The Last Hurrah (1958) on Netflix
Frank Skeffington, mayor of a New England city, is running for a fifth term. His nephew Adam Caulfield, a sportswriter, follows the campaign as the city's elite back Kevin McCluskey against him.
- Netflix3.9/5
- IMDb7.3/104,615 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes83%
Trailer
Plot summary
Frank Skeffington governs an unnamed city in New England and served as governor before that, and he is campaigning for a fifth term as mayor. He grew up poor in an Irish neighborhood and counts on a machine of ward heelers for support. Banker Norman Cass, publisher Amos Force and the cardinal Martin Burke are among those who want him out, and they are behind Kevin McCluskey, a lawyer and war veteran who has never held office. Adam Caulfield, a sportswriter and the mayor's nephew, is invited to watch the campaign from inside.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about The Last Hurrah (1958)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- The film drew in part on the career of former Boston mayor James Michael Curley, and its unnamed city was based on Boston. Curley opposed the production not over its negative portrait but because he feared it would stop Hollywood from making a biographical film of his life; Columbia paid him $25,000 to sign away any future legal action.
- A large, expensive New England exterior set was built around an existing park at Columbia Ranch in Burbank. Most of the 'Boston Row homes' set burned down in 1974, but the 'Skeffington Mansion' stood until October 2023, when it was demolished with the rest of the Backlot.
