The Great McGinty Details

Don't be put off just because this is a comedy about American politics with no star names. Writer Preston Sturges persuaded Paramount to let him make his directing debut for a ten-dollar fee, and the result is this delicious study in comic irony. It's the story of a penniless Irishman who rises through a corrupt party machine to become governor of a state, then is ruined in a crazy minute of honesty. Proving as brilliant a director as he was a writer, Sturges won the Oscar for best original screenplay and opened the doors for other writers like Billy Wilder to direct their work. Brian Donlevy attacks his starring role with gusto, while supporting players shine in every scene.

Sturges' first film as writer/director, a wonderfully dry satire which takes the American political system apart... read more on Time Out