Washington Story

Washington Story promises to be a lot grittier than it ends up being, but this non-Red-scare movie nonetheless says a lot about America during the height of the Red scare (1952, actually). Van Johnson plays a hard-working, honest congressman who runs foul of a venomous columnist. The columnist sets an idealistic young reporter (Patricia Neal) on him to dig up, or manufacture, dirt. At first wary, the two grow -- naturally -- close, only to draw apart from unfounded suspicions. The appeal of Johnson and Neal make this a passable diversion, and there's some nice observation of the Georgetown cocktail-party circuit and of close friendships between ideologically incompatible colleagues, but the underlying message is never far from the surface: It's unpatriotic to talk against the "Government," and the press is nothing but a pack of subversive malcontents.

I've always been drawn to Van Johnson. I think he is a highly underrated actor. In Washington Story he shares double duty with Patricia Neal in making the flick work. It's an absorbing story concerning the machinations of the press and cynicism about Washington. An added plus is the fine work of character actor Louis Calhern, and also the choice to use Washington D. C. venues as the site for actual filming, giving it a "you are there" feeling. The script is very well written and maintains one's interest throughout. A nice touch is the cinematic bookends of the tour bus at the beginning and at the end. Not at the level of "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington," but a more than decent runner up.

When I began watching WASHINGTON STORY, I really had no idea what the film was about and I have never been a particular fan of the leads, Van Johnson and Patricia Neal. Because of this and the score on IMDb, I was prepared to be unimpressed. However, the film took me completely by surprise as it turned out to be a darn good film--better than the mediocre score on IMDb would indicate.

The film is an interesting lesson on 1950s politics and the press. The film begins with Philip Ober and his employee, Patricia Neal, talking about her new press assignment at the US Capitol. Exactly what her story will be she isn't sure, but it is interesting how Ober slowly guides her to a story idea--one, it turns out, he had in mind for her all along and one that she now thinks is just spur of the moment. She is to try to get a young Congressman (Johnson) to agree to let her watch him for one week and write an exposé on him. She is to try to get the usually press-shy Johnson to allow her access in order to do a "hatchet job"--i.e., tear him to pieces regardless of what he says or does. It takes a lot of work for her to get Johnson to let down his guard and agree to the story. He does so only after she lies and convinces him it's a human interest story for a women's magazine--sort of like "Ladies Home Journal".

The problem is that the more Neal follows Johnson as he works, the more she realizes he's a pretty decent and hard working guy. Now this isn't saying that the Congressmen are all angels--far from it! However, she's amazed to see a politician who is more concerned with doing what's best for the country instead of what will get him re-elected--something politicians these days could really stand to learn.

The film gets very high marks for solid acting--not just with the leads but with the excellent supporting actors (particularly Louis Calhern). In addition, the script is a big star because it is very engaging and manages to tell a MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINTON style story while still avoiding the schmaltz. The characters aren't all black and white in style and even the nice Johnson is a flawed man. I am a rather cynical person yet I didn't find myself laughing at the way these people were portrayed. Overall, a very good and highly underrated film that deserves a look.

Alice Kingsley (Patricia Neal) is a reporter newly arrived in DC. Her job is to get sensational stories anyway she can. Joseph T. "No Comment Joe" Gresham (Van Johnson) is a sincere hard-working congressman from Massachusetts. Alice is directed to target honest public servant Joe to uncover the corrupt politician underneath.

This is trying to do the Mr. Smith goes to Washington premise adjacent. It hits the fake news idea very hard. I can see the cynicism not selling to the public during its run. It stays in Washington a bit too long. The real legislative process is mind-numbing and that infects this movie. Van Johnson is a solid choice for this role. Normally, the reporter would be a fast-talking character. Patricia Neal has never played one and she seems a little unusual for the role. I do like the general story.

Van Johnson is the congressman ("Gresham") content to toe the party line and play the political game in Washington DC. It's only when a bill is drafted that will impact on ship-building facilities in his Massachusetts constituency that he might have to take a stance! Meantime, a tabloid employs the services of investigative journalist "Alice" (Patricia Neal) to get to the bottom of this ostensibly decent man's true personality. Unawares of her real agenda, he agrees to allow her to follow his day-to-day life but as the decisive vote looms, she reaches her conclusion about him just as he, well.... Though Johnson and Neal take top billing, the film really belongs to Louis Calhern's savvy and wily "Birch" who sees something in "Gresham" that isn't entirely obvious to everyone else. Auteur Robert Pirosh certainly gives him the best witty and telling dialogue to deliver, and he does it well. The other two here rather go through the motions and though initially I thought it a bit like "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" (1939) that similarity wained rather quickly. Still, it's a watchable look at just how the US Capitol might work: scheming, indifference, self preservation and keeping your head down; is largely devoid of romantic clutter and is just about worth eighty minutes of your time.