The Oscar (1966)

Snotty Hollywood actor becomes even more full of himself after he's nominated for Best actor at the Academy Awards.

Director:

Russell Rouse

Writers:

Richard Sale (novel), Harlan Ellison (screenplay),

Stars:

Stephen Boyd, Elke Sommer, Milton Berle

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Stephen Boyd	...	Frank Fane
Elke Sommer	...	Kay Bergdahl
Milton Berle	...	Kappy Kapstetter
Eleanor Parker	...	Sophie Cantaro
Joseph Cotten	...	Kenneth Regan
Jill St. John	...	Laurel Scott
Tony Bennett	...	Hymie Kelly
Edie Adams	...	Trina Yale
Ernest Borgnine	...	Barney Yale
Ed Begley	...	Grobard
Walter Brennan	...	Orrin C. Quentin
Broderick Crawford	...	Sheriff
James Dunn	...	Network Executive
Edith Head	...	Edith Head
Hedda Hopper	...	Hedda Hopper

Storyline

Frankie Fane has clawed his way to the top of the Hollywood heap. Now, as he's preparing to win his Oscar, his friend Hymie Kelly reminisces over their life together, and Frankie's ruthless struggle to the top and the people he's stepped on (i.e., everyone else in the movie) to make it there.

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Plot Keywords:

award | actor | academy award | ambition | rolls royce | 

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Taglines:

This is the story of...The Dreamers and The Schemers...The Hustlers and The Hopefuls...The Free-loaders and The Phonies...The Fakers and The Famous...All Fighting for the Highest Possible Award!!

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 July 1966 (UK)

Also Known As:

...denn keiner ist ohne Schuld

Filming Locations:

Paramount Studios - 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Greene-Rouse Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

119 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Pathécolor)

Did You Know?

Trivia

Edith Head:  an Oscar nominee for her costume designs for this film, appears in a scene set at a Hollywood party, when Kay calls Frank to congratulate him on his Oscar nomination, and one other scene.

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Goofs

In the scene in the yacht Frankie says he pushed a rack on 28th street. The garment center in New York City is between 34th & 40th streets.

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Quotes

Frankie Fane: Wha... Why do I... Why do I always try to destroy the people I love?

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Connections

References The Bad and the Beautiful (1952)

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Soundtracks

"Carmen Carmela"
(Traditional)

User Reviews

THE MOVIE THAT SPACE ALIENS WOULD HAVE MADE AFTER TOO MANY YEARS OF INTERCEPTING OUR TV SIGNALS!

There is no other way to concieve of this film getting made other than being the by-product of extraterrestrials intercepting tv signals of DYNASTY, MELROSE PLACE and the like and recreating them as a realistic depiction of the way Earthlings behave. This gets my vote as the most unintentionally fall-on-your-ass hilarious movie ever made; you simply can't write comedy this good! The dialogue must have turned John Waters chartreuse with envy, and the performance by Steven Boyd is akin to what if one of the THUNDERBIRDS marionettes had been cast in WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLFE?. His body language is quite like some poor puppet being randomly jerked around while the puppeteer tries to shake off LSD-conjured spiders. And the incredibly strange dialogue from a knife-wielding strip joint owner:(attempting to be intimidating, with a crazy gleam in his eye and tossing his switchblade between both of his hands) "Pretty? Pretty?" No one in the history of civilization has ever talked like any of the characters in this film. If you are fortunate enough to have this unjustly out-of-print film at your local video store, not only should you rent it immediately, but you should invite over all of your friends and let them stare at this mess in slack-jawed amazement. A solid 10 on the laughs scale! And you will pee your pants at Tony Bennet's narration/ performance!!! RENT IT RIGHT NOW, FOR GOD'S SAKE!