History Literature / TheLastHurrah

* ActuallyPrettyFunny: The real-life basis for Skeffington, mayor James Michael Curley, when asked what his favorite part of the book was, supposedly replied, "''The part where I die!''"

Besides Spencer Tracy as Skeffington, the film's EnsembleCast includes Creator/JeffreyHunter as Caulfield, Pat O'Brien as Gorman, Creator/BasilRathbone as Cass, Donald Crisp as Burke, Creator/JohnCarradine as Force, Willis Bouchey as Sugrue, Basil Ruysdael as Gardner, and Charles B. Fitzsimons as [=McClusky=].

[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/img_0972_0.JPG]]

A 1956 novel by Edwin O'Connor, ''The Last Hurrah'' was adapted into a 1958 film directed by Creator/JohnFord and starring Creator/SpencerTracy.

The story concerns the [[UsefulNotes/TheIrishDiaspora Irish-American]] mayor of a big American city that bears a [[NoCommunitiesWereHarmed suspicious resemblance]] to [[UsefulNotes/{{Boston}} Boston, Massachusetts]], who wants to run for one more term before he retires. The Mayor, named Frank Skeffington, is "corrupt" in the sense that he likes to [[SleazyPolitician hand out personal favors in exchange for loyalty]], but overall seems to be a [[LoveableRogue pretty decent person]] who genuinely cares for his constituents. The events are mostly seen through the eyes of Skeffington's nephew and local newspaperman, Adam Caulfield, although the novel is written in the third person.

Of course, not everybody is so enamored of Skeffington's antics, and in both the film and the novel, we meet plenty of the people who want to bring him down- including Caulfield's own father-in-law and Caulfield's boss, newspaper editor [[PoliticallyIncorrectVillain Amos Force]]. These include even the city's Roman Catholic Cardinal, who thinks Skeffington is a walking embarrassment to Roman Catholics and to Irish-Americans.

Hoping to stop him once and for all, some of Skeffington's foes find a candidate to run against him- a [[TheGenericGuy bland]], boring, [[BrainlessBeauty good-looking-but-not-too-bright]] young candidate named Kevin [=McCluskey=], who is so unimpressive, despite his respectable [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarTwo war record]], that even the ''Cardinal'' thinks he's a loser. Ordinarily, [=McCluskey=] (who bears more than a slight resemblance to a young UsefulNotes/JohnFKennedy) wouldn't stand a chance against a seasoned politician like Skeffington, but there's one thing that has changed the game this time out- television.

The story, which [[InspiredBy drew some of its inspiration]] from real-life Boston mayor [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Michael_Curley James Michael Curley]], explores a lot of the issues surrounding mid-20th century urban politics in the United States. The [[UsefulNotes/FranklinDRoosevelt New Deal]] had robbed the urban machine politicians of a lot of their traditional role in distributing public assistance, by making the Federal government responsible for it instead. Moreover, the advent of television meant that being good-looking and blandly inoffensive became more important than being a skillful politician who could command peoples' loyalty. In the end, Skeffington [[spoiler: loses the election [[LandslideElection badly]], then suffers a heart attack and dies]]. He is revered by the citizens of his city, but the day of politicians like Skeffington is over.

* UsefulNotes/JohnFKennedy: Kevin [=McCluskey=] is a telegenic but politically inexperienced candidate with a fancy education, a pretty wife, smiling kids, a respectable [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarTwo war record]], and more good looks than brains. It should be noted that James Michael Curley served briefly in the United States Congress, and the person who replaced him in his Congressional seat was a young but ambitious neophyte politician named John Fitzgerald Kennedy.

The story concerns the [[TheIrishDiaspora Irish-American]] mayor of a big American city that bears a [[NoCommunitiesWereHarmed suspicious resemblance]] to [[UsefulNotes/{{Boston}} Boston, Massachusetts]], who wants to run for one more term before he retires. The Mayor, named Frank Skeffington, is "corrupt" in the sense that he likes to [[SleazyPolitician hand out personal favors in exchange for loyalty]], but overall seems to be a [[LoveableRogue pretty decent person]] who genuinely cares for his constituents. The events are mostly seen through the eyes of Skeffington's nephew and local newspaperman, Adam Caulfield, although the novel is written in the third person.

* ActuallyPrettyFunny: The real-life basis for Skeffington, mayor James Michael Curley, when asked what his favorite part of the book was, supposedly replied "''The part where I die!''"

A 1956 novel by Edwin O'Connor and a 1958 film based on the novel starring Creator/SpencerTracy, the story concerns the [[TheIrishDiaspora Irish-American]] mayor of a big American city that bears a [[NoCommunitiesWereHarmed suspicious resemblance]] to [[UsefulNotes/{{Boston}} Boston, Massachusetts]], who wants to run for one more term before he retires. The Mayor, named Frank Skeffington, is "corrupt" in the sense that he likes to [[SleazyPolitician hand out personal favors in exchange for loyalty]], but overall seems to be a [[LoveableRogue pretty decent person]] who genuinely cares for his constituents. The events are mostly seen through the eyes of Skeffington's nephew and local newspaperman, Adam Caulfield, although the novel is written in the third person.

A 1956 novel by Edwin O'Connor and a 1958 film based on the novel starring SpencerTracy, the story concerns the [[TheIrishDiaspora Irish-American]] mayor of a big American city that bears a [[NoCommunitiesWereHarmed suspicious resemblance]] to [[UsefulNotes/{{Boston}} Boston, Massachusetts]], who wants to run for one more term before he retires. The Mayor, named Frank Skeffington, is "corrupt" in the sense that he likes to [[SleazyPolitician hand out personal favors in exchange for loyalty]], but overall seems to be a [[LoveableRogue pretty decent person]] who genuinely cares for his constituents. The events are mostly seen through the eyes of Skeffington's nephew and local newspaperman, Adam Caulfield, although the novel is written in the third person.

Hoping to stop him once and for all, some of Skeffington's foes find a candidate to run against him- a [[TheGenericGuy bland]], boring, [[BrainlessBeauty good-looking-but-not-too-bright]] young candidate named Kevin [=McCluskey=], who is so unimpressive, despite his respectable [[WorldWarTwo war record]], that even the ''Cardinal'' thinks he's a loser. Ordinarily, [=McCluskey=] (who bears more than a slight resemblance to a young JohnFKennedy) wouldn't stand a chance against a seasoned politician like Skeffington, but there's one thing that has changed the game this time out- television.


The story, which [[InspiredBy drew some of its inspiration]] from real-life Boston mayor [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Michael_Curley James Michael Curley]], explores a lot of the issues surrounding mid-20th century urban politics in the United States. The [[FranklinDRoosevelt New Deal]] had robbed the urban machine politicians of a lot of their traditional role in distributing public assistance, by making the Federal government responsible for it instead. Moreover, the advent of television meant that being good-looking and blandly inoffensive became more important than being a skillful politician who could command peoples' loyalty. In the end, Skeffington [[spoiler: loses the election [[LandslideElection badly]], then suffers a heart attack and dies]]. He is revered by the citizens of his city, but the day of politicians like Skeffington is over.

* JohnFKennedy: Kevin [=McCluskey=] is a telegenic but politically inexperienced candidate with a fancy education, a pretty wife, smiling kids, a respectable [[WorldWarTwo war record]], and more good looks than brains. It should be noted that James Michael Curley served briefly in the United States Congress, and the person who replaced him in his Congressional seat was a young but ambitious neophyte politician named John Fitzgerald Kennedy.

* FunnyAneurysmMoment: While some characters are discussing potential candidates in the upcoming election, one of them makes an offhanded remark about the head of Planned Parenthood running for office. Those present know he doesn't stand a snowball's chance in hell, and scoff at such a ''ridiculous'' absurdity: "The head of ''Planned Parenthood'' running for office in ''this'' state?" Keeping in mind that "this state" is probably a stand-in for Massachusetts, and recalling the, um, [[RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgment changes that have happened there]] since 1956...

* CrowningMomentOfFunny: See "Final Speech" below.