Lane, and based upon a play by George M. Cohan. The supporting cast features Eddie "Rochester" Anderson, Edmund Gwenn and Anne Revere. The picture's screenplay was written by George Seaton and Allan House. The plotline involves a kind lawyer (Benny) who pretends to be mean in order to further his career, which has the unforeseen repercussion of placing his romance with Lane's character in serious jeopardy.

The story was filmed once before in the silent era in 1923 by First National with Bert Lytell and Blanche Sweet. Only a fragment survives of the silent.

Richard Clarke is a lawyer with his own legal practice in Pottsville, New York. His black paralegal assistant continuously claims that Clarke is far too nice a man to be a profitable businessman, since he always fails to demand payment from his poor clients and never takes on those he doesn't believe are innocent. But Clarke's main problem is that he is hopelessly in love with the lovely Janie Brown. Janie's wealthy father has decided that Janie will marry the even wealthier bachelor Bill Potts. Clarke remains completely oblivious of this fact.

One day, after Janie and her father visited Clarke in his office, they are hit by a truck on their way home in their car. Clarke wants to impress the father, and starts to litigate against the poor farmer who drove the truck, claiming a large amount of money for the damages. But after learning that the farmer lacks funds to pay the damages, the good-hearted Clarke stops his litigation. Mr. Brown isn't impressed at all by Clarke's efforts, but he tells him that he has excellent qualities as a lawyer and should go to New York City to make better use of them.

That said and done, Clarke brings his paralegal and moves to New York to start earning the big bucks. His plans come to shame, as not a single client comes to ask for his help in the first four months. Ashamed of his misfortune, he panics when he gets a message that Janie and her father are coming for a visit. Clarke desperately tries to find a more upscale apartment to impress them. While visiting a nice building, Clarke and Shufro overhear a couple arguing and leaving their apartment in anger. Clarke then occupies the apartment while the couple is gone, and receives Janie and Mr. Brown in it. Shufro is on the lookout outside, and when the couple returns to the building, Clarke takes Janie and Mr. Brown out to a nightclub. Janie is so impressed with Clarke's achievements that she wants to marry him immediately. Clarke convinces her that they should wait for a month, giving him time to secretly sort out his situation.

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