Review of State of the Union (1948) by Steve S — 09 Nov 2008

Spencer Tracy plays a self made aircraft magnate, handpicked by his mistress (Angela Lansbury playing the head of a influential newspaper) and political insiders to run for the Presidency. Initially, Tracy shows his honest self as a -- dare I say, maverick -- as he sets about proclaiming that "People have to know where I stand". But before soon, he is cowed under by his political handlers who assure him that in order to win he has to appease both labor and industry, rich and the poor, Italian-Americans against the Abyssinian-Americans and play all sides against each other.

His estranged wife, played by Katherine Hepburn, watches in disbelief as her husband is played like a fiddle by his mistress and the political establishment as they seek to further their ambition by using up Tracy's good name. In the end, watching his wife being humiliated on national radio (this is the 40's!) is enough to cause Tracy to snap back to his righteous self and publicly declare that his big name supporters are phonies and that he will run for office on an honest platform.

Having recently concluded the 2008 election cycle, the story's parallel arc to real world maverick isn't lost on me.