A Face In The Crowd - Original Trailer 1957

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foxter65
January 22, 2009

The meteoric popularity of Arthur Godfrey was allegedly the basis of the 1957 drama Face in the Crowd. Andy Griffith makes a spectacular film debut as Lonesome Rhodes, a philosophical country-western singer discovered in a tanktown jail by television talent coordinator Patricia Neal and her assistant Walter Matthau. They decide that Rhodes is worthy of a TV guest spot, the result being that the gangly, aw-shucks entertainer becomes an overnight sensation. As he ascends to stardom, Rhodes attracts fans, sponsors and endorsements by the carload, and soon he is the most powerful and influential entertainer on the airwaves. Beloved by his audience, Rhodes reveals himself to his intimates as a scheming, power-hungry manipulator, with Machiavellian political aspirations. He uses everyone around him, coldly discarding anyone who might impede his climb to the top (one such victim is sexy baton-twirler Lee Remick, likewise making her film debut). Just when it seems that there's no stopping Rhodes' megalomania, his mentor and ex-lover Neal exposes this Idol of Millions as the rat that he is. She arranges to switch on the audio during the closing credits of Rhodes' TV program, allowing the whole nation to hear the grinning, waving Rhodes characterize them as "suckers" and "stupid idiots." Instantly, Rhodes' popularity rating plummets to zero. As he drunkenly wanders around his penthouse apartment, still not fully comprehending what has happened to him, Rhodes is deserted by the very associates who, hours earlier, were willing to ask "how high?" when he yelled "jump". Written by Budd Schulberg, Face in the Crowd was not a success, possibly because it hit so close to home with idol-worshipping TV fans. Its reputation has grown in the intervening years, not only because of its value as a film but because of the novelty of seeing the traditionally easygoing Andy Griffith as so vicious and manipulative a character as Lonesome Rhodes.

Andy Griffith - Lonesome Rhodes
Patricia Neal - Marcia Jeffries
Anthony Franciosa - Joey Kiely
Walter Matthau - Mel Miller
Lee Remick - Betty Lou Fleckum
Kay Medford - First Mrs. Rhodes
Rod Brasfield - Beanie
Charles Irving - Mr. Luffler
Howard I. Smith - J.B. Jeffries
Paul McGrath - Macey
Alexander Kirkland - Jim Collier
Big Jeff Bess - Sheriff Hosmer
Henry Sharp - Abe Steiner
Suzanne Ballard
John Bliss
Kim Chan - Radio Announcer
Faye Emerson - Herself
Betty Furness - Herself
Virginia Graham - Herself
Burl Ives - Himself
Bunny McCallum
Marshall Neilan - Senator Fuller
Lois Nettleton
Amanda Robinson
John Cameron Swayze - Himself
Rip Torn
Mike Wallace - Himself
Percy Waram - Col. Hollister
Walter Winchell - Himself
Sandra Wirth - baton twirler

Category: Film & Animation

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A Face In The Crowd Original Trailer 1957

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fubarcat50 (3 weeks ago) Show Hide

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eliah kazan was great, and this is one of his best movies

bigbentheclock (4 weeks ago) Show Hide

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Amazing how relevant this is today.

Jaybird1103 (2 months ago) Show Hide

-6

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Toc0011 (1 month ago) Show Hide

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That's ironic.

mediavore9 (1 month ago) Show Hide

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Well, that just speaks for itself. Sigh.

amesburyroad (2 months ago) Show Hide

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It is Beck! Keith is brilliant.

jdmdrift (1 month ago) Show Hide

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@amesburyroad haha, its uncanny!

puck30 (2 months ago) Show Hide

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1957 was a packed field, there's a lot of movies and actors that didn't get nominated. If they would have waited a year, they might have ran the table. But you are right, not even a nomination for the anything with the movie. That's criminal.

BettinaBalser (2 months ago) Show Hide

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I could watch this movie over and over and over and over. I never tire of it. It's absolutely mesmerizing.

puck30 (2 months ago) Show Hide

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LOL!

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A Face In The Crowd - Original Trailer 1957

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