En lettres de feu

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.

Dated, though still packing a dramatic punch, "Career" best serves as a showcase for some terrific acting. Anthony Franciosa's gives the best performance of his career; he appears to really be pouring himself into this role. Carolyn Jones is exceptional as his lonely agent; who self-destructively hides her affections for him. Their two performances alone make this worth viewing, but it's still a worthwhile film.

I saw this film when I was in High School, 1959, the year it came out, and remember being really impressed with the quality of the acting, and although it was something of a melodrama, it was well cast and the actors brought real meaning to their roles. A young man struggling to become an actor, and Dean Martin as a kind of slick character who befriends him. I've always been a fan of Carolyn Jones, and of course Shirley McClain in those days was excellent too. I haven't seen it in over fifty years, but I grew up with films, great films, during what I consider to be the high water mark of film making in the 40's and 50's, and I remember this film fondly. Recommended.

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.

I remember seeing this film when it first appeared in theaters, and liked it very much. It was just well acted, by Tony Franciosa and Carolyn Jones. I remember the scene, funny how these things stick in your head, where Dean Martin, as a conniving agent, bums a hotdog off Tony on the street. Haven't seen it in many years, but it impressed me at the time. Always thought that Tony was somewhat underrated as an actor; liked him with Paul Newman in the couple of films they made together, and in a Hat full of rain. Intense, and good. I loved the scene in the Long, Hot Summer where he's trying to lure lovely Lee Remick inside, and she says, "Jody, I sure do wish you would find some other form of recreation." Good films in those days; still among my favorites.