The Great McGinty

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The Great McGinty ★★★½ Down Went McGinty 1940

Sturges' directorial debut, about the rise and fall of a small-time, bribe-happy politician is an acerbic, ultra-cynical indictment of modern politics that stands, like much of his other work, as bracingly courageous as anything that's ever snuck past the Hollywood censors. Political party boss Tamiroff chews the scenery with gusto while Donlevy, in his first starring role, is more than his equal as the not-so-dumb political hack. 82m/B VHS . Brian Donlevy, Muriel Angelus, Akim Tamiroff, Louis Jean Heydt, Arthur Hoyt, William Demarest; D: Preston Sturges; W: Preston Sturges; C: William Mellor. Oscars ‘40: Orig. Screenplay.

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