Simply Perfect

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

Sometimes, there can be too much of a good thing. In this case, it is the presence of too many characters played by too many veteran stars in cameos, some of them off screen for so long that it is difficult to recognize them. Its a matter of oh, that's funny bald guy Edward Brophy and squeaky voiced Frank McHugh. I didn't realize that they were still alive let alone still working. Jane Darwell still movin' around as a towns-person who attends every funeral. At least modern audiences knew her from her cameo as the bird woman in "Mary Poppins". But what worked in the comedy classic "It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World" is intrusive here. Tons of characters in a novel can't bring consistent flow to a two hour movie without some confusion no matter how well meaning the script writers was.There is tons of potential for great drama in this political drama of devoted public servant Spencer Tracy running for re-election for mayor even though he's also been governor and suffers from health issues. Tracy is both public hero and a bit of a bully to get what he wants and this has made him both loyal followers and powerful enemies including an aging cardinal and a former Klu Klux Klan member whom Tracy claims had to drop out because he was too cheap to buy his own sheet. Director John Ford utilizes many of his old acting stable including Basil Rathbone, Anna Lee and Ricardo Cortez.What is ironic about this movie is the timing of seeing it again just as scandal rocks American politics all over, particularly New York City as candidates for mayor are raked over the coals in the press. In this movie, Tracy's rival is a buffoon, a real weiner if you pardon the pun. In a sense, this makes a mockery out of politics, but in movies, politicians were often skewered and roasted. By the late 50's, however, the McCarthy scandals had made politics being taken much more seriously and later dramas like Advise and Consent and The Best Man would play on that change. The presence of the amazing Mr. Tracy is certainly worth its prestige, but too many things fall in the way of making this the masterpiece it could have been.

John Ford produced and directed this well-cast but overlong, cumbersome and set-bound political melodrama, adapted from Edwin O'Connor's novel by Frank Nugent. Spencer Tracy is the over-confident New England mayor who resorts to dirty tricks in order to get re-elected, while his competitors come off like rubes with little experience. Some of the intentional humors--such as a banker with a pronounced lisp or a politician's wife caught off-guard for a television interview--are awfully broad for such a stately film, and many of the supporting bits are curiously over-played (as if Ford wasn't sure what tone to aim for). Tracy's innate professionalism and sincerity as a performer makes the picture worth-watching for his admirers, yet the Columbia studio-sets look artificial and the suburban surroundings (more California than New England) are barely exploited for their satirical possibilities. Remade as a TV-movie in 1977. ** from ****

We're not really sure just what it is that quality that the Irish people posses that predisposes them for success at the "Science" and Art of Politics. Scarcely getting their feet wet, the Immigrant from the Emerald Isle when they saw their children out and about working the Precincts for the local Democratic Ward Committeemen. Thus the very people who Good Queen Victoria had told the World were sub-human; short-cut their way to success. The cold realities of the "NINA" Signs* were circumvented all completely with the application of the 'Old Blarney' (Gift of Gab) and a lot of elbow grease.With their numbers in the ranks growing, it wasn't too long a time before that the Alderman (or City Councilman) as well as the real "Power Behind the Throne", the Party Ward Committeeman, were Irish also. The only next logical step is to have the Candidate at the top of the ticket as one of their own.In our own home town of "broad shoulders, Hog Butcher to the World, Stacker of Wheat", …..etc., Chicago, there has been a long standing tradition of a Political Organization or, to put it more bluntly, "The Machine." So, that we have seen a number of different Boss Men in charge in the 20th Century.And this isn't to insinuate that all of the Head Guys were Irish; though the leading exponent of Machine Politics was the Late Richard J. Daley, Mayor of Chicago (1955-1976) and Father of our current Mayor, Richard M. Daley. Over the years we've had City Bosses of various pedigrees and even a Republican, Big Bill Thompson, who ran on a plank of keeping the Saloons open and even promised to punch King George V of Great Britain in the nose. West side Political Powerhouse, Anton J. Cermak, a Czech immigrant, took the reins of the organization during a 2 year short-circuited Mayoral Administration (1931-33). He was struck down by the bullet of assassin Giuseppe Zangara in Miami, Florida, February 15, 1933. This was during an appearance with President-elect Franklin D. Roosevelt. The assumption was that the bullet was meant for Roosevelt, but nobody knows for sure.Others to "ascend the Throne of the Organization/Machine were Edward J. Kelly (1933-47), Martin H. Kennelly (1947-51), Michael A. Bilandic (1976-79), Jane M. Byrne (1979-83), Harold L. Washington (1983-87), Eugene Sawyer (1987-89) and Richard M. Daley (1989-Present). Please forgive my relating all of this similarity to Chicago. Enough of this, already, so ……………… OUR STORY Long time Mayor Frank Skeffington (Spencer Tracy) of an un-named Bostonian-type Big City is facing an election after being in office of one form or another most of his life. Being an old pro, and facing challenge from College Boy-upstart, Kevin McCluskey (Charles B. Fitzsimmons), there is nothing that seems extraordinary about this election. So we are to follow Mr. Skeffington all day long during the last stretch of the election.We see it all through the eyes of Adam Caulfield (Jeffrey Hunter) a newspaper man who is assigned to cover the Campaign of his somewhat estranged Uncle. In addition to the Public Man, we get to see the day to day functions of the Skeffington no one ever sees.In addition to regular duties as the City's Chief Executive, All of us are present when he decides on who a new statue in city park shall be made. The Mayor brings in a host of "mourners" for a socially solitary constituent and gets the widow a rock bottom price by using a little City Hall Arm Twisting on Mortician Johnny Degnan; gently reminding him that his business licensing is up for renewal soon. He also garners support he needs from the City's Bluebloods by "appointing" Amos Force, Jr. (O.Z. Whitehead) the nitwit sissified son of Amos Force (John Carradine) to be the new "Fire Chief", complete with Black Mail Photos.The campaign progresses and the public turns Frank out of office. In making concession speech he announces his new campaign for Governor, which would go unrequited as he is stricken with a highly debilitating stroke. Confined to his bed, all of his political allies and some of the old rivals come by to pay their respects. Frank dies.Director John Ford took an excellent adaptation of the novel and transformed it into great film. Use of the archival-like effect of the Black & White was well executed and effective. Ford & writers Edwin O'Connell (novel) & Frank S. Nugent (screenplay) use ironic twist of having Frank Skeffington, Jr. (Arthur Walsh) characterized as a useless, goodtime, Prodigal Son type; having no interest in his Father's Mayoralty or his declining physical condition.One thing for sure though is that Mr. John Ford put together a super talented cast; some of the regulars, others working with him for the first time. These include: Pat O'Brien, Basil Rathbone, Diane Foster, Donald Crisp, Frank McHugh, James Flavin, James Gleason, Ed Brophy, Basil Ruysdael, Willis Bouchey, Ricardo Cortez, Wallace Ford, Carleton Young, Frank Albertson, Edmund Lowe, William Leslie, Anna Lee, and Ken Curtis. Jane Darwell, Ruth Warren, Helen Westscott, Mimi Doyle, Danny Borzage, William Forrest, Frank Sully, Charles Sullivan and others too numerous to name here.NOTE: * The "NINA" stands for "No Irish Need Apply"signs, which were commonplace in our big cities in the mid to late 19th Century.

In the early 1930s John Ford directed a relatively unknown actor in a forgotten film called UP THE RIVER, about prison. After that effort they went their separate ways, Ford usually directing at 20th Century Fox, Republic, and other studios (RKO for MARY OF Scotland), but rarely at MGM. And when he was developing into Hollywood's greatest director, Tracy, after an initially unrewarding period at Fox, went to MGM and became their leading actor-star. But neither managed to find a project to do with the other. Then in 1958 Ford approached Tracy to play Mayor Frank Skeffington, the hero of Edwin O'Connor's novel THE LAST HURRAH. This time, with both director and actor at their peaks, the result was far more memorable than UP THE RIVER had been.O'Connor's novel (a best seller in it's day) was a fictionalization of parts of the career of James Michael Curley, a man who became synonymous with the city of Boston. Boston's laws were peculiar regarding electing Mayors. After some bad experiences in the 19th and early 20th Century, the city decided that Mayors could not have consecutive terms in office - that they could serve as Mayor frequently but (like Grover Cleveland's two terms as President) not one term following another. This was okay with Curley, who ended up the most re-elected Mayor in Boston, serving four terms (each four years in length) over a period of two and a half decades, with a two year term as Governor of Massachusetts as well. A remarkable career for his day or any day. He was corrupt as they come - but he always pointed out that his corruption benefited the public (usually it did). It was like the old Tammany Hall dictum of their Sachem George Washington Plunkitt about good graft and bad graft. Good graft enabled the construction of roads, repairs of streets, public building projects (that were needed), bridges, tunnels, etc. In short, they enhanced or helped the city. Bad graft was like stealing the tin roof of the town orphanage to sell it to a metal dealer! Boston had many improvements under Curley, but plenty of pay-offs. Yet, he was a master at manipulating public opinion. The Irish and other ethnic groups (including Jews and African-Americans) became his voting blocks because the conservative opposition was hide-bound old Puritan - Yankee (and old money), and anti-minority. It worked like a charm for Boss Curley. It got him to the state house. It was only towards the end of his career (when he got involved in a postal fraud) that he went to prison for two years. He left prison and was re-elected Mayor of Boston!The novel emphasized the more "hamish" elements of Curley's success. His ability to have loyal lieutenants (here played by Pat O'Brien, Ricardo Cortez, James Gleason, and Ed Brophy as his gopher "Ditto") and to have loyal friends (even including opponents) like Anna Lee, Wallace Ford (as a crank political rival), Frank McHugh, and Jane Darwell. Even some of his critics like and respect him (even if they don't always support him), such as the Cardinal (Donald Crisp) and the local Episcopal Bishop (Basil Ruysdael). Tracy basks in this warmth, as well as that of his nephew Jeffey Hunter. It's good he has it, as his son (Arthur Walsh) is a total wash-out as an emotional support (the boy just likes dating pretty girls, going golfing, and hearing jazz). Tracy invites Hunter to follow the last campaign. He is smart enough to realize that this mayoralty campaign is the last of the old time, political clubhouse type elections. Tracy has noted the rising media of television and radio, and knows in a few years they will dictate the political future. Ford captures this horrible future well, showing the inept, wooden candidate McCloskey, with his wooden wife and kids (four of them), and a rented dog they don't like, on television. It's a rich film, and a warm one. The villains are evenly dispensed - Basil Rathbone as banker Norman Cass, John Carridine as editor Amos Force, Willis Bouchey as Roger Segrue are a trio of types, but each is different. Rathbone is a patrician, and dislikes Tracy for his background (he represents the loss of the patrician class's power to the lower classes). Carridine simply hates him for a piece of bigoted history on his own family's part. Segrue demonstrates that intolerance can be found in the Catholics as well as the Protestants. But there are differences. Rathbone, fed up with his ally Carridine at one point for his suggesting the banker could have put pressure on Ruysdael on a political matter, shoots a cutting statement that if it was up to Carridine (a former member of the Ku Klux Klan) they'd be burning a cross in the bishop's front lawn!The film ends with Bouchey suggesting that if Skeffington had it all to do he would do it differently. Skeffington smiles, and says "Like Hell I would!". When the novel came out James Michael Curley was still alive, and angry...he threatened to sue. But then he noticed the public liked this friendlier image of himself from the novel. He dropped the lawsuit, and wrote his memoirs. He entitled the memoirs, "I'D DO IT AGAIN!"