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 | Rural | Newspaper

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)
Beulah Hutton	...	Undetermined Role (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) (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

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:

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 | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Canada:PG (video rating) | Finland:K-16 | UK:U (video rating) (1992) | USA:Approved (PCA #13747) | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

California, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

Producer-Director Robert Rossen offered the role of Willie Stark to John Wayne. Rossen sent a copy of the script to Wayne's agent, Charles K. Feldman, who forwarded it to Wayne. After reading the script, Wayne sent it back with an angry letter attached. In it, he told Feldman that before he sent the script to any of his other clients, he should ask them if they wanted to star in a film that "smears the machinery of government for no purpose of humor or enlightenment," that "degrades all relationships," and that is populated by "drunken mothers; conniving fathers; double-crossing sweethearts; bad, bad, rich people; and bad, bad poor people if they want to get ahead." He accused Rossen of wanting to make a movie that threw acid on "the American way of life." If Feldman had such clients, Wayne wrote that the agent should "rush this script... to them." Wayne, however, said to the agent that "You can take this script and shove it up Robert Rossen's derri?re..." Wayne later remarked that "To make Huey Long a wonderful, rough pirate was great," he said; "but, according to this picture, everybody was s - t except for this weakling intern doctor who was trying to find a place in the world." Broderick Crawford, who had played a supporting role in Wayne's Seven Sinners (1940), eventually received the part of Stark. In a bit of irony, Crawford was Oscar-nominated for the part of Stark and found himself competing against Wayne, who was nominated the same year for Sands of Iwo Jima (1949). Crawford won the Best Actor Oscar, giving Rossen the last laugh.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: The drunk driving scene shows US 58 as the Willie Stark Highway. US 58 runs only through Virginia to the Tennessee border, but the state capitol in the movie shows palm trees; there are no palm trees native to Richmond.

Quotes:

[to Willie Stark]
Jack Burden:You throw money around like it was money.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The 80th Annual Academy Awards (2008) (TV)

Politicians corrupt? You're kidding!

There are lots of movies about the rise of some obscure person into the celebrity life, and the person turns out to be an ambitious and unscrupulous phony. Some of them are pretty good -- "Citizen Kane," "All About Eve." Some are mediocre -- "Keeper of the Flame." This is one of the best.

The acting honors generally go to Broderick Crawford and he's not bad. He's rather like a switch who can toggle either into thoughtful candor or blustering Hickhood. (He used the latter persona to good effect as a New Jersey junk man later.) He also had a third position, the incredibly dumb goof, which he never used after becoming a serious actor, but see, "Larceny, Incorporated" for an example of what I mean.

If there's a problem with the script it's not his fault, although it involves his character. Hung over, still a bit drunk, Crawford steps on stage and instead of his usual boring "tax" speech he gives a redneck-rousing go-getter. And he never changes after that. Rather too quick a transition.

The direction is very good. There's a scene in which Mercedes McCambridge enters the hotel room in which John Ireland has been cooped up for four days in a depressed state. "Whew, lots of smoke," she says. "And lots of whiskey." The scene is almost perfectly staged, with Ireland crumpled on the bed in the foreground and reaching for his liquor out of the frame, while McCambridge busies herself emptying ash trays in the background and staring at her face in the mirror. "Smallpox," she says. (She's not nearly as attractive as Crawford's new girl friend, JoAnne Dru, nee Joanne Letitia LaCock, a name that could have come straight out of Andy Warhol's Factory.) Everyone's acting is quite up to par. It's John Ireland's best role. He was never Hollwyood-handsome with those squished up eyes, that deep hole between them, and that protruding nose beneath.

But the honors really should go to Mercedes McCambridge. Robert Rossen, the director, allows her a few seconds here and there to be unique. When Ireland slaps her face hard, she doesn't cry. She replies with a mixture of contempt and not entirely displeased surprise at having provoked him to violence. And that little speech about smallpox as she compares her face in the mirror to the glamorized portrait of Joanne Dru.

I won't go on, I don't think. If you haven't seen this, you really ought to. So should everyone inside the Beltway. Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. That's been attributed so often to Lord Acton that I'm beginning to believe he said it.