The Remarkable Andrew

The Remarkable Andrew is a charming and whimsical fantasy with strong Frank Capra like overtones. A pair of Andrews are involved here, the 7th president of the United States Andrew Jackson played by Brian Donlevy and Andrew Long a city bookkeeper in Shale City, Colorado whose ancestor saved Jackson's life at the Battle Of New Orleans.

William Holden plays Andrew Long who finds a discrepancy in the city books and he resists pressure to whitewash and cover up the discrepancy. For that he's framed to take the fall for the discrepancy.

The ghost of Andrew Jackson comes to pay an old debt which causes a few comical moments for the audience, not for Holden especially with his fiancé Ellen Drew. When Holden is jailed Jackson brings reinforcements with the ghosts of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Marshall, Benjamin Franklin, and Jesse James. Obviously Jesse has talents that can be put to use the others lack and does. And there is poor Private Henry Smith played by Jimmy Conlin who came along for the ride.

The courtroom scene is a classic reminding one so much of Mister Deeds Goes To Town when Gary Cooper's sanity is called into question. Or Jimmy Stewart fighting his expulsion from the Senate is Mr. Smith Goes To Washington.

In fact Bill Holden who said that he admired Spencer Tracy and Fredric March as actors gets to deliver a long Tracy like speech to the court. He did the same kind of speech at the board meeting climax scene in Executive Suite in the next decade. His ghostly friends provide him the ammunition to clear himself.

Directed by Stuart Heisler the script was adopted by Dalton Trumbo of the Hollywood 10 from his own novel. If this was the stuff that got him blacklisted it's a frightening prospect.

The Remarkable Andrew is a real gem among the early films of William Holden.

What a cute movie! I'm not a William Holden fan, but he was such a cute little kid in this one, seeing him perform his morning exercises while singing was enough to win me over. Three years after his splash in Golden Boy, he stars as an accountant in a small town where everyone knows everything about everybody. He's engaged to Ellen Drew but refuses to tie the knot until he's financially secure. Then, when an error in the bookkeeping records pops up, Bill smells a rat.

In a bizarre fantasy twist to the story, General Andrew Jackson pays him a visit. He just steps right out of a portrait and starts talking to him. Brian Donlevy, in a period costume, white wig, and fancy makeup to make his brow and cheekbones protrude, is absolutely hilarious (and handsome) as the no-nonsense, rye drinking general. He doesn't understand modern times and keeps calling on Bill to hang his enemies. Once he even says, "There's only one thing to do. You must challenge him to a duel," with a completely straight face.

This Dalton Trumbo screenplay will have you laughing from start to almost finish. I actually thought the ending was sad, but I won't hold it against the entire movie. It's very entertaining, and both leading men are adorable. I'm sure they were both happy to act in a comedy after all the heavy dramas of the past few years. Highly recommended, especially if you like small town comedies or political satires.

"The Remarkable Andrew" is something of a curiosity of a film for when it was made and released in theaters. It was either behind times by 20 years, or ahead of time by as much. This is a comedy romance and fantasy film all about decency, honesty, and integrity - subjects that surely are appropriate for all times in films. But at the core of the plot is political corruption that involves many of the people in a local government. And that's precisely why it's so poorly timed and probably why it bombed at the box office.

With the world embroiled in WW II, millions of Americans going off to war and all of industry gearing up and producing for war, the last thing on any American's mind in March of 1942, would have been local corrupt politics. That goes for people in all other countries as well. Indeed, if ever there was a time when such corruption most likely was nil or at a minimum, it would have been then.

So, it's no wonder that this film came in toward the bottom of box office receipts for the year - around 165th with domestic ticket sales of just $1.1 million. And, with the considerable cast of prominent actors of the day, the budget was probably right around that figure. "Mrs. Miniver" that was the released in June of that year, had a budget of $1.34 million and box office of $15.3 million. The stars of that film, Greer Garson and Walter Pidgeon, are matched by William Holden, Brian Donlevy and Ellen Drew in "Andrew," which also has a bigger supporting cast of prominent actors.

The vast number of movies that the public went to and wanted to see were war or war-related films, or genuine comedies with much humor, or entertaining musicals, or good mysteries. An occasional animated film would be very popular.

While this film is a comedy and fantasy as well, the comedy is far too light and the fantasy may also have worked against it in a time of world war. All of the players did well in this film, and it was a good plot and story. It would have fit earlier times - before sound films and the Great Depression - including during prohibition. And, it surely would have resonated with audiences and been a good educational tool by the late 1950s. That's when Mayor Richard J. Daley rose to power and ruled the roost in Chicago. Many members of his administration in time were convicted of corruption.

The fantasy aspects of various heroes of America's past would have appealed to youngsters in years past. Such things appealed to my children in the 1970s and 1980s. But maybe they wouldn't so much in the 21st century when history doesn't seem to mean much to younger generations; or when some have a bizarre notion of being responsible for the sins and wrongs of people of the past. It seems to me that life is enough of a challenge for people in the 21st century to live our own lives now with respect for all others, and with honesty, kindness, and charity.

This might be a good film today for grandpa or grandma to show youngsters. And some who enjoy movies of the past, including those with messages, will still enjoy it. But most in the modern, fast-action, culture who can't go half an hour without checking their hand-held device, probably would lose interest before half an hour.

Here are some favorite lines from the film.

Mrs. Grondos, "Of course he isn't crazy. Just you remember what people said about Columbus."

Andrew Jackson, "You take it from an old politician-baiter."

Dr. Clarence Upjohn, after telling Peggy to smell Andrew's breath, "If there's liquor on it, call me. I've got some pills here that'll either sober him up or kill him."

Peggy Tobin, "But what if he hasn't been drinking?" Dr. Clarence Upjohn, "You're gonna have to marry him right away." Peggy, "Right away?" Dr. Upjohn, "Yep. If he's not drunk, he's crazy. If he's crazy, he needs your help. If you love him, you'll do as I say." Peggy, "I guess so."

Dr. Clarence Upjohn, "And another thing. If he thinks there's ghosts up there, pretend it's perfectly normal. Humor him. Agree with him. But marry him." Peggy Tobin, "All right." Dr., Upjohn, "But smell his breath first." Peggy, "Yeah."

This is another one of those gems from Hollywoods golden era of film-making. They just don't make 'em like that anymore and never will either. It is a shame this isn't available on VHS or DVD. Our star William Holden gets into serious legal troubles and is visited by the ghost of Andrew Jackson, who in turn bring along a whole group of famous founding fathers to solve the problem with, of course, very funny situations. Great movie, I haven't seen it in years so forgive the somewhat fuzzy plot summary but trust me it is great film. It has been shown on AMC I believe in the past. This is a early William Holden film and he is in fine form. Brian Donlevy plays Andrew Jackson with Montague Love as Gen. George Washington (great character actor). Let's hope this gem will be available soon

Andrew Long (William Holden) works as an accountant for his town. When going over the books, he discovers a discrepancy of $1240 and brings it to his superiors' attention...who essentially tell him to forget about it. But he can't...and soon various dead American heroes come to help him with this predicament...including George Washington and Mr. Long's namesake, Andrew Jackson! As I mentioned in the summary...what a weird film! Later, all sorts of Revolutionary period characters come to visit him...and everyone in town thinks he is a nut because they can't see these ghosts that Andrew is constantly talking to.

When you think of William Holden's films, you don't think of "The Remarkable Andrew"...probably because it's slipped into obscurity. I also think it was a film he hoped would slip into security. The plot is dopey and Holden mostly spends the film looking befuddled and it's not exactly a master class in acting. It's earnest..but badly written and with an absolutely ludicrous premise. It's also a bit embarrassing to watch.