IMDb RATING
7.3/10
4.2K
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Frank Skeffington is an old Irish-American political boss, running for re-election as mayor of a U.S. town for the last time.Frank Skeffington is an old Irish-American political boss, running for re-election as mayor of a U.S. town for the last time.Frank Skeffington is an old Irish-American political boss, running for re-election as mayor of a U.S. town for the last time.
- Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award
- 3 wins & 1 nomination total
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaOrson Welles was John Ford's original choice to play Frank Skeffington, but Welles either lost or refused the part after Ward Bond, a Ford friend and an ultra-conservative Republican, publicly questioned Welles' loyalty to the U.S., as Welles was well known as a progressive Democrat. Ford was furious with Bond, since Welles and Ford were fans of each other's work.
- GoofsWhen Frank Jr. bursts into the bedroom to see his dying Father, the doorknob comes apart and the interior knob falls off. The Doctor immediately follows him into the room, and the doorknob is once again intact.
- Quotes
Roger Sugrue: [standing by Skeffington's bed] Well, at least he made his peace with God. There's one thing we all can be sure of - if he had it to do over again, there's no doubt in the world he would do it very, very differently.
Mayor Frank Skeffington: [opening his eyes] Like hell I would.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Directed by John Ford (1971)
Featured review
A bit of a whitewash, but still a great movie
This movie was based on the novel of the same name by Edwin O'Connor, which in turn was inspired by the career of the colorful 4-time Mayor of Boston (and sometime Governor of Massachusetts and U. S. Congressman) James Michael Curley. Curley, although remembered today as a lovable rogue and a flamboyant old-time politician who made the voice of Boston's despised Irish heard in the halls of power, basically ran Boston into the ground during his tenure as mayor, destroying the city's credit rating, and dividing its people by appealing to old-time Irish-American fears and prejudices.
But, as far as this movie is concerned, that's neither here nor there. Spencer Tracy is outstanding as the mayor (in my opinion, only James Stewart was a better actor among the leading men of the Hollywood studio era) and the supporting players are superb, notably Pat O'Brien, Donald Crisp, Basil Rathbone, John Carradine, Jane Darwell and especially O.Z. Whitehead, who is brilliantly cast in a small role as the featherbrained son of a crusty Yankee banker. Also noteworthy are the usual patriotic and sentimental touches of director-producer John Ford.
What ever your political opinions may be, this is an outstanding look at old-time politics as it begins to give way to the era of mass media.
But, as far as this movie is concerned, that's neither here nor there. Spencer Tracy is outstanding as the mayor (in my opinion, only James Stewart was a better actor among the leading men of the Hollywood studio era) and the supporting players are superb, notably Pat O'Brien, Donald Crisp, Basil Rathbone, John Carradine, Jane Darwell and especially O.Z. Whitehead, who is brilliantly cast in a small role as the featherbrained son of a crusty Yankee banker. Also noteworthy are the usual patriotic and sentimental touches of director-producer John Ford.
What ever your political opinions may be, this is an outstanding look at old-time politics as it begins to give way to the era of mass media.
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- Mike Sh.
- Mar 25, 2001
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Details
Box office
- Budget
- $2,300,000 (estimated)
- Runtime2 hours 1 minute
- Color
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