Viele sind berufen

Career is one no-holds barred look at the theatrical profession and what it takes to get to the top. Anthony Franciosa had that determination, but it cost him big time in his personal life.

No pun intended, but this may have been Tony Franciosa's career role. He's Sam Lawson, World War II veteran with thespian ambitions. Franciosa literally starts at the bottom with a character named Maury Novak played by Dean Martin.

Career has it all, the performances in fly by night stock companies for indifferent audiences, the fighting for bit roles and the bigger fight to get even noticed for your big break.

It costs Franciosa two marriages and near blacklisting through his association with Martin. Career in fact is one of the first films to even mention the blacklist, albeit they do it in a very gingerly way. Had it been made 10 years later, I doubt that the script would have had a line in it for Carolyn Jones to say that the House Un American Activities Committee had some honorable intentions.

Speaking of Jones, she's great in a role as an agent who has a deep affection for her client Franciosa. You kind of hope that they will get together at some point in the future. Shirley MacLaine has a great part as the good time daughter of a big theatrical producer played by Robert Middleton. At some point MacLaine gets married to both Franciosa and Martin during the film.

Dino did a hit record of the title song for the film although it is only heard instrumentally during the film. His performance as Maury Novak, a sleazy friend indeed to Franciosa, further established him as a dramatic actor and more proof he didn't need Jerry Lewis to succeed.

Career is a dated film, it's very rooted in the Fifties when the story takes place. Yet it is a good dramatic story and a bit of a social commentary on the times.

Tony Franciosa lives and breaths for acting on the stage. He is working currently as a waiter to make ends meet when he's in between plays. When he sees an ex sit at one of his tables, he takes us back via flashback to where it all began, with he and his wife trying to make a go of it. He meets Dean Martin who's a stage director of off-Broadway plays. They form a working kind of friendship, one that's convenient and beneficial to each other, but Tony finds over time that Dean is an opportunist who only thinks of himself. Shirley MacLaine is Dino's girl, who's madly in love with him and that's too bad. Tony's wife leaves him when he can't get steady work, so she can find a dependable father for the new baby she's going to have, and Tony and Shirley wind up together. Then there's Carolyn Jones, who used to be a stage actress, but couldn't find work so she became an agent. She develops a silent crush on Tony. "Career" is a very character-driven film and the acting by its stars are nothing less than perfect. They grab your attention and tug at your heart with their eccentricities and dreams, especially Tony and Carolyn's characters. This may just be Carolyn Jones' best performance put on celluloid, save for "King Creole" with Elvis. This film, while reflecting the highs and lows of the acting profession, delivers solid entertainment and gives a very satisfying ending. It's interesting to see how when one person's star is on the rise, another's is down and that by the end of the film everyone's lives or outlooks are completely different than the beginning. Comeuppance is found for those who may need it in very realistic ways and happiness is found for those who deserve it and worked hard for it. "Career" is about listening to oneself and discovering the obvious. Similar in tone to the film in homage to Hollywood acting and backstabbing, "The Bad and the Beautiful," this underrated film has been swept under the rug. Wipe off the dust and discover your "career" today.

An actor is determined to make it to Broadway, even if he loses his family because of his obsession. Based on a play, the film offers an interesting glimpse into show business, but turns into something of a soap opera. The Korean War and McCarthyism, hot-button topics at the time, are somewhat clumsily shoehorned into the story and the final act comes across as contrived. Franciosa has his first big starring role as the struggling actor and he acquits himself well. Martin has typical role as a boozing director who lets success get to his head. MacLaine's free-spirited character is poorly developed. Jones is quite good as Franciosa's agent.

This film is not perfect, but it is certainly very entertaining. The film is terribly underrated, and has images that invoke films like "Marty", "A Star is Born", " A Face in the Crowd", and even "Barefoot in the Park". One could even draw a slight parallel to "Midnight Cowboy". (Martin the NYC hustler and Franciosa the small town hayseed). . Shirley MacLaine, however, steals the film with her spectacular, energetic and exotic style of acting. It was not her debut, but it was early in her career. She would go on to make "The Apartment" shortly thereafter.

The plot was nothing new; hayseed comes to NYC to become a star. That has been done 100 times, but this film captures many of the different angles of the life choices one has to make to get to the top (or at least be a major player in the game). You can't have it both ways in entertainment; you can have a happy family life, or you can have a.....career. An engrossing film from start to finish.

This is the journey of Sam Lawson-from aspiring young actor to aspiring old actor. Along the way he befriends the fair weather couple(McLain and Martin) and unwittingly joins the communist party. A Hollywood milestone, this movie actually flirted with the idea that the Hollywood blacklist might be irrelevant. Franciosa in the best performance of his life, and a great supporting cast make this a must see.