Abe Lincoln in Illinois (film)

Last updated
Abe Lincoln in Illinois
Abe Lincoln in Illinois (film).jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by John Cromwell
Written by Grover Jones
Screenplay byRobert E. Sherwood
Based on Abe Lincoln in Illinois
1938 play
by Robert E. Sherwood
Produced by Max Gordon
Starring Raymond Massey
Gene Lockhart
Ruth Gordon
Mary Howard
Minor Watson
Alan Baxter
Cinematography James Wong Howe
Edited by George Hively
Music by Roy Webb
Production
company
RKO Radio Pictures
Distributed by RKO Radio Pictures
Release date
  • April 19, 1940 (1940-04-19)
[1]
Running time
110 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$1,004,000 [2]
Box office$666,000 [2]

Abe Lincoln in Illinois is a 1940 biographical-drama film that depicts the life of Abraham Lincoln from his departure from Kentucky until his election as president of the United States. In the UK, the film is known by the alternate title Spirit of the People. [3] The film was adapted by Grover Jones and Robert E. Sherwood from Sherwood's 1938 Pulitzer Prize-winning play of the same name. It was directed by John Cromwell.

Contents

The film stars Raymond Massey and Howard da Silva, who reprised their roles from the original Broadway production of Abe Lincoln in Illinois , playing Abe Lincoln and Jack Armstrong respectively. Herbert Rudley, who had portrayed Seth Gale in the play, also repeated his role in the film version. The film also marks the screen debut of Ruth Gordon in the role of Mary Todd Lincoln. [4]

The film received Academy Award nominations for Best Actor in a Leading Role (Raymond Massey) and Best Cinematography, Black-and-White (James Wong Howe).

Plot

Abraham Lincoln leaves home for the first time, having been hired along with two of his friends by Denton Offutt to take a load of pigs by water to New Orleans. When the boat becomes stuck at a dam at the settlement of New Salem, Abe sees and loses his heart to Ann Rutledge, the daughter of the local tavern keeper. When Denton later offers him a job at his store in New Salem, Abe readily accepts.

Abe discovers that Ann already has a beau. However, he makes himself the most popular man in town with his ready, good-natured humor. He takes lessons from schoolteacher Mentor Graham. When Abe's rival for Ann's affections leaves to improve himself, Ann waits for the man for two years before receiving a letter stating that the man does not know when he will return. Abe seizes the opportunity to express his love for Ann, but she is unsure of her feelings for him and asks for some time. She soon dies from "brain fever", telling Abe on her deathbed that she could have loved him.

Abe is asked to run for the Illinois General Assembly. He reluctantly accepts and wins, but after his first term in Springfield, he decides to study the law. When Mary Todd visits her sister Elizabeth Edwards and her wealthy, influential husband Ninian, a party is held in her honor. All of the eligible bachelors come, including Stephen Douglas, Abe's fiercest political rival. However, it is the homely, unpolished Abe who catches Mary's fancy, much to her sister's chagrin. Ambitious, Mary senses greatness in him, and she is determined to drive him to his rightful destiny despite his lack of ambition. Abe proposes marriage but changes his mind at the last minute, discomfited by her drive, and he leaves town. After reflection, he proposes again, and Mary accepts. Years pass, and they have several children.

Lincoln runs for a seat in the U.S, Senate and engages in a series of debates with Stephen Douglas, the opposing candidate, during which the main issue is slavery. In a stirring speech, Abe contends that "a house divided against itself cannot stand."

With a presidential election looming, Abe's party is so split that the favorites are unacceptable to all. The party leaders compromise on dark-horse candidate Lincoln. He is opposed by three other candidates, including Douglas. Abe wins the election, bids his friends goodbye and boards the train for Washington, D.C.

Cast

Production

RKO paid "upwards of $175,000" for the play's film rights. [5] Filming took place in Eugene, Oregon. [6]

Reception

In a contemporary review for The New York Times , critic Frank S. Nugent called the film "a grand picture and a memorable biography of the greatest American of them all" and praised Massey's performance: "His Lincoln has acquired, with constant usage of the role, a mellowness, an evenness, an assurance that make the character seem less put on than foreordained by nature and by art. He looks the part, he is the man, he speaks the lines as Lincoln must have spoken them, or should have spoken them. We recognize that it is unfair to take performance for granted, but that will be Mr. Massey's fate: you will simply think of him as Lincoln." [7]

The film recorded a loss of $740,000, making it one of the greatest financial disasters in RKO's history. However, in the states of Illinois and Indiana, where the film was heavily promoted, it became the highest-grossing film in most theaters. Nationwide, it lost attendance to a number of successful films such as Rebecca , Foreign Correspondent , Pinocchio , The Grapes of Wrath , Fantasia , The Sea Hawk , Our Town , Santa Fe Trail , The Letter , Northwest Passage and Pride and Prejudice . [2]

Adaptations to other media

Abe Lincoln in Illinois was dramatized as an hour-long radio play on a broadcast of Lux Radio Theater on April 22, 1940, again starring Raymond Massey as Lincoln. It also was adapted in a broadcast from the Ford Theatre on February 8, 1948.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raymond Massey</span> Canadian actor

Raymond Hart Massey was a Canadian actor, known for his commanding, stage-trained voice. For his lead role in Abe Lincoln in Illinois (1940), Massey was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor. He reprised his role as Lincoln on television and in How the West Was Won (1962). Among his other well-known roles were Dr. Gillespie in the NBC television series Dr. Kildare (1961–1966), John Brown in Santa Fe Trail (1940) and Seven Angry Men (1955), Abraham Farlan in A Matter of Life and Death (1946), and Jonathan Brewster in Arsenic and Old Lace (1944).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Todd Lincoln</span> American lawyer and politician (1843–1926)

Robert Todd Lincoln was an American lawyer and businessman. The eldest son of President Abraham Lincoln and Mary Todd Lincoln, he was the only one of their four children to survive past the teenage years and also the only to outlive both parents. Robert Lincoln became a business lawyer and company president, and served as both United States Secretary of War (1881–1885) and the U.S. Ambassador to Great Britain (1889–1893).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mary Todd Lincoln</span> First Lady of the United States from 1861 to 1865

Mary Ann Todd Lincoln served as the First Lady of the United States from 1861 until the assassination of her husband, President Abraham Lincoln, in 1865.

<i>Young Mr. Lincoln</i> 1939 film by John Ford

Young Mr. Lincoln is a 1939 American biographical drama western film about the early life of President Abraham Lincoln, directed by John Ford and starring Henry Fonda. Ford and producer Darryl F. Zanuck fought for control of the film, to the point where Ford destroyed unwanted takes for fear the studio would use them in the film. Screenwriter Lamar Trotti was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Writing/Original Story.

<i>Abraham Lincoln</i> (1930 film) 1930 film

Abraham Lincoln, also released under the title D. W. Griffith's "Abraham Lincoln", is a 1930 pre-Code American biographical film about Abraham Lincoln directed by D. W. Griffith. It stars Walter Huston as Lincoln and Una Merkel, in her second speaking role, as Ann Rutledge. The script was co-written by Stephen Vincent Benét, author of the Civil War prose poem John Brown's Body (1928), and Gerrit Lloyd. This was the first of only two sound films made by Griffith.

The sexuality of Abraham Lincoln has been the topic of historical speculation and research. No such discussions have been documented during or shortly after Lincoln's lifetime; however, in recent decades, some writers have discussed purported evidence that he may have been homosexual.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Herndon (lawyer)</span> American lawyer and politician (1818–1891)

William Henry Herndon was an American lawyer and politician who was a law partner and biographer of President Abraham Lincoln. He was an early member of the new Republican Party and was elected mayor of Springfield, Illinois.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ann Rutledge</span> Young woman who was allegedly Abraham Lincolns first love

Ann Mayes Rutledge was allegedly Abraham Lincoln's first love.

<i>Abe Lincoln in Illinois</i> (play) 1938 theater play

Abe Lincoln in Illinois is a play written by the American playwright Robert E. Sherwood in 1938, based principally on the 1926 biography Abraham Lincoln: The Prairie Years by Carl Sandburg. The play, in three acts, covers the life of President Abraham Lincoln from his childhood through his final speech in Illinois before he left for Washington. The play also covers his romance with Mary Todd and his debates with Stephen A. Douglas, and uses Lincoln's own words in some scenes. Sherwood received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1939 for his work.

John Cromwell was an American film and stage director and actor. His films spanned the early days of sound to film noir in the early 1950s, by which time his directing career was almost terminated by the Hollywood blacklist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Early life and career of Abraham Lincoln</span>

Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, in a one-room log cabin on the Sinking Spring farm, south of Hodgenville in Hardin County, Kentucky. His siblings were Sarah Lincoln Grigsby and Thomas Lincoln, Jr. After a land title dispute forced the family to leave in 1811, they relocated to Knob Creek farm, eight miles to the north. By 1814, Thomas Lincoln, Abraham's father, had lost most of his land in Kentucky in legal disputes over land titles. In 1816, Thomas and Nancy Lincoln, their nine-year-old daughter Sarah, and seven-year-old Abraham moved to what became Indiana, where they settled in Hurricane Township, Perry County, Indiana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ruth Clifford</span> American actress (1900–1998)

Ruth Clifford was an American actress of leading roles in silent films whose career lasted from that era into the television era.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marjorie Weaver</span> American actress

Marjorie Weaver was an American film actress of the 1930s through the early 1950s.

<i>Abe</i> (musical) Musical

Abe is a musical in two acts based on the life of President Abraham Lincoln with book & lyrics by Lee Goldsmith, music by Roger Anderson and orchestration by Greg Anthony. The musical covers the life of Abraham Lincoln from his earliest attempts at self-improvement through the 1860 election which made him the 16th president of an already fracturing United States. Also explored is Lincoln's youth as a flatboat pilot on the Mississippi, his early love for Ann Rutledge, his troubled marriage to the difficult and mentally fragile Mary Todd, and his attempt to be a good father to his sons.

<i>Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter</i> 2012 film by Timur Bekmambetov

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter is a 2012 American action horror film directed by Timur Bekmambetov and based on the novel of the same name by Seth Grahame-Smith, depicting a fictionalized history of the American Civil War with the eponymous 16th president of the United States reimagined as having a secret identity as a lifelong vampire hunter fighting against a caste of vampiric slave owners. Benjamin Walker stars as Abraham Lincoln with supporting roles by Dominic Cooper, Anthony Mackie, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Rufus Sewell, and Marton Csokas.

<i>Abraham Lincoln</i> (1924 film) 1924 film

The Dramatic Life of Abraham Lincoln is a 1924 American feature film directed by Phil Rosen and written by Frances Marion. By the date of release, the film's title was shortened to Abraham Lincoln, since the previous title was regarded as cumbersome.

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Abraham Lincoln:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Gaines</span> American actor (1904–1975)

Richard Houston Gaines was an American actor. He appeared in over 75 film and television productions between 1940 and 1962.

Abe Lincoln in Illinois (<i>Hallmark Hall of Fame</i>) 3rd episode of the 13th season of Hallmark Hall of Fame

"Abe Lincoln in Illinois" was an American television play broadcast on NBC on February 5, 1964, as part of the television series, Hallmark Hall of Fame. It was adapted from Robert E. Sherwood's 1938 Pulitzer Prize-winning play. Jason Robards was nominated for an Emmy as outstanding single performance by an actor in a leading role for his portrayal of Lincoln.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Association of Lincoln Presenters</span> Organization for Abraham Lincoln impersonators

The Association of Lincoln Presenters is a membership organization founded by Dan Bassuk in 1990. It was established as a members' society for impersonators of 16th president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln. The group has been the subject of a feature-length documentary and a photography exhibition by Greta Pratt.

References

  1. ↑ "Abe Lincoln in Illinois: Detail View". American Film Institute. Retrieved April 12, 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 Richard Jewel, 'RKO Film Grosses: 1931–1951', Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, Vol 14 No 1, 1994, p. 58
  3. ↑ 'Radio Times Guide to Film 2017'
  4. ↑ Higham, Charles; Greenberg, Joel (1968). Hollywood in the Forties. London: A. Zwemmer Limited. p. 108. ISBN   978-0-498-06928-4.
  5. ↑ "Film Rights $ Up and Up; Hollywood Gets Taken But Presitige Pix Pay." Billboard 55:49 (4 December 1943), 4.
  6. ↑ "Filmed in Oregon 1908-2015" (PDF). Oregon Film Council. Oregon State Library. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
  7. ↑ Nugent, Frank S. (1940-02-23). "The Screen in Review: The Music Hall Celebrates Washington's Birthday With a Brilliant Edition of Sherwood's 'Abe Lincoln in Illinois,' With Raymond Massey and Ruth Gordon". The New York Times . p. 19.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.