By Daily Press staff
It’s all about the kings and men this weekend at the local library.
Book lovers and movie fans alike are invited to join the Santa Monica Public Library in reading and watching its inaugural Book-To-Movie Discussion Group selection, “All the King’s Men.” The library will be screening the 1949 movie adaptation of the film on Saturday, Sept. 16 at 2:30 p.m. in the library’s Martin Luther King Jr. auditorium. A discussion of the book and the film, led by Professor Larry George, will follow on Monday, Sept. 18 at 7 p.m. in the library’s multipurpose room. Both the film screening and the subsequent discussion are open to the all, and guests are welcome to attend either program separately, or both.
Initially released in 1946, “All the King’s Men,” written by Robert Penn Warren, traces the rise and fall of Willie Stark, a politician in the 1930s who resembles the real life Huey Long of Louisiana. Stark begins his political career as an idealistic man of the people but soon becomes corrupted by success. Generally considered the finest novel ever written about American politics, “All the King’s Men” went on to win the Pulitzer Prize for fiction.
In 1949, Columbia Pictures released its film adaptation of Warren’s novel, and the film was equally successful. Written and directed by Robert Rossen, the Best Picture Oscar winning film starred Broderick Crawford and Mercedes McCambridge, who also won Oscars for their roles.
Professor Larry George currently teaches political science at California State University, Long Beach, and is the director of the school’s International Studies Program.
For more information about the event, contact Santa Monica Public Library at (310) 458- 8600; or visit the library’s Web site at www.smpl.org. Entertainment industry insiders at SMC
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on September 15, 2006. Read the original PDF.