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The Great McGinty

Play trailer Poster for The Great McGinty Released Aug 15, 1940 1h 22m Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
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100% Tomatometer 27 Reviews 79% Popcornmeter 500+ Ratings
In a dive south of the border, bartender Dan McGinty (Brian Donlevy) stops a young man from committing suicide after a moment of dishonesty, and relates how a moment of honesty brought him down in a flashback. As a young man, McGinty joins a crooked political boss and rises from extortionist to alderman. Urged by the boss to marry his secretary to give respectability to his run for mayor, McGinty agrees -- only to fall in love with his wife and decide to do an honest thing for once in his life.

Critics Reviews

View All (27) Critics Reviews
Walter Goodman New York Times ''The Great McGinty'' was the great Preston Sturges's first showing as a director, and a happy occasion it was. Jan 10, 2018 Full Review Variety Staff Variety Sturges displays plenty of ability in accentuating both the comedy and dramatic elements of his material, withal maintaining a consistent pace in the unreeling. Nov 13, 2007 Full Review Tom Milne Time Out A wonderfully dry satire. Jun 24, 2006 Full Review David Nusair Reel Film Reviews The Great McGinty slowly-but-surely begins to improve as it progresses into an increasingly (and unexpectedly) engrossing midsection... Rated: 2.5/4 Nov 2, 2024 Full Review Dennis Harvey 48 Hills Sturges' tastes were precisely in synch with the public’s... Jul 31, 2023 Full Review Michael J. Casey Michael J. Cinema Sturges would go on to become one of the best and wittiest auteurs of the studio era, but before you can run, you gotta crawl. Rated: 3/5 Jun 1, 2021 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Steve D Still waiting for the comedy to start. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 11/20/23 Full Review Frances H Another great Preston Sturgess satire like my favorit, The Miracle of Morgan's Creek. This one takes on politics, and is a classic! Don't miss a chance to see it. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 11/08/20 Full Review Audience Member A true classic in every sense of the word. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/16/23 Full Review s r A feel good reform comedy. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Preston's debut and a political satire, The Great McGinty explores crooked politics and dark ambitions. Its a bit on the low side with jokes, but this is Preston's first so that's forgiven. The players do a good job, so that's all that matters. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/05/23 Full Review Audience Member Great film, can't believe I sold the screenplay to Paramount for a dollar. LOL!! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/12/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The Great McGinty

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The Great McGinty

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Movie Info

Synopsis In a dive south of the border, bartender Dan McGinty (Brian Donlevy) stops a young man from committing suicide after a moment of dishonesty, and relates how a moment of honesty brought him down in a flashback. As a young man, McGinty joins a crooked political boss and rises from extortionist to alderman. Urged by the boss to marry his secretary to give respectability to his run for mayor, McGinty agrees -- only to fall in love with his wife and decide to do an honest thing for once in his life.
Director
Preston Sturges
Screenwriter
Preston Sturges
Distributor
Paramount Pictures
Production Co
Paramount Pictures
Genre
Comedy
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Aug 15, 1940, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Nov 11, 2016
Runtime
1h 22m
Sound Mix
Mono
Aspect Ratio
35mm, Flat (1.37:1)