In the post-mortem following World War II, the possibility of fascist totalitarianism was concerning. How had it happened? The jitters about the vox populi are due to concerns about the gullibility of the mob, but overlooked is the fact that neither Hitler nor Mussolini were popularly elected. They were appointed to high office by, respectively, President Paul von Hindenburg and King Victor Emmanuel III, with the acquiescence of an arista. Sinclair Lewis sounded the alarm with his 1935 novel, "It Can't Happen Here," followed by a stage version in 1936. MGM bought the rights to the novel, adapted by Sidney Howard, but the project was scuttled, following objections from the German and Italian markets, conveyed to Louis B. Mayer by Will Hays and Joseph Breen. After the war, the alarm could be safely raised in Robert Penn Warren's 1946 novel, adapted by writer-director Robert Rossen, soon to be called on the carpet by HUAC in 1951. It's an involving film, modeled on the career of the late Huey Long, with perfect casting and performances. The original four hour movie was cut finally by Robert Parrish, but the football subplot still seems unnecessary. However, the alarm has been sounded loudly about the "great unwashed," referred to here as "hicks."
Review of All the King's Men
