Boss Politics: Hollywood and the Political Machine Hollywood’s representations of the urban political machine are depicted in the movies The Last Hurrah and The Great McGinty. Using a historical context and definitions of piolitical machines and boss’s make it easier to understand and comapare the meaning of these movies. The Last Hurrah (TLH) depicts the failing political machine of Frank Skeffington in a new England city. The movie mimics the theme and charachteristics of the weakening political machines of the mid 20th century. In particular, the movie mimics James Curley who was defeated in his last term of mayor of Boston in 1949. Released the same year as Curly’s death 1958, TLH definitly depicts a political machine because of its focus on the push by the boss political campaign of Skeffington. This is due to its sytematic “control there of people as political objects” (Stave 6) to get the machine relected. Skeffington was seeking his fourth term as Mayor and was labled as “living in age of the dinosoar.” TLH shows the outdated political machine style of Skeffington
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When the local bank “refused the loan for the housing development” One of Franks minions was mad beacause they had been “promsing and promising for weeks now” to provide “an economic blessing” (Merton 6) of jobs for the workers and graft money for the machine. Skeffington then proceeds to get his way by meeting Cass at the Plymoth club and threatens with the “fire board, not every fire door metal?” which micmics “Curley gets things done mentality” (Bruner 21). This genuine push depicts Steffington as good man in the eyes of his city who looked behind his machine to provide propserity for his fellow people. It is hard to argue that Skeffington does not parreals the “Robin Hood legend which surrounds Curley” (Bruner 22). Machines served as outlets of social contol but provided social good for the unrepresented in the early
When the local bank “refused the loan for the housing development” One of Franks minions was mad beacause they had been “promsing and promising for weeks now” to provide “an economic blessing” (Merton 6) of jobs for the workers and graft money for the machine. Skeffington then proceeds to get his way by meeting Cass at the Plymoth club and threatens with the “fire board, not every fire door metal?” which micmics “Curley gets things done mentality” (Bruner 21). This genuine push depicts Steffington as good man in the eyes of his city who looked behind his machine to provide propserity for his fellow people. It is hard to argue that Skeffington does not parreals the “Robin Hood legend which surrounds Curley” (Bruner 22). Machines served as outlets of social contol but provided social good for the unrepresented in the early