All the King's Men (1949) on Netflix
Willie Stark campaigns for county treasurer against the corruption of the local political machine. The machine shuts him out, and reporter Jack Burden is sent to write about him.
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Trailer
Plot summary
A newspaper assignment takes Jack Burden to meet Willie Stark, a candidate for county treasurer who campaigns against corruption among the local politicians. Burden visits Stark and his family and files a piece praising his honesty and courage. The local political machine, which controls the police, shuts Stark out, and he loses. Stark, who comes from humble beginnings, then earns a law degree. When a poorly built school in his county collapses during a fire drill and twelve students are killed, voters regret not having chosen him. A lawsuit against the county goes his way, and the resulting statewide investigation gives Stark political momentum.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about All the King's Men (1949)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Robert Rossen first offered the lead of Willie Stark to John Wayne, who refused the part as unpatriotic. Broderick Crawford took it instead and won the 1949 Best Actor Oscar, beating Wayne, nominated that year for Sands of Iwo Jima.
- Broderick Crawford was so keen to play Willie Stark that he took half his usual fee, and studied newsreel footage and voice recordings of Huey Long. He noted the studio had an unspoken rule against mentioning the late governor's death on set.
- Columbia Pictures chief Harry Cohn wanted Spencer Tracy for Willie Stark, but Robert Rossen rejected him, thinking audiences would find Tracy too likable, and chose Crawford for his burly, "tough guy" presence.
- Editor Al Clark could not make a coherent cut from the footage, so Robert Rossen and Columbia head Harry Cohn brought in Robert Parrish. Weeks later it still ran over four hours, and Cohn nearly released that version before Rossen ordered Parrish to cut through dialogue and music.
- The film used local residents on location, unusual in Hollywood at the time: the scene where Stark is arrested for unauthorized public speaking was shot at the old plaza in Suisun City, California, and the sheriff who arrests him was played by the real local sheriff, A. C. Tillman.
- The Academy Film Archive preserved the film in 2000, and as of 2025 it is notable as the last Best Picture Oscar winner to be based on a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel.
