State of the Union Details

Adapted from a play by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse, starring Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn, and directed by Frank Capra (It Happened One Night), this one could hardly miss. It didn't — and it doesn't. Originally released in the year of a presidential campaign, it concerns a millionaire industrialist (Tracy) running for the highest office and unwittingly putting himself and his integrity at the mercy of other people's unprincipled ambition. When the candidate's estranged wife (Hepburn) is persuaded to return for a public reunion for political convenience, there are unexpected consequences. Enthralling and astringently witty, the film boasts top-class supporting performances from Adolphe Menjou, Van Johnson and Angela Lansbury, while the star duo fires on all cylinders.

Brilliantly scripted political comedy which unfortunately goes soft at the end but offers stimulating entertainment most of the way.