Washington Story (1952) - Turner Classic Movies

Brief Synopsis

A reporter in search of government corruption falls for a congressman.

Cast & Crew

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Robert Pirosh

Van Johnson

Joseph T. Gresham

Patricia Neal

Louis Calhern

Charles W. Birch

Sidney Blackmer

Philip Ober

Gilbert Nunnally

Photos & Videos

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Washington Story -- (Movie Clip) Open, Wide-Eyed

Washington Story -- (Movie Clip) More Than A Hunch

Washington Story -- (Movie Clip) I'll Be With You Constantly

Film Details

Also Known As

Mr. Congressman

Genre

Romance

Drama

Political

Release Date

Aug 8, 1952

Premiere Information

New York opening: 1 Jul 1952

Production Company

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Corp.

Distribution Company

Loew's Inc.

Country

United States

Location

Washington, District of Columbia, United States; Washington, D.C., United States

Technical Specs

Duration

1h 21m

Sound

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color

Black and White

Theatrical Aspect Ratio

1.37 : 1

Film Length

7,349ft (8 reels)

Synopsis

On her first trip to Washington, D.C., journalist Alice Kingsley is given a tour of the Capitol by acerbic newspaper and radio columnist Gilbert Nunnally, who thinks all congressmen are corruptible. She is intrigued by young Newchester, Massachusetts Congressman Joseph T. Gresham and, on Nunnally's suggestion, decides to write a story about Gresham, hoping to catch him in a scandal. Because Gresham does not speak to the press, Alice plays on his vanity by saying she works for The National Women's Gazette , which wants a feature on an honest, hardworking congressman. Attracted to Alice, Gresham is tempted and, after confirming her identity by calling her editor, agrees. Unknown to Gresham, the telephone number Alice gave him is actually Nunnally's residence and he himself pretends to be Alice's gentlemanly editor. As Alice follows Gresham around Congress, she is exhausted by his schedule and impressed with his hardworking attitude. When Alice surreptitiously learns that he has been speaking with Philip Emery, a lobbyist for a controversial ship building dispersal bill, Nunnally asks her to keep a close watch on Gresham, who opposes it. Nunnally suggests that if Gresham switches sides, against his constituency, it will be because he has been offered a lucrative position in Emery's law firm. Although Alice later reports that there is "no dirt," Nunnally insists that she stick with the story for the week. Although she suspects that Gresham and Republican Charles W. Birch may be at odds, Birch is actually a close friend who has been Gresham's mentor in Congress. When Gresham returns to Newchester to make some speeches, Alice accompanies him, and is impressed by his unpretentiousness and devotion to his elderly aunt, Miss Dee. They spend a romantic evening together, and when they return to Miss Dee's house, they are met by Peter Kralik, an elderly European immigrant who sadly tells Gresham that after many years in the United States, he took a trip to Europe and, upon returning, could not get a re-entry visa. Because he had to work so hard over the years, he could not attend school to obtain citizenship papers and will soon be deported. The only way he can stay in America is to have his congressman, Gresham, sponsor a special bill for him. Although Gresham is polite, Alice is surprised by his lack of enthusiasm for Kralik. The next day, as Gresham and Alice are boarding their train back to Washington, Kralik again approaches him, giving him paperwork on the case, but is again rebuffed. Back in Washington, Alice and Gresham, who have fallen in love, attend an embassy party. While dancing with Birch, Alice learns that Gresham's attitudes toward the press stem from a run-in with Nunnally, whom Gresham is suing for libel. After Birch says that the case comes up in two weeks, Alice finds Nunnally and angrily says she is resigning and plans to do a new exposé on Washington, prominently featuring him. Alice then goes to find Gresham and, from a distance, sees him talking with Emery. Not knowing that Emery has given Gresham a stern lecture about wanting re-election more than learning the facts of the dispersement bill, she begins to have doubts. Also unknown to Alice, Gresham has sponsored a bill to prevent Kralik's deportation. Next morning, after he has had a chance to read through information that Emery has provided on the bill, Gresham tells Alice that "Potomac fever" had made him ignore the nation's interest in favor of his constituents. Disappointed, Alice goes to Nunnally to say that he was right, even though she has no proof that Gresham has sold his vote. Nunnally then reveals that he has had Gresham followed and late the previous night he was away from his hotel for over three hours, presumably with Emery. The next day, when the bill comes before Gresham's committee, he argues bitterly with Birch. Although he votes against the bill, it is passed by the committee and sent to the House floor for a vote. When Senate messengers announce that they have passed the bill, Gresham realizes that he must finally take a stand. To Alice's disappointment, he gives a short speech announcing he now supports the bill. Birch is proud of Gresham's honesty and the House gives him a standing ovation, after which the bill is passed. When he rushes out of the House chambers, Gresham is confronted by Nunnally, who says that he will not print the story of how he sold his vote if the libel suit is dropped. Gresham answers by punching him in the nose. Soon, Newchester papers condemn Gresham, and his constituents overwhelmingly express their disproval. Depressed, Gresham calls Alice's hotel, but is told she is out. He then calls the number she gave him for her editor and is crushed to discover that it is really Nunnally's residence. Meanwhile, as Alice is leaving her hotel, she runs into Kralik, who joyfully tells her that he will not be deported because Gresham sponsored his bill and was even kind enough to meet his train in the middle of the night. Overjoyed that it was Kralik, and not Emery, whom Gresham had seen that night, Alice goes to Gresham, but he rebuffs her. She admits her earlier subterfuge, and says that she now has a new job, but he sends her away. Later, he is encouraged by Aunt Dee and Birch, who advise him to talk with his constituents and tells him that some of the greatest congressmen were once defeated and returned to long and successful careers. Birch then adds that Alice has a new Washington column and wrote a very nice piece about him. After the House Roll Call, Gresham rushes out of the Capitol Building. When he sees Alice, they throw their arms around each other.

Director

Robert Pirosh

Cast

Van Johnson

Joseph T. Gresham

Patricia Neal

Louis Calhern

Charles W. Birch

Sidney Blackmer

Philip Ober

Gilbert Nunnally

Patricia Collinge

Moroni Olsen

Speaker [of the House]

Elizabeth Patterson

Reinhold Schunzel

Fay Roope

Dan Riss

Joan Banks

Raymond Greenleaf

Gregory Marshall

Perry Sheehan

Jimmie Fox

Mr. Watkins, mailman

Katharine Warren

Don Beddoe

Wheaton Chambers

Emmett Vogan

Journal reporter

Gregory Gay

Soviet reporter

Watson Downs

Marjorie Bennett

John Alvin

William Self

Carleton Young

Robert S. Ford

Madge Blake

Luther Crockett

Congressman Treadway

Frank Sully

Wilson Wood

Frank Hyers

Maude Wallace

Emory Parnell

Howard, immigration official

Bess Flowers

Sam Pierce

Hugh Beaumont

Thomas Brown Henry

Larry Dobkin

Enrolling clerk

Harry Denny

Kenneth Gibson

Marshall Bradford

Gordon Richards

Dick Haynes

Nolan Leary

Willis Bouchey

Witness before committee

David Bair

Tyler Mcvey

Selmar Jackson

Roy Butler

Harry Stanton

Creighton Hale

Larry Williams

A. Cameron Grant

Frank Cusack

Frank Pershing

Lulumae Bohrman

Leonard Carey

Philo Mccullough

Jessie Arnold

Woman in boardinghouse

Lucy Lynn

Grace Hayle

Clarence Hennecke

Western Union man

Dick Winslow

Orchestra leader

Gay Gayle

Margie Liszt

Harry Nash

Capitol building guide

Harry Cheshire

Harry Cody

Alice Richey

Rhea Mitchell

Frank Jacquet

Helen Spring

Elizabeth Flourney

Crew

John Alton

Director of Photography

Peter Ballbusch

Montage Sequence

Daniel B. Cathcart

Cecil B. Dickson

Technical Advisor

John Dunning

John Durant

Robert Franklin

Additional Arrangement

Cedric Gibbons

A. Arnold Gillespie

Special Effects

Conrad Kahn

Lloyd Martin

Additional Arrangement

Mike Masaoka

Technical Advisor

James W. Merrick

Warren Newcombe

Special Effects

Robert Pirosh

Helen Rose

Women's Costume Designer

Conrad Salinger

Dore Schary

Douglas Shearer

Recording Supervisor

Al Shenberg

Production Manager

Alfred E. Spencer

Jerry Thorpe

Assistant Director

Edwin B. Willis

Videos

Washington Story -- (Movie Clip) More Than A Hunch Columnist Nunnally (Philip Ober) buttonholes reporter Alice (Patricia Neal) who is shadowing Congressman Gresham (Van Johnson) and senior colleague Birch (Louis Calhern) in Washington Story, 1952, directed by Robert Pirosh.

Washington Story -- (Movie Clip) I'll Be With You Constantly Cautious congressman Gresham (Van Johnson) gets roped by scamming magazine-lady Alice (Patricia Neal) who then gloats with muck-raker Nunnally (Philip Ober) in Washington Story, 1952, written by Dore Schary.

Washington Story -- (Movie Clip) Open, Wide-Eyed Patricia Neal (as reporter Alice) meets columnist Nunnally (Philip Ober), with location shooting by John Alton, in the opening to MGM's love letter to Congress, Washington Story, 1952, also staring Van Johnson.

Film Details

Also Known As

Mr. Congressman

Genre

Romance

Drama

Political

Release Date

Aug 8, 1952

Premiere Information

New York opening: 1 Jul 1952

Production Company

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Corp.

Distribution Company

Loew's Inc.

Country

United States

Location

Washington, District of Columbia, United States; Washington, D.C., United States

Technical Specs

Duration

1h 21m

Sound

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color

Black and White

Theatrical Aspect Ratio

1.37 : 1

Film Length

7,349ft (8 reels)

Articles

Washington Story

December 28, 2006

Cynic sets out to smear young innocent only to fall in love - it was a plot right out of a Frank Capra movie, and in Washington Story (1952) it even shared the same setting as Capra's Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939). For MGM in 1952, however, it was a quiet way of making amends with a congress that was busy smearing Hollywood through the infamous Witch Hunts while also taking advantage of renewed interest in politics during a presidential election year.

Dore Schary, one of the most liberal of all studio heads, personally produced this slight romantic comedy. He even got one of his proteges, Robert Pirosh, to write and direct it. Pirosh had won an Oscar® for writing Schary's first big MGM project, the 1949 World War II drama, Battleground. Schary had promoted him to directing two years later for Go for Broke!, the story of Japanese-Americans fighting in World War II.

To star, Schary and Pirosh picked Van Johnson, star of both Battleground and Go for Broke!. Schary had spotted the former chorus boy and convinced MGM to put him under contract in 1942. With the start of World War II, Johnson became one of the studio's top male stars, playing boy-next-door types. He brought the same charm to his role as the liberal, innocent senator.

Leading lady Patricia Neal had already demonstrated the right combination of romance and hard-edged cynicism in films such as The Fountainhead (1949) and the stage production of Lillian Hellman's Another Part of the Forest, which brought her Broadway's first Tony Award. The independent star never really fit in with the studio system, and Washington Story would be her last Hollywood film for years. She later moved to New York, making only occasional film appearances until she seemingly came out of nowhere to win the Oscar® for Best Actress in Hud in 1963.

Lending the slight romantic tale an air of authenticity was cinematographer John Alton's location shooting in Washington. Alton had first attracted notice with his low-keyed lighting of such classic films noirs as He Walked by Night and T-Men (both 1948). He seemed a strange choice for the glamorous MGM, but fit well with the studio's growing realism after signing on there in 1950. He had no problem doing lush, romantic work, however, and even won an Oscar® for his first color film, An American in Paris in 1951.

Director: Robert Pirosh
Producer: Dore Schary
Screenplay: Robert Pirosh
Cinematography: John Alton
Art Direction: Cedric Gibbons, Daniel B. Cathcart
Music: Conrad Salinger
Cast: Van Johnson (Joseph T. Gresham), Patricia Neal (Alice Kingsley), Louis Calhern (Charles W. Birch), Sidney Blackmer (Philip Emery), Philip Ober (Gilbert Nunnally), Patricia Collinge (Miss Galbreth), Elizabeth Patterson (Miss Dee).
BW-82m.

by Frank Miller

Washington Story

Washington Story

Cynic sets out to smear young innocent only to fall in love - it was a plot right out of a Frank Capra movie, and in Washington Story (1952) it even shared the same setting as Capra's Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939). For MGM in 1952, however, it was a quiet way of making amends with a congress that was busy smearing Hollywood through the infamous Witch Hunts while also taking advantage of renewed interest in politics during a presidential election year. Dore Schary, one of the most liberal of all studio heads, personally produced this slight romantic comedy. He even got one of his proteges, Robert Pirosh, to write and direct it. Pirosh had won an Oscar® for writing Schary's first big MGM project, the 1949 World War II drama, Battleground. Schary had promoted him to directing two years later for Go for Broke!, the story of Japanese-Americans fighting in World War II. To star, Schary and Pirosh picked Van Johnson, star of both Battleground and Go for Broke!. Schary had spotted the former chorus boy and convinced MGM to put him under contract in 1942. With the start of World War II, Johnson became one of the studio's top male stars, playing boy-next-door types. He brought the same charm to his role as the liberal, innocent senator. Leading lady Patricia Neal had already demonstrated the right combination of romance and hard-edged cynicism in films such as The Fountainhead (1949) and the stage production of Lillian Hellman's Another Part of the Forest, which brought her Broadway's first Tony Award. The independent star never really fit in with the studio system, and Washington Story would be her last Hollywood film for years. She later moved to New York, making only occasional film appearances until she seemingly came out of nowhere to win the Oscar® for Best Actress in Hud in 1963. Lending the slight romantic tale an air of authenticity was cinematographer John Alton's location shooting in Washington. Alton had first attracted notice with his low-keyed lighting of such classic films noirs as He Walked by Night and T-Men (both 1948). He seemed a strange choice for the glamorous MGM, but fit well with the studio's growing realism after signing on there in 1950. He had no problem doing lush, romantic work, however, and even won an Oscar® for his first color film, An American in Paris in 1951. Director: Robert Pirosh Producer: Dore Schary Screenplay: Robert Pirosh Cinematography: John Alton Art Direction: Cedric Gibbons, Daniel B. Cathcart Music: Conrad Salinger Cast: Van Johnson (Joseph T. Gresham), Patricia Neal (Alice Kingsley), Louis Calhern (Charles W. Birch), Sidney Blackmer (Philip Emery), Philip Ober (Gilbert Nunnally), Patricia Collinge (Miss Galbreth), Elizabeth Patterson (Miss Dee). BW-82m. by Frank Miller

Quotes

Trivia

Notes

The film's working titles were Mr. Congressman and Mister Congressman. Although the film's main character, "Joseph Gresham," is supposed to be the representative from the 16th Congressional district in Massachusetts, at the time, Massachusetts had only 14 districts. The city of "Newchester" was also fictional. Various Hollywood Reporter news items, a New York Times feature article and M-G-M press releases reveal the following information about the production: In light of ongoing Congressional investigations of Communist activities in Hollywood, Dore Schary, M-G-M's vice-president in charge of production, wanted to produce a picture showing Congress in a positive light. Schary stated: "We're in an era of sensationalism, which has its virtues, but which also breeds cynicism...As an antidote, we want to examine the plus side of politics. We want to show the dirty punishment a good Congressman can take by `smear,' by pressure from lobbies, by misunderstanding his motives..." Actor Sam Jaffe was cast in the film, but because of Jaffe's alleged "connection with commie causes" he was removed from the production and paid off by M-G-M.
The film was shot on location in Washington, D.C. Interiors were shot throughout the Capitol Bldg., including the House chambers, the Capitol Rotunda and the Congressional subway that transports members to and from the House and Senate office building. The production had greater access to real Washington locations than any previous film. According to the Variety column "Inside Stuff-Pictures," while the picture was being filmed, the Washington Post ran an editorial criticizing the production crew for reportedly cleaning up the Capitol Rotunda prior to shooting because it was "much too dirty for the fastidious eyes of the movie customer." M-G-M's publicist for the film, James W. Merrick, wrote a letter to the editor after the piece ran, saying that the Rotunda had been thoroughly cleaned by the Capitol staff itself, prior to the company's arrival, and that cleaning done by the film crew was standard procedure for any film to bring out highlights and eliminate footprints. The Washington Post then stated that the original information had come from Merrick himself. Architect of the Capitol David Lynn was largely responsible for granting access for the film crew. Cecil B. Dickson, who appears briefly as a newspaper correspondent, had been a real Washington correspondent for many years.
Harry Nash, who had worked for forty-five years as a Capitol building guide, played a guide in the film. M-G-M had sought actress Nancy Olson from Paramount for the female lead in the film. Actress Marianne Ravenscourt was cast in the film, according to a Hollywood Reporter news item, but her appearance has not been confirmed. In August 1952, screenwriters Mildred Cram and Maurice Revnes sued M-G-M for $855,000, asserting that the studio had agreed to pay them $20,000 if it opted to use their story entitled "Mary Smith, U.S.A." Cram and Revnes claimed that their story was substantially the basis for Washington Story. The disposition of the suit has not been determined.

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