Men of Crisis: The Harvey Wallinger Story (1972 TV Movie) User Reviews

"Maybe if we cover the entire face with a flag..."

[Quinoa1984 · 7/10 · 20 April 2020]

1) This is a joyful collection of jokes strung together by a rough mockumentary style that Woody tried just before with Take the Money and Run and would perfect with Zelig.

2) It's ambitious in some respects, in that im not sure if this was done to this length before (even if just for television) - not to mention it's politically sharp even as Allen in his memoir tried to say he didn't get political in his work, which is nonsense, and this is primarily engineered to get laughs over making a grander point about Nixon up to that time, though I think even he could tell what a bunch of crooks Agnew and Mitchell were, but I digress - and in other ways it's like something he mightve dashed off (scriptwise) in a weekend.

Louise Lasser also has a fun role being interviewed about her time being drafted into Korea, and Diane Keaton plays a cross-eyed Republican ex-wife of Harvey's who divorced him after finding out he cheated wirh a Democrat.

3) As silly as this was, it doesn't surprise me to learn that PBS yanked it before it aired. It's pretty scathing, and under PBS I get it wouldn't fly. Shame it took till YouTube for it to really see the light of day.

4) I wonder what Harvey Wallinger would make of the Trump administration?

A gem

[namtab29 · 9 February 2003]

This is a little seen short film written, directed, and starring Woody, as the title character, Harvey Wallinger--close personal confidant of Pres Nixon. Using skillfully edited footage, Woody inserts himself amid real documentary footage of Nixon and Agnew. Some of the material is unbelievable--where ever did he get it? It also stars two of Woody's staples--Diane Keaton and Louise Lasser, and they are hilarious as well. It holds up to repeat viewings very well, and in fact one joke (involving the NY Times) is so funny that i laugh out loud every time i hear it. Woody's absolute disgust with Nixon comes through, and overall this special seems a tad more nasty than i think the Woodman is known for, which (to me) makes it even funnier. One of Woody's funniest movies, even if it is only about a half hour long. Find it on Ebay if you can!

Rare, but worth finding, early Allen political short

[runamokprods · 8/10 · 16 June 2010]

Funny 26 minute short, made for PBS in New York, parodying the Nixon administration. Very similar in its mock-documentary style to 'Take the Money and Run' with a bit of 'Zelig' hinted at as well (e.g. Woody inserting images of himself into historical situations).

Has it's share of flat jokes, and some of the satire is a bit on the nose, but there are a lot of very funny, incisive bits as well (e.g. Woody's hysterically convoluted explanation of Nixon's concept of not wanting to 'lose the peace' in Vietnam.)

Well worth seeking out for any Allen fan, Not only can this sometimes be found on youtube, ebay, iOffer and the like, but there are copies available for viewing at the Museum of Broadcasting in LA and (I believe) New York. You could also check film libraries at Universities that have strong film departments. Even one of my hipper local video stores somehow wound up with a copy.

Woody and politics? Nah.

[Horst_In_Translation · 4/10 · 24 October 2017]

"Men of Crisis: The Harvey Wallinger Story" is a 26-minute live action short film from 1941, so this one will soon be half a century old and here's hoping that Oscar winner Woody Allen (turns 82 this year) will see this day as he is the writer, director and the one who plays the title character here. At that point, he was in his mid-30s and it's far from an early career effort for him in all 3 fields, but especially if you look at when he started writing screenplays. The film is in color and it puts the fictitious character of Harvey Wallinger into the world of defining American politics. So it is a mockumentary from start to finish really and if you say after seeing this one that the title of my review is not really accurate because there is virtually no political statement in here, then you probably aren't wrong. It's just that politics really never was a genre for Allen, so it is a bit unusual to see he is the one who made this. And it is really all about the absurdities surrounding Wallinger and his rise to power. It was never Woody's attention to make a political statement. This may be the most unpolitical political film you have ever come across. But for me, it only works for the half the runtime or so because there's 1-2 funny quotes and situations before the 15-minute mark, but overall I was underwhelmed. Maybe Allen realized it too with this one that politics are maybe not his forte, so he focused more on romance and comedy (and crime) in the coming decades and delivered some great films indeed. On a side-note, his muse Diane Keaton is in here too, so her biggest fans and Woody completionists are probably the only ones who want to check this one out. Everybody else can skip it and they will not be missing much. I give it a thumbs-down.

A hilarious "documentary" by the genius Woody Allen packed with funny jokes!

[antoniatejedabarros · 10/10 · 15 August 2018]

I just discovered this short film by Woody Allen! It is hilarious. It is a "documentary" by the genius Woody Allen packed with funny jokes! This was never released due to political fear. Such a pity. It's impossible to find it on DVD, but it's possible to watch it online. The film is from 1971, right after Bananas, and the style is very similar to the one of Bananas (1971) and Take the Money and Run (1969). Another gem by Woody Allen that will make you laugh and have a good time. Thanks, Woody. You make life better! 10 / 10