Abe Lincoln in Illinois (1940)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Director:

John Cromwell

Writers:

Robert E. Sherwood (play)
Grover Jones (adaptation)

Release Date:

12 February 1940 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | History

Plot:

Covers the period from Lincoln's early years as a Kentucky woodsman until his election to the Presidency in 1860...

Plot Keywords:

Woodsman | 1860s | Illinois | Territory Name In Title | Political Campaign

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars.

Cast

Raymond Massey	...	Abraham Lincoln
Gene Lockhart	...	Stephen Douglas
Ruth Gordon	...	Mary Todd Lincoln
Mary Howard	...	Ann Rutledge
Minor Watson	...	Joshua Speed
Harvey Stephens	...	Ninian Edwards
Alan Baxter	...	Billy Herndon
Howard Da Silva	...	Jack Armstrong (as Howard da Silva)
Dorothy Tree	...	Elizabeth Edwards
Aldrich Bowker	...	Judge Bowling Green
Maurice Murphy	...	John McNeil
Louis Jean Heydt	...	Mentor Graham
Clem Bevans	...	Ben Mattingly
Harlan Briggs	...	Denton Offut
Herbert Rudley	...	Seth Gale

Also Known As:

Spirit of the People (UK)

Runtime:

110 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Victor System)

Certification:

Finland:S | Spain:7 | USA:Approved (PCA #5619) | Sweden:Btl

Filming Locations:

Eugene, Oregon, USA

Company:

Max Gordon Plays & Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

The original Broadway production of "Abe Lincoln in Illinois " by Robert E. Sherwood opened on October 15, 1938 at the Plymouth Theater, ran for 472 performances and won the Pulitzer Prize in Drama in 1939.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: The song "Battle Hymn of the Republic" is played and sung by a choral group in the last scene as he is going to Washington to become President, in 1861. The song was written by Julia Ward Howe in 1861, but after Lincoln had been inaugurated and the Civil War had started.

Quotes:

Mentor Graham: Well, Abe, there are always two occupations open to those who have failed at everything else: school teaching and politics.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis: Zelda, Get Off My Back (#2.17)" (1961)

Soundtrack:

Old Abe Lincoln Came Out of the Wilderness

Holds up pretty well

Episodic recounting of Lincoln's life up to the Presidency. Written by Robert Sherwood, one of FDR's speechwriters. Good performances by Ruth Gordon, Alan Baxter, Howard DaSilva, Clem Bevans.

Massey is the definitive movie Lincoln. Excellent work, emotional range and depth. Much better than Henry Fonda, whose Lincoln was apparently in some kind of trance.

May seem a little dated to modern audiences; occasionally strives for emotional poignancy that now comes across as somewhat corny.

Lots of little details, good depictions of frontier life, political campaigns in the 1800's. Includes two of Lincoln's best speeches from that period, with Massey's performance very close to Lincoln's 19th century oratorical style.

Highly recommended to students of American history and fans of old movies.