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Movies / On DVD / The Great McGinty
The Great McGinty

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The Great McGinty (1940)

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Reviews Counted:18

Fresh:18

Rotten:0

Average Rating:7.9/10

Runtime: 82 mins

Genre: Comedies

Synopsis: Preston Sturges graduated from writing hit comedies to writing and directing them with his cautionary tale of corruption and honesty, THE GREAT MCGINTY. In a dive bar south of the border, a... Preston Sturges graduated from writing hit comedies to writing and directing them with his cautionary tale of corruption and honesty, THE GREAT MCGINTY. In a dive bar south of the border, a begrudging bartender, McGinty (Brian Donlevy) tries to assuage an embezzling bank clerk on the lam by relating his own reasons for fleeing to the banana republic. He was mayor of a big city, and from this unsuspected revelation ensues a sweeping look at McGinty's seedy journey from tough-guy bum to mob lackey. A tip-off that there's money in voting for the corrupt incumbent mayor leads McGinty to the belligerent mob Boss who runs the city, and is so taken with McGinty's street wise charms that he takes him under his wing. When the mayor is exposed by the press, the Boss proposes McGinty as the reform party candidate complete with a quickly arranged marriage to his sweet-faced secretary, Catherine. These airtight mob machinations come undone when the good influence of the wise Catherine begins to wear away at McGinty's lifelong bad habits. He vows to work for the people as Sturges' inverted thesis of honesty as the disastrous fatal flaw wreaks comic havoc on this precise and compelling comedy. [More]

Starring: Brian Donlevy, Muriel Angelus, Akim Tamiroff, Allyn Joslyn

Starring: Brian Donlevy, Muriel Angelus, Akim Tamiroff, Allyn Joslyn, Louis Jean Heydt, Arthur Hoyt, William Demarest, Thurston Hall, Steffi Duna

Director: Preston Sturges

Director: Preston Sturges
Screenwriter: Preston Sturges
Producer: Paul Jones
Composer: Frederick Hollander

[See More Credits]

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Release:

Jun 30, 1993

No Details Exist
 
 

Reviews for The Great McGinty

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1 - 18 (sorted by date)
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Sturges displays plenty of ability in accentuating both the comedy and dramatic elements of his material, withal maintaining a consistent pace in the unreeling.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
11/13/07
Variety Staff
Variety Staff
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The trademark Sturges dialogue is in rare form here, each character armed with a quiver full of tart jabs and put-downs.

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
01/12/07
Chris Barsanti
Chris Barsanti
Filmcritic.com

It's the kind of ironical film Capra wouldn't or couldn't make.

Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment Comment
08/02/06
Dennis Schwartz
Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews

A wonderfully dry satire.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
06/24/06
Tom Milne
Tom Milne
Time Out

No review available.

comment Comment
06/26/05
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

No review available.

comment Comment
06/06/05
Eric Lurio
Eric Lurio
Greenwich Village Gazette

Deliciously biting political satire.

comment Comment
10/21/04
Nell Minow
Nell Minow
Movie Mom at Yahoo! Movies

As a political comedy, it's far-fetched but certainly engaging.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
05/24/03
Channel 4 Film

You won't make a mistake, believe us, if you stuff the ballot-box for The Great McGinty.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
05/20/03
Bosley Crowther
Bosley Crowther
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Sturges' directorial debut is a little rough around the edges, but still good.

comment Comment
03/12/03
Ken Hanke
Ken Hanke
Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

Donlevy isn’t Sturges’ most appealing lead, but he’ll do, and Tamiroff really works it as his patron, the Boss.

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
03/10/03
Marjorie Baumgarten
Marjorie Baumgarten
Austin Chronicle

A classic, cynical comedy about politics and corruption; still pertinent today.

comment Comment
01/19/03
Bob Bloom
Bob Bloom
Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN)

Minor Sturges.

comment Comment
11/22/02
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
San Francisco Examiner

No review available.

comment Comment
09/03/02
Jeffrey Westhoff
Jeffrey Westhoff
Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL)

No review available.

comment Comment
08/31/02
John J. Puccio
John J. Puccio
DVDTown.com

not "Lady Eve"-caliber Preston Sturges, but well worth viewing

comment Comment
07/29/02
James Sanford
James Sanford
Kalamazoo Gazette

The perfect fusion of Sturges's wit and frenzy.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
01/01/00
Don Druker
Don Druker
Chicago Reader
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Preston Sturges's first film as writer-director (1940) and one of his most cynical comedies -- a cut below his best work, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't see it.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
01/01/00
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Chicago Reader
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
 
 
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