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Washington Story

  • 1952
  • Approved
  • 1h 21m
IMDb RATING
6.4/10
271
YOUR RATING
Van Johnson and Patricia Neal in Washington Story (1952)
DramaRomance

Joe Gresham is a hard-working but reticent congressman from Massachusetts. Reporter Alice Kingsley arrives in Washington, DC hired by Gilbert Nunnally, a tabloid columnist and cynic who want... Read allJoe Gresham is a hard-working but reticent congressman from Massachusetts. Reporter Alice Kingsley arrives in Washington, DC hired by Gilbert Nunnally, a tabloid columnist and cynic who wants Alice to uncover a ripe political scandal. They target "No Comment Joe" Gresham, and she... Read allJoe Gresham is a hard-working but reticent congressman from Massachusetts. Reporter Alice Kingsley arrives in Washington, DC hired by Gilbert Nunnally, a tabloid columnist and cynic who wants Alice to uncover a ripe political scandal. They target "No Comment Joe" Gresham, and she begins developing a story on him, telling him it will be a benign "profile." Gresham is s... Read all

  • Director
    • Robert Pirosh
  • Writer
    • Robert Pirosh
  • Stars
    • Van Johnson
    • Patricia Neal
    • Louis Calhern
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    6.4/10
    271
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Robert Pirosh
    • Writer
      • Robert Pirosh
    • Stars
      • Van Johnson
      • Patricia Neal
      • Louis Calhern
    • 8User reviews
    • 1Critic review
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Photos21

    Van Johnson and Sidney Blackmer in Washington Story (1952)
    Van Johnson and Sidney Blackmer in Washington Story (1952)
    Patricia Neal and Philip Ober in Washington Story (1952)
    Louis Calhern and Patricia Neal in Washington Story (1952)
    Louis Calhern and Patricia Neal in Washington Story (1952)
    Van Johnson, Louis Calhern, Patricia Neal, and Katherine Warren in Washington Story (1952)
    Van Johnson and Patricia Neal in Washington Story (1952)
    Van Johnson and Patricia Neal in Washington Story (1952)
    Patricia Neal in Washington Story (1952)
    Van Johnson and Patricia Neal in Washington Story (1952)
    Raymond Greenleaf, Patricia Neal, and Philip Ober in Washington Story (1952)
    Van Johnson in Washington Story (1952)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Van Johnson
    Van Johnson
    • Joseph T. Gresham
    Patricia Neal
    Patricia Neal
    • Alice Kingsley
    Louis Calhern
    Louis Calhern
    • Charles W. Birch
    Sidney Blackmer
    Sidney Blackmer
    • Philip Emery
    Philip Ober
    Philip Ober
    • Gilbert Nunnally
    Patricia Collinge
    Patricia Collinge
    • Miss Galbreth
    Moroni Olsen
    Moroni Olsen
    • Speaker of the House
    Elizabeth Patterson
    Elizabeth Patterson
    • Miss Dee
    Reinhold Schünzel
    Reinhold Schünzel
    • Peter Kralik
    Fay Roope
    Fay Roope
    • Caswell
    Dan Riss
    Dan Riss
    • Bill Holmby
    Joan Banks
    • Mrs. Vatek
    Raymond Greenleaf
    Raymond Greenleaf
    • John Sheldon
    Gregory Marshall
    • Rodney Delwick
    Perry Sheehan
    • Secretary
    Jimmie Fox
    • Mr. Watkins, mailman
    Katherine Warren
    Katherine Warren
    • Mrs. Birch
    John Alvin
    John Alvin
    • Technician
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Robert Pirosh
    • Writer
      • Robert Pirosh
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Interiors were shot throughout the U.S. Capitol Building, including the House Chamber, Rotunda, and the subways to the House and Senate office buildings. The production crew was given unprecedented access to the Capitol, greater than any previous film.
    • Goofs
      When Alice Kingsley and Gilbert Nunnally are shown taking the subway to the Senate office building, they are shown coming to the end of the line twice on the rear-screen projection behind them.

    User reviews8

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    6/10
    Does The Name of Drew Pearson Strike A Familiar Note?
    A young generation of American movie viewers cannot possibly appreciate the significance of Washington Story and the performance of Philip Ober as a Drew Pearson type columnist. But back when I was a lad, his was a name that struck fear in the hearts of many Washington politicians, mostly those of the conservative bent. His column from the capital was a weekly expose of all the crooked wheeling and dealing going on there, written in a Walter Winchell like vein. Like Philip Ober in this story, Pearson was a man both feared and despised in many quarters.

    A lot of people thought Pearson was a crusading hero, but Washington Story doesn't make Ober anything like that. He's a raker of tabloid mud who's currently drawing a bead on young Congressman Van Johnson from Massachusetts. To do his dirty work Ober gets young Patricia Neal, an ambitious reporter herself, to get close to Johnson and dig up the top soil.

    Of course as what usually happens in films like these Johnson and Neal fall for each other with unforeseen consequences for Ober. Louis Calhern is in the film as a wise older Congressman from the other party who befriends Johnson and helps steer him through the crisis. And Sidney Blackmer does a nice job as a lobbyist for the shipping industry whose pet bill is giving Johnson a lot of grief.

    If you think Johnson and Neal sound a lot like James Stewart and Jean Arthur you'd be right. MGM filmed Washington Story inside the environs of the real Capitol Hill. It's not Mr. Smith with Jimmy Stewart fighting against a blind establishment, blind to the corruption in Stewart's state. Here the establishment is given a nice coat of whitewash. Remember this was the beginning of the Cold War when we were putting our best foot forward at all times. The villain here in fact is our press.

    Or at least a part of it as represented by columnists like Drew Pearson. I have a funny feeling that the genesis of Washington Story came from someone at MGM running afoul of Pearson and getting back at him cinematically speaking.
    helpful•14
    0
    • bkoganbing
    • Sep 19, 2007

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • July 18, 1952 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Mister Congressman
    • Filming locations
      • Capitol Building, Washington, District of Columbia, USA(interiors and exteriors)
    • Production company
      • Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    • Budget
      • $1,419,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • Runtime
      1 hour 21 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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