The Last Angry Man (1959)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

Daniel Mann

Writers:

Gerald Green (novel)
Richard Murphy (adaptation)

Release Date:

February 1960 (Austria)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

The journalist nephew of an aging doctor decides to profile his uncle's life on TV.

Plot Keywords:

Doctor | Nephew | Brain Tumor | Persuasion | Fishing

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Paul Muni	...	Dr. Sam Abelman
David Wayne	...	Woodrow Wilson Thrasher
Betsy Palmer	...	Anna Thrasher
Luther Adler	...	Dr. Max Vogel
Joby Baker	...	Myron Malkin
Joanna Moore	...	Alice Taggart
Nancy R. Pollock	...	Sarah Abelman
Billy Dee Williams	...	Josh Quincy
Claudia McNeil	...	Mrs. Quincy
Godfrey Cambridge	...	Nobody Home
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Dan Tobin	...	Ben Loomer

Runtime:

100 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:TV-PG | Finland:K-16

Filming Locations:

NBC Building, Rockefeller Center, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

Film debuts of Billy Dee Williams and Godfrey Cambridge

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project (2007)

Paul Muni as the last of a dying breed...and his last screen role...

PAUL MUNI could always be counted on to give an interesting performance, even if sometimes over-the-top (as he was in A SONG TO REMEMBER as Chopin's mentor). But here, in his last gasp as a screen actor, he does himself proud in an Oscar-nominated performance.

He's a Brooklyn doctor, a dedicated one with his own brand of honest values and not above making house calls when the need arises (a character trait that instantly dates the film). The story of how a clever TV man (DAVID WAYNE) tries to manipulate him in order to tell his life story on TV, is told in a very straightforward way with no unusual sub-plots or other distractions so that it ends up as a no frills entertainment and a time capsule of the late '50s-era Brooklyn, as well.

Interesting to note some top featured players had bit roles here. Television's BETSY PALMER has a more substantial part, but BILLY DEE WILLIAMS, CICELY TYSON, LUTHER ADLER, GODFREY McCAMBRIDGE and CLAUDIA McNEIL all make brief appearances.

Muni's performance was up against Charlton Heston's BEN-HUR--otherwise there's a strong possibility he might have won another Best Actor Oscar.

Directed with a sense of style by Daniel Mann and adopted by Gerald Green from his novel--and yet, oddly enough, it has the feel of a teleplay adapted for the screen.