The Private Files of J. Edgar Hoover (1977)

User Rating:

6.5/10   

Director:

Larry Cohen

Writer:

Larry Cohen (written by)

Release Date:

December 1977 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama

Tagline:

The files that escaped the shredder have become an incredible motion picture. From the Kennedys to Martin Luther King. From cab drivers to Congressmen. From housewives to hostesses. He had something on 58 million people. It was all in his files. Now you can see how he used it.

Plot Keywords:

Chicago Illinois | Lawyer | 1930s | Arrest | Suicide

Cast

Broderick Crawford	...	J. Edgar Hoover
James Wainwright	...	Young Hoover
Michael Parks	...	Robert F. Kennedy
José Ferrer	...	Lionel McCoy
Celeste Holm	...	Florence Hollister
Rip Torn	...	Dwight Webb
Dan Dailey	...	Clyde Tolson
Ronee Blakley	...	Carrie DeWitt (as Roneé Blakley)
Howard Da Silva	...	Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt
John Marley	...	Dave Hindley
Michael Sacks	...	Melvin Purvis
Raymond St. Jacques	...	Martin Luther King
June Havoc	...	Hoover's Mother
Lloyd Nolan	...	Attorney General Harlan Stone
Andrew Duggan	...	Pres. Lyndon B. Johnson

Runtime:

USA:112 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | USA:PG | Spain:13

Filming Locations:

Renaissance Mayflower Hotel - 1127 Connecticut Avenue, Washington, District of Columbia, USA

Company:

Larco Productions

Trivia:

Director Larry Cohen wanted to film at various authentic locations, but was repeatedly turned down for permission. However, when First Lady Betty Ford - a former dancer - found out that Dan Dailey was in Washington to make a film, she invited him and Broderick Crawford to the White House for lunch, as she had always liked Dailey's films and work. Larry Cohen then started calling locations such as the FBI's training facility in Quantico, Virginia, and said that he wanted to film there but couldn't do so the next day because the cast was having lunch at the White House; likely supposing that the film had official backing, every location soon made themselves available.

Quotes:

Lionel McCoy: [sarcastically] Give my regards to the Wizard of Oz!

Movie Connections:

References Manhattan Melodrama (1934)

El stinkeroo

I was intrigued to see this film, hitherto unknown to me, listed on one of the cable channels. Curious about the presence of some fairly reputable names - Crawford, Lloyd Nolan, Jose Ferrer, Celeste Holm, Rip Torn, Howard daSilva, I gave it a shot. I must agree with the consensus of negative opinions expressed here. The film is stunningly awful. The only decent thing about it is the technical quality of the cinematography. Broderick Crawford phones in his lines. The other big names do a decent job with the wretched material they are given, but the rest of the acting is at the high school drama club level. Particularly awful is the guy who plays Hoover as a young man. The movie also can't seem to decide on its own outlook. If Hoover is to be considered a consummate wretch and and evil person, the movie does not do enough to convey that. There is altogether too much of the "a great man gone wrong" attitude. In short, there's a reason this movie is largely forgotten.