All the King's Men (1949)

Director:

Robert Rossen

Writers:

Robert Penn Warren (novel)
Robert Rossen (written for the screen by)

Release Date:

January 1950 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

He Might Have Been A Pretty Good Guy . . . If Too Much Power . . . And Women . . . Hadn't Gone To his Head !

Plot:

The rise and fall of a corrupt politician, who makes his friends richer and retains power by dint of a populist appeal.

Plot Keywords:

Politician | Rural | Rise And Fall | Blackmail | Jealous Woman

Awards:

Won 3 Oscars. Another 11 wins & 7 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Sat. Feb. 20

4:00 AM

TCM

Cast

Broderick Crawford	...	Willie Stark
John Ireland	...	Jack Burden
Joanne Dru	...	Anne Stanton
John Derek	...	Tom Stark
Mercedes McCambridge	...	Sadie Burke
Shepperd Strudwick	...	Adam Stanton
Ralph Dumke	...	Tiny Duffy
Anne Seymour	...	Mrs. Lucy Stark
Katherine Warren	...	Mrs. Burden (as Katharine Warren)
Raymond Greenleaf	...	Judge Monte Stanton
Walter Burke	...	Sugar Boy
Will Wright	...	Dolph Pillsbury
Grandon Rhodes	...	Floyd McEvoy
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Beau Anderson	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Sam Ash	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Richard Bartell	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Mary Bear	...	File Clerk (uncredited)
Helena Benda	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Stanley Blystone	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Marshall Bradford	...	Senator (uncredited)
William Bruce	...	Commissioner (uncredited)
Wheaton Chambers	...	Senator (uncredited)
Edwin Chandler	...	Radio Announcer (uncredited)
Alden 'Stephen' Chase	...	Puckett (uncredited)
James Conaty	...	Party Guest (uncredited)
William Cottrell	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Kenneth Cutler	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Roy Darmour	...	Politician at Harrison's Headquarters (uncredited)
Earle S. Dewey	...	Joe Harrison (uncredited)
King Donovan	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Jack Evans	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
George Farmer	...	Bus Man (uncredited)
Tom Ferrandini	...	Politician (uncredited)
Robert Filmer	...	Editor (uncredited)
Paul Ford	...	Spokesman for Impeachment (uncredited)
Ted French	...	Dance Caller (uncredited)
Gil Frye	...	Party Guest (uncredited)
Jack Gargan	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
John Giles	...	Young Boy (uncredited)
Dick Gordon	...	Politician (uncredited)
Jack Gordon	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Avery Graves	...	Senator (uncredited)
William E. Green	...	Senator (uncredited)
Charles Haefeli	...	Man in Cheap Bar (uncredited)
Richard Hale	...	Richard Hale (uncredited)
Bert Hanlon	...	Editor (uncredited)
Sam Harris	...	Politician (uncredited)
Judd Holdren	...	Politician (uncredited)
Beulah Hutton	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Robert Karnes	...	Legislator (uncredited)
Kenner G. Kemp	...	Legislator (uncredited)
Donald Kerr	...	Spectator (uncredited)
Tom Kingston	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Mike Lally	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Nolan Leary	...	Senator (uncredited)
James Linn	...	Politician (uncredited)
Louis Mason	...	Minister (uncredited)
Paul Maxey	...	Local Chairman (uncredited)
Frank McClure	...	Doctor (uncredited)
Walter Merrill	...	Man in City Bar (uncredited)
Harold Miller	...	Speaker of the House (uncredited)
H.C. Miller	...	Pa Stark (uncredited)
John 'Skins' Miller	...	Drunk at Football Game (uncredited)
Bob Milton	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
George Morrell	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Truett Myers	...	Minister at Funeral (uncredited)
Pat O'Malley	...	Politician (uncredited)
Gil Perkins	...	Spectator (uncredited)
Charles Perry	...	Bit Role (uncredited)
Charles Sherlock	...	Politician at Harrison's Headquarters (uncredited)
Leslie Sketchley	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Irving Smith	...	Butler (uncredited)
Helene Stanley	...	Helene Hale (uncredited)
Larry Steers	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Houseley Stevenson	...	Madison - the Editor (uncredited)
Charles Sullivan	...	Spectator (uncredited)
William Tannen	...	Man in City Bar (uncredited)
George Taylor	...	Politician (uncredited)
Al Thompson	...	Man in Cheap Bar (uncredited)
Glen Thompson	...	State Trooper (uncredited)
A.C. Tillman	...	Sheriff (uncredited)
Phil Tully	...	Football Coach (uncredited)
Reba Waterson	...	Receptionist (uncredited)
Frank Wilcox	...	Public Relations Man (uncredited)
Rhoda Williams	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Harry Wilson	...	One of Duffy's Goons (uncredited)
Bill Wolfe	...	Farmer (uncredited)
Al Wyatt	...	State Trooper (uncredited)

Directed by
Robert Rossen

Writing credits
Robert Penn Warren		(novel "All the King's Men")
Robert Rossen		(written for the screen by)

Produced by
Robert Rossen	....	producer

Original Music by
Louis Gruenberg		(musical score by)
George Duning		(uncredited)
Marlin Skiles		(uncredited)

Cinematography by
Burnett Guffey		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Al Clark		(film editor)

Art Direction by
Sturges Carne

Set Decoration by
Louis Diage

Costume Design by
Jean Louis		(gowns by)

Makeup Department
Clay Campbell	....	makeup by
Helen Hunt	....	hair styles by
Robert J. Schiffer	....	makeup artist (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Sam Nelson	....	assistant director
Don Siegel	....	second unit director (uncredited)

Sound Department
Frank Goodwin	....	sound engineer

Camera and Electrical Department
Gert Andersen	....	camera operator (uncredited)
Bill Johnson	....	gaffer (uncredited)
Irving Lippman	....	still photographer (uncredited)
Ray Rich	....	grip (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Robert Parrish	....	editorial adviser
Donald W. Starling	....	montages

Music Department
Morris Stoloff	....	musical director
Mischa Bakaleinikoff	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)
Howard Jackson	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)
John Leipold	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)
Paul Mertz	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)
Joseph Nussbaum	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Ben Oakland	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)

Other crew
Shirley Miller	....	assistant to the producer
Donna M. Norridge	....	script supervisor (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Columbia Pictures Corporation (presents)

Distributors

• Columbia Pictures (1949) (USA) (theatrical)
• Columbia Pictures (1958) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment (2001) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment (2001) (UK) (DVD)
• Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment (2001) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (1998) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (1994) (USA) (VHS)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (1994) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (1996) (USA) (VHS)
• LK-TEL Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)
• RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video (19??) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2006) (USA) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Sunset Gower Studios  sound stages

Runtime:

110 min (copyright length)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Sweden:15 | Netherlands:AL (VHS rating) (1998) | UK:A (original rating) (passed with cuts) | UK:U (tv rating) | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Canada:PG (video rating) | Finland:K-16 | UK:U (video rating) (1992) | USA:Approved (MPAA rating: certificate #13747) | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

California, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

In the original manuscript, Willie's last name is Talos, not Stark. When the novel was first published, the name was Stark. In 2001, the novel was reprinted with Stark's name changed back to Talos, among other changes.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Tommy first takes the field, the referee is towards the left and Tommy is to the right, really not anywhere near each other, yet the ref's arm is visible in the close up.

Quotes:

Willie Stark: Jack, there's something on everybody. Man is conceived in sin and born in corruption. He passes from the stink of the dydie to the stench of the shroud. There's ALWAYS something.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The 80th Annual Academy Awards (2008) (TV)

The Test of Time!

I viewed this film for the first time this past week. It was one of only a few "Best Picture" Oscar winners over the past fifty or sixty years that I had not previously seen. I have found most, but not all, of these films to be absorbing and/or entertaining with the majority deserving of the awards they received. I included this specific film in a personal test that I conducted recently. I initially viewed the current version of this film, which features an impressive cast headed up by Sean Penn, Jude Law, Kate Winslet and Anthony Hopkins. Then I rented this 1949 award winner to compare both versions.

I am aware that when you first see a film or program that you find to be an excellent presentation and then you view a newer version of the same entity, the normal tendency is to find the new version not up to the standards of the original due to the unfairly high expectations. For the test conducted, I switched viewing order of the two versions. I anticipated finding the newer version more rewarding due to the more than half century difference in the two presentations and the fact that Sean Penn and Anthony Hopkins have each artistically created several roles which I have found to be top of the line performances. It did not work out that way in this case. I found the 1949 version withstood the test of time and in my opinion was the superior production. This had to do with several factors, the primary one being that the screen play of the older version seemed to be better paced and the presentation flowed more evenly. I believe this version more closely followed the novel and the depiction of the central character "Willie Stark". The novel loosely based this character on real life Louisiana politician "Huey Long". I concluded that the newer version tried to capture more of Longs' character along with his political successes and failures. In doing so it lost some of the novels flow and impact.

Both versions have excellent casts and the performances given by both Sean Penn and Broderick Crawford (Oscar winning) as Willie Stark are first rate. I consider this version to be a top 25 all time political drama and gave it an 8 out of 10 IMDb rating, but I would recommend both versions for fans of semi-biographical political dramas.