Otto Kruger makes dubious authority sound reassuring. His polished delivery is especially useful to films that need a credible judge or a respectable-looking racketeer, though the familiar manner can become a limitation when he is asked to dispense wisdom.
Fi1m perspective
In High Noon (1952), Otto Kruger's Judge Percy Mettrick advises the marshal to leave town. We found his caution unsettling because the man offering that advice is supposed to represent the law. Fred Zinnemann makes good use of Kruger's credibility as an authority figure: the advice sounds worth considering, however little comfort it offers. Kruger helps make the marshal's predicament harder to dismiss as a simple matter of courage.
By then, Kruger had spent the 1930s and 1940s working prolifically in character parts, often as men whose position encouraged others to trust them. His earlier standing as a stage leading man helps explain the ease of that respectability. The charm remained useful when the roles became less flattering. Saboteur (1942), directed by Alfred Hitchcock, gives him Charles Tobin, a genteel spymaster whose manners make him a particularly suitable part for Kruger.
In Edward Dmytryk's Murder, My Sweet (1944), he is Jules Amthor, a shady psychiatrist and racketeer. His polished manner is well suited to a character who can claim professional standing while behaving dishonestly. We recommend the film for its performances and sharp dialogue, while finding its plotting less dependable. Alongside Dick Powell's impertinence, Kruger's cultivated manner gives the performances a useful difference in tone, without requiring either actor to soften his character.
The limitation is repetition: lawyers, doctors and questionable men of influence could make the next Kruger part feel familiar before he had done much. His later work could also lean too heavily on the wisdom implied by that assured delivery. In Douglas Sirk's Magnificent Obsession (1954), Edward Randolph's philosophical guidance can sound sententious, with the speaker a little too certain that we need improving. We prefer him when the film gives us room to doubt the man doing the talking. For a first encounter, choose High Noon and listen carefully to the judge.
Biography
Otto Kruger (1885–1974) was an American actor. He made his Broadway debut in 1915 and became a matinée idol specialising in sophisticated leading roles before establishing a film career in the 1930s.
He appeared in more than 120 film, television and stage roles. Notable screen credits include Charles Tobin in Saboteur (1942), Jeffrey Garth in Dracula's Daughter (1936), Jules Amthor in Murder, My Sweet (1944), Judge Percy Mettrick in High Noon (1952) and Edward Randolph in Magnificent Obsession (1954). He often played charming villains or corrupt businessmen.
Kruger continued working into the 1960s, with later appearances including Sex and the Single Girl (1964) and episodes of Perry Mason. He died of a stroke on his 89th birthday.
