Do Hollywood films get politics right?

“Hollywood Looks at Politics” – what a great idea for a college course during an electoral year!

Instructor John James has picked out four outstanding films: “The Last Hurrah,” “State of the Union,”  “Advise and Consent” and “Seven Days in May.”

Offered by the Creative Retirement Institute at Edmonds Community College, the classes take place from 1:30 to 4 p.m. on four Thursdays, May 8 to 29.  Like all CRI classes, they are open to all adults over age 50, regardless of educational background.

Because I’m an ex-Boston boy, my favorite is “The Last Hurrah,” John Ford’s version of Edwin O’Connor’s novel, starring Spencer Tracy.

The plot concerns the last election campaign for Frank Skeffington, the mayor of a city whose name is never mentioned.  The location shots, however, are definitely Boston.

Beyond that, the mayor created by O’Connor bears a strong resemblance to James Michael Curley, the archetypal Boston machine politician.

Growing up near Beantown, I was just old enough to notice his campaign slogan, “Curley Gets It Done!”  Indeed he did get it done, albeit at great expense, owing to the high cost of graft.

This 1958 film may be cynical, as it shows how politicians wheel and deal but, in this dramatization, always for a good cause.  Skeffington comes across as a man with concern for his constituents.

The election campaign turns out to be the swan song, the last hurrah, for the kind of old-style machine politics Skeffington had mastered.

My only criticism of the movie is the lack of Boston accents.  How do you do a Boston movie without Boston accents?

Tracy also has the lead in Frank Capra’s 1948 production of “State of the Union,” adapted from the Lindsay and Crouse play.

The movie asks, “Just how far can a man’s ego be manipulated?”

Tracy’s character is a businessman conned into running for President by a newspaper tycoon, who is also his mistress.  For appearance’s sake, he reunites with his wife, played by Katharine Hepburn, who also serves as his conscience.

Power brokers force him to compromise his values.  In the dramatic final scene, however, Tracy’s character regains his self-respect by admitting his dishonesty in a radio-TV broadcast.

John Frankenheimer’s 1964 film “Seven Days in May” features Burt Lancaster as a military hawk opposing the approach by the President, played by Frederic March, to end the cold war through a nuclear disarmament plan.

A Pentagon officer (Kirk Douglas) discovers a conspiracy among the Joint Chiefs of Staff led by his own superior, Lancaster.  They are planning a coup d’état.

The clash between General Curtis LeMay and President Kennedy after the Cuban missile crisis may have inspired Rod Serling’s screenplay.  LeMay wanted to use nuclear weapons.

“Advise and Consent,” a 1962 film directed by Otto Preminger, features rascals supposed to represent Washington types.  The screenplay is based on Allen Drury’s novel.

Henry Fonda’s character is a controversial nominee for secretary of state. The Senate, using its advise-and-consent powers, must approve or disapprove the appointment.

When Fonda’s character is accused of being a communist, the ensuing political hardball leads to perjury, blackmail, and suicide.

There’s a notable performance, his last, by Charles Laughton, who plays a southern senator (really) with a grudge.

 Whether Prof. James provides popcorn at his matinees, I do not know.  But for sure he will serve up incisive comments and analyses along with these four classic films that remain contemporary.

You can learn more about this and other CRI course by calling (425) 640-1830 or by visiting www.cri.edcc.edu.