The Comedy Man
| The Comedy Man | |
|---|---|
.jpg) UK campaign book cover | |
| Directed by | Alvin Rakoff |
| Produced by |
David Henley Jon Penington |
| Written by | Peter Yeldham |
| Based on | novel by Douglas Hayes |
| Starring | Kenneth More |
| Music by | Bill McGuffie |
| Cinematography | Ken Hodges |
| Edited by | Ernest Hosler |
Production company |
Consant Films Gray-Film |
| Distributed by | British Lion Film Corporation (UK) |
Release dates | 3 September 1964 (London) (UK) |
Running time | 92 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
The Comedy Man is a 1964 British drama film directed by Alvin Rakoff and starring Kenneth More, Cecil Parker, Dennis Price and Billie Whitelaw. It depicts the life of a struggling actor in Swinging London. [1]
More later said that when he read the script he "was profoundly struck by its relevance to my own life, and to the lives of so many actors I had known."[2] However it received limited distribution, being released on a double bill with Lord of the Flies (1963).
Plot
Sacked from his job in provincial rep, actor Chick Byrd moves into digs in London with Julian, a fellow actor. Julian's career soars after a successful screen test, but Chick's meets with continued failure. Mobilised into action by the suicide of a friend, Chick auditions for a TV commercial and finally finds fame. Confident of his talents for the first time, but fearing he may have sold out, Chick leaves London to return to rep.
Cast
- 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 - Sloppitt
- Valerie Croft - Yvonne
- Leila Croft - Pauline
- Gerald Campion - Gerry
- Jacqueline Hill - Sandy Lavery
- Harold Goodwin - Assistant director
- Penny Morrell - Actress
- Naomi Chance - Bit part
- Guy Deghy - Schuyster
- Derek Francis - Merryweather
- Myrtle Reed - Tommy's secretary
- Edwin Richfield - Commercial director
- Gordon Rollings - Skippy
- Eileen Way - Landlady
- Freddie Mills - Indian Chief
- Frank Thornton - Producer
- John Horsley - Co-pilot
- Wally Patch - Bar manager
- Talitha Pol - Actress at Party
- Hamilton Dyce - Burial minister
- Anthony Blackshaw - Bus conductor
- Richard Pearson - Advertising Man
- Maurice Durant - Barman
- Ronald Lacey - Assistant Director
- Chubby Checker - himself
- Jill Adams - Jan Kennedy
- Robert Raglan - Minor role
Critical reception
Radio Times wrote, "written by Peter Yeldham with a nice balance between irony and drama, and directed by Alvin Rakoff with an accurate eye for the dingy environments and brave bonhomie of unemployed actors, this modest British film boasts a superior cast" ; [3] while Allmovie wrote, "matching More's terrific starring performance are such British "regulars" as Dennis Price, Billie Whitelaw, Cecil Parker, Norm Rossington, and Frank Finlay" ;[4] and the Sunday Mirror noted, "Kenneth More in the greatest performance of his career. Brilliantly directed." [5]
References
- ↑ "The Comedy Man". BFI.
- ↑ Kenneth More, More or Less, Hodder & Staughton, 1978 p 189
- ↑ Robin Karney. "The Comedy Man - Film review and movie reviews - Radio Times". RadioTimes.
- ↑ "The Comedy Man (1964) - Trailers, Reviews, Synopsis, Showtimes and Cast - AllMovie". AllMovie.
- ↑ "Alvin Rakoff". alvinrakoff.com.