Tail Gunner Joe (TV 1977)

A dramatization of the life of Sen. Joseph McCarthy, the alcoholic senator from Wisconsin whose tactics of accusing prominent people of Communist sympathies were initially designed to give ... See full summary »

Director:

Jud Taylor

Writer:

Lane Slate

Stars:

Peter Boyle, John Forsythe, Heather Menzies-Urich

Won 2 Primetime Emmys. Another 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Peter Boyle	...	Sen. Joseph McCarthy
John Forsythe	...	Paul Cunningham
Heather Menzies-Urich	...	Logan (as Heather Menzies)
Burgess Meredith	...	Joseph Welch
Patricia Neal	...	Sen. Margaret Chase Smith
Jean Stapleton	...	Mrs. DeCamp
Philip Abbott	...	Sen. Scott Lucas
Wesley Addy	...	Middleton
Ned Beatty	...	Sylvester
Karen Carlson	...	Jean Kerr
John Carradine	...	Wisconsin farmer
Charles Cioffi	...	Logan's Boss
Diana Douglas	...	Sarah
Andrew Duggan	...	Dwight Eisenhower
Henry Jones	...	Armitage

Storyline

A dramatization of the life of Sen. Joseph McCarthy, the alcoholic senator from Wisconsin whose tactics of accusing prominent people of Communist sympathies were initially designed to give him a national power base when he later planned to run for President.

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Plot Keywords:

senator | mccarthyism | 1950s | communist infiltrator | historical event | 

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Genres:

Biography | Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 February 1977 (USA)

Also Known As:

La chasse aux sorcières

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal TV

Technical Specs

Runtime:

145 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Burgess Meredith, who plays the attorney Joseph Welch who finally stood up to Senator McCarthy, was himself named an unfriendly witness by the House Un-American Activities Committee, which nearly ruined his acting career.

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Quotes

JOSEPH WELCH: Until this moment, Senator, I think I never really gauged your cruelty or your recklessness. Fred Fisher is a young man who is starting what looks to be a brilliant career with us. Little did I dream that you could be so reckless, and so cruel, as to do an injury to that lad. Have you no sense of decency, sir; at long last, have you left no sense of decency?

User Reviews

Well worth seeing, if you can find it

This TV movie from the late Seventies is one of Peter Boyle's finest performances. He captures everything about Senator McCarthy perfectly, especially the strange cadence of his speech. I must strongly disagree with those who would say that McCarthy has been "vindicated" by history: on the contrary, the evidence is even stronger now than at the time that the witch hunt in which he was engaged was very, very wrong, and completely against what makes America strong. We are who we are because we can dissent and discuss opposing views without fear of assassination, character or otherwise. Joe McCarthy engaged in the politics of fear, and this film makes that point very well. Yes, the film is slanted against McCarthy, but that is because he himself was so one-sided. Again, TAIL GUNNER JOE is well worth seeing, but it doesn't show on air or cable very often. It has not been issued on DVD, but let's hope that it is soon, so that its message cam be heard by any thinking person, and that Peter Boyle's performance can be savored.