IMDb > The Entertainer (1960)
The Entertainer
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The Entertainer (1960) More at IMDbPro »


Overview

User Rating:
7.2/10   987 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 19% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers:
John Osborne (screenplay) and
Nigel Kneale (screenplay) ...
more
Contact:
View company contact information for The Entertainer on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
2 December 1960 (Denmark) more
Genre:
Tagline:
As the applause grew fainter ... As the spotlight grew dimmer ... His women were younger!
Plot:
Archie Rice, an old-time British vaudeville performer sinking into final defeat, schemes to stay in show business. full summary | add synopsis
Awards:
Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win & 3 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(2 articles)
Veteran Actor Alan Bates Dead at 69
 (From Studio Briefing - Film News. 29 December 2003)

Actor Alan Bates Dies at 69
 (From IMDb News. 28 December 2003)

User Comments:
The entertainer is a great movie, but not easy to watch. more (22 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Laurence Olivier ... Archie Rice
Brenda De Banzie ... Phoebe Rice
Roger Livesey ... Billy Rice
Joan Plowright ... Jean Rice

Alan Bates ... Frank Rice
Daniel Massey ... Graham

Albert Finney ... Mick Rice
Shirley Anne Field ... Tina Lapford
Thora Hird ... Mrs. Ada Lapford
Miriam Karlin ... Soubrette
Geoffrey Toone ... Harold Hubbard
MacDonald Hobley ... Himself - the TV star (as McDonald Hobley)
Anthony Oliver ... Interviewer
Max Bacon ... Charlie Klein
George Doonan ... Eddie Trimmer
more
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Runtime:
96 min | USA:105 min (TCM print)
Country:
Language:
Aspect Ratio:
1.66 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Westrex Recording System)
Certification:
Australia:G (TV rating) | UK:PG | UK:X (original rating) | Finland:S | Sweden:15 | Australia:PG

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Laurence Olivier was nominated for the 1958 Tony Award (New York City) for Actor in a Drama for "The Entertainer" as Archie Rice and recreated the role in this production. more
Quotes:
Billy Rice: You were a pretty little thing. Not that looks are important - not even for a woman. You don't look at the mantelpiece when you poke the fire. more
Movie Connections:
Soundtrack:
Put Me Amongst the Girls more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
12 out of 15 people found the following comment useful.
The entertainer is a great movie, but not easy to watch., 17 April 2006
9/10
Author: denscul from virginia

The underlying theme of this movie is the end of the British empire, played out in allegory with the end of a not very talented "entertainer". The poet John Mansfield a few decades before this movie was made gave Britons an inkling of what was coming. Two wars and a softness grown out of a century of milking its colonies finally had to come to end. This film is not what the average movie viewer wants, much less understands when the creators of this project reveal to the audience what lies ahead. When Archie is yanked off the stage, it is the symbolic end of Great Britan as a great power. The Suez war and Archies's son as a relic of Britan's once dominant power are a backdrop to political and military events when this film was in production. The Suez war was not backed by the US. The British learned that the day was over when it could exert influence let alone dominant military actions without US backing. Catch the line in the beginning of the film when Archie's daughter is being asked to leave" a dying country". That line establishes the events to follow, for Archie and England.

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