State of the Union (1948)

Director:

Frank Capra

Writers:

Howard Lindsay (play) and
Russel Crouse (play) ...

Release Date:

30 April 1948 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

How's the State of the Union? It's GREAT!

Plot:

An industrialist is urged to run for President, but this requires uncomfortable compromises on both political and marital levels.

Plot Keywords:

Industrialist | Compromise | Politician | Marriage | Hotel

Cast

Spencer Tracy	...	Grant Matthews
Katharine Hepburn	...	Mary Matthews (as Katherine Hepburn)
Van Johnson	...	'Spike' McManus
Angela Lansbury	...	Kay Thorndyke
Adolphe Menjou	...	Jim Conover (as Adolph Menjou)
Lewis Stone	...	Sam Thorndyke
Howard Smith	...	Sam I. Parrish
Charles Dingle	...	Bill Nolard Hardy
Maidel Turner	...	Lulubelle Alexander
Raymond Walburn	...	Judge Alexander
Margaret Hamilton	...	Norah
Art Baker	...	Radio Announcer
Pierre Watkin	...	Sen. Lauterback
Florence Auer	...	Grace Orval Draper
Irving Bacon	...	Buck Swanson

Also Known As:

The World and His Wife (UK)

Runtime:

124 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG (re-rating) (2005) | Canada:PG (Ontario) | USA:Approved | USA:Passed | Finland:S | Sweden:Btl

Filming Locations:

Detroit, Michigan, USA

Company:

Liberty Films (II)

Trivia:

"State of the Union" won the Pulitzer Prize in Drama in 1946.

Goofs:

Continuity: A newspaper, meant to be for the current date in the movie, is shown with the date Monday, April 5, 1948. Later, another newspaper, also meant to be for what is now the current date, is shown, and the date is Friday, March 26, 1948.

Quotes:

Kay Thorndyke: But there is one question on his mind you better have the answer to.
Jim Conover: What's that?
Kay Thorndyke: He's beginning to wonder if there is any difference between the Democratic Party and the Republican Party.
Jim Conover: Now that's a fine question for a presidential candidate to ask. There's all the difference in the world. They're in and we're out!

Movie Connections:

Featured in 100 Years of Comedy (1997) (V)

Spencer Tracey is Grant Matthews, a famous aircraft tycoon courted by the Republican Party to become their candidate for President of the United States.

`Is there any difference between Democrats and Republicans?' `The difference is that they're in and we're out.' -- A line from State of the Union, one of only a handful of political films to use direct partisan language.

Based on a 1945 play by Howard Lindsay and Russell Crouse, State of the Union marked Frank Capra's return to the political genera. This film is also the third of nine pictures featuring Spencer Tracey and Katharine Hepburn. In this outing, Tracey plays Grant Matthews, a famous aircraft tycoon courted by the Republican Party to become their candidate for President of the United States. The film's title, in addition to referring to the country, is also a metaphor for Matthews' relationship with his wife, Mary (Hepburn). The two are having marital problems sparked by Matthews' affair with a newspaper heir Kay Thorndyke (played by a 22-year-old Angela Lansbury convincingly portraying a woman in her forties).

Once the campaign is underway, the classic theme of a good man sacrificing his ideals in order to win begins to surface. Matthews' speeches are reworked as to not offend any big political establishments (e.g. big business, labor, agriculture, etc.), and soon he begins to loose his own voice along with his identity. Finally, in the film's climax, Matthews is forced to choose between a certain nomination for the presidency or a wife who represents his true character.

Incidentally, for a movie centered on a republican character, State of the Union does not focus on a conventional conservative theme, nor does it only target liberals. The film ribs big business, `the American Dream is not about making money,' in addition to labor. And even though Harry S Truman is the subject of several quips, he was said to have really enjoyed the film, often playing it on his presidential yacht.

At the box office, State of the Union performed better in smaller outlets than large markets. It premiered at New York's Radio City Music Hall to a opening week of $137,000, `this is a bit under hopes, especially in view of intensive advance campaign and strong reviews,' reported Varitey. In Los Angeles, the film opened at No. 1 with $52,000 but `not a smash.' Though in markets such as Minneapolis, Kansas City and Seattle, the film pulled big numbers. Overall the film was a success, but it did not match the box office bounty of Capra's earlier films including Mr. Smith Goes to Washington or the other Tracey/Hepburn parings for that matter (e.g. Adam's Rib, Pat & Mike, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner).