A Face in the Crowd (1957)

An Arkansas hobo becomes an overnight media sensation. But as he becomes drunk with fame and power, will he ever be exposed as the fraud he has become?

Director:

Elia Kazan

Writer:

Budd Schulberg (story)

Stars:

Andy Griffith, Patricia Neal, Anthony Franciosa

1 win & 1 nomination.

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	...	Senator 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:

power | song | fame | personality | television | 

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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

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

June 1957 (USA)

Also Known As:

Budd Schulberg's A Face in the Crowd

Filming Locations:

Biograph Studios, Bronx, New York City, 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

Did You Know?

Trivia

According to a 1983 interview with Charles Nelson Reilly, he made his film debut in this picture playing a saxophonist, but it was cut before the film's release.

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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

Lonesome Rhodes: I'm not just an entertainer. I'm an influence, a wielder of opinion, a force... a force!

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Connections

Featured in The 83rd Annual Academy Awards (2011)

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Soundtracks

"Just Plain Folks"
(1957) (uncredited)
Music by Tom Glazer
Lyrics by Budd Schulberg
Sung by Andy Griffith

User Reviews

Country corruption and TV production

Their collaboration cemented in infamy with "On the Waterfront", Elia Kazan and Budd Schulberg create this thang. And what a thang it is! Andy Griffith gives the performance of his career, and nobody knows it. Much like Lonesome Rhodes'

elusively corrupt character, this film has become one revered by some, and

unseen by those that should see it most.

Schulberg shows a charismatic vagrant and his hayseed charm revolutionize

television. Along with the increased income, fame greedily kills the bumpkin

within, and turns him into something much worse, if you can believe it: a TV star. Schulberg wrote another provocative work, his book about Hollywood and its

dirty denizens, "What Makes Sammy Run?". Study him and this fantastic and

awe inspiring Kazan film, and you will see why great films that followed winked and tipped their hat; films that include Paddy Chayefsky's "Network", Jimmy

Brooks' "Broadcast News", Spike Lee's "Bamboozled" and P.T. Anderson's

"Magnolia".

This film truly is a masterwork and an incredible, incredible performance by

Andy Griffith. 10 outta 10!