A bumbling, long-winded and crooked Southern senator, considered by some as a dark horse for the Presidency, panics his party when his tell-all diary is stolen.A bumbling, long-winded and crooked Southern senator, considered by some as a dark horse for the Presidency, panics his party when his tell-all diary is stolen.A bumbling, long-winded and crooked Southern senator, considered by some as a dark horse for the Presidency, panics his party when his tell-all diary is stolen.
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- TriviaThis was the only film directed by playwright and stage director George S. Kaufman. He directed the film in the same manner that he directed in the theater, by closing his eyes and listening only to the actors speaking the dialogue, with no regard to how the scene looked. Since Kaufman knew nothing about the technical aspects of filmmaking, associate producer Gene Fowler Jr. looked after those issues, with Kaufman allowing Fowler to cut a take at his discretion if there was a technical problem.
- GoofsThe Senator has been keeping his diary for 35 years, which, at one page per day, would add up to around 12,785 pages, but the size of the single 5" x 8" tome that is seen apparently represents a one-year volume, so it could hardly be of such great consequence.
- Quotes
Mr. Gryphon - Book Dealer: It was the first time in my 45 years in the book business that a customer insisted on a book exactly 5 by 8 ½ inches, regardless of contents.
- Crazy creditsOpening credits prologue: Dedication: To every politician who has ever jeopardized a baby's health with unsanitary kisses, who has ever delivered a three - hour Fourth of July oration about himself and George Washington, who has ever promised peace, prosperity and triple movie features in exchange for a vote, this picture is not too humbly dedicated.
- ConnectionsReferenced in Newhart: The Senator's Wife Was Indiscreet (1982)
Featured review
"If you can't beat 'em, bribe 'em!"
I know this is going to sound preposterous, but try to imagine a politician who is completely incompetent. An idiot. A total buffoon. That is the story of Sen. Melvin G. Ashton, played by William Powell.
Ashton, planning for a career after being a senator, decides that the only other job he's qualified for is to become president. He seeks the job not just for himself, but for the benefit of all the relatives he has on his payroll. Through the movie, he quickly shows the wisdom he has picked up from his years in office with lines like, "If you can't beat 'em, bribe 'em!"
Ashton commences on a coast-to-coast tour to announce that he is NOT running for president and take some courageous stands on issues ("Ashton is against inflation, against deflation, for flation.") The villainess in the movie is a reporter played by the fetching Ella Raines, who vows to kill Ashton's campaign by quoting him accurately.
For some reason, the party leader doesn't want Ashton to be president. However, Ashton has kept a diary through the years that detail the shenanigans of other politicians and he's ready to use it as blackmail. The only problem is he loses the diary, and then the search is on to find it, by both party people that want to destroy it and others that want to publish it.
The people who will like this movie best are the ones that enjoy light comedies. I absolutely loved it. After seeing it, I'm sure you'll join Steven Colbert in asking, "Melvin G. Ashton: Great senator or greatest senator?"
Ashton, planning for a career after being a senator, decides that the only other job he's qualified for is to become president. He seeks the job not just for himself, but for the benefit of all the relatives he has on his payroll. Through the movie, he quickly shows the wisdom he has picked up from his years in office with lines like, "If you can't beat 'em, bribe 'em!"
Ashton commences on a coast-to-coast tour to announce that he is NOT running for president and take some courageous stands on issues ("Ashton is against inflation, against deflation, for flation.") The villainess in the movie is a reporter played by the fetching Ella Raines, who vows to kill Ashton's campaign by quoting him accurately.
For some reason, the party leader doesn't want Ashton to be president. However, Ashton has kept a diary through the years that detail the shenanigans of other politicians and he's ready to use it as blackmail. The only problem is he loses the diary, and then the search is on to find it, by both party people that want to destroy it and others that want to publish it.
The people who will like this movie best are the ones that enjoy light comedies. I absolutely loved it. After seeing it, I'm sure you'll join Steven Colbert in asking, "Melvin G. Ashton: Great senator or greatest senator?"
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- Runtime1 hour 28 minutes
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- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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By what name was The Senator Was Indiscreet (1947) officially released in India in English?
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