Washington Story

Last updated
Washington Story
Washington Story (1952) poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Robert Pirosh
Written byRobert Pirosh
Produced by Dore Schary
Starring
Cinematography John Alton
Edited byJohn Durant
John Dunning
Music by Conrad Salinger
Distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release date
  • July 1, 1952 (1952-07-01)
Running time
81 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$1,419,000 [1]
Box office$684,000 [1]

Washington Story is a 1952 American comedy drama film starring Van Johnson and Patricia Neal. Directed by Robert Pirosh, it follows a green reporter in search of government corruption who instead falls for a congressman.

Contents

Plot

On her first trip to Washington, D.C., aspiring reporter Alice Kingsley is shown around by Gilbert Nunnally, a successful radio commentator. Nunnally has a cynical view of the Capitol and everybody in it, expressing his belief that every politician can be bought.

Alice wants to see if there is any truth to that, and is directed by Nunnally to a young Massachusetts Democratic congressman with a squeaky-clean image, Joe Gresham, and introduces herself. Joe is wary of the press and makes a telephone call to check her credentials, but Alice, having anticipated this, gives him a number for Nunnally, who pretends to be the reporter's editor and vouches for her credentials.

Following him around, Alice is impressed by Joe's work ethic and personality. She wonders if veteran Republican politician Charles Birch is an antagonist, only to learn that Birch has been a mentor to Joe and is greatly admired by him.

Nunnally persuades Alice that something nefarious is going on between Joe and a lobbyist named Phil Emery, who is trying to get Joe's key vote for a bill to pass. Joe is more concerned about its effect on his own constituents than its greater impact. Alice isn't sure what to make of that, or of Joe's seeming disinterest in an elderly immigrant's possible deportation.

After a late-night meeting, apparently with Emery, and another private parley with him at a cocktail party, Joe becomes strongly suspect in Alice‘s eyes. After an unexpected Senate passage of the key bill, Joe has a change of heart and votes in favor of it. Alice is now persuaded by Nunnally that he sold his vote for a price. However, she learns from Birch that Joe's adverse attitude toward the press is fueled by an underhanded charge against him by Nunnally, and that Joe has a libel suit pending against him in two weeks' time. Nunnally confronts the congressman and offers to suppress the story about Joe selling his vote if the lawsuit is dropped. Joe punches him in the nose instead.

Alice runs into the immigrant, who tells her how Joe had gone too to great effort to ensure he could remain in the country. It was he, not Emery, that the all-night meeting had been with; Alice also learns that Joe had an honest change of heart about the bill, recognizing it was for the greater good. Alice writes a column singing Joe's praises, Joe recognizes her true character, and both surrender to their love.

Cast

Reception

Box office

According to MGM records the movie was not a hit, earning $557,000 in the US and Canada and $127,000 elsewhere, registering a loss to the studio of $1,060,000. [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patricia Neal</span> American stage and film actress (1926–2010)

Patricia Neal was an American actress of stage and screen. She is well known for, among other roles, playing World War II widow Helen Benson in The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951), radio journalist Marcia Jeffries in A Face in the Crowd (1957), wealthy matron Emily Eustace Failenson in Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961), and the worn-out housekeeper Alma Brown in Hud (1963). She also featured as the matriarch in the television film The Homecoming: A Christmas Story (1971); her role as Olivia Walton was re-cast for the series it inspired, The Waltons. A major star of the 1950s and 1960s, she was the recipient of an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Tony Award, and two British Academy Film Awards, and was nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Neal</span> American politician (born 1949)

Richard Edmund Neal is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for Massachusetts's 1st congressional district since 1989. The district, numbered as the 2nd district from 1989 to 2013, includes Springfield, West Springfield, Pittsfield, Holyoke, Agawam, Chicopee and Westfield, and is much more rural than the rest of the state. A member of the Democratic Party, Neal has been the dean of Massachusetts's delegation to the United States House of Representatives since 2013, and he is also the dean of the New England House delegations.

<i>In the Skin of a Lion</i> 1987 novel by Michael Ondaatje

In the Skin of a Lion is a novel by Canadian–Sri Lankan writer Michael Ondaatje. It was first published in 1987 by McClelland and Stewart. The novel fictionalizes the lives of the immigrants who played a large role in the building of the city of Toronto in the early 1900s, but whose contributions never became part of the city's official history. Ondaatje illuminates the investment of these settlers in Canada, through their labour, while they remain outsiders to mainstream society. In the Skin of a Lion is thus an exposé of the migrant condition: "It is a novel about the wearing and the removal of masks; the shedding of skin, the transformations and translations of identity."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Wilson (American politician)</span> American politician (born 1947)

Addison Graves "Joe" Wilson Sr. is an American politician and attorney serving as the U.S. representative for South Carolina's 2nd congressional district since 2001. A member of the Republican Party, his district stretches from Columbia to the Georgia–South Carolina border. He served as the South Carolina state senator from the 23rd district from 1985 to 2001.

<i>Dressed to Kill</i> (1946 film) 1946 film by Roy William Neill

Dressed to Kill is a 1946 American mystery film directed by Roy William Neill. Released by Universal Pictures, it is the last of fourteen films starring Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes and Nigel Bruce as Doctor Watson. It is also known by the alternative titles Prelude to Murder and Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Code in the United Kingdom.

The Guiding Light is an American television soap opera.

<i>The Fountainhead</i> (film) 1949 film

The Fountainhead is a 1949 American black-and-white drama film produced by Henry Blanke, directed by King Vidor, and starring Gary Cooper, Patricia Neal, Raymond Massey, Robert Douglas and Kent Smith. The film is based on the bestselling 1943 novel of the same name by Ayn Rand, who also wrote the adaptation. Although Rand's screenplay was used with minimal alterations, she later criticized the editing, production design and acting.

<i>Stanley and Livingstone</i> 1939 film by Henry King, Otto Brower

Stanley and Livingstone is a 1939 American adventure film directed by Henry King and Otto Brower. It is loosely based on the true story of Welsh reporter Sir Henry M. Stanley's quest to find Dr. David Livingstone, a Scottish missionary presumed lost in Africa, who he finally met on November 10, 1871. Spencer Tracy plays Stanley, while Cedric Hardwicke portrays Livingstone. Other cast members include Nancy Kelly, Richard Greene, Walter Brennan, Charles Coburn and Henry Hull.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Congressional Hispanic Conference</span> Caucus in the U.S. Congress

The Congressional Hispanic Conference (CHC) is a Republican sponsored caucus in the United States Congress. Currently with 20 members, the CHC was formed in 2003, with the stated goal of promoting policy outcomes of importance to Americans of Hispanic or Lusitanic descent.

<i>Holy Matrimony</i> (1943 film) 1943 film by John M. Stahl

Holy Matrimony is a 1943 comedy film directed by John M. Stahl and released by 20th Century Fox. The screenplay was based on the 1908 novel Buried Alive by Arnold Bennett. It stars Monty Woolley and Gracie Fields, with Laird Cregar, Una O'Connor, Alan Mowbray, Franklin Pangborn, Eric Blore, and George Zucco in supporting roles.

<i>Midnight Manhunt</i> 1945 film

Midnight Manhunt is a 1945 film noir crime film mystery directed by William C. Thomas and written by David Lang. The film premiered on July 24, 1945 and is in the public domain.

<i>The Circus Clown</i> 1934 film by Ray Enright

The Circus Clown is a 1934 American Pre-Code comedy film about a man who wants to join the circus against the wishes of his ex-circus clown father. It stars Joe E. Brown and Patricia Ellis.

"Clarifications" is the eighth episode of the fifth season of the HBO original series The Wire. The episode was written by Dennis Lehane from a story by David Simon and Dennis Lehane and was directed by Anthony Hemingway. It aired on February 24, 2008.

LBJ: The Early Years is a television movie that appeared on the NBC network in February 1987, depicting the pre-presidential life of Lyndon B. Johnson, the 36th president of the United States. Actor Randy Quaid won a Golden Globe award for his portrayal of Johnson.

<i>Its a Big Country</i> 1951 film

It's a Big Country: An American Anthology is a 1951 American anthology film consisting of eight segments by seven directors: Richard Thorpe, John Sturges, Charles Vidor, Don Weis, Clarence Brown, William A. Wellman and Don Hartman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bill Johnson (Ohio politician)</span> American politician (born 1954)

William Leslie Johnson is an American university administrator, businessman, and former politician who has served as president of Youngstown State University since 2024. Previously, he was the U.S. representative for Ohio's 6th congressional district from 2011 until 2024. He is a member of the Republican Party.

Nuns on the Bus is a Catholic advocacy group in the United States. Their name comes from the fact that they tour the country on a bus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chuy García</span> Mexican-American politician (born 1956)

Jesús G. "Chuy" García is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for Illinois's 4th district since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, he served on the Cook County Board of Commissioners, as well as in the Illinois Senate and on the Chicago City Council before his election to Congress. He was also a candidate for mayor of Chicago in 2015 and 2023. Throughout his career in Chicago and national politics, he has been described as a progressive.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neal Dunn</span> American surgeon & politician (born 1953)

Neal Patrick Dunn is an American surgeon and Republican Party politician serving as the U.S. representative for Florida's 2nd congressional district since 2017.

"Chapter 4" is the fourth episode of the first season of the American political thriller drama series House of Cards. Written by Rick Cleveland and series creator Beau Willimon, and directed by James Foley, the episode premiered on February 1, 2013, when it was released along with the rest of the first season on the American streaming service Netflix.

References

  1. 1 2 3 The Eddie Mannix Ledger, Los Angeles: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study.