All the King's Men (1949)

Director:

Robert Rossen

Writers:

Robert Penn Warren (Pulitzer Prize novel "All the King's Men")
Robert Rossen (written for the screen by)

Release Date:

January 1950 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

He Might Have Been A Pretty Good Guy . . . If Too Much Power . . . And Women . . . Hadn't Gone To his Head !

Plot:

The rise and fall of a corrupt politician, who makes his friends richer and retains power by dint of a populist appeal.

Plot Keywords:

Politician | Governor | Speech | Rise And Fall | Hick

Awards:

Won 3 Oscars. Another 11 wins & 7 nominations

Cast

Broderick Crawford	...	Willie Stark
John Ireland	...	Jack Burden
Joanne Dru	...	Anne Stanton
John Derek	...	Tom Stark
Mercedes McCambridge	...	Sadie Burke
Shepperd Strudwick	...	Adam Stanton
Ralph Dumke	...	Tiny Duffy
Anne Seymour	...	Mrs. Lucy Stark
Katherine Warren	...	Mrs. Burden (as Katharine Warren)
Raymond Greenleaf	...	Judge Monte Stanton
Walter Burke	...	Sugar Boy
Will Wright	...	Dolph Pillsbury
Grandon Rhodes	...	Floyd McEvoy
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Beau Anderson	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Sam Ash	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Richard Bartell	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Mary Bear	...	File Clerk (uncredited)
Helena Benda	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Stanley Blystone	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Marshall Bradford	...	Senator (uncredited)
William Bruce	...	Commissioner (uncredited)
Wheaton Chambers	...	Senator (uncredited)
Edwin Chandler	...	Radio Announcer (uncredited)
Stephen Chase	...	Puckett (uncredited)
Tom Coleman	...	Man tearing down poster (uncredited)
James Conaty	...	Party Guest (uncredited)
William Cottrell	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Kenneth Cutler	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Roy Darmour	...	Politician at Harrison's Headquarters (uncredited)
Earle S. Dewey	...	Joe Harrison (uncredited)
King Donovan	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Jack Evans	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
George Farmer	...	Bus Man (uncredited)
Charles Ferguson	...	Newspaper Office Worker (uncredited)
Tom Ferrandini	...	Politician (uncredited)
Robert Filmer	...	Editor (uncredited)
Paul Ford	...	Spokesman for Impeachment (uncredited)
Ted French	...	Dance Caller (uncredited)
Jack Gargan	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
John Giles	...	Young Boy (uncredited)
Dick Gordon	...	Politician (uncredited)
Jack Gordon	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Avery Graves	...	Senator (uncredited)
William E. Green	...	Senator (uncredited)
Charles Haefeli	...	Man in Cheap Bar (uncredited)
Frank Hagney	...	Stark Strong-Arm Man (uncredited)
Richard Hale	...	(uncredited)
Bert Hanlon	...	Editor (uncredited)
Sam Harris	...	Politician (uncredited)
Judd Holdren	...	Politician (uncredited)
Robert Karnes	...	Legislator (uncredited)
Kenner G. Kemp	...	Legislator (uncredited)
Donald Kerr	...	Spectator (uncredited)
Tom Kingston	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Mike Lally	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Nolan Leary	...	Senator (uncredited)
James Linn	...	Politician (uncredited)
Ralph Littlefield	...	Farmer (uncredited)
Wilbur Mack	...	Former Governor Stanton (uncredited)
Louis Mason	...	Minister (uncredited)
Paul Maxey	...	Local Chairman (uncredited)
Frank McClure	...	Doctor (uncredited)
Walter Merrill	...	Man in City Bar (uncredited)
H.C. Miller	...	Pa Stark (uncredited)
Harold Miller	...	Speaker of the House (uncredited)
John 'Skins' Miller	...	Drunk at Football Game (uncredited)
Bob Milton	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
George Morrell	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Truett Myers	...	Minister at Funeral (uncredited)
Pat O'Malley	...	Politician (uncredited)
Gil Perkins	...	Spectator (uncredited)
Charles Perry	...	Bit Role (uncredited)
Jeffrey Sayre	...	Party Guest (uncredited)
Charles Sherlock	...	Politician at Harrison's Headquarters (uncredited)
Leslie Sketchley	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Irving Smith	...	Butler (uncredited)
Helene Stanley	...	Helene Hale (uncredited)
Larry Steers	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Houseley Stevenson	...	Madison - the Editor (uncredited)
Charles Sullivan	...	Spectator (uncredited)
William Tannen	...	Man in City Bar (uncredited)
George Taylor	...	Politician (uncredited)
Al Thompson	...	Man in Cheap Bar (uncredited)
Glen Thompson	...	State Trooper (uncredited)
A.C. Tillman	...	Sheriff (uncredited)
Phil Tully	...	Football Coach (uncredited)
Reba Waterson	...	Receptionist (uncredited)
Frank Wilcox	...	Public Relations Man (uncredited)
Rhoda Williams	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Harry Wilson	...	One of Duffy's Goons (uncredited)
Bill Wolfe	...	Farmer (uncredited)
Al Wyatt Sr.	...	State Trooper (uncredited)

Directed by
Robert Rossen

Writing credits
Robert Penn Warren		(Pulitzer Prize novel "All the King's Men")
Robert Rossen		(written for the screen by)

Produced by
Robert Rossen	....	producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Louis Gruenberg

Cinematography by
Burnett Guffey		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Al Clark

Art Direction by
Sturges Carne

Set Decoration by
Louis Diage

Costume Design by
Jean Louis		(gowns)

Makeup Department
Clay Campbell	....	makeup artist
Helen Hunt	....	hair stylist
Robert J. Schiffer	....	makeup artist (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Sam Nelson	....	assistant director
Don Siegel	....	second unit director (uncredited)

Sound Department
Frank Goodwin	....	sound engineer

Camera and Electrical Department
Gert Andersen	....	camera operator (uncredited)
Bill Johnson	....	gaffer (uncredited)
Irving Lippman	....	still photographer (uncredited)
Val O'Malley	....	camera operator (uncredited)
Emil Oster	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
Ray Rich	....	grip (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Joan Joseff	....	costume jeweller (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Frank P. Keller	....	assistant editor
Robert Parrish	....	editorial adviser
Donald W. Starling	....	montages

Music Department
Morris Stoloff	....	musical director
Mischa Bakaleinikoff	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)
George Duning	....	composer: additional music (uncredited)
Howard Jackson	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)
John Leipold	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)
Paul Mertz	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)
Joseph Nussbaum	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Ben Oakland	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)
Marlin Skiles	....	composer: additional music (uncredited)

Other crew
Shirley Miller	....	assistant to the producer
Donna M. Norridge	....	script supervisor (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Columbia Pictures Corporation (presents)

Distributors

• Columbia Pictures (1949) (USA) (theatrical)
• Europa Film (1950) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Columbia Pictures (1958) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Columbia (1949) (France) (theatrical) (as Columbia Films S.A.)
• Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment (2001) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment (2001) (Germany) (DVD)
• Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment (2001) (UK) (DVD)
• Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment (2001) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (1998) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (1994) (USA) (VHS)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (1994) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (1996) (USA) (VHS)
• LK-TEL Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)
• RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video (19??) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2006) (USA) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Sunset Gower Studios  sound stages
• Ultra Film Synchron  German dubbing

Also Known As:

Runtime:

110 min (copyright length)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Canada:PG (video rating) | Finland:K-16 | UK:U (video rating) (1992) | USA:Approved (PCA #13747) | West Germany:12 | Sweden:15 | Netherlands:AL (VHS rating) (1998) | UK:A (original rating) (passed with cuts) | UK:U (tv rating) | Netherlands:18 (original rating) (1950) | USA:TV-PG

Filming Locations:

California, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

To prepare for the role of Willie Stark, Broderick Crawford watched newsreels of Huey Long, the former Louisiana senator and governor on whose life the novel was loosely based.

Goofs:

Continuity: Near the end of the movie, on the courthouse steps, Stark is shown from the front with Sugar Boy standing directly at his right shoulder. From behind, however, Sugar Boy is nowhere near Stark.

Quotes:

Jack Burden:Anne, Burden's Landing is a place on the Moon. It isn't real. It doesn't exist. It's me pretending to live on what I earn. It's my mother trying to keep herself young and drinking herself old. It's you and Adam living in this house as though your father were still alive. It's an old man like the judge dreaming of the past.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Spin City: All the Mayor's Men (#4.3)" (1999)

That's The Way To Handle Politics On Film

You know what I really appreciated about this political story? The filmmakers went overboard NOT to paint the main character as either a Republican or Democrat, Conservative or Liberal. It winds up, then, being more a human-interest story. In other words, there was no political agenda....unlike most films, especially in the last 50 years.

At any rate, Broderick Crawford does an outstanding job portraying the self- proclaimed "hick" Willie Starks, who rises from nothing to become governor of a state and then gets carried away with power and ego.

Mercedes McCambridge is equally riveting as one of his aides. She was a great actress, one of the most intense females I've ever seen on film. I'm sorry she didn't achieve stardom and make more movies than she did. She certainly had the talent. In fact, she won an Academy Award for this performance.

John Ireland also does very well here as another person helping "Willie." Add some good cinematography and you have a fascinating film start-to-finish. I look forward to viewing it again.