The Last Hurrah

10/9/2023

Spencer Tracy is very much in his element as the long established, ducking and diving, Irish-American city mayor who takes on the blue-blooded commercial powers-that-be in his un-named New England city led by industrialist "Cass" (Basil Rathbone). It plays a little to Irish-American stereotypes across the board - corruption abounds all over the shop; plenty of light hearted cons and arm-twisting being used for the public good and with a little healthy pocket-lining at the same time. A solid supporting cast led by Jeffrey Hunter (his nephew "Adam") with an on form James Gleason ("Cuke") and Donald Crisp as the obligatory Cardinal all make for a well put together political drama with plenty of pithily scripted and lightly-amusing banter, most of which comes from the confident Tracy. I didn't