Angela Lansbury, Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn in State of the Union
Frank Capra has never been shy about showcasing politics in his films. State of the Union is his most blatantly political. It containsmany political rants and speeches, none even disguised as dialogue. Although Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn made many socially political films together, such as Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967),most were light comedies with some drama. This is their most dark. It even starts with a suicide.
Grant is amarried father of two,whose mistress, Kay,inherits a news agency after the aforementioned suicide. She decides to encourage and support Grant asa Republican nominee. Due to the affair, Grant and his wife, Mary, have not seen each other in awhile. Jim, the campaign manager that Kay hired, states that Marymust be on board and on hand to support her husband to get the votes needed. However, Mary proves to be the cog in the political wheel. Grant gives speeches from the heart that inspire some, including Mary. However, Kay and Jim want him to say other things that they believe will help get him through the primary. Much to Mary's chagrin, he does. Things get even more tensefor Mary when she is forced to invite Kay to her homefor a public broadcast, in hopes of dispelling the story of her affair with Grant.
It is easily Hepburn's best part of the film.Hepburnhas tocryone momentand laugh in the next. She plays vulnerable and brave at the same time. It is no wonder she had such a long career. Themost amazing performance though,is delivered byAngela Lansbury. At the mere age of 22, she plays a ball breaking bitch who fires her editors to their face with out blinking. She holds her own against the great Kate and Tracy. She carries herself with all the presence of a woman with far more life experience. She would revisit this role years later in the political thriller, The Manchurian Candidate (1962).
Frank Capra's original casting choice was to reunite his It Happened One Night (1936) stars, Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert. He could not get Gable, so Tracy was signed. Colbertwas cast but shortlyafter production started she was let go. Upon Tracy's suggestion, Hepburnwas giventhe role of Mary. As the casting was completely by chance, it is interesting just how it ended upreflecting on reality. In real life, Tracy was a married father and Hepburn his mistress. One scene in particular finds Tracy and Hepburn talking alone at night in which Tracy says with all seriousness to Hepburn, "You know that I am neither happy nor successful, not as a man, a husband, or a father." Hepburn wrote in her autobiography how an unhappy Tracy would show up at her home in the middle of the night drunk.
Tracy was noted for not ad-libbing, but rumor has it that he made up a line in the film. Whena manenters their hotel roomrantingabout taxes,Tracy says to Hepburn,"Looks like your brother Dick."She laughs and seemingly spontaneously kicksTracy in theshin. In real life her brother's name was Dick.
State of the Union is a wonderful drama with an all star cast. If it fails at anything it is in the length. It runs just over two hours. Capra was notably long winded, trying to pack as much politics in that he could. Tracy is playing a Republican but he gives a speech at one point to Menjou where he sounds awfully liberal. Based on a play, Capra is not responsible for all the lines, but he did pad the film with a couple of scenes in airplanes, intending to add some levity to the drama.
They were not needed, as the script already hadsome humorous scenes. Early on, the homely MargaretHamilton flirts with Van Johnson every chance she gets. The funniest scenethough, iswhen Hepburn gets drunk with another woman near the end.
State of the Union works very well as a topical drama of the time. References are made to President Truman and then current political situations. However, the real legacy of this film is that it shows just how little has changed politically speaking in the United States. Kay represents just how biased the media is. The campaign scenes show how a candidate's appearance can meanmore than the substance of his character. These lines spoken early on by Tracy apply today as much as then, "You politicians, instead of trying to pull the country together, are helping to pull it apart just to get votes. To labor you promise higher wages and lower prices. To business, higher prices and lower wages. To the rich you say, "Lets cut taxes.", to the poor, "Soak the Rich.". Did we not just have an election in which we heard all of that?
