All the Kings Men (Columbia Pictures) (1949)

The Pulitzer Prize Novel — Becomes a Very Great Motion Picture Mat 1-C; Prod. Still No. 157 JOANNE DRU as Anne Stanton Mat 1-B; Still No. Adv. 12 BRODERICK CRAWFORD as Willie Stark Mat 1-A; Prod. Still No. 121 JOHN IRELAND as Jack Burden Mat 1-D; Still No. Derek 10 JOHN DEREK as Tom Stark Mat 1-E; Prod. Still No. 165 MERCEDES McCAMBRIDGE as Sadie Burke Shepperd Strudwick...... AS ag Peenes Adam Stanton HC Millets ces oe os a AB esse eases acs saa Pa Stark Ralph Dumke .......... eee. Sree Tiny Duffy Richard Hale ............ BE ies se es Hale Anne Seymour .......... BS sss con oa erases Lucey Stark William Bruce ..... eeep ated AS tip eecae cay as 2a Commissioner Katharine Warren ....... Sano See Mrs. Burden A.-G,: Vellwan~ 3. ieee Be 2 02s ini oe hae Sheriff Raymond Greenleaf ..... AS Nera cen Pies Judge Stanton Houseley Stevenson ...... PCiecceete lace Madison Walter Burke .......... BB oso seba eee aS Sugar Boy Truett Myers ........... EE pe roca tar. Se apres Minister Walle Wintel is oes cece ASS eke Dolph Pillsbury Phil Wullys-. SG AS Messe ve ekavens Football Coach Grandon Rhodes ........ BO Oxkrse wire Floyd McEvoy Helene Stanley=......... BO a ws eee Helene Hale Written for the Screen and Directed by Robert Rossen; Based upon the Pulitzer Prize novel, “All The King’s Men” by Robert Penn Warren; Assisiant Director, Sam Nelson; Director of Photography, Burnett Guffey, A. S. C.; Art Director, Sturges Carne; Film Editor, Al Clark; Editorial Adviser, Robert Parrish; Set Decorator, Louis Diage; Moneves. Donald W. Starling; Gowns by Jean Louis; Makeup by Clay Campbell; Hair Styles by Helen Hunt; Musical seore by Louis Gruenberg; Musical Director, Morris Stoloff; Sound Engineer, Frank Goodwin; Assistant to the Producer, Shirley Miller; A Robert Rossen Production. A Columbia Picture. The Story of A Ruthless big Shot... His Morals, * HisManners, fully fights impeachment proceedings instituted against him but while His W acknowledging the cheers of his supporters, the Governor is shot. by Dr. Adam Stanton (Shepperd Strudwick), Anne’s brother, who has learned about their affair. He, in turn, is shot down by Willie’s bodyguard. Burden convinces Anne that together they must destroy the Willie Stark legend. (Running Time: 109 Minutes) (This Synopsis Not for Publication, Please ) Willie Stark (Broderick Crawford), dynamic backwoods personality, makes head!ines when he boldly condemns corruption in local civic affairs. Big city politicians nominate him for Governor in order to split the rural vote and put their own man into office. Wi lie makes a spectacular campaign, especially after he finds he is being played for a sucker, but narrowly loses the election. But Willie, who has learned all the political tricks, sets out to be a big-time politician in his own right and gathers together a choice collection of plug-uglies and a host of political hangers-on. With the help of Jack Burden (John Ireland), a reporter, and Sadie Burke (Mercedes McCambridge) his politically-wise secretary, Willie runs for office again and is made Governor in a landslide. His magnetic power has become so great that even aristocratic Anne Stanton (Joanne Dru), Jack’s girl, falls under his spell. Once inside the Governor’s mansion, Willie, although popular with the people, inaugurates an administration of reckless corruption. He becomes alienated from his wife, Lucey (Anne Seymour) and, from sheer vanity, forces his adopted son, Tom (John Derek), to play football after being hurt in an automobile accident. As a result, Tom is crippled for life. Willie’s failure to clean up the corruption in his administration causes him to lose the support of Judge Stanton (Raymond Greeleaf), Anne’s uncle. Willie orders Burden to “get something” on the judge, which he does, and the judge commits suicide rather than face exposure. Willie success Page 2 New Dramatic Film Based On Pulitzer Prize Novel One of the outstanding. events of the current movie season, Robert Rossen’s production of “All The King’s Men,” based on the Pulitzer Prize novel by Robert Penn Warren, will have its local premiere at the........ Theatre oe Released by Columbia Pictures, the powerful film includes in its principal roles Broderick Crawford, Joanne Dru, John Ireland, John Derek and Mercedes McCambridge. The story of a big shot whose world suddenly exploded in his face, “All The King’s Men” is said to unfold with mounting intensity a moving drama of a large-scale slice of American life. The movie is reported to be a big one in every respect, including the action, cast and story. Filmed on location in the three northern California towns of Suisun, Fairfield and Stockton, thousands of townspeople and the actual buildings of these towns were used to give the film an impact and a scope that few films in recent years have achieved. As the big shot politician who, by gift of tongue and magnetic personality climbs to the political pinnacle of his state, Crawford has the best role of his career. Brutal, forceful and dynamic, he attracts to his service supporters of every stripe including gamblers and crooks, aristocrats and the common people, putting them in his hip pocket, next to the whiskey and the blackjack and the gun. Hungry for power, Crawford’s appetites are not appeased by its achievement. Instead, he rides roughshod over all opposition, humbling his opponents in the dust until his villainies force a few decent people to risk ruin in order to destroy him. The film is said to be loaded with great acting performances in addition to Crawford’s. There is the portrayal of Miss Dru as a young aristocrat who becomes a worshipper at the shrine of the “oreat’? man; that of Ireland’s as the big shot’s hatchet man who devotes himself ultimately to destroying the legend that sprang up among the faithful; Derek’s, as the great one’s adopted son; and Miss McCambridge’s who comes from the Broadway stage and the radio field to give a brilliant first performance as_ his earthy secretary. Rossen wrote the screen play and also directed, in what is acknowledged to be his greatest screen achievement. “All The King’s Men” Makes Compelling Movie (Review) ‘“‘All The King’s Men,” Robert Penn Warren’s Pulitzer Prize winning novel, has been forged into a forceful and compelling motion picture. Robert Rossen’s production for Columbia Pictures has pitilessly etched in acid the portrait of a political big shot who caused a ferment in the lives of everyone in his state. His morals, manners and women have been delineated with brilliant style and stunning impact in theo Theatre attraction. Seldom has a motion picture been so vital, so fraught with meaning for the average movie-goer. Its very greatness as movie entertainment compels seeing. Broderick Crawford’s performance of the ruthless big shot is likewise stamped with greatness. As Willie Stark, who thought he had the world by the tail, till it exploded in his face with a bullet attached, Crawford exudes a magnificent animal vitality, a swaggering confidence in the star of his destiny that carried everything and everyone before him. Building his power as Governor, humbling his enemies—and his friends—Willie literally was destiny’s favorite son. Even lovely and aristocratic Anne Stanton (Dru) was swept off her feet. by the irresistible Willie, forsaking her true love, newspaperman Jack Burden (Ireland). Virtually the whole state ultimately worked for Willie Stark, in “All The King’s Men” at the current wages of sin. But Willie’s very ruthlessness awakened the spirit of a few who risked ruin and sought to destroy him. Rossen, who wrote the screen play and also directed, has done an exquisite job, capturing the electrifying drama of the big shot’s life. He has had the valuable benefit of some superb performances, in addition to Crawford’s—from Miss Dru, who looks very beautiful despite some pretty agonizing moments; from Ireland, as the big shot’s hatchet man, who, in the final awakening, devotes himself to destroy the legend of greatness of Willie Stark; from handsome John Derek as Willie’s adopted son and from Mercedes McCambridge as Willie’s secretary, earthy, bitter and completely realistic. Author Robert Penn Warren Has His Say “TI have just seen “All The King’s Men” and I want to tell you how impressed I am. All of the main, characters, and many of the minor ones, came startlingly alive for me. I say startlingly, because when I first saw the icture I thought of them as people inwardly alive, coming before me in their own right. In a way, it was like going back to the first. fresh idea of the book, before I had written a word. “Where the characterizations departed from my own original ideas, as is sometimes the case, I felt it to be in accordance with a new and equally valid logic which the characters and director had discovered. I felt that they had revealed to me new aspects and new possibilities of the material. And as for the atmosphere, the general feeling of the picture—that, too is effectively done. In this picture, I think, there is intensity without tricks and pretensions, and always a sense of truth: such a thing as this could happen in a world like this.”