The Boss

Director: Byron Haskin Byron Haskin

Overview

John Payne always felt that he delivered his best screen performance in The Boss. Set in the years following WW1, the story concerns a small-town veteran named Matt Brady (John Payne), whose brother, machine politician Tim Brady (Roy Roberts), arranges for Matt to get a cushy government job. When Tim dies, Matt takes over his operation, eventually assuming control of the entire state (which judiciously remains unnamed in the film). Though a successful power broker, Matt is unable to win the woman he loves (Doe Avedon), so he settles for another (Gloria McGhee) whom he treats atrociously. A falling out with his best friend/severest critic Bob Herrick (William Bishop) sets the stage for the ruthless Brady's inevitable downfall. Though all the names were changed to protect the guilty, audiences in 1956 were quick to perceive that the film was a thinly disguised attack on the Pendergast machine of Kansas City, Missouri. Coproduced and cowritten by John Payne, The Boss falters only in its overreliance upon anachronistic newsreel footage.

Product Details

Release Date:	07/06/2011
UPC:	0883904240235
Original Release:	1956
Source:	MGM
Language:	English
Sales rank:	57,304

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

John Payne	Actor
William Bishop	Actor
Doe Avedon	Actor
Roy Roberts	Tim Brady
Rhys Williams	Stanley Millard
Robin Morse	Johnny Mazia
Gil Lamb	Henry
Joe Flynn	Ernie Jackson
Bob Morgan	Hamhead
Alex Frazer	Roy Millard
John Mansfield	Lazetti
George Lynn	Tom Masterson
Gloria McGehee	Actor
Harry Cheshire	Governor Beck
Harry V. Cheshire	Governor Beck
Bill Phipps	Stitch
Albert Glasser	Composer

Technical Credits

Dalton Trumbo

Byron Haskin	Director
Frank N. Seltzer	Producer
Dalton Trumbo	Screenwriter

Editorial Reviews

The Boss tries so hard to be a great All the King's Men kind of political cautionary tale that one wants to give it more credit than it actually deserves. This is especially so since the film showcases a truly memorable performance from John Payne, a stalwart actor whose work was often uneven. At his best, as in here, Payne registers very strongly, showing a range that is only hinted at in many of his other films. He seems galvanized by the part and grabs the many "big scene" opportunities and plays them for all they're worth, yet without crossing over into mere showboating. Payne is so good, in fact, that he almost makes the audience forget that we don't really know anything about the character he's playing. We're presented with a headstrong, insensitive, power-hungry, driven man, but not given enough details on how he got to be that way. A few words here and there are supposed to suffice when we want depth. Granted, writer Ben Perry (actually, the blacklisted Dalton Trumbo) and director Byron Haskin don't want to damage the film's forward thrust, but they needed to find a middle ground that would work. As it is, despite Payne and the fine work of William Bishop and Gloria McGhee, The Boss feels rushed and incomplete. It has power, but not substance -- ironically, much like the title character himself.

All Movie Guide - Craig Butler