The Comedy Man (1964)

Director:

Alvin Rakoff

Writers:

Douglas Hayes (novel), Peter Yeldham

Stars:

Kenneth More, Cecil Parker, Dennis Price

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kenneth More	...	Chick Byrd
Cecil Parker	...	Thomas Rutherford
Dennis Price	...	Tommy Morris
Billie Whitelaw	...	Judy
Norman Rossington	...	Theodore Littleton
Angela Douglas	...	Fay Trubshaw
Edmund Purdom	...	Julian Baxter
Frank Finlay	...	Prout
Alan Dobie	...	Jack Lavery
J.G. Devlin	...	Gus Sloppitt
Valerie Croft	...	Yvonne (as The Croft Twins)
Leila Croft	...	Pauline (as The Croft Twins)
Gerald Campion	...	Gerry
Jacqueline Hill	...	Sandy Lavery
Harold Goodwin	...	Second Assistant Director

Storyline

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Plot Keywords:

based on novel | independent film

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Taglines:

Some men stay 25 all their lives

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 September 1965 (East Germany)

Also Known As:

Die Karriere des Chick B.

Filming Locations:

Buckstone Club, Haymarket, St. James's, London, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Consant Films, Gray-Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Did You Know?

Goofs

During the party when Chick sees Tommy chatting up Fay, he is not smoking, but in a wide shot, he's taking a cigarette from his mouth. He's also holding a glass of wine which disappears in his close-up.

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Soundtracks

"Honey Breath Commercial"
(uncredited)
Music by Bill McGuffie
Lyrics by Brian Fahey

User Reviews

Fascinating show-biz drama

"The Comedy Man" is a drama (with some comedy) about a struggling actor named Chick Byrd in swinging London. This is one of the most accurate depictions of the grotty underside of showbiz. The film is very realistic, sometimes depressingly so. Byrd dreams of stardom, but he lives in a cheap bedsit and collects dole cheques. He can't get a "real" job because he's always making the rounds of casting calls. Byrd is played by Kenneth More, a dramatic actor with comedy experience, who gives an excellent performance here. Billie Whitelaw is excellent too. I won't divulge the movie's ending, except to say that it's unexpected yet very plausible. Watch for a very large man in a very small role: the gigantic union steward wearing a Red Indian war bonnet is played by Freddie Mills. He was Britain's heavyweight champion who tried to parlay his boxing fame into an acting career, but his large size typecast him in Richard Kiel-type roles. I recommend this film.