In his second appearance as attorney Harmon Cobb for TV, Walter Matthau proved that he could not much more than America's favorite curmudgeon. Having taken a job working for former judges Harry Morgan's newly established law firm, Matthau wants more to do than defend the rich white male clients who are probably guilty of corruption, and ends up taking on the case of a woman wrongfully kept in a mental institution against her will, given shock treatment and medicated to the point where it really makes her seem mentally ill, and to a point where it could really make her mentally ill. The trial exposes all sorts of corruption, immoral and probable illegal practices, and it's obvious that he's going to gain the respect of the community as well as make amends with his daughter-in-law whom he had a falling out with as a part of his own grief in dealing with the death of his son in the second world war.
Matthau and Morgan are a great team, playing off of each other perfectly, with animosities still present from events from the first part of this three part series. Morgan shocks Matthau with the reasoning he hired him in the first place, a cut to the quick, and definitely meant out of temporary frustration than in sincerity. The family drama Of Matthau and his daughter-in-law isn't as interesting as the actual court case and the issues of what goes on in the institution, and it's a historical reference to necessary improvements that were long overdue. Matthau plays a very likable, charming character, and it's nice to see him actually smile for a change and be a happy grandfather, loving and kind. It's easy to see why the first film had follow-ups, and it could definitely have been an interesting series with cases surrounding issues of the mid 20th century that helped change society after a very rocky start to it.
Matthau and Morgan are a great team, playing off of each other perfectly, with animosities still present from events from the first part of this three part series. Morgan shocks Matthau with the reasoning he hired him in the first place, a cut to the quick, and definitely meant out of temporary frustration than in sincerity. The family drama Of Matthau and his daughter-in-law isn't as interesting as the actual court case and the issues of what goes on in the institution, and it's a historical reference to necessary improvements that were long overdue. Matthau plays a very likable, charming character, and it's nice to see him actually smile for a change and be a happy grandfather, loving and kind. It's easy to see why the first film had follow-ups, and it could definitely have been an interesting series with cases surrounding issues of the mid 20th century that helped change society after a very rocky start to it.