AllMovie

The anti-prejudice theme of Mark Twain's story was downplayed the first time it was filmed. In 1916, the idea of interracial marriage was seen as unacceptable, so elements of the plot were disturbing to audiences of the day. Instead, the suspense of the murder mystery is emphasized, which really gives character actor Theodore Roberts, in the title role, a chance to shine. In the antebellum south of the mid-19th century, a mulatto nurse, Roxy (Jane Wolff) swaps her son for her master's. The quadroon (Alan Hale) grows up as Tom Driscoll, while the real Tom grows up as the slave Chambers (Thomas Meighan). Rowena Cooper (Florence Dagmar) comes down from "up North" and finds herself falling in love with Chambers. Chambers is accused of a murder committed by Tom, and that's where Pudd'nhead Wilson comes in -- he's an eccentric lawyer who no one seems to take seriously. But Wilson knows his stuff. Through the use of fingerprints (a radical notion in Twain's time), he not only uncovers the real killer, he also figures out that Chambers and Tom were switched as infants. Chambers is cleared of the charge and is free to continue his romance with Rowena. Although he did not direct it, Cecil B. DeMille was the picture's producer.