A Lion Is in the Streets
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A Lion Is in the Streets
Plot
In 1945, James Cagney, through his independent production company, bought the rights to a lurid novel by Adria Locke Langley, concerning the rise of a Southern demagogue, loosely based on the political career of Huey Long. By the time the film finally went into production and was released in 1953, the film became an also-ran, trailing behind Robert Rossen's Oscar-winning production All the King's Men, which concerned the same subject. The film, directed by Raoul Walsh, never escapes from the towering shadows of the Rossen film, so it becomes, in the end, a matter of preference for the lead character -- whether one prefers the looming intimidation of Broderick Crawford or the brisk pugnacity of James Cagney. Cagney plays swamp peddler Hank Martin, who tries to ride into the governor's mansion in a backroad Southern state by making a crusade out of the plight of the poor and impoverished majority of the state. He begins his political assent by leading a sharecropper's revolt against the rip-offs the sharecroppers are receiving at the local cotton mill. But things become more intense and Hank Martin sows the seeds of his own destruction when he makes a deal with a local, crooked political boss in order to get ahead in his political career. ~ Paul Brenner, RoviReview
Although some feel that A Lion is in the Streets would have been better received had it not followed then earlier All the King's Men, which was also based upon the career of Huey Long, the fact is that Lion simply isn't as good as Men. The crucial difference is the screenplay; Lion's simply isn't particularly good, veering off into lurid melodrama on many occasions, stretching credibility in others, and failing to create any real, viable characters for the leading role to play off of. Fortunately, Lion does have a magnetic star turn from the irresistible James Cagney. The actor clearly relishes the part, taking hold of the screen from the moment he enters and never missing an opportunity to get under the skin of this grotesque but fascinating creature. True, it's not a flawless performance: his accent comes and goes (sometimes several times within one sentence), and at times Cagney goes a bit too far. But he gives Lion a much needed anchor and makes it hard to look away while he is on screen. As noted, the other actors have less to work with, but Anne Francis is strangely appealing as the swamp slut, and Barbara Hale does the best she can with the thankless role of the wife. Raoul Walsh pulls some nice directorial tricks, including almost making the infamous "dead man trial" work; he can't totally mask the screenplay's flaws, but he does make it look much better than it should. And he could have probably done even better, had the movie been shot in black-and-white, rather than in color, which adds to the lurid nature of the tale. ~ Craig Butler, RoviCast
- James Cagney - Hank Martin
- Barbara Hale - Verity Wade
- Anne Francis - Flamingo
- Warner Anderson - Jules Bolduc
- John McIntire - Jeb Brown
Credit
William Kissell - Art Director, Kay Nelson - Costume Designer, Raoul Walsh - Director, George J. Amy - Editor, Franz Waxman - Composer (Music Score), Otis Malcolm - Makeup, Wiard Ihnen - Production Designer, Harry Stradling - Cinematographer, William Cagney - Producer, Wiard Ihnen - Set Designer, Fred MacLean - Set Designer, Roscoe S. Cline - Special Effects, Luther Davis - Screenwriter, Adria Locke Langley - Book Author| A Linha Do Horizonte (1992 Film), A Line in the Sand (2001 Film) | |
| A Lion in the House (2005 Film), A Lion in the Streets (1979 Film) |
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A Lion Is in the Streets
| A Lion Is in the Streets | |
|---|---|
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| Directed by | Raoul Walsh |
| Produced by | William Cagney |
| Written by | Luther Davis Andria Locke Langley (novel) |
| Starring | James Cagney Barbara Hale |
| Music by | Franz Waxman |
| Cinematography | Harry Stradling |
| Editing by | George Amy |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
| Release date(s) | September 23, 1953 |
| Running time | 88 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English] |
A Lion Is in the Streets is a 1953 drama film directed by Raoul Walsh and starring James Cagney as a southern politician loosely based on Huey Long. Cagney's brother William was the producer, while his younger sister Jeanne was a member of the cast. The screenplay was based on a 1945 book by Adria Locke Langley. The film is compared to the similar 1949 film All the King's Men, featuring Broderick Crawford in an Academy Award-winning performance.
Plot
Charismatic roving peddler Hank Martin (James Cagney) falls in love at first sight with schoolteacher Verity Wade (Barbara Hale) and soon marries her. On their wedding day, he rents a ramshackle home from his upper class lawyer friend Jules Bolduc (Warner Anderson). Hank rounds up some of his many friends to fix up the place, but Verity begins to realize that he is not as nice as he appears to be; while they do the work, he sees nothing wrong in going inside to read a law book. He confides to her that it is all a matter of manipulating people the right way.
Jules invites the couple to dine with him that night, but Hank soon quarrels with another guest, Robert L. Castlebury IV (Larry Keating). He accuses Castlebury, the owner of the company that buys cotton, of shortchanging the poor farmers.
When Hank goes about his business, Verity accompanies him to the bayou. A young woman named Flamingo (Anne Francis) leaps into his arms, but when she learns that he is now married, she tries to arrange for an alligator to rid her of her rival. Verity is only injured. However, Flamingo does not give up on the man she has loved since she was a teen. After Hank sends Verity home to recover, Flamingo tracks Hank down on the road. She overcomes his resistance, and they start an affair.
Hank sets out to prove that Castlebury is cheating. When Hank proves that the weights used are seriously inaccurate, one of Castlebury's men aims a rifle at one of Hank's followers, and is killed by farmer Jeb Brown (John McIntyre).
To avoid inflammatory publicity, Castlebury sees to it that Brown's murder trial is repeatedly postponed. Shadowy power broker Guy Polli (Onslow Stevens) offers to use his influence to get the case heard in return for Hank's "thanks". When Castlebury manager Samuel T. Beach (James Millican) shoots and mortally wounds the prisoner, Hank persuades the dying man to go to court anyway. Even though Brown expires, Hank has enough time to persuade the jury to declare him innocent posthumously before the judge can adjourn, and to tell the true story to the gathered press.
The resulting publicity forces Castlebury to sell his company to Polli (though it turns out that his managers were the ones behind the fraud), and enables Hank to run for governor. However, a major rainstorm the day before the election prevents many of Hank's rural supporters from voting. In desperation, he goes to see Polli. Polli offers the votes of certain city precincts he controls, but in return, he insists that Hank sign an affidavit stating that Beach was with him at the time Brown was shot; the company Polli has bought would be destroyed if Beach were convicted. Hank reluctantly agrees.
Each candidate wins the same number of counties, but the state assembly that will break the tie is controlled by the incumbent. Rather than try again in four years, Hank urges his supporters to march on the capital as an armed mob. Just as they are starting out, Jules shows up, stating he has proof that Beach is Brown's murderer, and that Hank knowingly signed the false affidavit to get Polli's support. When Verity confirms Hank was actually with her at the time of the killing, Brown's widow shoots Hank. As Hank is dying, he tells his wife that his supporters were smarter than he thought.
Cast
- James Cagney as Hank Martin
- Barbara Hale as Verity Wade Martin
- Anne Francis as Flamingo McManamee
- Warner Anderson as Jules Bolduc
- John McIntire as Jeb Brown
- Jeanne Cagney as Jennie Brown
- Lon Chaney, Jr. as Spurge McManamee, Flamingo's father (as Lon Chaney)
- Frank McHugh as Frank Rector, a Castleberry worker and murder accomplice
- Larry Keating as Robert L. Castleberry IV
- Onslow Stevens as Guy Polli
- James Millican as Samuel T. Beach
- Mickey Simpson as Tim Beck, the blacksmith and Hank's supporter
- Sara Haden as Lula May McManamee, Flamingo's mother
- Ellen Corby as Singing Woman
External links
- A Lion Is in the Streets at the Internet Movie Database
- A Lion Is in the Streets at the TCM Movie Database
- A Lion Is in the Streets at AllRovi
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