Frank Skeffington is an old Irish-American political boss, running for re-election as mayor of a U.S. town for the last time.
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Title: The Last Hurrah (1958)
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Spencer Tracy | ... | Mayor Frank Skeffington | |
| Jeffrey Hunter | ... | Adam Caulfield | |
| Dianne Foster | ... | Maeve Caulfield | |
| Pat O'Brien | ... | John Gorman | |
| Basil Rathbone | ... | Norman Cass, Sr. | |
| Donald Crisp | ... | Cardinal Martin Burke | |
| James Gleason | ... | 'Cuke' Gillen | |
| Edward Brophy | ... | 'Ditto' Boland | |
| John Carradine | ... | Amos Force | |
| Willis Bouchey | ... | Roger Sugrue | |
| Basil Ruysdael | ... | Bishop Gardner | |
| Ricardo Cortez | ... | Sam Weinberg | |
| Wallace Ford | ... | Charles J. Hennessey | |
| Frank McHugh | ... | Festus Garvey | |
| Carleton Young | ... | Winslow | |
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Plot Summary
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Storyline
An aging politician tries to get re-elected one last time in the changing world of the 1950s when TV started to play a bigger part in politics. Based loosely on the career of multi-term Boston Mayor James Michael Curley, this film examines the good and evil inherent in politics and all the things that go into an election. Tracy's uphill battle to stay in office is set against the political machinery that preyed on ethnic hatred and old-time money. Written by Ed Lorusso
Plot Keywords:
mayor | irish american | election campaign | political machine | based on real person |Taglines:
Ford's Finest! See more »Parents Guide:
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Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
November 1958 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Das letzte Hurra See more »Edit
Box Office
Budget:
$2,300,000 (estimated)Company Credits
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Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Mono (RCA Sound Recording)Color:
Black and WhiteAspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1
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Mayor Frank Skeffington: [opening his eyes] Like hell I would.
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Did You Know?
Goofs
When 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. See more »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.
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John Ford's version of the book, THE LAST HURRAH, is a behind the scenes look at one last election campaign for an aging mayor (Skeffington) of a town whose name is never mentioned in the film. In many ways, the film is a bit cynical as it showed the way that politicians wheel and deal and manipulate--but in this case, always for a good cause. While Skeffington is definitely not above using these questionable tactics, at the same time, he is shown as fundamentally decent and very, very sentimental--with a true love for his constituents. This is a very difficult balancing act for the film--combining gritty realism with sentimentality, but it manages to do so.
In many ways, this is highly reminiscent of the real life Ford, as he was by many accounts a highly manipulative son of a,.....well, you know what I was going to say. Yet, at the same time, sentimentality abounds in his films like no other film maker. You can see it here in his liberal use of old and almost forgotten supporting stars--such as Eddie Brophy, Frank McHugh and Jane Darwell.
Overall, the film is very interesting and manipulative (in a good way), as you find yourself pulling for Skeffington and feeling his pain as well--even though he is a fictional character AND a politician! The film is well worth seeing and the film is extremely well-acted and directed.