Point of Order (1964)

Point of Order is compiled from TV footage of the 1954 Army-McCarthy hearings, in which the Army accused Senator McCarthy of improperly pressuring the Army for special privileges for ... See full summary »

Director:

Emile de Antonio

Stars:

Roy M. Cohn, Joseph McCarthy, John L. McClellan

1 win.

Cast

Credited cast:
Roy M. Cohn	...	Himself (archive footage)
Joseph McCarthy	...	Himself (archive footage)
John L. McClellan	...	Himself - U.S. Senator, Arkansas (archive footage)
Karl E. Mundt	...	Himself (archive footage) (as Sen. Karl E. Mundt)
G. David Schine	...	Himself (archive footage) (as Pvt. G. David Schine)
Stuart Symington	...	Himself - U.S. Senator, Missouri (archive footage)
Joseph N. Welch	...	Himself (archive footage)

Storyline

Point of Order is compiled from TV footage of the 1954 Army-McCarthy hearings, in which the Army accused Senator McCarthy of improperly pressuring the Army for special privileges for Private David Schine, formerly of McCarthy's investigative staff. McCarthy accused the Army of holding Schine hostage to keep him from searching for Communists in the Army. These hearings resulted in McCarthy's eventual censure for conduct unbecoming a senator.

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Plot Keywords:

senator | congressional hearing | anti communist | senate hearing | cold war era | 

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Genres:

Documentary

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 January 1964 (USA)

Also Known As:

Herr ordförande! En ordningsfråga

Company Credits

Production Co:

Point Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Did You Know?

Connections

Featured in Zomergasten: Episode #9.2 (1996)

User Reviews

Sound Familiar?

This 1963 film is reminiscent of another hearing we all may be familiar with

• can you say Monica?

This documentary is a fascinating ride into the mind of American anti-hero Joseph McCarthy and his rivals in the Senate as he defends his (then closeted gay) staff member from accusations of improprieties in the televised Senate committee hearings.

The amazing thing is McCarthy's stupidity and arrogance in his presentation and his use of red herrings to get back to his "agenda". There are open laughs and applause at moments that show McCarthy's loss of power, culminating in the famous "senator, have you no sense of decency" comment by Mr. Welch.

The style is a bit dated - geez, it was just an assembly of clips - but it tells a story that this writer missed in his civics class. It's a must see for anyone interested in American politics, and it is especially interesting to students of political scandal.