The Best Man (1964)

Director:

Franklin J. Schaffner

Writers:

Gore Vidal (play)
Gore Vidal (screenplay)

Release Date:

5 April 1964 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

Does The Best Man Always Get To The White House?

Plot:

The other party is in disarray. Five men vie for the party nomination for president. No one has a majority...

Plot Keywords:

Ethics | Politics | U.S. President | Homosexuality | Petticoat

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win & 3 nominations

Cast

Henry Fonda	...	William Russell
Cliff Robertson	...	Joe Cantwell
Edie Adams	...	Mabel Cantwell
Margaret Leighton	...	Alice Russell
Shelley Berman	...	Sheldon Bascomb
Lee Tracy	...	President Art Hockstader
Ann Sothern	...	Sue Ellen Gamadge
Gene Raymond	...	Don Cantwell
Kevin McCarthy	...	Dick Jensen
Mahalia Jackson	...	Herself
Howard K. Smith	...	Himself
John Henry Faulk	...	Gov. T.T. Claypoole
Richard Arlen	...	Sen. Oscar Anderson
Penny Singleton	...	Mrs. Claypoole (scenes deleted)
George Kirgo	...	Speechwriter

Also Known As:

Gore Vidal's The Best Man (USA) (complete title)

Runtime:

102 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Certification:

Canada:PG (Ontario) | USA:Approved | Australia:PG | Finland:S | West Germany:16 (f)

Filming Locations:

Ambassador Hotel - 3400 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Millar/Turman Productions

Trivia:

Adapted from a stage production that opened on Mar. 31, 1960 at the Morosco Theatre in New York and ran for 520 performances. Lee Tracy repeated the role that he created on Broadway and was nominated for the 1960 Tony Award for Best Actor for his performance. Melvyn Douglas originally played William Russell in the play, the Henry Fonda role in the film. The play also won the 1960 Tony Award for Best Play, written by Gore Vidal who also penned the screenplay for the movie version.

Goofs:

Continuity: Several times, stock footage of actual political rally doesn't match scenes shot especially for movie. In several shots, no one is sitting in upper seats of auditorium that are nonetheless packed in newsreel footage of same alleged event.

Quotes:

Joe Cantwell: I don't understand you.
William Russell: I know you don't. Because you have no sense of responsibility towards anyone or anything. And that is a tragedy in a man, and a disaster in a president.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "What's My Line?: (1964-04-12)" (1964)

An Excellent Morality Play

Gore Vidal's "The Best Man" is one of my favorite films. Though written at a time when political conventions still mattered, the subject matter is still very appropriate. Basic moral questions are asked and soul searching by the thoughtful viewer takes place. How far would you go to win? Would you knowingly slander a political opponent with false information to gain the upper hand? How much of a candidates past is relevant today?

The cast is brilliant. Henry Fonda, Cliff Robertson, Lee Tracy, Ann Sothern, all are wonderful. Mahalia Jackson makes a cameo singing her heart out at a pre-convention gathering. One of the candidates is rumored to have had psychological problems. Womanizing is another issue. There are homosexual rumors flying around concerning another candidate. Another candidate is a racist.

What is really interesting is Vidal's take on the supposed "two party system". In this movie, there is only one party, as the candidate to be nominated is according to the former President "almost certain to become our next President". This is prophetic on Vidal's part, as the two major party's today have drifted so similarly close to each other on many issues, it is sometimes difficult to distinguish them.

To correct the other reviewer of this film, Cliff Robertson does not play a bachelor candidate. Edie Adams does a great job playing his attractive wife.

"The Best Man" is great film, nearly as relevant today, as it was over 40 years ago. Now, if it was only available on DVD.