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State of the Union (1948)
Legendary director Frank Capra returned to Mr. Smith Goes to Washington territory with a talky but smart political comedy from 1948 called State of the Union that still brings the sizzle thanks to Capra's cinematic eye behind the camera and cinema's greatest acting team in front.
Spencer Tracy plays Grant Matthews, a wealthy industrialist with a solid political conscience but a strong loathing of politics, who is actually persuaded to run for President by Kay Thorndyke (Angela Lansbury) a ruthless newspaper publisher and ex-lover of Grant's and a slick-talking political spin doctor named Jim Conover (Adolph Menjou). Grant refuses to even consider a run for the White House without unconditional support from his wife, Mary (Katharine Hepburn), who does offer it, but can't stand it when Matthews' campaign staff tries to turn her husband into something he's not, not to mention the way the campaign is bringing Kay back into Grant's life.
Anthony Veillier and Myles Connelly adapted the screenplay from a play by Howard Lindsay and Russell Crouse that opened on Broadway in 1945 and ran for over 700 performances. Changes were probably made from the play to suit the talents of Tracy and Hepburn and I'm OK with that. The opening scene establishing how Kay earned her job and some scenes of playing cat and mouse in airplanes seemed to pad running time, but when the story centers in on Mr. and Mrs. Matthews and the venomous Kay Thorndyke, it's easy to stay invested in what's going on. I actually liked the fact that the screenplay was a little vague about Grant's past with Kay Thorndyke, but make it clear that it had a strong impact on the state of his marriage and that the wounds for Mary are still fresh.
This fifth onscreen teaming of Tracy and Hepburn is a little different for them as their is no romantic pursuit. Their characters are already married, but like most of the Hepburn/Tracy films, the viewer once again will find themselves trying to figure out who's wearing the pants in the relationship, something we're accustomed to with Hepburn's onscreen persona, but this Mary Matthews is no "speak when spoken to" hausfrau and we wouldn't have it any other way.
Tracy and Hepburn once again document their position as cinema's greatest acting team and Lansbury's crisp and controlled Kay Thorndyke is the perfect thorn in the side of this political marriage that doesn't start out that way. Menjou is terrific as Conover and Van Johnson has some funny moments as Grant's speechwriter, but this is the Tracy/Hepburn show, with a strong Frank Capra shaker and it goes down pretty damn smooth.
Legendary director Frank Capra returned to Mr. Smith Goes to Washington territory with a talky but smart political comedy from 1948 called State of the Union that still brings the sizzle thanks to Capra's cinematic eye behind the camera and cinema's greatest acting team in front.
Spencer Tracy plays Grant Matthews, a wealthy industrialist with a solid political conscience but a strong loathing of politics, who is actually persuaded to run for President by Kay Thorndyke (Angela Lansbury) a ruthless newspaper publisher and ex-lover of Grant's and a slick-talking political spin doctor named Jim Conover (Adolph Menjou). Grant refuses to even consider a run for the White House without unconditional support from his wife, Mary (Katharine Hepburn), who does offer it, but can't stand it when Matthews' campaign staff tries to turn her husband into something he's not, not to mention the way the campaign is bringing Kay back into Grant's life.
Anthony Veillier and Myles Connelly adapted the screenplay from a play by Howard Lindsay and Russell Crouse that opened on Broadway in 1945 and ran for over 700 performances. Changes were probably made from the play to suit the talents of Tracy and Hepburn and I'm OK with that. The opening scene establishing how Kay earned her job and some scenes of playing cat and mouse in airplanes seemed to pad running time, but when the story centers in on Mr. and Mrs. Matthews and the venomous Kay Thorndyke, it's easy to stay invested in what's going on. I actually liked the fact that the screenplay was a little vague about Grant's past with Kay Thorndyke, but make it clear that it had a strong impact on the state of his marriage and that the wounds for Mary are still fresh.
This fifth onscreen teaming of Tracy and Hepburn is a little different for them as their is no romantic pursuit. Their characters are already married, but like most of the Hepburn/Tracy films, the viewer once again will find themselves trying to figure out who's wearing the pants in the relationship, something we're accustomed to with Hepburn's onscreen persona, but this Mary Matthews is no "speak when spoken to" hausfrau and we wouldn't have it any other way.
Tracy and Hepburn once again document their position as cinema's greatest acting team and Lansbury's crisp and controlled Kay Thorndyke is the perfect thorn in the side of this political marriage that doesn't start out that way. Menjou is terrific as Conover and Van Johnson has some funny moments as Grant's speechwriter, but this is the Tracy/Hepburn show, with a strong Frank Capra shaker and it goes down pretty damn smooth.