Gabriel Over the White House (1933)

Synopsis: In 1932, America struggles with the effects of the depression and Prohibition. A new president, Judson Hammond (Walter Huston), is inaugurated. A handsome, amiable man, he is more concerned with... In 1932, America struggles with the effects of the depression and Prohibition. A new president, Judson Hammond (Walter Huston), is inaugurated. A handsome, amiable man, he is more concerned with his young nephew (Dickie Moore) than the problems of the unemployed. Hammond is a party figurehead--the candidate of corrupt interests--and a bachelor with a very private secretary, Pendola Molloy (the elegant Karen Morley). This president tests the dedication of his idealistic public secretary, Hartley Beekman (Franchot Tone), and nearly everyone else around him. Things change, however, when President Hammond has an auto accident. Near death, he has an epiphany--and turns with a vengeance on those who elected him, becoming an advocate for the common people. In making GABRIEL OVER THE WHITE HOUSE, director Gregory La Cava and producer Walter Wanger developed a startling cinematic answer to the chaos that many thought was overrunning the country. The film feels like a prayer for deliverance; regarded as truly remarkable when it appeared, La Cava's movie is still astonishing today. [More]

Starring: Walter Huston, Karen Morley, Franchot Tone, Dickie Moore

Starring: Walter Huston, Karen Morley, Franchot Tone, Dickie Moore, C. Henry Gordon, Samuel S. Hinds, Jean Parker, David Landau, William Pawley

Director: Gregory La Cava

Director: Gregory La Cava
Screenwriter: Carey Wilson, Bertram Bloch
Producer: Walter Wanger
Composer: William Axt

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