"Playhouse 90" The Comedian (1957)

Director:

John Frankenheimer

Writers:

Ernest Lehman (novelette)
Rod Serling (written by)

TV Series:

"Playhouse 90" (1956)

Original Air Date:

14 February 1957 (Season 1, Episode 20)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime | Drama | Mystery | Romance | War | Western

Plot:

Sammy Hogarth, a vaudeville comedian who now has his own TV show, is a ruthless egomaniac who demands...

Plot Keywords:

Actor | Television | Based On Novel | Anthology | Husband Wife Relationship

Cast

Richard Joy	...	Himself - Announcer (as Dick Joy)
Mickey Rooney	...	Sammy Hogarth
Kim Hunter	...	Julie Hogarth
Edmond O'Brien	...	Al Preston
Mel Tormé	...	Lester Hogarth
Constance Ford	...	Connie
Whit Bissell	...	Elwell
King Donovan	...	The Director
Eddie Ryder	...	Jake
H.M. Wynant	...	Sonny
Michael Ross	...	Masseur (as Mike Ross)

Directed by
John Frankenheimer

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Ernest Lehman		novelette
Rod Serling		written by

Art Direction by
Walter Scott Herndon

Set Decoration by
Buck Henshaw

Camera and Electrical Department
Tom Schamp	....	lighting director (as Tom D. Schamp)

Music Department
Sammy Cahn	....	composer: theme
Alex North	....	composer: theme
Fred Steiner	....	music supervisor

Other crew
Brooks Graham	....	technical director
Peter Kortner	....	story editor
Del Reisman	....	associate story editor
Russell Stoneham	....	assistant to producer

Directed by
Tony Barr		(as Anthony Barr)
Karl Genus
John Frankenheimer		(episode "If You Know Elizabeth") (episode "Thundering Flame, The") (episode "Town That Turned to Dust, The")
Ralph Nelson		(episode "Requiem for a Heavyweight" 1956)

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Robert Alan Aurthur		(episode "A Sound of Different Drumers") (episode "Thundering Flame, The")
Gwen Bagni
Mel Barr		written by (episode "Blackwell Story The")
George Bellak		(episode "Sound of Eden, The")
Fred Clasel		story (episode "Thundering Flame, The")
Lloyd C. Douglas		story (episode "Blackwell Story The")
Bo Goldman
Jack Jacobs		(episode "Ain't No Time Glory")
Robert E. McEnroe		(episode "Silver Whistle, The (December 24, 1959)")
Elick Moll		written by (episode "Thundering Flame, The")
Paul Monash		script (episode "Helen Morgan Story The")
Lulu Morgan		story (episode "Helen Morgan Story The")
Tad Mosel		(episode "If You Know Elizabeth")
Don Murray		story (episode "Thundering Flame, The")
Leonard Spigelgass		script (episode "Helen Morgan Story The")
Malvin Wald		(episode "Ain't No Time Glory")

Produced by
Mildred Freed Alberg	....	producer
Tony Barr	....	associate producer (as Anthony Barr)
Joe Scully	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Robert Allen
John Williams

Cinematography by
Albert Kurland

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Lindsley Parsons Jr.	....	second assistant director

Special Effects by
Jim Fox	....	special effects technician

Music Department
Igo Kantor	....	music editor

Production Companies

• Playhouse 90
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS)

Distributors

• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1957) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• Criterion Collection, The (????) (USA) (DVD)

Runtime:

90 min | USA:90 min (with commercials)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono | Mono

Filming Locations:

CBS Television City - 7800 Beverly Blvd., Fairfax, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Playhouse 90

Trivia:

Gossip columnist Elwell (Whit Bissell) is also a character in Sweet Smell of Success (1957). Both productions are from material by Ernest Lehman.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in A Decade Under the Influence (2003)

Hard-hitting drama with brilliant performances

A searing behind-the-scenes look at a larger than life television personality, which still packs a punch today in spite of its many imitators. Written by "The Twilight Zone"'s Rod Serling as a "Playhouse 90" televised drama, it contains an explosive performance by Mickey Rooney that stands unparalleled in his body of work, prior to or since.

Rooney plays Sammy Hogarth, an egomaniacal comedian who demands perfection from everyone around him. His main target is his weak brother, Lester (singer Mel Torme), whose job description basically consists of taking Sammy's round-the-clock abuse, doing his dirty work, and pretending to worship the ground he walks on. Another outlet for Sammy's wrath is his head writer (Edmond O'Brien), who has lost his edge and who, in his desperation to please Sammy, has stolen material from a dead comic. Lester's wife (Kim Hunter) is fed up with her husband's role as Sammy's whipping post, and threatens to leave him if he doesn't rectify the situation. His opportunity to do so comes when he catches wind of the plagiarism, and he threatens to expose Sammy to an acidic columnist unless he cuts a monologue which savagely ridicules Lester.

All of the events in the story lead up to a 90-minute telecast which Sammy believes will be the highlight of his career, and must therefore be flawless. That means no last-minute cuts the day before the show, especially the monologue. O'Brien is forced to be the go-between amongst Sammy, Lester, and the columnist, navigating his way with carefully chosen words and ego-stroking. The film is told largely from O'Brien's point of view, and the audience can honestly feel for him as he digs himself into an ever-deeper hole. However, Serling's screenplay is too smart to portray Sammy as a one-dimensional hothead. Actually, he's not at all predictable. In a lesser film, upon discovering the theft of material he would simply explode, screaming his lungs out at everyone in sight. Watch the finesse with which he handles the situation here, and you will witness a marriage of great writing and direction (by John Frankenheimer).

That's not to say that Sammy isn't a hothead. As played by Rooney, in a grand, scenery-chewing performance, he is a man so determined to win the undying love of all his fans that he will go to any extreme in achieving that end. Torme demonstrates great acting potential in the role of the spineless brother. His final on-camera breakdown is amazing. O'Brien has perhaps the film's most difficult role, walking a very narrow tightrope and pulling it off marvelously. The most amazing part of the production is the fact that it was filmed live, with no second chances. The actors were obviously comfortable with their assignments, as they were able to move past plain remembrance of lines and create expressions, gestures, etc. "The Comedian" stands as a testament to the capability of television to tell stories in an equally compelling manner as theatrical films.