In honor of Patriots Day Weekend, I’m watching and reviewing movies set and/or filmed in my hometown, Boston, Massachusetts.
Title: The Last Hurrah
Release Date: October 22, 1958
Director: John Ford
Production Company: Columbia Pictures
Summary/Review:
Frank Skeffington (Spencer Tracy) rose from a working-class immigrant neighborhood to become a four-time mayor of “a New England city.” Planning his campaign for a final term in office, he realizes that the dawn of the TV age will put an end to the traditional face-to-face means of campaigning that have made him a success. Nevertheless, he continues to use the power of ward politics and patronage to ensure loyal support from his base. Skeffington has made a lot of enemies too, especially among the blue blooded Protestant elitess like newspaper publisher Amos Force (John Carradine) and banker Norman Cass (Basil Rathbone). However, two men he grew up with in the Irish-American slum, businessman Roger Sugrue and Cardinal Martin Burke (Donald Crisp).
Much of the movie is seen from the point of view of Adam Caulfield (Jeffrey Hunter, later the original Captain Pike on Star Trek), Skeffington’s nephew who is a sports columnist at Force’s newspaper and is also Sugrue’s son-in-law, which is way too many coincidental connections if you ask me. Adam provides the outsiders view that allows the audience join him on seeing what looks like crass politics is actually how Skeffington is taking care of his constituents. The standout set piece of the film involves Skeffington attending the wake of a man who was not liked in his community, because he knows that by appearing he could attract a crowd of people to offer support to the widow.
The film is based on a novel by Edwin O’Connor who was inspired by the colorful Boston mayor James Michael Curley. Like Skeffington, Curley was a man of the people, but while Skeffington appears to be honest, Curley used graft to fatten his coffers. Filmed on sets in California that look nothing like Boston, The Last Hurrah nevertheless captures the feel of Boston’s parochial political culture. I particularly like the character actors who add flavor to Skeffington’s campaign, especially Edward Brophy as Ditto. The only part of the movie that didn’t work for me was the conclusion which felt too stagey, although Skeffington’s final words are perfect.
The movie has a Frank Capra feel in the balance of sentimentality and cynicism along the lines of Mr. Smith Goes to Washington or State of the Union (also starring Tracy). Speaking of Tracy, this is the second movie of his I’ve watched this year after Bad Day at Black Rock and I’m really impressed with his work as an actor. It’s also another great book adaptation by director John Ford. Of course, now I need to read the book.
Rating: ****
Panorama of the Mountains 