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The Great McGinty (1940)
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Overview
User Rating:
Release Date:
23 August 1940 (USA) morePlot:
Dan McGinty has great success in his chosen field of crooked politics. But endangers it all in one crazy moment of honesty... full summary | add synopsisAwards:
Won Oscar. moreUser Comments:
What's Up is Down, What's Wrong is Right moreCast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Brian Donlevy | ... | Daniel 'Dan' McGinty | |
| Muriel Angelus | ... | Catherine McGinty | |
| Akim Tamiroff | ... | The Boss | |
| Allyn Joslyn | ... | George | |
| William Demarest | ... | Skeeters - The Politician | |
| Louis Jean Heydt | ... | Tommy Thompson | |
| Harry Rosenthal | ... | Louie (bodyguard) | |
| Arthur Hoyt | ... | Mayor Wilfred T. Tillinghast | |
| Libby Taylor | ... | Bessy (maid) | |
| Thurston Hall | ... | Mr. Maxwell | |
| Steffi Duna | ... | The Dancing Girl | |
| Esther Howard | ... | Madame Juliette La Jolla | |
| Frank Moran | ... | The Boss' Chauffeur (as Frank C. Moran) | |
| Jimmy Conlin | ... | The Lookout | |
| Dewey Robinson | ... | Benny Felgman |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parentsRuntime:
82 minCountry:
USAColor:
Black and WhiteAspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 moreSound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)Fun Stuff
Trivia:
On August 19, 1939, Paramount issued a check to contract writer Preston Sturges to buy the story and screenplay of this movie, in the amount of $10. Sturges promised to sell the script for that amount if he could direct. The studio took him up on it and the film was a hit and won an Academy Award for the screenplay, probably making it the cheapest Oscar-winning script in history. moreQuotes:
Daniel 'Dan' McGinty: [to the Politician about getting paid for multiple voting] Never mind the applesauce! How do I get the bucks? moreSoundtrack:
Louise moreFAQ
A NOTE ABOUT SPOILERSmore
more
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Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The Great McGinty (1940)| Recent Posts (updated daily) | User |
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| I thought Brownie was the real star | kjewitt |
| Touching Movie! | gulhatt |
| McGinty On DVD? | j-pudwill |
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The Great McGinty grabbed me with its verve and jaunty iconoclasm from the beginning. "This is the story of two men who met in a banana republic. One of them never did anything dishonest in his life except for one crazy minute. The other never did anything honest in his life except for one crazy minute. They both had to get out of the country." In McGinty, a guy on the outs votes for a politician something like 72 times, and for this he is rewarded with a political boss's favor--"The Boss," and what a boss. Akim Tamiroff is simply wonderful: "Where you get that horse blanket?" And: "What a wonderful opportunity. This state needs everything. ... We'll need - you'll kiss me for this - a new dam. ... You think a dam is something you put a lot of water in. A dam is something you put a lot of concrete in. And it doesn't matter how much you put in there's always room for a lot more. ..." As the lead, "The Boss's" counterpart and equal, it's Brian Donlevy as he never had been before, never was again. McGinty (and Sturge's second movie, Christmas in July) may not quite be up there in the stratosphere with his absolute best like The Lady Eve, Sullivan's Travels, or Unfaithfully Yours, but they are nevertheless both wonderful movies with the Sturges stamp of buoyant uniqueness.