The Senator Was Indiscreet (1947) was the only film ever directed by the playwright and critic George S. Kaufman. The choice was understandable seeing that it was produced by famed screenwriter Nunnally Johnson and written by revered screenwriter Charles MacArthur. It's a writer's movie and the writers wanted to make sure they were in charge of everything. With the great cinematographer William C. Mellor at the camera's helm, and William Powell, Ella Raines, Ray Collins and Peter Lind Hayes handling the front of house duties, there's little that could get in the way of the film's success and, indeed, it was quite successful. Playing to the post-war, post-Great Depression good will, it was easy to mock politics now that there was little at stake on the home front. How it plays today, though, is a different story altogether.

The plot concerns a bumbling mid-Western senator played by William Powell, a somewhat odd choice given his knack for playing refined, quick-witted, leading roles but, under a full complement of wig and facial hair makeup, the transformation is fairly convincing. Senator Melvin G. Ashton has designs on running for president, despite the protestations of party leader Houlihan (Ray Collins). When Ashton's diary is stolen, a diary that contains a load of dirty laundry about other prominent politicians, panic ensues, and Ashton's campaign manager Lew (Peter Lind Hayes) and reporter Poppy McNaughton (Ella Raines) go on a manic hunt to find the journal before all hell breaks loose.

Kaufman pretty much relied on his editor, Sherman A. Rose, cinematographer William C. Mellor and associate producer, Gene Fowler Jr. to make the film visually workable. He was only concerned with the actors and the script. And the actors, particularly Powell and Raines, do an exceptional job of keeping the audience engaged and interested (and Myrna Loy pops up late in the movie in an uncredited cameo). However, the story, or more specifically certain story details, haven't aged as well as others. The movie begins with a prolonged sequence involving Senator Ashton being inducted into the local Indigenous tribe with just about every offensive stereotypical trope about Native Americans on display, including jokes about everyone saying "how" to each other.

Perhaps more unsettling is the ending, taking place on an unnamed island in the southern Pacific Ocean, jokes are made about having to move the islanders yet again for another nuclear test. In 1947, the Marshall Islanders had yet to lose everything from constant moves and disastrous tests that left their land destroyed for centuries to come. Watching those scenes now, it's impossible to find any humor in them.

The Senator Was Indiscreet was a box-office hit and even an award winner for Powell, who won the New York Film Critics Circle Best Actor award for this and Life with Father, but Kaufman never directed another movie. The biggest disappointment of all was that Ella Raines never took off into super stardom. Her energy and talent enliven every scene she's in and she deserved a much better, more successful career than the one she got.

Director: George S. Kaufman
Producer: Nunnally Johnson
Screenplay: Charles MacArthur
Music: Daniele Amfitheatrof
Cinematography: William C. Mellor
Editor: Sherman A. Rose
Art Direction: Bernard Herzbrun, Boris Leven
Set Decoration: Russell A. Gausman, Ken Swartz
Makeup: Carmen Dirigo, Bud Westmore
Cast: William Powell (Senator Melvin G. Ashton), Ella Raines (Poppy McNaughton), Peter Lind Hayes (Lew Gibson), Arleen Whelan (Valerie Shepherd), Ray Collins (Houlihan), Allen Jenkins (Farrell), Charles D. Brown (Dinty), Hans Conried (Waiter), Whit Bissell (Oakes), Milton Parsons (You Know Who), Francis Pierlot (Frank), Oliver Blake (Indian), Victor Daniels billed as Chief Thundercloud (Indian), Daniel Simmons billed as Chief Yowlachie (Indian), Espera 'Oscar' DeCorti billed as Iron Eyes Cody (Indian)

By Greg Ferrara