22nd Academy Awards · 1950
All the King's Men
Directed by Robert Rossen
“He Might Have Been A Pretty Good Guy . . . If Too Much Power . . . And Women . . . Hadn't Gone To his Head !”
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The story
A man of humble beginnings and honest intentions rises to power by nefarious means. Along for the wild ride are an earnest reporter, a heretofore classy society girl, and a too-clever-for-her-own-good political flack.
What critics & audiences say
Tomatometer97%Fresh#10 of 98 winnersIMDb7.418K votes#73 of 98 winners
TMDB7.0/ 10
Famous lines
Jack, there's something on everybody. Man is conceived in sin and born in corruption.
You know, Judge, dirt's a funny thing. Some of it rubs off on everybody.
Do you know what good comes out of?...Out of bad. That's what good comes out of. Because you can't make it out of anything else.
You're a hick, and nobody ever helped a hick but a hick himself!
Willie, make 'em cry, make 'em laugh, make 'em mad, even mad at you. Stir them up and they'll love it and come back for more, but, for heaven's sakes, don't try to improve their minds.
Nail up anybody who stands in your way! … And if they don't deliver, give me the hammer and I'll do it myself!
And if any man tries to stop me from fulfilling that right and that will, I'll break him. I'll break him with my bare hands, for I have the strength of many.
Willie Stark - Messiah or Dictator?
Jack: I learned something from him [Willie]. You can't make an omelet without cracking eggs.
Adam: Or heads?
And it is the right of the people that they shall not be deprived of hope.
Quotes via Wikiquote
Fun facts
- Robert Rossen first offered the lead to John Wayne, who found the script unpatriotic and indignantly refused. Broderick Crawford took the part and beat Wayne for Best Actor.Wikipedia · Casting
- After weeks of editing, the film was still over four hours long, so Robert Rossen told editor Robert Parrish to find the center of each scene, keep 100 feet on either side, and chop off the rest, "regardless of what's going on."Wikipedia · Editing
- The film used local residents, rare in Hollywood at the time. The officer who arrests Willie Stark for unauthorized public speaking in Suisun City, California, was played by the real local sheriff, A. C. Tillman.Wikipedia · Filming locations
- Columbia chief Harry Cohn wanted Spencer Tracy for Willie Stark, but Robert Rossen rejected the idea, thinking audiences would find Tracy too likable.Wikipedia · Casting
- Broderick Crawford was so eager for the role that he took half his usual fee. He studied newsreels and recordings of Huey Long, though the set had an unspoken rule against mentioning the governor's death.Wikipedia · Casting
- Mercedes McCambridge won Best Supporting Actress in her film debut, one of three Oscars the film won from seven nominations.Wikipedia · Introduction
- All the King's Men is the last Best Picture winner to be based on a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel.Wikipedia · Accolades
- Although Al Clark was credited as editor and Robert Parrish only as "editorial advisor," both were nominated for the Oscar for Best Film Editing, and Harry Cohn repeatedly credited Parrish with saving the film.Wikipedia · Editing
- Norman Corwin adapted Robert Penn Warren's novel into a screenplay before Rossen was hired, but a Writers Guild arbitration board later gave Rossen sole screenwriting credit.Wikipedia · Writing
- The San Joaquin County courthouse in Stockton, built in 1898, was featured prominently in the film and was demolished about a decade after its release.Wikipedia · Filming locations