IMDb RATING
7.3/10
4.2K
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Frank Skeffington is an old Irish-American political boss, running for re-election as mayor of a U.S. town for the last time.Frank Skeffington is an old Irish-American political boss, running for re-election as mayor of a U.S. town for the last time.Frank Skeffington is an old Irish-American political boss, running for re-election as mayor of a U.S. town for the last time.
- Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award
- 3 wins & 1 nomination total
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- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaOrson Welles was John Ford's original choice to play Frank Skeffington, but Welles either lost or refused the part after Ward Bond, a Ford friend and an ultra-conservative Republican, publicly questioned Welles' loyalty to the U.S., as Welles was well known as a progressive Democrat. Ford was furious with Bond, since Welles and Ford were fans of each other's work.
- GoofsWhen Frank Jr. bursts into the bedroom to see his dying Father, the doorknob comes apart and the interior knob falls off. The Doctor immediately follows him into the room, and the doorknob is once again intact.
- Quotes
Roger Sugrue: [standing by Skeffington's bed] Well, at least he made his peace with God. There's one thing we all can be sure of - if he had it to do over again, there's no doubt in the world he would do it very, very differently.
Mayor Frank Skeffington: [opening his eyes] Like hell I would.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Directed by John Ford (1971)
Featured review
Somehow, Ford has managed to make a film that is BOTH cynical and sentimental
John Ford's version of the book, THE LAST HURRAH, is a behind the scenes look at one last election campaign for an aging mayor (Skeffington) of a town whose name is never mentioned in the film. In many ways, the film is a bit cynical as it showed the way that politicians wheel and deal and manipulate--but in this case, always for a good cause. While Skeffington is definitely not above using these questionable tactics, at the same time, he is shown as fundamentally decent and very, very sentimental--with a true love for his constituents. This is a very difficult balancing act for the film--combining gritty realism with sentimentality, but it manages to do so.
In many ways, this is highly reminiscent of the real life Ford, as he was by many accounts a highly manipulative son of a,.....well, you know what I was going to say. Yet, at the same time, sentimentality abounds in his films like no other film maker. You can see it here in his liberal use of old and almost forgotten supporting stars--such as Eddie Brophy, Frank McHugh and Jane Darwell.
Overall, the film is very interesting and manipulative (in a good way), as you find yourself pulling for Skeffington and feeling his pain as well--even though he is a fictional character AND a politician! The film is well worth seeing and the film is extremely well-acted and directed.
In many ways, this is highly reminiscent of the real life Ford, as he was by many accounts a highly manipulative son of a,.....well, you know what I was going to say. Yet, at the same time, sentimentality abounds in his films like no other film maker. You can see it here in his liberal use of old and almost forgotten supporting stars--such as Eddie Brophy, Frank McHugh and Jane Darwell.
Overall, the film is very interesting and manipulative (in a good way), as you find yourself pulling for Skeffington and feeling his pain as well--even though he is a fictional character AND a politician! The film is well worth seeing and the film is extremely well-acted and directed.
helpful•2412
- planktonrules
- Nov 29, 2006
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Details
Box office
- Budget
- $2,300,000 (estimated)
- Runtime2 hours 1 minute
- Color
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