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The Best Man
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The Best Man (1964) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
7.9/10   1,080 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 17% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Writers:
Gore Vidal (play)
Gore Vidal (screenplay)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Best Man on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
5 April 1964 (USA) more
Genre:
Comedy | Drama more
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... more | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win & 3 nominations more
NewsDesk:
On DVD: "Please Vote for Me," "Primo Levi's Journey"
 (From IFC. 26 August 2008, 6:40 AM, PDT)

User Comments:
Time Capsule more

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

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
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
Gore Vidal's The Best Man (USA) (complete title)
more
Runtime:
102 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Aspect Ratio:
1.66 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Ronald Reagan was rejected for a role in this film because a studio executive didn't think he had "that presidential look." more
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. more
Quotes:
William Russell: [to reporters] And I am happy, of course, the best man won. more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in It's My Party (1996) more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
15 out of 27 people found the following comment useful:-
Time Capsule, 1 July 2002
6/10
Author: telegonus from brighton, ma

The movie version of Gore Vidal's play The Best Man is an excellent time capsule of its period, the sixties, when political conventions still mattered, getting one's picture on the cover of Time magazine was the best thing that could happen to a national politician's career, and when hints of mental illness and sexual peccadilloes were still whispered about rather than discussed openly. Franklin Schaffner directs energetically, and the film has an air of urgency to it that make it seem like it's saying something of great importance. It does have something to say, and while I wouldn't call it trivial the movie and its writing is nowhere near as good as it's been cracked up to be. A good deal of one's appreciation of this film will depend on one's opinion of Gore Vidal's literary status. If one rates him as great, the movie a splendid interpretation of his work and his ideas. But if one doesn't, and I don't, then it's a different kettle of fish. First to the movie.

The story revolves around a power struggle that is going on behind the scenes at a national political party's convention (it isn't made clear what the party is, but one can safely assume it's the Democrats). Leading candidate for the presidential nomination William Russell is a former secretary of state, intellectual, writer of books, deep thinker, and liberal conscience. To anyone familiar with the period the character is obviously based on Adlai Stevenson. His chief opponent for the nomination, Joe Cantwell, is a somewhat younger man, a ruthless opportunistic conservative more or less in the Nixon mould. What Nixon or someone like Nixon is doing seeking the Democratic nomination is never made clear, but no matter. That bachelor Cantwell has a skeleton or two in his closet is indicated by rumors of his homosexuality. But Russell has his problems, too, womanizing, an apparent nervous breakdown, and worst of all for a politician, indecisiveness. Both men seek the support of ailing former President Art Hockstader, a pragmatic diamond in the rough politician of the old school, and clearly based on Harry Truman, who, though he leans toward and agrees with liberal Russell, has his doubts about him personally. He'd like to stop Cantwell from getting his party's nomination and isn't sure that Russell is the man to do it. A former officer in Cantwell's unit from the war is willing to squeal on him regarding the homosexual issue. Russell hears the man out, and takes an instant dislike to him. He wants to stop Cantwell, but not that badly. There is a confrontation between Russell and Cantwell. Russell equivocates. Ex-president Hockstader is disgusted with him for not using the "dirt" on Cantwell, and chaos ensues at the convention.

This is a perfectly respectable play and movie, and I have no problem with it except that its insight into people is skin-deep. The actors are not to be blamed. Henry Fonda is appropriately dignified as Russell, Lee Tracy, in his last screen role, is salty as Hockstader, and Cliff Robertson is correctly one-dimensional as the venal Cantwell. The outstanding supporting cast, which includes Ann Sothern, Kevin McCarthy and Gene Raymond, is flawless. What Vidal has to say, which is that politics is an often ugly business, has been said before. He has nothing new to add but the sexual angle, which is mildly interesting. There's little imagination in The Best Man. It's never inspired. The dialogue is adequate, yet never brilliant; and the characters credible without being dynamic. During the course of the film I felt like I was watching a reasonably well-thought out essay. It was never boring, and often skillfully done, and yet I was never drawn into it emotionally, or cared for the people it was about. There's something lacking in Vidal here and in all his work. Maybe it's a contempt for humanity, or maybe just a lack of caring. I find it hard to take anyone seriously who opines as often as Vidal does on a variety of issues, who cares so little for the people those issues ultimately concern.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The Best Man (1964)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Robertson (Cantwell) is Nixon? joeparkson
William Russell - Liberal Wimp marathoner1
William Russel and Robert Leffingwell? ghayes-2
what party do you think they were in? teejay6682
Rarely Seen - BUT - it's coming up September 3rd ! FilmNoirOnline
great opening theme old_tv_guy
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