The Great Impostor (1960)

Ferdinand Waldo Demara Jr. is a versatile man who gets his kicks out of impersonating a marine, a monk, a navy surgeon and a prison warden, eventually getting in trouble with the law for it.

Director:

Robert Mulligan

Writers:

Robert Crichton (novel), Liam O'Brien (screenplay)

Stars:

Tony Curtis, Karl Malden, Edmond O'Brien

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tony Curtis	...	Ferdinand Waldo Demara Jr. / Martin Donner / Dr. Gilbert / Ben. W. Stone / Dr. Joseph Mornay / Robert Boyd Hammnd
Karl Malden	...	Father Devlin
Edmond O'Brien	...	Capt. Glover - HMCS Cayuga
Arthur O'Connell	...	Warden J.B. Chandler
Gary Merrill	...	Pa Demara
Joan Blackman	...	Lt. Catherine Lacey
Raymond Massey	...	Abbott Donner
Robert Middleton	...	R.C. Brown
Jeanette Nolan	...	Ma Demara
Sue Ane Langdon	...	Eulalie Chandler
Larry Gates	...	Cardinal
Mike Kellin	...	Clifford Thompson
Frank Gorshin	...	Barney
Cindi Wood	...	WAC Lieutenant
Dick Sargent	...	Hotchkiss (as Richard Sargent)

Storyline

Based on a true story, a bright young man who hasn't the patience for the normal way of advancement finds that people rarely question you if your papers are in order. He becomes a marine, a monk, a surgeon onboard a Canadian Warship, and a prison warden.

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Plot Keywords:

impostor | forgery | canada | based on novel | prison warden | 

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Taglines:

No wonder millions who read the sensational best seller about incredible Fred Demara say it makes fiction seem tame...No wonder his story was featured 3 different times in LIFE

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

To cash in on this movie, Allied Artists cast the real Fred Demara in a small part in their low budget horror film "The Hypnotic Eye" that was released that same year.

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Goofs

Lt. Catherine Lacey (played by actress Joan Blackman) is supposed to be from the Province of Saskatchewan, but doesn't know how to pronounce it. No Canadian would ever say, "SAS-KAT-chew-an" with the emphasis on the first 2 syllables and a flat,drawn out sounding of that first A. Canadians, especially those from the Province, would pronounce it "Sis-KATCH-chewin".

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Quotes

Ferdinand Waldo Demara Jr.: Help me dear God, I don't want to kill anybody.

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Connections

Referenced in M*A*S*H: Dear Dad, Again (1973)

User Reviews

Another Interesting Role For Curtis

Tony Curtis portrays "Ferdinand Waldo Demara Jr.," who faked being a doctor, warden, monk and teacher. When I saw this at the theater 45 years ago, I thought it was fascinating. Much older and seeing it on tape about 10 years ago, it wasn't as interesting as I had remembered. I guess when you're a kid, everything on the big screen is impressive.

Humor helped in this film, giving it some life here and there as it's a bit slow-moving but still entertaining. I've usually found Curtis entertaining to watch, a man who played a lot of interesting characters. I still think he is/was an underrated actor, too.

It was nice seeing the main character, although being a fake, still asking for God's help in certain situations, inside knowing he was not doing the right thing. Those parts would be edited out if the film was re-made today. I agree, too, with a fellow reviewer that faking being a surgeon is not something to be laughed at, especially if he was doing his operating on you or me!

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Korean

Release Date:

February 1961 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Great Impostor

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal International Pictures (UI)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

113 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1