The Last Hurrah
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The Last Hurrah is a novel written by Edwin O'Connor that was later made into a movie in 1958.
[edit] Novel
The story concerns a veteran Boston Irish politician, Frank Skeffington, as seen through the eyes of a nephew whom he invites to accompany him on yet another mayoral reelection campaign - which turns out to be unsuccessful and the end of Skeffington's long career. Skeffington has a gentlemanly manner, lacing his talk with literary quotations. He is slightly corrupt, but delivers service to his constituents. He is an expert at juggling and balancing the claims of the various Boston-area ethnic groups. But his time has past, and he loses the election to a very mediocre and nondescript Irish challenger. While not a roman à clef, there are points of similarity between Skeffington and Boston mayor James Michael Curley. (Boston is nowhere explicitly named in the book, which invariably just refers to "the city" - but the location is unmistakable.)
[edit] Movie
The acclaimed 1958 movie was directed by John Ford with a star studded cast:
- Spencer Tracy Mayor Frank Skeffington
- Jeffrey Hunter Adam Caulfield
- Dianne Foster Mave Caulfield
- Pat O'Brien John Gorman
- Basil Rathbone Norman Cass, Sr.
- Donald Crisp Cardinal Martin Burke
- James Gleason "Cuke" Gillen
- Edward Brophy "Ditto" Boland
- John Carradine Amos Force
- Willis Bouchey Roger Sugrue
- Basil Ruysdael Bishop Gardner
- Ricardo Cortez Sam Weinberg
- Wallace Ford Charles J. Hennessey
- Frank McHugh Festus Garvey
- Carleton Young Winslow
- Frank Albertson Jack Mangan
- Bob Sweeney Johnny Degnan
- Edmund Lowe Johnny Byrne
- William Leslie Dan Herlihy
- Anna Lee Gert Minihan
- Ken Curtis Monsignor Killian
- Jane Darwell Delia Boylan
- O.Z. Whitehead Norman Cass Jr.
- Arthur Walsh Frank Skeffington Jr.
- Ruth Warren Ellen Davin
- Charles B. Fitzsimons Kevin McCluskey
- Helen Westcott Mrs. McCluskey
- Mimi Doyle Mamie Burns
- Danny Borzage Pete
- James Flavin Police Capt. Michael J. Shanahan
- William Forrest Doctor Tom
- Frank Sully Fire Lieutenant
- Charles Sullivan Chauffeur
Spencer Tracy was nominated as Best Foreign Actor by BAFTA, and won the Best Actor Award from National Board of Review which also awarded John Ford Best Director.
It was remade for TV in 1977 by actor Carroll O'Connor.
