I love this movie, just watched it tonight. Watch it 2-3 times a year. I've never seen the Brig's "horrified attraction" in the gay bar, though. Just early 60s-style homophobia. Sad that Ray ended up in the mud. It's a great movie, and Franchot Tone, Charles Laughton, Walter Pidgeon and Lew Ayres do excellent work. Thanks for another great review!
Very solid movie. Preminger was a pioneer at breaking away from the Hollywood cardboard portrayal of life and bringing realism into movies, creating a more real and interesting universe that audiences could identify with. I've read that this was the first portrayal of a gay bar in a major movie and from what I remember of the movie, it was totally devoid of stereotypes, though Hollywood would cling to stereotypes for decades more. Also read that Sinatra was not too happy when he learned his song would be playing in the background at the gay bar. Interesting to see Betty White as a senator and also know that JFK's secretary was in the movie, though I don't remember that scene.
Great review of one of my fave movies. Interesting side note: If you go looking for the Sinatra song from the gay bar scene it does not exist anywhere. Preminger went to Sinatra and had him record the rather mysterious and sappy lyrics JUST for the film! This film is great for the reasons the classic 40's films were great - the wonderful secondary characters played by such consummate pros as Edward Andrews, Paul Ford etc. People's whose faces are as familiar to me as though they were family.
Thank you for reviewing this great film, as it seems to not be very widely known and is, in my estimation, very underrated. It has an outstanding cast, great writing, and superb direction by Preminger. I stumbled across it a few years ago, never having heard of it before, and sat riveted as I watched and as the gay story line emerged. I was stunned at how surprisingly well the topic was handled for a movie made in 1962. It tops my list of political films. By the way, I always really enjoy your reviews, Steve! Greetings from Vancouver!
I love Preminger's all-star vehicles. he seems able to blend them better and get a real ensemble feel. I was also impressed that even though Fobda get's top billing, the real star is Walter Pidgeon, who is fantastic!
I loved him in this. Such a brave performance...I also have to say, the freckles on his bare shoulders during the shaving scene, drove me round the bend. ...sigh...
Bravo to you Steve, for a great review. Especially with the comments about the gay subtext. Vito Russo, in "The Celluloid Closet," thought the scene was "homophobic," because the bar is "dark." I don't think it was 'homophobic" at all, it was the way most bars were back then: dark, sleazy and smelly. Another thing was how you cleared up a hunch I've had for years. When Columbia did "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington," it was after art director Lionel Banks went to Washington to do research for "Smith's" sets. I wasn't sure "Smith's" sets had been saved for a movie the same studio distributed 13 years later. Thanks for confirming that hunch.
I knew I knew that name (Inga Swenson). Hadn't looked it up yet, though....Even a characters as minor as Betty White's was written with some nuance. Great film that I finally watched last night. Thx for the tip, Steve.
Steve, you are so many spot on with this movie! You are incredible. Thanks so much. I almost forget this movie on my radar but you bring it back... especially now in these political times. 1
I broke down and bought this movie a couple of years ago. The twist at the end was something. I loved the cast and was happy to even see Betty White and Inga Swenson in it.
ohhhh, Steve! as usual....you look fabulous,dahling!....and, you didn't disappoint! Great movie choice (for the 114° we're having out here in the High Desert of California!) & narrative! hi Johnny!! hope your "cool" as ever! kisses to you both!
You should be an American National Treasure I'm an old Queen from UK I love Joan Bette and Judy will names will never forget and thank you so much for doing this there are so many younger people who don't know decent cinema apart from zombies and please don't ever talk about Joan in Trog did you see feud what did you think Jessica Lange brilliant as Joan Susan Sarandon brilliant as Bette Davis but she didn't have the accent I'm so glad you're back because I love this this is my life these old films doing episode on Judy yours Lucille le sueur
Thank you for watching. Yes, we share the same love for the classics. Not to worry. "Trog" is not on my list, but "Possessed" definitely in. Thats the Joan I go for! Love and regards to Great Britain. I Love London!
Fabulous new episode submitted for our eager consideration! Spot-on comment about Stanley Kramer's star sequences compared to Otto Preminger's ensemble casts. Also love that Kennedy schmoozer Lawford was in this, too. Adds an air of Camelot authenticity to a post-Kennedy era viewing. Kudos, Steve! Boffo in your Box Office Populi......
You forgot to mention that that American icon and institution Betty White, yes THE Betty White is in Advise and Consent. This was Betty White's first movie and she plays a senator from Kansas. I believe in 1962 there was only one female U.S. Senator Margaret Chase Smith Republican of Maine. Betty White did not make another movie for many years. But nonetheless Betty White has come to be one of the most famous and beloved people in the United States. If she weren't around 97 I'd say she should be a dark horse candidate for the Presidency.
hank, Judy! So appreciated! Thank you so much for watching. Don't forget to subscribe so that you'll be noticfied about fuure episodes and please take a moment to push the "LIKE" button. It really helps. Have a great day! Steve
Not that this matters, but I think Steve meant to say "Whirlpool" instead of "Whiplash" which was a Warner Brothers film with Alexis Smith. Whirlpool was a great 1949 noir that Preminger directed Gene in with the deliciously evil José Ferrer. I'm so glad you choose this film Steve, Preminger was such an incredibly under-appreciated and under awarded director. His films prove that, as they've stood the test of time compared to other directors' tenfold.
Thanks Steve. Yes. Superb. That idea of when one would attack in debate and not be personal ( sort of ) is a far superior way to behave than the disgraceful level it all has sunk to now. The angle Lawford was captured in in the clip you showed made me shudder. It was so much like Kennedy.
Do you have a cheat sheet for the characters? I suspect Charles Laughton was Sam Rayburn and Orrin Knox was R. Nixon (a rough anagram). Try the sequels to Advise and Consent, which really get going in 'Preserve and Protect' and its two 'choose-your-own' sequels, skewed towards Drury's conservatism. BTW his book about South Africa, 'A Very Strange Society' was franker than you would expect.
This is just an excellent review. I spent time in political reporting at the Bay Area Reporter in San Francisco so political movies always fascinate me. This one got a bad rap from the late author Vito Russo because the gay bar scene seemed to him to "anti-gay" but Mr. Russo was using later thinking on gay people. However, a closeted Senator in the 1960s would have acted as Don Murray did at that time.
I agree. Preminger always went against the grain. He plays it very fair here. It's not being gay that destroys the character; it's the fear that he still might be gay.
Interesting that you talk about this movie during gay pride month. Film historian the late Vito Russo who wrote the Celluloid Closet, a look at how Hollywood depicted homosexuality in the movies, talks about this film in his book as being the first film he saw with a gay character. Because this film was made when there was the Motion Picture Code: "Topics considered "perverse" could not be discussed or depicted in any way. Such topics included-but were not limited to-gayness, miscegenation (interracial relationships), bestiality, and venereal diseases."Because of the code the Don Murray character had to kill himself at the end. Advice and Consent was another in a long list of films that showed homosexuality as "deviant and unnatural". I am surprised that you didn't mention this in your review which I believe is an important aspect of it when looking back on the film considering the year that it was made. Despite what I feel is this omission, the review was quite good.
Nothing to do with the Code, the Don Murray character kills himself in the original novel. I don't think there's a gay bar scene in Allen Drury's book.
Steve I wish you would review The Quiet Man and Ryan's Daughter. One very Irish american and the other Anglo Irish. It really does brighten my day when I watch one of your reviews. Barry and I are great fans. It would be nice if you did them for St. Patrick's Day.
"Ryan's Daughter" is a definite! I saw it recently after not having seen it since it came out. It was a whole different experience for me and I fell in love with it.
@@STEVEHAYESTOQ I'd like to see your take on Ryan's Daughter, given that critics at the time felt that David Lean had let the film get away from him (and that it essentially killed Christopher Jones' career.)
I first saw this film on TV in the 60's when I was in my teens, and deeply in the closet, with no idea of what gay life might be like. Those scenes involving Don Murray's character were very shocking to me. Frankly, I hated that part of the story, and I never forgot it. I wonder if it didn't keep me in the closet longer than I might have been otherwise.
Love these political films. Was Gene tierney's break down due to her discovery of the reason for her contractig German Measles and the illness of her daughter? Superbly made into a story by Agatha Christie called The Mirror Cracked
Hi Steve, I've just discovered your reviews. You are terrific. Your enthusiasm is genuinely contagious. And your taste in movies is impeccable (that means it is exactly the same as mine). Thanks for all the fun and Happy Pride Month.
I love this movie, just watched it tonight. Watch it 2-3 times a year. I've never seen the Brig's "horrified attraction" in the gay bar, though. Just early 60s-style homophobia. Sad that Ray ended up in the mud.
It's a great movie, and Franchot Tone, Charles Laughton, Walter Pidgeon and Lew Ayres do excellent work.
Thanks for another great review!
Just to clarify, the other film noir Gene Tierney appeared in for Otto Preminger was "Whirlpool" (1949).
Very solid movie. Preminger was a pioneer at breaking away from the Hollywood cardboard portrayal of life and bringing realism into movies, creating a more real and interesting universe that audiences could identify with. I've read that this was the first portrayal of a gay bar in a major movie and from what I remember of the movie, it was totally devoid of stereotypes, though Hollywood would cling to stereotypes for decades more. Also read that Sinatra was not too happy when he learned his song would be playing in the background at the gay bar. Interesting to see Betty White as a senator and also know that JFK's secretary was in the movie, though I don't remember that scene.
I love this film for a multitude of reasons. So good!
Great review of one of my fave movies. Interesting side note: If you go looking for the Sinatra song from the gay bar scene it does not exist anywhere. Preminger went to Sinatra and had him record the rather mysterious and sappy lyrics JUST for the film! This film is great for the reasons the classic 40's films were great - the wonderful secondary characters played by such consummate pros as Edward Andrews, Paul Ford etc. People's whose faces are as familiar to me as though they were family.
The song does exist. There's even a recording of it here on UA-cam. ua-cam.com/video/gt4X4zVWBhc/v-deo.html
I agree. Every role is terrific!
Don Murray was nominated for Bus Stop but did not win.
Curt l correct
so glad to see you back fabulous Steve :)
Thank you for reviewing this great film, as it seems to not be very widely known and is, in my estimation, very underrated. It has an outstanding cast, great writing, and superb direction by Preminger. I stumbled across it a few years ago, never having heard of it before, and sat riveted as I watched and as the gay story line emerged. I was stunned at how surprisingly well the topic was handled for a movie made in 1962. It tops my list of political films. By the way, I always really enjoy your reviews, Steve! Greetings from Vancouver!
I love Preminger's all-star vehicles. he seems able to blend them better and get a real ensemble feel. I was also impressed that even though Fobda get's top billing, the real star is Walter Pidgeon, who is fantastic!
Gotta watch this gem. Welcome back, Steve...do many more of your thoroughly entertaining and insightful movie reviews!
Thanks!
After a hellish few weeks, this is a welcome return. Thank you for this
So happy!
Welcome back!!!! Love all your videos xx
Happy Pride Month to you Steve , great movie choice as always
Thanks so much!
RIP Don Murray.
I loved him in this. Such a brave performance...I also have to say, the freckles on his bare shoulders during the shaving scene, drove me round the bend. ...sigh...
@@STEVEHAYESTOQ I'm telling you.
Interesting film & review! This screenplay seems very Gore Vidal...I'll have to see it.
Bravo to you Steve, for a great review. Especially with the comments about the gay subtext. Vito Russo, in "The Celluloid Closet," thought the scene was "homophobic," because the bar is "dark." I don't think it was 'homophobic" at all, it was the way most bars were back then: dark, sleazy and smelly. Another thing was how you cleared up a hunch I've had for years. When Columbia did "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington," it was after art director Lionel Banks went to Washington to do research for "Smith's" sets. I wasn't sure "Smith's" sets had been saved for a movie the same studio distributed 13 years later. Thanks for confirming that hunch.
So glad you liked it! Thanks so much!
I love all of these! Please do one on What Ever Happened to Baby Jane and also please do one Johnny Guitar :)
The woman who played Murray's wife is Inga Swenson, best known as the strict maid Kraus on "Benson". Betty White has a part of a senator.
I knew I knew that name (Inga Swenson). Hadn't looked it up yet, though....Even a characters as minor as Betty White's was written with some nuance. Great film that I finally watched last night. Thx for the tip, Steve.
Happy Pride! Happy to see you're not filming from your tiny NY bathroom anymore. Good choice with the suit too. Much more MGM worthy!
Thanks!
Walter Pidgeon. Franchot Tone, and Lew Ayres- three of the late great Jean Harlow's leading men
Yup and they all loved her, as did everyone from what I can gather. Myself included! Thanks for watching! Steve
Steve, you are so many spot on with this movie! You are incredible. Thanks so much. I almost forget this movie on my radar but you bring it back... especially now in these political times.
1
Thanks so much!
I broke down and bought this movie a couple of years ago. The twist at the end was something. I loved the cast and was happy to even see Betty White and Inga Swenson in it.
Every role down the to]he smallest is perfectlt cast. I loved the passionate love scene between Tierney and Pidgeon. So hot!
I was shocked to see that Betty White played a lady senator.
ohhhh, Steve! as usual....you look fabulous,dahling!....and, you didn't disappoint! Great movie choice (for the 114° we're having out here in the High Desert of California!) & narrative!
hi Johnny!! hope your "cool" as ever!
kisses to you both!
You should be an American National Treasure I'm an old Queen from UK I love Joan Bette and Judy will names will never forget and thank you so much for doing this there are so many younger people who don't know decent cinema apart from zombies and please don't ever talk about Joan in Trog did you see feud what did you think Jessica Lange brilliant as Joan Susan Sarandon brilliant as Bette Davis but she didn't have the accent I'm so glad you're back because I love this this is my life these old films doing episode on Judy yours Lucille le sueur
Thank you for watching. Yes, we share the same love for the classics. Not to worry. "Trog" is not on my list, but "Possessed" definitely in. Thats the Joan I go for! Love and regards to Great Britain. I Love London!
Fabulous new episode submitted for our eager consideration! Spot-on comment about Stanley Kramer's star sequences compared to Otto Preminger's ensemble casts. Also love that Kennedy schmoozer Lawford was in this, too. Adds an air of Camelot authenticity to a post-Kennedy era viewing.
Kudos, Steve! Boffo in your Box Office Populi......
You are such a sweetheart! Thansl so much, Christy! I adore you!
Oh Lord, the minute you said the title, i thought to myself, "Yikes! I've called it ADVICE AND CONSENT all these years!"
LOL! That's so funny, because in the movie, nobody takes anybody's advice or consents to anything! Thanks for watching! Steve
You forgot to mention that that American icon and institution Betty White, yes THE Betty White is in Advise and Consent. This was Betty White's first movie and she plays a senator from Kansas. I believe in 1962 there was only one female U.S. Senator Margaret Chase Smith Republican of Maine. Betty White did not make another movie for many years. But nonetheless Betty White has come to be one of the most famous and beloved people in the United States. If she weren't around 97 I'd say she should be a dark horse candidate for the Presidency.
What a glorious review.
Thank you so much! I love this movie. Steve
Love your impressions, they’re hilarious!. ❤️
hank, Judy! So appreciated! Thank you so much for watching. Don't forget to subscribe so that you'll be noticfied about fuure episodes and please take a moment to push the "LIKE" button. It really helps. Have a great day! Steve
Not that this matters, but I think Steve meant to say "Whirlpool" instead of "Whiplash" which was a Warner Brothers film with Alexis Smith. Whirlpool was a great 1949 noir that Preminger directed Gene in with the deliciously evil José Ferrer. I'm so glad you choose this film Steve, Preminger was such an incredibly under-appreciated and under awarded director. His films prove that, as they've stood the test of time compared to other directors' tenfold.
I did. Thanks!
I wish I could like this a hundred times.
The fact that you "LIKED" it even once is a thrill for me! Thanks so much for watching and have a loverly summer! Best Wishes; Steve
Thanks Steve. Yes. Superb. That idea of when one would attack in debate and not be personal ( sort of ) is a far superior way to behave than the disgraceful level it all has sunk to now. The angle Lawford was captured in in the clip you showed made me shudder. It was so much like Kennedy.
A weasel.
I can't believe I haven't seen this picture! I will
Fascinating and shot on location . The performances, especially by Pidgeon, Laughton , Murray and unctious George Grizzard are extraordinary.
Great movie and great performances by the cast. I always look forward to the gay bar scene just to see John Granger.
Me too! Whadda' hunk! I would have left Inga Swenson in a heartbeat.
Looks like a great watch.
Yup.
George Grizzard was in a major movie as Scout in To Kill a Mockingbird
I will see this movie, thanks for featuring it.
I think you'll like it!
A brilliant analysis of one helluva movie. Well done!!
Thank you. I love this one.
Steve, welcome back !
Do you have a cheat sheet for the characters?
I suspect Charles Laughton was Sam Rayburn and Orrin Knox was R. Nixon (a rough anagram).
Try the sequels to Advise and Consent, which really get going in 'Preserve and Protect' and its two 'choose-your-own' sequels, skewed towards Drury's conservatism. BTW his book about South Africa, 'A Very Strange Society' was franker than you would expect.
Laughton apparently based his character on Strom Thurmond. I read somewhere he went to meet with Strom...
So interesting! Thanks for watching.
@@williamsnyder5616 I loved Laughton in this. Such an old rascal!
Great review for a great movie also tired old queen at the movies is literally the best title for a youtube channel i have ever heard
Thanks! Much appreciated!
Don't forget Betty White.
Wonderful commentary.
Thanks, Buddy! Much appreciated! Thanks for watching and have terrific holidays! Best; Steve
Love you you wonderful old queen.
Awwww, you made me blsuh. I bet you do that with all the TOQs. LOL! Thanks, Sweetie! Steve
PLEASE review "The Cardinal" and "In Harm's Way"- BOTH with Tom Tryon (and I know you'll have LOTS of gossip about HIM!).
I love "In Harm's Way"!
did you say Murray won the Oscar? He was nominated- lost to Anthony Quinn in Lust for Life.
Yup. You're right!
Don't forget Betty White! :)
Who could?
This is just an excellent review. I spent time in political reporting at the Bay Area Reporter in San Francisco so political movies always fascinate me. This one got a bad rap from the late author Vito Russo because the gay bar scene seemed to him to "anti-gay" but Mr. Russo was using later thinking on gay people. However, a closeted Senator in the 1960s would have acted as Don Murray did at that time.
I agree. Preminger always went against the grain. He plays it very fair here. It's not being gay that destroys the character; it's the fear that he still might be gay.
@@steveweinstein3222 Precisely Steve! Thanks for pointing that out!
I totally agree. I think it's beautifully done.
That was maybe your best review. Cheers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank so much!
@@STEVEHAYESTOQ Steve you are such a joy. I try to watch all your reviews. Many thanks!!!
Betty White plays a senator for a bit.
You didn't mention the VERY brief cameo by Betty White. I think she makes anything good, better.
This is a great movie with Henry Fonda. Another of my favorite Henry Fonda movies is 12 Angry Men. Have you done that one yet?
Not yet, but it's on my list! Have a great summer and thanks for watching! Best; Steve
👏👏👏👏👏
Interesting that you talk about this movie during gay pride month. Film historian the late Vito Russo who wrote the Celluloid Closet, a look at how Hollywood depicted homosexuality in the movies, talks about this film in his book as being the first film he saw with a gay character. Because this film was made when there was the Motion Picture Code: "Topics considered "perverse" could not be discussed or depicted in any way. Such topics included-but were not limited to-gayness, miscegenation (interracial relationships), bestiality, and venereal diseases."Because of the code the Don Murray character had to kill himself at the end. Advice and Consent was another in a long list of films that showed homosexuality as "deviant and unnatural". I am surprised that you didn't mention this in your review which I believe is an important aspect of it when looking back on the film considering the year that it was made. Despite what I feel is this omission, the review was quite good.
Nothing to do with the Code, the Don Murray character kills himself in the original novel. I don't think there's a gay bar scene in Allen Drury's book.
Great movie, but I can't stomach Peter Lawford knowing his involvement in Marilyn Monroe's death.
Yeah. He was a creep.
Steve I wish you would review The Quiet Man and Ryan's Daughter. One very Irish american and the other Anglo Irish. It really does brighten my day when I watch one of your reviews. Barry and I are great fans. It would be nice if you did them for St. Patrick's Day.
"Ryan's Daughter" is a definite! I saw it recently after not having seen it since it came out. It was a whole different experience for me and I fell in love with it.
@@STEVEHAYESTOQ I'd like to see your take on Ryan's Daughter, given that critics at the time felt that David Lean had let the film get away from him (and that it essentially killed Christopher Jones' career.)
@@wbcjr17106 I love "Ryan's Daughter" and will put it on my "to do" list. Thanks for watching and for the reminder. Steve
I first saw this film on TV in the 60's when I was in my teens, and deeply in the closet, with no idea of what gay life might be like. Those scenes involving Don Murray's character were very shocking to me. Frankly, I hated that part of the story, and I never forgot it. I wonder if it didn't keep me in the closet longer than I might have been otherwise.
I think we're in the closet as long as it takes us to yearn to get out and break free. .
First-rate critique, Steve.
Thanks yuou, Albert!
Love these political films. Was Gene tierney's break down due to her discovery of the reason for her contractig German Measles and the illness of her daughter? Superbly made into a story by Agatha Christie called The Mirror Cracked
Yes. Thanks for watching!
They're not all crooks... jusr 98% are.
Hi Steve, I've just discovered your reviews. You are terrific. Your enthusiasm is genuinely contagious. And your taste in movies is impeccable (that means it is exactly the same as mine). Thanks for all the fun and Happy Pride Month.
My pleasure! Thanks so much for tuning in!
I like how he foresaw that sleeping Senator and Dianne Feinstein being told to vote ayye cuz he’s 90 and he no idea what was going on
I love this film.
THIS IS FUNNY, and Sooo Mild.... - CONSIDERING THE actual crap WE'RE ALL GOING THRU WITH tRUMP......
LOL! You're SO right!
Betty White had a bit part as a senator.
great movie, but steve how can you leave out betty white in a small part, playing a senator.
There and there should always be a few surprises in every movie.
Yup, and they certainly would not have said vulgar things about women and had their toadies claim they were just fighting back.