Colonel Effingham’s Raid

2760. COLONEL EFFINGHAM’S RAID (1945-USA). With CHARLES COBURN, JOAN BENNETT, WILLIAM EYTHE, ALLYN JOSLYN, ELIZABETH PATTERSON, DONALD MEEK, FRANK CRAVEN, CORA WITHERSPOON. Charles Coburn was expert at playing superficially stuffy corporate types and world’s richest men who beneath their bluster have hearts of gold. He is never better as W. Seaborn Effingham, a just-retired United States Army colonel who returns to his roots in an otherwise average town in Georgia. The colonel is bothered by what he perceives as a lack of awareness among the local citizenry of the town’s past. “A community’s history is its family tree,” he declares, as he offers his services to the local newspaper as a columnist. Colonel Effingham becomes especially outraged when it is announced that the hypocrites at city hall have decided to rename a town square after a crooked politician, and he expresses his feelings in his column. Next, the fat cats in the community conspire to rebuild the local courthouse, a project that will allow them to profit financially. Even though he is no longer on active duty, Colonel Effingham quickfy finds that his battles are not yet over as he takes on the pompous politicians and their cronies. What follows is an altogether entertaining and keenly perceptive comedy that offers food for thought regarding civic pride and responsibility. 71 minutes Comedy