Charles Byrd, known as "Chick", has spent his adult life acting in small repertory companies all over the UK, and he's never had much luck. All too aware that he's no longer young, Chick makes one last stab at finding success in London.
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Title: The Comedy Man (1964)
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Kenneth More | ... | Chick Byrd | |
| Cecil Parker | ... | Thomas Rutherford | |
| Dennis Price | ... | Tommy Morris | |
| Billie Whitelaw | ... | Judy | |
| Norman Rossington | ... | Theodore Littleton | |
| Angela Douglas | ... | Fay Trubshaw | |
| Edmund Purdom | ... | Julian Baxter | |
| Frank Finlay | ... | Prout | |
 |
Alan Dobie | ... | Jack Lavery |
|
|
J.G. Devlin | ... | Gus Sloppitt |
|
|
Valerie Croft | ... | Yvonne (as The Croft Twins) |
|
|
Leila Croft | ... | Pauline (as The Croft Twins) |
|
|
Gerald Campion | ... | Gerry |
| Jacqueline Hill | ... | Sandy Lavery | |
| Harold Goodwin | ... | Second Assistant Director | |
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Plot Summary
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Storyline
Charles Byrd, known as "Chick", has spent his adult life acting in small repertory companies all over the UK, and he's never had much luck. All too aware that he's no longer young, Chick makes one last stab at finding success in London.
Taglines:
Some men stay 25 all their livesGenres:
DramaParents Guide:
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Chick Byrd: It's my favorite age!
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Did You Know?
Trivia
Although released in 1964, the film was actually shot in 1962. See more »Goofs
During the party when Chick sees Tommy chatting up Fay, he is not smoking, but in a wide shot, he's taking a cigarette from his mouth. He's also holding a glass of wine which disappears in his close-up. See more »Quotes
Judy: You bloody fool! When are you going to stop acting as if you're twenty-five?Chick Byrd: It's my favorite age!
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See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
UKLanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
10 September 1964 (UK) See more »Also Known As:
A színész See more »Company Credits
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IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Mono (Westrex Recording System)Color:
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A surprisingly good comedy/drama about a group of British actors on the periphery is THE COMEDY MAN, which stars Kenneth More as a down-and-out actor who finally finds success, but in a series of TV commercials about breath mints. The various members of the group experience all sorts of ups and downs and live in a shared, squalid flat. They chase all over London looking for work but fall prey to the indifference of producers. An oily agent (Dennis Price) lords overs them and plays favorites as he bestows various small jobs. One actor (Edmund Purdom) lands a small film role that that launches him to major screen success ... much to the bitter envy of the others. It's a great look at the small lives of actors who have the fire to perform but never really make the grade.
Billie Whitelaw is good as an actress working as a waitress. Cecil Parker nearly steals the film as the old gent whose best days are long gone but he still clings to the hope of one last great role ... while he sponges off the younger actors. Frank Finlay, Alan Dobie, and Angela Douglas also appear.
Kenneth More is excellent as the 40-ish actor who can never quite make anything of the small chances he gets. More seems pretty much forgotten today but ranked as a major Brit movie star in the 1950s. He's excellent here.
The ending is quite good.