STATE OF THE UNION (1948) B/W 124m dir: Frank Capra

w/Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn, Van Johnson, Angela Lansbury, Adolphe Menjou, Lewis Stone, Howard Smith, Maidel Turner, Raymond Walburn, Charles Dingle

From Variety's contemporary review of the film: "The hit Broadway play by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse has been expanded somewhat in the screen adaptation, a broadening that makes the best use of screen technique. Dialog has headline freshness, and a stinging bite when directed at politicians, the normal voter and the election scene.

"Plot deals with a power-mad femme newspaper publisher [Lansbury] who picks up a self-made plane magnate and shoves him towards the White House to satisfy her own interests. The candidate begins to lose his common sense when the political malarkey soaks in and only is saved by his frank and honest wife.

"Cast is loaded with stalwarts who deliver in top form. The fact that it's pat casting only helps to insure the payoff. Spencer Tracy fits his personality to the role of the airplane manufacturer who becomes a presidential aspirant. It's a sock performance. Katharine Hepburn makes much of the role of Tracy's wife, giving it understanding and warmth that register big. Van Johnson shines as the columnist turned political press agent. It's one of his better performances.

"Capra's direction punches over the pictorial exposé of U.S. politics and candidate manufacturers, the indifference of the average voter, and the need for more expression of true public opinion at the polls."

From The Movie Guide: "One of the joys of the Broadway hit upon which this film is based was that the authors changed the dialogue almost weekly to reflect what was happening in the news. In making the movie, the dialogue obviously was frozen, but many of the jokes and barbs were clearly aimed at events surrounding the 1948 presidential election pitting Harry S. Truman against Republican challenger Thomas E. Dewey. The film was originally set to star Gary Cooper and Claudette Colbert, and when that casting fell through, Tracy was immediately picked for the male lead. Despite the fact that Hepburn had turned down the same role in the play, she was anxious to do it opposite Tracy in the film and a deal was struck. There was much tension on the set between Hepburn and Menjou. During this time the government had begun to investigate the Hollywood community, searching for communists, a practice Hepburn deplored and Menjou supported. This may have helped the picture, since the characters played by Hepburn and Menjou are adversaries throughout the film. The acting is first-rate as are the script, direction, and technical credits. Though it may seem somewhat dated to younger audiences, it remains an entertaining and uplifting movie experience."