The Washington Masquerade

Lionel Barrymore, crusading attorney from the sticks, takes on the bosses of his home state and wins election as Senator. This movie asks the question: "Can an honest man go to Washington and keep his integrity intact?" Since this is the early 30s (and pre Code), the answer to the question manages to be both downbeat and unrealistic. Also, the politics of our hero really is straight Huey P. Long (with a touch of Perry Mason). This makes watching this film at times a touch unpleasant. The railing against bosses and big corporate interests is both shrill and unspecific. But the moral smugness throughout is unmistakable.

The interesting thing here is the performance by Lionel Barrymore, which is far better than his norm. The character here feels real, even when he is spouting the populist nonsense of the day. Perhaps Barrymore intends him to seem a bit of a fraud? Lionel even gets a romantic scene with the Washington hostess who is trying to seduce him. (Bigger surprise -- the scene is actually sexy, and Lionel is credible in it.) Watch the film for the surprise Barrymore performance, and also for a sense that there were political films before Mr. Smith Goes To Washington. But not for the rather blah plot.

Though the older brother, Lionel was always the lesser of the Barrymores. John got all the sex appeal, and Lionel was always (at least in films) the dear old curmudgeon who wouldn't hurt a flea, the doting grandpa, the feisty but cute old man. In other words, as Sheridan Whiteside said, "Excuse me while I vomit." However, in this movie, Lionel actually acts rather than overacts for once (though he still can't keep his hands away from his lapels). True, the script gives him too many speeches, and there is too much hoke in them (God, Washington at Valley Forge). But there is a real performance here as the angry old man and the old fool who should have known better--a wholehearted one.

Lionel falls into the web of Karen Morley, a money-mad vamp in a transparent sequinned negligee who carries a torch for her absent boyfriend, Nils Asther (not VERY convincing as a wild Romeo), who turns up again. For her he throws away the Senate seat from which he was going to spearhead a drive to nationalize the energy industries--a radical policy even today (sadly).

It's hard to believe that such a fire-breathing populist as Lionel would fall so hard for a superficial, deceitful woman, and it's disappointing that he succumbs to her rather than to the machinations of politics and big business. But what is unusual about the movie is that the latter are shown in such detail, and with such contempt for the average American. This was a time of tremendous upheaval and uncertainty in America, and if the movie falls victim to that, it does give us a sense of the national malaise.

On the DC sex scandal scale the affair in this film falls somewhere between Fanne Fox and Rielle Hunter. In other words a crashing bore, as a DC hostess might say. And what do you think caused Lionel B's sudden death at film's end? My guess is a stroke, coronary or aneurism brought on by excessive scenery chewing.

Hattie made her screen debut in 1932 as a maid which she would go on to win an academy award for and be type cast. Did she enjoy working as a maid in this project? It could be akin to working as a receptionist in your late 30's, but it pays the bills. Not much entertainment in this film, but interesting nonetheless.

The great lionel barrymore is keane, a small town guy, and the unexpected winner in a the race for senate. He has made some enemies in the process, replacing a guy who had been in office a long time. He is wooed by consuela fairbanks (karen morley), who has her own secreat motives for getting married. Keane's daughter tries to warn him, but he resents the interference. Will keane catch on in time? A funny moment when we are shown an invitation to a white house event, where someone's thumb is conveniently placed over the last name, since they didn't want it to be too specific about which president it was. Keep an eye out for consuela's assistant mona (rafaela ottiano)... she was also greta garbo's assistant in grand hotel; she almost stole the show in that one. Never miss a chance to see a barrymore in a film! This one is no shakespeare, but it's pretty good. A reflection of the times. And just before the film code kicked in. Barrymore, one of the many barrymores, had just won his oscar in 1931 for free soul. Film directed by charles brabin... had started in the early early days of silent films. Story based on the claw by henry bernstein.