Sam woods deviant view of smalltown america, starring ronald reagan and ann sheridan april 3, 2006 by emanuellevy like orson welless 1942 the magnificent ambersons, sam woods kings row, released in 1943, is situated at the turn of the century, and like that picture, it takes place in a midwestern railroad town. The rousing finale to kings row, augmented by korngolds splendid music. Sadly, this is the first movie of charles coburns where he portrayed an unpleasant, cruel man. Directed by sam wood and with james wong howes impressive cinematography and erich wolfgang korngolds. Ronald reagan rose to prominence initially as a film actor, appearing in more than 50 films, notably including knute rockneall american 1940, kings row 1942, and the hasty heart 1950. Kings row 1942 often cited as reagan s finest film, and his own personal favorite, its a seamy tale of smalltown hypocrisy that tested the limits of production code propriety. Kings row drake mchugh 1942 the hasty heart yank 1949.
I read this 1940 controversial doorstopper back in high school and was riveted by the portrait of seedy 1890s smalltown life. Its also an extremely affecting drama that pairs ann sheridan with a surprisingly effective ronald reagan, in what is easily the best role of his film career. Kings row 1942 with robert cummings, ronald reagan and ann sheridan. Costarring robert cummings dial m for murder, ann sheridan i was a male war bride and oscarwinner claude rains casablanca. Kings row 1942 with robert cummings, ronald reagan and ann. Betty field, ronald reagan, robert cummings, ann sheridan. The film deals with life in the small midwestern town of kings row. The film was adapted by casey robinson from a bestselling 1940 novel of. The filmography of ronald reagan february 6, 1911 june 5, 2004 includes many motion. Sin surrounds circa1900 townsfolk ann sheridan, ronald reagan, robert cummings. A film of very high quality that you wont easily forget. A screening of kings row starring ronald reagan follows at 3.
Ilka gruning, ludwig stossel, erwin kalser, ludwig hardt and hermine sterler, most of. Kings row 1942 with ronald reagan classic film freak. Ann sheridan plays randy monaghan, ronald reagan, center, drake mchugh, and robert cummings plays parris mitchell in the 1942 movie, kings row photo measures 10. Costarring robert cummings dial m for murder, ann sheridan i was a male.
Released june th, 2004, kings row stars annsheridan, ronaldreagan, bobcummings, bettyfield the movie has a runtime of about 2 hr 7 min, and received a score of out of 100 on metacritic. Former united states president ronald reagan delivers a star performance in this classic, heartwrenching drama of the damage caused by dark secrets that lie just beneath of surface of an idyllic life in the small town of kings row. All american stars in this romantic drama about an idealistic young man who is inspired to take up psychiatry when a series of scandals rock his small town. Ronald reagan, claude rains and ann sheridan kings row 1942 official trailer ronald reagan movie the dark side and. Town takes pride in novel that became ronald reagan movie by karen ball dec. The film was adapted by casey robinson from a bestselling 1940 novel of the same name by henry bellamann. Kings row 1942 with robert cummings, ronald reagan and. Ronald reagan list of movies and tv shows tv guide.
With ann sheridan, robert cummings, ronald reagan, betty field. Kings row 1942 is consensus pick for ronald reagans finest screen hour. Kings row 1942 the best movies in cinematic history. Kings row is a 1942 film starring ann sheridan, robert cummings, and ronald reagan that tells a story of young people growing up in a small american town. Authentic movie lobby card promotional poster from the feature film kings row, and one of early movies when reagan was not even the star. Ronald reagan s character is a magnificently fun, happy guy to watch. Some parts of the movie was a little slow but still kept my interest. The film that made the future president reagan a movie star. A look at the darker side of kings row 1942 starring robert cummings, ronald reagan and ann sheridan. In this dark drama, set shortly before wwii, two young men grow up to discover that their idyllic and wholesome midwestern hometown has a seamy side rife with jealousy, pettiness, and horrific acts. The older you get, the more exposed you have been, the less clean and innocent it becomes.
See details kings row vhs video ann sheridan robert cummings ronald reagan betty field. Many film critics considered kings row to be his best movie, 9 though the film was condemned by the new york times critic bosley crowther. Kings row ann sheridan, ronald reagan 1942 warner bros. Reagan s favorite acting role was as a double amputee in 1942s kings row, in which he recites the line, wheres the rest of me. Kings row, the movie, is good clean innocent fun for even a ten year old. Some think its not dark enough kings row 1942 with robert cummings, ronald reagan and ann sheridan immortal ephemera. Claude rains and charles coburn give indelible performances and ronald reagans portrayal of drake. Five children grow up together to become young adults in a seemingly perfect middleamerican town, but they are haunted by carefully hidden mental.
Its also an extremely affecting drama that pairs ann sheridan with a surprisingly effective ronald reagan. Kings row is a 1942 film starring ann sheridan, robert cummings, and ronald reagan that tells a story of young people growing up in a small american town at the turn of the twentieth century. Kings row 1942 cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. Kings row 1942 is his highest rated movie while swing your lady 1938 is his lowest rated movie. The movie is nicely sequenced and there is the odd beautifully scripted line. Kings row is een amerikaanse dramafilm uit 1942 onder regie van sam wood. The film deals with life in the small midwestern town of kings row around the turn of the 19th20th centuries. Drake mchugh ronald reagan loses his trust fund and must go to work, but when his legs are amputated after an accident, his. Ronald reagan celebrity profile check out the latest ronald reagan photo gallery, biography, pics, pictures, interviews, news, forums and blogs at rotten tomatoes.
By martin northway kings row was a popular 1942 film based on the bestselling novel by henry bellamann. Dec 24, 2008 the rousing finale to kings row, augmented by korngolds splendid music. This is a coming of age story about a group of friends who grow up on or near kings row. Kings row 1942 official trailer ronald reagan movie youtube. With the studio, he starred in such films as dark victory, knute rockne, all american, and kings row which was nominated for the academy award for best picture in 1943. The movie skips ahead to after high school and we find that parris has come back to kings row. Kings row provides many unexpected plot twists and turns. This film is an ensemble piece with claude rains, charles coburn and betty field brilliantly supporting but the most credit must go to robert cummings parris, ronald reagan drake,and ann sheridan red who were never better.
Reagans acting career began in 1937 when he contracted with warner bros. Ronald reagan gives a charismatic performance as drake, the strongwilled, neighbourhood rogue. It is a fairly safe assumption that if not for a career change which, ironically enough. This film is an ensemble piece with claude rains, charles coburn and betty field brilliantly supporting but the most credit must go to robert cummingsparris, ronald reagan drake,and ann sheridanred who were never better. Kings row is remembered mostly for being one of the best movies to feature future president ronald reagan, who spent most of his film career trapped in the b movie ghetto. Feb 15, 2019 ronald reagan always thought world war ii had cost him his chance at reaching the top of the marquee of hollywood stars. Kings row is perhaps the granddaddy of all smalltown epicsa strong story line, an excellent cast and all of it punctuated by one of erich wolfgang korngolds most melodious background scores. Ronald reagan, ann sheridan, robert cummings, sam wood. A big, juicy, and really quite weird melodrama, the film cruises through the creepier. Sam wood is a director that has a flair for overacting, and it ends up playing down the more crucial elements of this story while playing up emotions that drown out everything the story is trying to say. Kings row 1942 is a thoughtprovoking, emotional, melodramatic, peyton placelike film with a turnofthecentury, smalltown setting that revealed evil, cruelty, duplicity and depravity.
Kings row is an odd movie to come out just as ww2 began, dealing as it does with unspoken class barriers, promiscuity, horrifying death pacts and willful mutilation. Former village voice film critic to bring his take on. It featured a young ronald reagan, portraying the sunny rake drake mchugh, best friend of precocious parris mitchell, the thinly veiled alter ego of the author puzzling his way toward maturity in an 1890s midamerican small town. Its plot and themes do not touch on war, but many of the minor supporting players were emigres from austria and germany, fleeing the nazis. It was directed by sam wood and details the lives, hopes and fears of a group of young people growing up in a small american town at the turn of the twentieth century.
Aspiring doctor parris mitchell robert cummings loves the mysterious cassandra tower betty field, despite her dark family secrets. It was adapted from the novel of the same name by henry bellamann. Ronald reagans two bestremembered lines were delivered while he was flat on his back in bed. Ronald reagan doesnt have any movies playing in theaters. Kings row 1942 reagan gave what critics and probably reagan himself considered his best performance in this lavish melodrama about the scandals of a turnofthecentury small town. Considering this was done in the early 40s, the subject matter is handled honestly but with the kind of discretion it would never receive by any of todays filmmakers. His best performance came in a film, kings row, that premiered just as the. Kings row was released four months after pearl harbor, although it had been filmed and edited by midoctober, 1941, with only erich wolfgang korngold to add the music. Reagan later served as governor of california from 1967 to 1975, before being elected the 40th president of the united states in 1980. Directed by sam wood and with james wong howes impressive cinematography and erich wolfgang korngolds magnificently rich score although unnominated for an academy award. Rent kings row 1942 starring ann sheridan and robert cummings on dvd and bluray. Its a story that deserves to be part of a far better film. Kings row original theatrical trailer warner archive collection. Ronald reagan centennial collection kings row desperate.
Ronald reagan full list of movies and tv shows in theaters, in production and upcoming films. In the 1890s, friends from both sides of the tracks in the village of kings row look for love despite the barriers of family and class. Kings row movie 1942 ann sheridan, robert cummings, ronald. Ann sheridan, robert cummings and ronald reagan crowther spends six paragraphs absolutely destroying kings row mostly for avoiding subjects that he does not dare do anymore than hint at himself in the times. Kings row could have been the start of bigger and better things for reagan s movie career, but he got drafted into the army, and the moment passed. Parris hooks up with his old pal drake now played by ronald reagan and drake has turned into quite a fine young man whose only goal in life is to take girls buggy riding as he puts it. Also featured ann sheridan, robert cummings and betty field. Kings row is a romantic melodrama made in 1942 and starring ronald reagan, robert cummings and ann sheridan. Kings row is a 1942 drama film directed by sam wood and starring ann sheridan, robert cummings, ronald reagan, and claude rains.
Kings row was nominated for three academy awards including best picture of 1943, and is generally conceded to feature the best performance of ronald reagan s hollywood career. Today, kings row is better known as the 1942 film adapted from the novel and featuring ronald reagan as the funloving darcy mchugh. Theres plenty of nasty little secrets in kings row, and if youve ever seen the 1942 movie starring ann sheridan, ronald reagan and bob cummings, they left a lot out or referred to it so vaguely they might as well not have bothered. Jun 07, 2004 kings row 1942 reagan gave what critics and probably reagan himself considered his best performance in this lavish melodrama about the scandals of a turnofthecentury small town. Jul 27, 2011 by martin northway kings row was a popular 1942 film based on the bestselling novel by henry bellamann. The dark side and hypocrisy of provincial american life is seen through the eyes of five children as they grow to adulthood at the turnofthecentury.
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