The Silver Screen Oasis

" All the King's Men " is now playing on TCM, and of course it is a ficionalized profile of Huey Long. " A Lion in the Steets " is another fictionalized bio of the life and times of the late Senator and Governor, starring Jimmy Cagney, and directed by Raoul Walsh. Both films, to me, are disappointments.

There's never been a film that could live up to Robert Penn Warren's book PERIOD.

I will say though that although the film was a trainwreck, Brodrick Crawford and Mercedes McCambridge were believeable as Stark and Sadie and played their roles well.

I'd read the Robert Penn Warren book decades ago, but probably didn't understand much of it then. I watched most of the film and was very impressed with Broderick Crawford and especially Mercedes McCambridge. Has Ms. McCambridge ever played a character who wasn't driven by rage?

I saw A Lion is in the Streets years ago and, not surprisingly relished Cagney's performance, but found the film overall was not as strong as All the King's Men.