Advise & Consent (1962)

Director:

Otto Preminger

Writers:

Allen Drury (novel)
Wendell Mayes (screenplay)

Release Date:

6 June 1962 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Are the men and women of Washington really like this?

Plot:

Senate investigation into the President's newly nominated Secretary of State, gives light to a secret from the past, which may not only ruin the candidate, but the President's character as well.

Plot Keywords:

New York City New York | Navy Ship | Anonymous Phone Call | Gay Bar | Blackmail

Awards:

Nominated for BAFTA Film Award. Another 1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Henry Fonda	...	Robert A. Leffingwell
Charles Laughton	...	Senator Seabright Cooley
Don Murray	...	Senator Brigham Anderson
Walter Pidgeon	...	Senate Majority Leader
Peter Lawford	...	Senator Lafe Smith
Gene Tierney	...	Dolly Harrison
Franchot Tone	...	The President
Lew Ayres	...	Vice President Harley Hudson
Burgess Meredith	...	Herbert Gelman
Eddie Hodges	...	Johnny Leffingwell
Paul Ford	...	Senator Stanley Danta
George Grizzard	...	Senator Fred Van Ackerman
Inga Swenson	...	Ellen Anderson
Frank Sinatra	...	Himself, Club 602 Singer on Jukebox (voice)
Edward Andrews	...	Senator Orrin Knox

Runtime:

139 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

West Germany:12 (f) | UK:U (original rating) | UK:PG (TV rating) | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:12 | Australia:M | USA:Approved (PCA #20078)

Filming Locations:

Caucus Room, United States Capitol - 545 Seventh Street SE, Washington, District of Columbia, USA

Company:

Otto Preminger Films

Trivia:

The film is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Allen Drury, who was a congressional correspondent for The New York Times during the 1950s, while he was writing the book. Nearly every character is based on a real person (Lafe Smith is based on John F. Kennedy; Orrin Knox is based on Robert A. Taft, Fred Van Ackerman is based on Joseph McCarthy and the president is modeled on Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Even the blackmailing on Brig Anderson, and how it's resolved, is based on a real incident. And the Leffingwell nomination is based on the House Un-American Activities Committee investigation of Alger Hiss.

Goofs:

Miscellaneous: When the roll call vote is being conducted on the motion to advise and consent to Leffingwell's nomination, Senator Van Ackerman's name is not called. Even though he had left the Senate Chamber, the clerk would still have called his name.

Quotes:

Fred Van Ackerman: What I did was for the good of the country.
Bob Munson: Fortunately our country always manages to survive patriots like you.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Preminger: Anatomy of a Filmmaker (1991)

Soundtrack:

The Song from Advise and Consent

Outstanding Film

Otto Preminger presented to the public in 1962 a great film dealing with a behind the scenes of Washington D.C. politics from the President, Vice President and many Senators wheeling and dealing. The subject of homosexual behavior is introduced to this story which was a subject that was kept in the closet by the film industry in Hollywood in 1962. Franchot Tone, (The President), Henry Fonda,(Robert A. Leffingwell), Charles Laughton,(Senator Seabright Cooley) and Gene Tierney, (Dolly Harrison) and many other veteran actors gave outstanding performances who all created a very realistic government. I thought that Charles Laughton strongly portrayed an old crafty and wise senior Senator and made you want to hate him for this role he created. Great Classic film from 1962, Enjoy.