The Great Man Votes

John Barrymore is a down and out drunken widower with two children in "The Great Man Votes," a 1939 film also starring Virginia Weidler, Peter Holden, and Katherine Alexander. Barrymore plays Gregory Vance, a brilliant Harvard graduate, a once well-known intellectual, and a raging alcoholic. His two children, however, (Weidler and Holden) adore him, and he is an attentive dad. When his kids beat up the taunting son of the local political boss, Iron Hat McCarthy, Gregory loses his night watchman job. But when McCarthy meets with the party head, he's told the 13th precinct always votes the party in and he has to deliver; on being told the 13th precinct is voting the party, the rest of the precincts will follow. One problem. There's only one registered voter in the precinct - Gregory Vance. As Vance tries to parlay a deal for himself, his in-laws seek to take his children.

This is a heart-warming story with a brilliant performance by Barrymore. Pompous but loving, he makes Gregory Vance a likable character the audience roots for through the entire film. He's bombastic and over-dramatic, which is perfect for the character. His stage experience really shines through. The kids, Virginia Weidler and Peter Holden are excellent - and you'd never know Barrymore didn't like to work with kids.

As enjoyable as "The Great Man Votes" is, it leaves one feeling sad; Barrymore died when he was 50, his best screen years as a character actor were still ahead of him. So we have to take what we can get - and one of his best performances is in "The Great Man Votes."

For a movie which is little more than a light diversion, this turns out to be constructed with a surprisingly high level of craftsmanship and sensitivity. I would find it difficult to believe that anyone could dislike this short but delightful comedy.

On the surface, the movie is about a group of local politicians whose spin doctors have managed to use the media to manipulate the public to the point that the vote of one "great" man will determine the entire outcome of the elections. Ignore the specifics and this political satire is as relevant today as it was when it was made 60 years ago. But the real story is about a father's love for his children and this is what truly makes him "the great man". It isn't presented with much depth - what can you expect from a short simple comedy? - but it is done with enough sensitivity to create a real feeling of warmth and affection.

All of it's characters could easily have lost their humanity by falling into predictable stereotypes, but the movie manages to completely avoid this. The main character is continually drunk, but he never has to resort to slurring or stumbling to portray this, and his drunkenness is never exploited for a cheap laugh. His two precocious children manage to entertain without ever having to be excessively cute. It's rare to see a low budget comedy which has the confidence to show this kind of restraint. The confidence is well deserved; this is a movie which is sure to put a smile on your face.

Increasing alcoholism and aging in general ended a remarkable acting career. John Barrymore was a stage star at the time of the San Francisco Earthquake (which he survived), and it peaked on stage with his HAMLET on Broadway in 1922. By that time he had become the most notable stage star in America to turn towards the movies, with films like DR. JECKYLL AND MR. HYDE and BELOVED ROGUE. He was strong enough to retain leading man status until 1932/33. I would say his last leading men A-features are ARSENE LUPIN, SVENGALI, and GRAND HOTEL. But after that year, while he is still a star and still appearing in grade-A features it is in supporting roles. He does do TWENTIETH CENTURY in the lead, but nothing else followed. Some of these are still first rate films (SPAWN OF THE NORTH, DINNER AT EIGHT, TRUE CONFESSIONS, MAYTIME), but he is becoming more and more of a joke in the industry.

1939 is his last year for appearing in first rate films or to even have a lead. THE GREAT MAN VOTES is his last lead role of value. As Gregory Vance he is a former college professor of national reputation who has drunk away that reputation. But he lives for the sake of his children (Peter Holden and Virginia Weidler). They are all he has left since the death of their mother (the event that sent him into his alcoholic haze).

By sheer chance his voting district is the key one in a Mayoralty election. However, William Demerest (gearing up for his politico in the following year's THE GREAT MCGINTY) informs the party regulars that the nation is following this city's election closely (it is an off-year otherwise), and the winning party may well determine the voter's views nationwide the next year. Demerest wants them to make sure their party wins.

It seems that Vance's son has recently been bullied by a boy who is the son of the local district leader (Donald McBride). McBride is feared more than loved (at one point his son has to be pulled out of some cement, and a cop who has watched this looks at the impression of the boy's bottom in the wet cement, and says, "The spitting image of his old man!"). McBride spends the movie doing cartwheels to keep Barrymore sober and ready to vote for the party's candidate for Mayor. It seems that Vance's vote (which is neutral) will decide the district's direction, and so Vance has to be kept on the bandwagon. With such a weight on his shoulders we have to watch if Barrymore/Vance will vote or not. What is important, his public feelings or public duty?

The cast is game and lively, including Barrymore up to the sardonic concluding line of the film. It was a good performance for the great actor to conclude his leading role career. Shortly after he also appeared in an important leading role in Mitchell Leisin's MIDNIGHT (supporting Claudette Colbert and Don Ameche). There too he was in top form.

But by then he needed to have cue cards outside the range of the cameras with his dialog on them. He refused to learn the lines by heart (he claimed he would only do that with Shakespeare or great poetry). In fact, he probably could barely remember scripted dialog any longer. After 1939 his great days in movies was actually over. He soon was appearing in films like THE INVISIBLE WOMAN. He would turn to radio, appearing as himself (and as a cartoon version of a drunken ham actor at that) on Rudy Vallee's show. He did go back to Broadway with a play MY DEAR FAMILY, which was a comedy about him as an alcoholic ham actor again. He died in 1942, but artistically he'd been dead for years.

"Great Man Votes" is simple, unpretentious, thoroughly charming slice of Americana, made for RKO in 1939, expertly directed by Garson Kanin. Its simplistic view of small-town politics in a by-gone era may be outdated by now, but it passes by pleasantly in its short running time.

I wanted to see it because of the legendary John Barrymore, who here gives one of his most honest and satisfying performances as Gregory Vance, an eccentric, once-famous Harvard professor who turned to alcohol after the death of his wife. Vance lives with his two charming kids (Peter Holden and Virginia Wiedler). One day, he has been chosen to cast the deciding vote in the city's mayoral election.

Though it is at first a portrait of community in an idealistic American city set sometime in the 1920s, "Great Man Votes" is mostly a character study. Barrymore excels in his incarnation of Vance. And he does it well while being drunk most of the time. He is at once funny yet sad, innocent yet scrupulous, sardonic yet charming.

This was one of Barrymore's last memorable performances as a leading man and another reminder of what an extraordinary actor he was.

THE GREAT MAN VOTES (RKO Radio, 1939) stars "The Great Profile" John Barrymore, as the "Great Man" named Gregory Vance, in possibly his last good screen performance in a leading role. He stars as a drunken (no acting here) philosopher and widowed father of two pre-teen children (Peter Holden and Virginia Weidler) reduced to working as a night watchman. It so happens that he is the last registered voter in a factory district. When the local party machine pins its hopes on the way this district goes, his vote becomes important, and so does Vance. Vance allows himself to be exploited with the aid of a schoolteacher, Agnes Billow (Katherine Alexander), and thus, starts life anew as a commissioner of education.

A "B" comedy-drama with a lack of big star names (except for Barrymore, whose career by this time was at a decline), the movie plays fast during its 73 minutes running time. During one of its frequent showings on American Movie Classics in 1999, former host John Burke mentioned that Barrymore disliked working with children because they become scene stealers. Indeed the children are here, and are believable in their roles, especially Virginia Weidler, but they don't take away from that Barrymore magic. And director Garson Kanin successfully mixes the plot with sentiment and comedy without making it appear too "hokey." The supporting cast includes William Demarest as Charlie Dale; Donald MacBride as "Iron Hat" McCarlty, and Bennie Bartlett as his bully son, Davie McCarlty. And whatever became of that boy actor named Peter Holden, who makes his one and only screen appearance as Barrymore's intellectual son?

THE GREAT MAN VOTES, which presently shows on Turner Classic Movies, is the sort of movie that would be best shown on Election Day. (****)