The Great Man Votes 1939

Gregory Vance [John Barrymore] is a former Harvard professor who has fallen on hard times and now drifts as an outcast alcoholic in a small city. He still clings to his duties as a father, guiding his children with a love of learning, teaching them Latin and Shakespeare, and shaping their days around literature and conversation. Joan [Virginia Weidler] and Donald [Peter Holden] grow up in a home where intellect and affection compete with the stain of his reputation, and they do their best to shield him from judgment while also pushing him toward a better path.

Their tutor, the perceptive Miss Billow [Katharine Alexander], visits the family with a mix of warmth and professional resolve. Through these shared moments, she sees the talent and dignity that once defined Vance, and he gradually opens up about the blow that shattered his status—the death of his wife, the children’s mother. This candid exchange rekindles a fragile thread of respect between the once-celebrated educator and the woman who teaches their community’s youth, offering a glimmer of hope in a life otherwise haunted by shame.

In the background looms the city’s political landscape, where the iron-willed Iron Hat McCarthy [Donald MacBride] wields power as the local boss, and the current mayor sits poised on the edge of victory. A fierce altercation erupts after bullies, led by the boss’s son, challenge the family, drawing attention to Vance and the fragile line between respectability and public scandal. The Mayor thrives on a locked-in political system, and every vote seems predetermined—except for a crucial ward where Vance’s presence could tilt the scale.

Meanwhile, the threat of losing custody of the children because of their wealthy in-laws adds urgency to every choice Vance makes. The family’s immediate concern intertwines with the broader question of political corruption and influence, as Miss Billow’s faith in him deepens and the children’s affection for their father motivates him to reclaim his dignity.

The turning point comes when Iron Hat stages a tempting offer—an ostensibly modest city job meant to win Vance’s support. Yet the children push back against easy compromises, and the real stakes rise when Vance is drawn into a plan that hinges on a formal, written job offer. By insisting on written terms, he gains leverage to reveal the corrupt practices at the heart of the mayor’s administration and Iron Hat’s control of the city’s machinery. The proof of graft surfaces, and with it, the public eye shifts toward a new, cleaner future.

Ultimately, Vance’s decision to demand accountability leads to a powerful reassessment of his life. Reinvigorated by the possibility of civic integrity and a renewed relationship with Miss Billow, he begins to shed the stigma that has haunted him. The film closes on a note of cautious optimism: a man once written off as a fallen scholar now steps toward a legitimate, hopeful chapter, guided by a community that believes in his capacity to reform and contribute once more.