Tonight's Movie: The Great McGinty (1940) - A Kino Lorber Blu-ray Review

Writer-director Preston Sturges made his directorial debut with THE GREAT MCGINTY (1940), recently released on Blu-ray by Kino Lorber.

In addition to directing his first film, Sturges won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for his diverting tale of a hobo who rises through the political ranks and ultimately becomes governor -- then loses everything when he turns his back on graft and embraces respectability.

Dan McGinty (Brian Donlevy) is the rags-to-riches protege of political fixers (Akim Tamiroff and William Demarest) who see that he's elected to various offices where he can do their bidding.

Dan enters into a marriage of convenience with his secretary Catherine (Muriel Angelus), who brings to the marriage a pair of children (Donnie Kerr and Mary Thomas) and a dachsund; this ready-made, picture-perfect family is intended to improve Dan's political image, but he doesn't expect to fall in love with his own wife! But that he does, and as time passes he increasingly desires the respect of his both Catherine and his step-children (played at older ages by Drew Roddy and Sheila Sheldon).

When Dan rises to the highest office in the state, he determines to serve honorably, but the top political boss (Tamiroff) behind Dan's success would prefer anything to losing control of his access to graft -- including putting the new governor in jail!

I first saw this movie nearly a decade ago and enjoyed it as much or more this time around than I did then. It's a marvelous film with delightful lead performances and a top cast; the movie remains both topical and funny 80 years after it was first released.

When I recently paged through the book BRIAN DONLEVY: THE GOOD BAD GUY by Derek Sculthorpe, it brought home just how much great work he'd done in many films I've enjoyed: He was the nasty villain of BEAU GESTE (1939), which brought him an Oscar nomination; the pitiable, complex villain of CANYON PASSAGE (1946); the sympathetic Assistant D.A. in KISS OF DEATH (1947); a Brigadier General in the star-studded COMMAND DECISION (1948); the man whose beloved wife attempts to kill him in IMPACT (1949); and most recently watched, the very funny ship's captain of SONG OF SCHEHERAZADE (1947). I could go on for quite a while naming some of his excellent credits; the man really had a fine career.

Donlevy is pitch perfect as McGinty on every step of his journey, from an enterprising but low-class bum to a serious, thoughtful family man in a position of great responsibility. Donlevy makes these transitions believable, letting just enough of the rough-hewn man from the film's early scenes show once his career has advanced. He veers from brawling comedy (his fight with Tamiroff in the back of a taxi is a hoot) to unexpectedly touching, as in the scene where his voice slightly cracks as he remembers working in a factory as a child.

British actress Muriel Angelus is also delightful as Mrs. McGinty, in a charming, natural performance. It's a shame for classic film fans that she chose to give up her film career of a dozen years after this film. She was also a Broadway actress, including appearing in the original cast of Rodgers and Hart's THE BOYS FROM SYRACUSE (1938).

My only regret about the movie is the abrupt ending of Dan and Catherine's love story; it bothered me the first time I saw the film, and I haven't changed my opinion. Perhaps it was realistic, but it strikes me as heartbreakingly sad not only for Dan but for the family he loved. At the same time, I admire the film's -- and Donlevy's -- ability to encompass a variety of tones, simultaneously tender and sharp-edged.

Donlevy and Tamiroff later reprised their roles in Sturges' THE MIRACLE OF MORGAN'S CREEK (1944); it's amusing to try to figure out the timeline, as it seems MORGAN'S CREEK would have to have taken place before the ending of THE GREAT MCGINTY.

The cast of THE GREAT MCGINTY also includes favorites such as Louis Jean Heydt and Allyn Joslyn, plus Thurston Hall, Steffi Duna, Esther Howard, and Libby Taylor.

THE GREAT MCGINTY was filmed in black and white by William C. Mellor. It runs 82 minutes.

The film's UK title, DOWN WENT MCGINTY, is in the fine print of the still below (click to enlarge for a closer look).

The Kino Lorber Blu-ray is a lovely print with good sound. The disc includes the trailer, a gallery of four additional trailers for films available from Kino Lorber, and a commentary track by Samm Deighan.

1940 was a great year for Sturges, as his directorial career got off to a grand start with both THE GREAT MCGINTY and CHRISTMAS IN JULY (1940), which was released by Kino Lorber a couple of months ago. This pair of films may not be quite as well known as some of the Sturges classics which followed, but hopefully even more classic film fans will come to appreciate these top-drawer films thanks to Kino Lorber's beautiful Blu-ray releases. Both are highly recommended.

Thanks to Kino Lorber for providing a review copy of this Blu-ray.