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A Face in the Crowd (1957)

Not Rated | | Drama, Music | 1 June 1957 (USA)
An Arkansas drifter becomes an overnight media sensation. As he becomes drunk with fame and power, will he ever be exposed as the fraud he has become?

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Writers:

(story), (screenplay)
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1 win & 1 nomination. See more awards »
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Cast

Complete credited cast:
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Gen. Haynesworth
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Macey
Rod Brasfield ...
Beanie
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Sen. Worthington Fuller
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Jim Collier
Charles Irving ...
Mr. Luffler
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J.B. Jeffries
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Big Jeff Bess ...
Sheriff Big Jeff Bess
Henry Sharp ...
Abe Steiner
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Storyline

"A Face in the Crowd" charts the rise of a raucous hayseed named Lonesome Rhodes from itinerant Ozark guitar picker to local media rabble-rouser to TV superstar and political king-maker. Marcia Jeffries is the innocent Sarah Lawrence girl who discovers the great man in a back-country jail and is the first to fall under his spell. Written by alfiehitchie

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

POWER! He loved it! He took it raw in big gulpfuls...he liked the taste, the way it mixed with the bourbon and the sin in his blood! See more »

Genres:

Drama | Music

Certificate:

Not Rated | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Official Sites:

Country:

Language:

Release Date:

1 June 1957 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

Budd Schulberg's A Face in the Crowd  »

Company Credits

Production Co:

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Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

(RCA Sound System)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
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Did You Know?

Trivia

MSNBC host Keith Olbermann refered to FOX News commentator Glenn Beck as "Lonesome Rhodes" Beck, after Andy Griffith's character in this film. See more »

Goofs

In the protest scene outside of the mattress store, protesters set fire in a trash barrel that has the letters D.S.N.Y., presumably for "Department of Sanitation of New York". However, this scene is set in Memphis. See more »

Quotes

Mel Miller: [of writers] Here you see the lepers of the great television industry. Men without faces. Why, they even slide our paychecks under the door so they can pretend we're not here.
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Soundtracks

Mama Guitar
(1957) (uncredited)
Music by Tom Glazer
Lyrics by Budd Schulberg and Tom Glazer
Sung by Andy Griffith
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User Reviews

 
"A guitar beats a woman every time!"
20 January 2005 | by See all my reviews

This film shows what a fine actor Andy Griffith truly is, and what roles he could have mastered had he not chosen the Mayberry path instead.

Directed by Elia Kazan, the political drama and satire of commercialism "A Face in the Crowd" is the story of Lonesome Rhodes (Griffith), a charismatic guitar-playing drifter who is discovered by radio executive Marcia Jeffries (the husky-voiced Patricia Neal) while in jail on a public drunk charge. He catapults to radio and TV stardom under the guise of being an aw-shucks homeboy who loves his fans. In fact, Lonesome Rhodes is a slimy, greedy, egotistical, manipulative womanizer with underhanded political aspirations and nothing but contempt for his gullible audience. The film was far ahead of its time in its theme and telling, and Andy Griffith gives a blazing performance that rivals Burt Lancaster's in "Elmer Gantry" (for which Lancaster won an Oscar). That this film wasn't even nominated for any awards is very surprising.

I also am saddened that it's never been released on DVD; it's one of the best of its kind I have ever seen, and was certainly Griffith's plum role and best performance. With a stellar supporting cast, including Patricia Neal, Walter Matthau, Tony Franciosa and a beautiful Lee Remick in her first film role, "A Face in the Crowd" is a must-see film, and should eradicate any opinion you may have that Griffith was only capable of his wholesome TV roles of Sheriff Taylor and Ben Matlock.


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