A Face in the Crowd (1957)

A female radio reporter turns a folk-singing drifter into a powerful media star.

Director:

Elia Kazan

Writers:

Budd Schulberg (story), Budd Schulberg (screenplay)

Stars:

Andy Griffith, Patricia Neal, Anthony Franciosa

2 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Andy Griffith	...	Larry 'Lonesome' Rhodes
Patricia Neal	...	Marcia Jeffries
Anthony Franciosa	...	Joey DePalma
Walter Matthau	...	Mel Miller
Lee Remick	...	Betty Lou Fleckum
Percy Waram	...	Gen. Haynesworth
Paul McGrath	...	Macey
Rod Brasfield	...	Beanie
Marshall Neilan	...	Sen. Worthington Fuller
Alexander Kirkland	...	Jim Collier
Charles Irving	...	Mr. Luffler
Howard Smith	...	J.B. Jeffries
Kay Medford	...	First Mrs. Rhodes
Big Jeff Bess	...	Sheriff Big Jeff Bess
Henry Sharp	...	Abe Steiner

Storyline

"A Face in the Crowd" charts the rise of a raucous hayseed named Lonesome Rhodes from itinerant Ozark guitar picker to local media rabble-rouser to TV superstar and political king-maker. Marcia Jeffries is the innocent Sarah Lawrence girl who discovers the great man in a back-country jail and is the first to fall under his spell.

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Plot Keywords:

television | politician | personality | crowd | politics | 

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Taglines:

POWER! He loved it! He took it raw in big gulpfuls...he liked the taste, the way it mixed with the bourbon and the sin in his blood!

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Genres:

Drama | Music

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Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

This film is part of the Criterion Collection, spine #970.

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Goofs

When the Sheriff escorts Marcia into the jail holding cell, he welcomes her to the "Tomahawk County Jail". However, in the exterior shot just prior the cornerstone of the building plainly reads "Clay Co." That's because the exterior was shot at the Clay County Courthouse in Piggott, Arkansas. There is no Tomahawk County in Arkansas.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Earl Wilson: Oh, Miss Jeffries!
[as he jogs over to the KGRK network's station wagon]
Earl Wilson: Good morning Marcia! Well, I think we have just what you're lookin' for; we always get a good haul on the Fourth of July.
[in reference of her periodic head-hunting for local broadcasting talent on her radio show: A Face in the Crowd]
Marcia Jeffries: Good! Come on, let's go.
[they then drive over to the town jail]

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Connections

Featured in The 71st Annual Academy Awards (1999)

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Soundtracks

Old Fashioned Marriage
(1957) (uncredited)
Music by Tom Glazer
Lyrics by Budd Schulberg
Sung by Andy Griffith

User Reviews

An outstanding performance by Andy Griffith!

I just find it hard to believe that Andy Griffith received no kudos or award nominations for his role as Lonesome Rhodes in this movie. His performance is quite amazing. I think that because he played such an obnoxious person, one that we really come to dislike, that people confused the role with the actor. I just saw it on TV (Dec, 2002), and maybe the world of 1957 just was not ready for this kind of realism.

Details

Official Sites:

HBOMAX [United States] Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 June 1957 (USA)

Also Known As:

Budd Schulberg's A Face in the Crowd

Filming Locations:

240 Central Park South, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Newtown Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

126 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1