Washington Story (1952) User Reviews

Does The Name of Drew Pearson Strike A Familiar Note?

[bkoganbing · 6/10 · 19 September 2007]

A young generation of American movie viewers cannot possibly appreciate the significance of Washington Story and the performance of Philip Ober as a Drew Pearson type columnist. But back when I was a lad, his was a name that struck fear in the hearts of many Washington politicians, mostly those of the conservative bent. His column from the capital was a weekly expose of all the crooked wheeling and dealing going on there, written in a Walter Winchell like vein. Like Philip Ober in this story, Pearson was a man both feared and despised in many quarters.

A lot of people thought Pearson was a crusading hero, but Washington Story doesn't make Ober anything like that. He's a raker of tabloid mud who's currently drawing a bead on young Congressman Van Johnson from Massachusetts. To do his dirty work Ober gets young Patricia Neal, an ambitious reporter herself, to get close to Johnson and dig up the top soil.

Of course as what usually happens in films like these Johnson and Neal fall for each other with unforeseen consequences for Ober. Louis Calhern is in the film as a wise older Congressman from the other party who befriends Johnson and helps steer him through the crisis. And Sidney Blackmer does a nice job as a lobbyist for the shipping industry whose pet bill is giving Johnson a lot of grief.

If you think Johnson and Neal sound a lot like James Stewart and Jean Arthur you'd be right. MGM filmed Washington Story inside the environs of the real Capitol Hill. It's not Mr. Smith with Jimmy Stewart fighting against a blind establishment, blind to the corruption in Stewart's state. Here the establishment is given a nice coat of whitewash. Remember this was the beginning of the Cold War when we were putting our best foot forward at all times. The villain here in fact is our press.

Or at least a part of it as represented by columnists like Drew Pearson. I have a funny feeling that the genesis of Washington Story came from someone at MGM running afoul of Pearson and getting back at him cinematically speaking.

DC romance with dash of drama says much about politics in '52

[bmacv · 5/10 · 31 July 2001]

Washington Story promises to be a lot grittier than it ends up being, but this non-Red-scare movie nonetheless says a lot about America during the height of the Red scare (1952, actually). Van Johnson plays a hard-working, honest congressman who runs foul of a venomous columnist. The columnist sets an idealistic young reporter (Patricia Neal) on him to dig up, or manufacture, dirt. At first wary, the two grow -- naturally -- close, only to draw apart from unfounded suspicions. The appeal of Johnson and Neal make this a passable diversion, and there's some nice observation of the Georgetown cocktail-party circuit and of close friendships between ideologically incompatible colleagues, but the underlying message is never far from the surface: It's unpatriotic to talk against the "Government," and the press is nothing but a pack of subversive malcontents.

Art Imitating Life?

[sol1218 · 7/10 · 11 January 2005]

(There are Spoilers)

The movie "Washington Story" is about a straight as an arrow US Congressman Joseph T. Gresham, Van Johnson, who's career as a United States lawmaker is seriously jeopardized when he's accused of having been paid off by a big time ship builder and D.C lobbyist Philip Emery, Sidney Blackman,to vote for this bill that he's been pushing.

At first Congressman Gresham is against the bill despite his voting base depending on it since it would have a major effect on the economy of his congressional districts ship building industry. This "Ship Dispersel Bill" would have all the ship building in Congressman Gresham district directed inland and thus take away thousands of jobs from his congressional district that are dependent on that industry.

Gresham at the time is being followed around by news reporter Alice Kingley, Patricia Neal, who's doing a story on him for her newspaper. The truth is that Alice is really working for top D.C columnist and political muckraker Gilbert Nunnally ,Philip Ober, who want's her to do a hit piece on the congressman and destroy his career for what he's got going against him; a lawsuit for defamation of character on the part of Nunnally.

We, as well as Alice, later learn that Congressman Gresham's change of heart in his vote for the bill had nothing to do with him getting paid off by Emery like Nunnally wanted the public to believe. It's his concern for the national security of the United States even if that vote cost him his seat in the US Congress. There's also an important side story that really shows what a great person, as well as American, Congressman Gresham is with his selfless action to get Peter Kralik ,Reinhold Schunzel, a man who lived in the USA for 28 years and is now in danger of being deported back to his native country behind the Iron Curtain as well as deprived his American citizenship.

In the end Alice sees what a heel her boss Nunnally really is and quits working for him as a leg-women in getting the so-called dirt on Gresham and falls in love with the congressman where they then live happily ever after in D.C and his home back in Newchtester Ma.

I was fascinated by the comparison between the person that Van Johnson played in the film Congressman Joeseph T. Gresham and the late and tragic President of the United States John F. Kennedy. Even though at the time that the movie "Washington Story" was made, in early 1952, JFK was a relatively unknown congressman from the state of Massachusetts.

Both Congressman Greshman in the movie and Congressman Kennedy in real life were both democrats representing a congressional district in Massachustts and were elected right after WWII, 1946, and served in the US Navy where they were decorated for bravery in that conflict.

Even more fantastic is that Congressman Greshman met fell in love with and, obviously after the movie was over, married a woman who worked for a newspaper the pretty news reporter Alice Kingsley. At the time that the film "Washington Story" was being filmed John F. Kennedy in fact did meet and later married Miss. Jacqueline Bouvier, the future Mrs. Jackie Kenndey, who also worked for a newspaper at the time as a news photographer! Speaking of art imitating life!

Washington Story

[CinemaSerf · 6/10 · 11 November 2023]

Van Johnson is the congressman ("Gresham") content to toe the party line and play the political game in Washington DC. It's only when a bill is drafted that will impact on ship-building facilities in his Massachusetts constituency that he might have to take a stance! Meantime, a tabloid employs the services of investigative journalist "Alice" (Patricia Neal) to get to the bottom of this ostensibly decent man's true personality. Unawares of her real agenda, he agrees to allow her to follow his day-to-day life but as the decisive vote looms, she reaches her conclusion about him just as he, well.... Though Johnson and Neal take top billing, the film really belongs to Louis Calhern's savvy and wily "Birch" who sees something in "Gresham" that isn't entirely obvious to everyone else. Auteur Robert Pirosh certainly gives him the best witty and telling dialogue to deliver, and he does it well. The other two here rather go through the motions and though initially I thought it a bit like "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" (1939) that similarity wained rather quickly. Still, it's a watchable look at just how the US Capitol might work: scheming, indifference, self preservation and keeping your head down; is largely devoid of romantic clutter and is just about worth eighty minutes of your time.

This film took me by surprise

[planktonrules · 8/10 · 1 March 2009]

When I began watching WASHINGTON STORY, I really had no idea what the film was about and I have never been a particular fan of the leads, Van Johnson and Patricia Neal. Because of this and the score on IMDb, I was prepared to be unimpressed. However, the film took me completely by surprise as it turned out to be a darn good film--better than the mediocre score on IMDb would indicate.

The film is an interesting lesson on 1950s politics and the press. The film begins with Philip Ober and his employee, Patricia Neal, talking about her new press assignment at the US Capitol. Exactly what her story will be she isn't sure, but it is interesting how Ober slowly guides her to a story idea--one, it turns out, he had in mind for her all along and one that she now thinks is just spur of the moment. She is to try to get a young Congressman (Johnson) to agree to let her watch him for one week and write an exposé on him. She is to try to get the usually press-shy Johnson to allow her access in order to do a "hatchet job"--i.e., tear him to pieces regardless of what he says or does. It takes a lot of work for her to get Johnson to let down his guard and agree to the story. He does so only after she lies and convinces him it's a human interest story for a women's magazine--sort of like "Ladies Home Journal".

The problem is that the more Neal follows Johnson as he works, the more she realizes he's a pretty decent and hard working guy. Now this isn't saying that the Congressmen are all angels--far from it! However, she's amazed to see a politician who is more concerned with doing what's best for the country instead of what will get him re-elected--something politicians these days could really stand to learn.

The film gets very high marks for solid acting--not just with the leads but with the excellent supporting actors (particularly Louis Calhern). In addition, the script is a big star because it is very engaging and manages to tell a MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINTON style story while still avoiding the schmaltz. The characters aren't all black and white in style and even the nice Johnson is a flawed man. I am a rather cynical person yet I didn't find myself laughing at the way these people were portrayed. Overall, a very good and highly underrated film that deserves a look.

Stop The Presses! Government Good! Unemployment? Yay!

[crispy_comments · 5/10 · 20 January 2006]

On the surface this is a feel-good movie, wherein the cynical female reporter hopes to dig up dirt on a congressman, but discovers that he's really as honest as he seems to be, and they live happily ever after. But if you dig deeper you'll find this film has a somewhat sinister agenda - or am *I* just too cynical?

Remember all those movies in the 30s and 40s where reporters were portrayed as aggressive truth-seekers, the newspapers being a sort of moral watchdog keeping the politicians in line? Well, not in "Washington Story". Here the message seems to be that the Press are vicious liars - if they can't find any dirt, why, they'll make it up! And, if slapped with a libel suit, they'll just double their attempts to ruin that poor politician's reputation. Um, I don't think that really happens. Certainly the media today tends to be under the government's thumb - meekly regurgitating the stories the President feeds them, and rarely reporting on corruption. Hmm, maybe "Washington Story" had the desired (unfortunate) effect!

By casting someone as wholesome and likable as Van Johnson in the lead role, and showing his character working hard, taking the time to help an immigrant about to be deported - gee, he's nice to boy scouts too! - the audience is cleverly manipulated into accepting anything he does, as Good and Right. But how can it be good to vote for a bill that will put so many people out of work? To vote in agreement with the opposing (Republican) party, rather than representing the wishes of your constituents who elected you into office in the first place?

Somehow things get twisted around so that the congressman feels it would be self-serving of him to vote the way his state wants him to...what with the re-election coming up and so on... he'd rather do "what's best for the country as a whole", and risk losing voter support. He's so noble! Isn't he brave? Willing to give up his job next term, in order to do the "right" thing? Not really. I don't believe this guy's actions are justified just because he's kind to children and the elderly, or that it's okay to betray the people's trust in you, just as long as you're not changing your vote due to a bribe.

It's a far cry from "Mr. Smith Goes To Washington", that's for sure, when Jimmy Stewart fought for the common folks and confronted corrupt government officials. As far as I can tell, there *are* no corrupt politicians in "Washington Story" - the Democrats and Republicans are buddies, who good-naturedly squabble. The Evil Mud-slinging Reporters are the only villains here.

Let this be a lesson to us: Never criticize the government - They are always right. Nevermind what the voting citizens may want. We don't elect politicans to *represent* us, but to know what's best for us. And if it seems like their decisions are really only in the best interests of rich capitalists, and lead to more unemployment and struggles for the rest of us... well, we're just too small-minded to understand these Noble Men Who Make Our Country Great. Yep, sounds like the world we live in. I prefer my politics in the movies to be less realistic, and more idealistic. Sorry Van, I love ya, but I'll stick with "Mr. Smith".

Much better than anticipated

[vincentlynch-moonoi · 8/10 · 1 February 2011]

I've usually enjoyed Van Johnson and Patricia Neal, but in the case of Johnson I tend to think of him in light-hearted comedies or musicals. So, when I sat down to view this film, I wasn't expecting a whole lot, since it was clear it was a drama. In fact, I expected to turn it off after a few minutes. Well, to my surprise, Van Johnson turns in a solid performance as an idealistic congressman who votes contrary to what his constituents may want. Patricia Neal is also very fine as the reporter. Of course, as must happen in movies from the era, they fall in love but are forced apart when Johnson realizes Neal is a colleague of a muck-raking politician...or, was. One other performance of note here is Louis Calhern. Also of note, many are scenes are actually filmed in the Capitol building! The only thing I found disappointing was how quickly the film ended, of course with Johnson and Neal living happily ever after. Did Johnson win reelection? We'll never know. It all wrapped up too suddenly. Aside from the ending, however, this was a very good film.

Great Patricia Neal Classic

[whpratt1 · 10/10 · 20 January 2005]

During the Second (2nd) Inauguration of President George Bush, this particular film was shown on American Movie Channel and since I had never viewed this film, it was a great opportunity. Patricia Neal, (Alice Kingsley),"The Fountainhead",'49, was very beautiful and young in this 1952 film and played a good girl and also a bad girl newspaper reporter who was after Van Johnson,(Joseph T. Gresham),"Clowning Around",'92, who was a young innocent Senator to the Washington circle. Alice Kingsley's main interest was to find some bad past history in his life in order to discredit him politically. There was a very romantic scene where Alice and Joseph have dinner and dance on an old Pirate Ship and seem to be falling in love. Louis Calhern,(Charles W. Birch),"The Asphalt Jungle"'50 along with Sidney Blackmer,(Philip Emery),"Rosemary's Baby",'68 gave great supporting roles to this film and were able to portray the tricky methods that are used by the old time politicians working behind the scenes. If you like Patricia Neal and Van Johnson from their past great films, then this is a good film to sit back and ENJOY.

10/10

[exepellinglogin · 10/10 · 18 October 2021]

Joe Gresham is a hardworking but taciturn congressman from Massachusetts. Reporter Alice Kingsley arrived in Washington, DC and was hired by Gilbert Nunnally, a tabloid columnist and cynic, who wanted Alice to expose a mature political scandal. Their goal was "No Comment Joe" Gresham, and she began to make up a story about him, telling him it would be a benign "personal profile." Gresham is struggling with real legislative dilemmas, weighing funding for shipbuilding facilities, which will benefit his own region and broader defense requirements. In order to get to know him better and dig up some appropriate dirt, Alice agrees to go to his hometown with Joe, where she meets his mother and observes him in his local situation. She finds that Gresham's healthy image does not seem to have any pretense, and is in a dilemma between her commission to write an "almighty" story and her growing appeal to Joe.