Main Cast: Bob Hope, Vera Miles, Paul Douglas, Alexis Smith, Darren McGavin
Release Year: 1957
Country: US
Run Time: 105 minutes
Plot
New York City is known for choosing colorful characters for its mayors. One its most illustrious was the wisecracking, dancing and singing Mayor James J. Walker (as played by Bob Hope in a rare, serious role) who helmed the Big Apple in the 1920s. This biopic chronicles his surprising rise to power and is adapted from a book by Gene Fowler. Walker owed his mayoral post to Tammany, a powerful political organization that used its tremendous clout to get him installed. Walker, who never takes his job seriously, then becomes a figurehead for Tammany, and while he is in power, corruption in the police force and other city offices runs rampant. Meanwhile Walker wrangles with his lover, dancer Betty Compton, and his jealous wife, from whom he is separated. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Review
Bob Hope is given a rare dramatic role in Beau James, playing a character that is not just Bob Hope with another name. Hope is not totally successful in his portrayal, and he's not ideal casting as the legendary Jimmy Walker, but it's interesting to see the famed comedian playing against type -- and to see how he can't quite make the leap and totally give up his Hope persona. Of course, the role has been re-tailored to fit Hope a bit more, which wreaks a little havoc with the facts and, not so coincidentally, dulls the dramatic impact of the film. This Walker is not the sly, corrupt politician of legend, one whose personality was so winning that the public forgave him many of his sins. This Walker is more of a dope and a dupe -- more, in other words, like the Hope character audiences know and love. Still, even with these changes, Beau James remains a mostly entertaining and quite diverting little piece of entertainment. It's not very valuable as biography, but it makes for a very nice way to pass a couple of hours -- especially when the contributions of supporting players Paul Douglas, Alexis Smith, and Vera Miles are added in. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
John B. Goodman - Art Director, Hal Pereira - Art Director, Jack Baker - Choreography, Edith Head - Costume Designer, Melville Shavelson - Director, Floyd Knudtson - Editor, Joseph Lilley - Composer (Music Score), Joseph Lilley - Musical Direction/Supervision, Wally Westmore - Makeup, John F. Warren - Cinematographer, Jack Rose - Producer, Sam Comer - Set Designer, Frank R. McKelvey - Set Designer, Charles Grenzbach - Sound/Sound Designer, Hugo Grenzbach - Sound/Sound Designer, Melville Shavelson - Screenwriter, Jack Rose - Screenwriter, Gene Fowler - Book Author
Beau James is a 1957 film, based on a non-fiction book of the same name by Gene Fowler.
The movie stars Bob Hope in what is considered to be his most important straight acting role, as Jimmy Walker, the colourful but controversial Mayor of New York City during 1926-32. American prints of this film are narrated by Walter Winchell; in Britain, the film was narrated by Alistair Cooke. One of the most memorable lines is when Walker is asked at a baseball game of a personal conduct scandal was "my comment, and you can quote me is I hope the Yankees win." The film includes unbilled appearances by Jimmy Durante and Jack Benny as themselves.
