"Wilson"

Woodrow Wilson, played by Alexander Knox, is at a political rally during his campaign for Governor of New Jersey in Henry King's film "Wilson" (20th Century Fox, 1944). The theatre they used was the Biltmore at 5th and Grand. Thanks to theatre historian Kurt Wahlner for identifying the theatre in the film and capturing this grand panorama that opens our visit to the theatre. Click on it for a better view.

The film stars Geraldine Fitzgerald, Thomas Mitchell, Ruth Nelson, Mary Anderson, Ruth Ford, Madeleine Forbes, Charles Coburn, Vincent Price, Eddie Foy Jr. and Cedric Hardwicke. The cinematography was by Leon Shamroy and an uncredited Ernest Palmer. 

 

Thanks to Kurt for all the screenshots appearing on this page. He comments: 

 

"The picture never fails to trot out a brass band, and this is no exception - placing the band in the stage boxes house right, with the pit filled with supporters. The scene is fairly lengthy. There is a sweep of the orchestra floor, lots of footage of Wilson speaking from the stage, Thomas Mitchell heckling him from the balcony. I did enjoy it - even though TONS of stuff was glossed over and there were more than a few outright falsehoods, but on the whole, I can see that being hectored with Wilson’s message had audiences going, 'We’re workin’ on it, we’re working on it!' in the closing year of WWII.

"But Wilson’s story IS inspirational and terribly sad, because, at the end, it makes you wonder what a man’s life is for - what does it amount to? Reading about Wilson recalls the 'nattering nabobs' and the film, I think, captured that, without sending everyone out on a total buzz-kill. I was wondering how far they would go with his story - he leaves the White House; end. Not a bad place to end it, but it skips the fact that, as a bed-ridden paralytic, he wanted to run for a third term in 1920. He got clobbered, got progressively worse and died in 1924. Not a good ending!

"I very much doubt that WILSON will ever be fixed up by our chums at Fox. I very much doubt that another Technicolor thing with a similar time frame, 'Life With Father,' will ever improve from its current video edition - and it was a whopping hit. But it was sort of cringe-worthy when I finally saw it a couple years ago."

 

 

Enthusiasm among the delegates at the back of the main floor.  

 

Getting a look at the side boxes as the camera pans toward the stage. 

 

 

Alexander Knox onstage as Wilson. 

 

 

A look at the action on house left side of the main floor.  

A better look at the band in the house right boxes. 

 

 

 

A collage of the pan from the band up to the 2nd balcony, encompassing the last shot and the next two.  Kurt comments: "Some of the film has decidedly odd uses of colored gels to heighten mood."

 

Panning up the house right wall. 

 

 

The crowd in the 2nd balcony. 

 

 

William Eythe as "Princeton Man" George Felton leading cheers in the 1st balcony  

 

 

A 1st balcony view to the stage. 

 

 

Thomas Mitchell as Joseph Patrick Tumulty. 

Another view of Mitchell. He's asking if Wilson, in his mission to root out corruption, will go after party bosses such as the ones sitting in the house left boxes. 

 

 

Alexander Knox, as Wilson, addresses the party bosses in the boxes.  

 

 

Directing his remarks to Mitchell in the balcony. 

 

Thurston Hall, as Senator Edward Jones, addresses the crowd. 

 

 

Time to strike up the band. 

 

They're not worried. It's all just talk. James Rennie as boss Jim Beeker, Thurston Hall as Senator Edward Jones, unknown, and J.M. Kerrigan as Ed Sullivan

 

The theatre, adjacent to the Biltmore Hotel, opened in 1924. See the Biltmore Theatre page on the Los Angeles Theatres site for photos and data. 

 

 

For the scenes at the 1912 Democratic convention we're at the Shrine Auditorium's Expo Hall. Kurt comments: "The scenes at the conventions are hair-raising in their logistical scope." The Hall is a flat-floored space with a wrap-around balcony that's on the north side of the Shrine Auditorium. Here we're looking in from the 32nd St. entrance. The Auditorium portion of the complex is behind the far wall.

 

 

A look toward the east wall. 

 

 

 

Another view toward the dais and the south wall of the hall. 

 

 

An unidentified politician. There are many speeches.

 

 

 

Paul Everton as Judge John W. Westcott placing Wilson's name in nomination.  

 

 

Cy Kendall as New York Delegation leader Charles F. Murphy pledging to champion Clark.

 

 

 

An unknown actress as Lady Liberty. 

 

Lady Liberty's profile shot. 

 

George Macready as Wilson's Convention Manager William McCombs telling Wilson he thinks the nomination has been lost. The reply is that he'll be hanging in there until the end and his delegates shouldn't be released. 

 

Edwin Maxwell as William Jennings Bryan announcing Nebraska's delegates will back Wilson. 

 

 

Another cue for the band: Wilson will be the 1912 Democratic Party nominee!

"Wilson" returns to the Expo Hall for the 1916 Democratic convention but it's just a brief moment of coverage compared to the circus we see for 1912.

See the main page about the Shrine Auditorium on the Los Angeles Theatres site for a list of many other films where the building appears. There's also a separate page for the Expo Hall. 

Thanks to Kurt Wahlner for the screenshots as well as the work identifying the actors in various shots. Visit his terrific site about the Chinese Theatre: GraumansChinese.org

On IMDb: "Wilson"

 

Alexander Knox onstage at the Biltmore in "Wilson." It's a promotional still that appears on IMDb.