RICK'S REAL/REEL LIFE: Patricia Neal

Showing posts with label Patricia Neal. Show all posts

Friday, December 17, 2021

“The Homecoming: A Christmas Story” for “The Waltons”

Patricia Neal gives one of her best performances as Olivia Walton in 1971's
"The Homecoming: A Christmas Story."

The Homecoming: A Christmas Story aired Dec. 19, 1971 as a TV holiday movie. The response from viewers and critics was so strong that the network gave creator Earl Hamner, Jr. the go-ahead for a series, without a pilot. The Waltons joined the 1972-3 CBS lineup and ran nine seasons. After that came six reunion TV movies!

"The Homecoming: A Christmas Story" was so popular
that it became a TV series, "The Waltons."

Based on Hamner’s fictionalized novel about his family, The Homecoming takes place Christmas Eve, 1933. John Walton works during the week, miles from his Virginia home, and returns each weekend. As the family prepares for the holiday, the adults anxiously await John’s arrival after hearing news of a bus crash. Finally, mother Olivia sends John-Boy out to look for him. Never fear, all’s well that ends well, but not without some twists along the way.

Richard Thomas became a breakout star with his role as John-Boy Walton.

I watched this Christmas movie as a small town Upper Michigan kid and enjoyed the rural family’s story so much. I also loved The Waltons when it first aired, but was a bit disappointed when Patricia Neal didn't continue to play Olivia Walton. Michael Learned won three Emmys as Olivia, but I thought she played her as a bit of a stick in the mud. Now, though I still love Neal’s performance, you can see in certain scenes that she's dragging her leg. A weekly series for a nearly a decade would have been too much for the post-stroke star. Here, in The Homecoming, Neal is the heart of the story, and she received an Emmy nomination and a Golden Globe award. As Olivia, Patricia's strong, fierce, earthy, romantic, and sentimental. And I love Neal’s relaxed and raspy Kentucky drawl.

Patricia Neal as Olivia Walton anxiously awaits the return of her husband
on Christmas Eve in "The Homecoming: A Christmas Story."

Richard Thomas’ career was launched as John-Boy Walton, winning an Emmy for Best Actor in a series for 1973, at age 22. His open face and earnest acting felt realistic and was a cut above the typical young TV stars. Also, Thomas was a dreamboat to both sensitive girls and boys.

Earl Hamner, Jr. with Richard Thomas. John-Boy Walton was Hamner's
fictionalized version of himself as a young man.

The rapport between Neal’s staunch mother and Thomas’ dreamer son gives this movie resonance. Olivia is exasperated as to what John-Boy is up to behind locked doors, which leads her to pound on his bedroom door. As the no-nonsense mother, Neal’s changing reactions flicker across her face as Thomas’ son pours his heart out about his dreams as a writer. And Olivia’s firm but loving instructions as she sends John-Boy out to look for his father is also subtly strong. Thomas as John-Boy shines as he steels his courage and sets out to find his daddy, in the local lush’s crate of a car. John-Boy’s thoughts and his eventful evening while he seeks help are heartfelt and gently humorous.

Patricia Neal & Richard Thomas' scenes together give
"The Homecoming: A Christmas Story" its quiet strength.

Ellen Corby was an audience favorite as crusty Grandma Walton, and she reminded me of my tough-talking Grandma Alvera. Corby won a total of three Emmys for her role and she was fine from the get-go. Edgar Bergen played Grandpa Walton authoritatively and straightforwardly, and I must say that a little of the later Will Geer went a long way.

Edgar Bergen & Ellen Corby play Grandpa & Grandma Walton subtly in
"The Homecoming: A Christmas Story."

All of the original Walton kids are here and they do a good job playing believable brothers and sisters. Thomas’ John-Boy has many good moments with his on-screen siblings, even when the big brother is tired of playing “mother hen.”

What would be Christmas Eve be without a visit to the Baldwin sisters,
candles on the tree and "the recipe" at the ready?

As with the TV series, The Homecoming: A Christmas Story has a great cast of supporting characters. The Baldwin sisters were played here by wonderful veteran actresses Josephine Hutchinson and Dorothy Pickney. The extended scene where John-Boy and the preacher visit the moonshine-making sisters on Christmas Eve is charming and bittersweet. And Cleavon Little is the preacher! From The Waltons to Blazing Saddles, that’s quite a stretch. He’s total charmer here as Hawthorne Dooley, who helps John-Boy polish his people skills, while trying to get gas for the boy’s vehicle. Prolific dramatic/comedic actor William Windom plays the local drunk who is also the Christmas bandit, and he’s terrific as always. David Huddleston is amusing as the sheriff who nabs him. Woodrow Parfrey portrays storekeeper Ike Godsey in a one-off performance. Parfrey was a prolific character actor in TV and movies. I must say that it's a jolt to see Andrew Duggan, who I remember as silvery-haired, turn up at the finale as Pa Walton with fluffy, reddish hair!

Cleavon Little of "Blazing Saddles" fame is a charmer as preacher Hawthorne Dooley.

I feel The Homecoming is a bit grittier than The Waltons. The story is simple but filled with feeling, fascinating characters, and based in reality, which reminded me of Truman Capote's classic, A Christmas Memory. I felt a connection with John-Boy as both an aspiring writer and an atypical country boy. One of the sweetest scenes is when Pa Walton gives John-Boy a stack of Red Chief writing tablets for Christmas.

A sweet scene when Pa Walton acknowledges his son's writing dreams with this gift.

The Homecoming: A Christmas Story is set at the height of the Great Depression, nearly a century ago. This story could be a tonic for our current fraught times—so that modern viewers can see what hard times really looked like.

The exterior scenes of "The Homecoming: A Christmas Story" were actually filmed
in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

Here's my look at another rural look back at Christmas, Truman Capote's A Christmas Memory, with the great Geraldine Page:

https://ricksrealreel.blogspot.com/2018/12/a-christmas-memory-1966.html

FYI: I put all the movie overflow on my public FB movie page.

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The only unnatural moment in "The Homecoming: A Christmas Story" is when Andrew Duggan shows up at the finish with fluffy red hair!

Thursday, June 4, 2020

Dire Message of ‘The Day the Earth Stood Still’ 1951

Stop your world, I want to get off! Michael Rennie as alien visitor Klaatu.

What if an unexpected event changed your daily life? Imagine living with a constant sense of dread, as fear and hysteria take everyone over. What happens next, when your world comes to a complete halt?

No, I am not writing about the unrest of today's world, caused by the Coronavirus, the economic fallout, and escalating racial protests. I'm talking about the still-timely message of The Day the Earth Stood Still, released nearly 70 years ago. Director Robert Wise uses the sci-fi "visitor from another planet" plot to symbolize the USA's collective fears in the '50s. When this Hollywood sci-fi classic was released, the United States had led a victory in WWII, but was already embarking on The Korean War, engaged in a Cold War with Russia, and the threat of atomic war between super powers promoted paranoia for more than a decade. All of this was the dark flip side to the sunny “Fab Fifties.”

'The Day the Earth Stood Still' still stands the test of time, since its 1951 release.

I watched The Day the Earth Stood Still over Mother's Day weekend with Mom, who was a child of the '50s, and she still enjoyed the film. Given what was going on with the Coronavirus pandemic, especially some of our fellow Michiganders fear and anger over staying-in-place, certain dialogue jumped out at us. Watching Day a second time to review, at the end of May, the story seems scarier than ever... and not from space aliens, but from our own people’s primal fears about one another, and how we act upon them.

Klaatu takes a bullet twice during his short stay in Washington, D.C. Rennie w/ Patricia Neal.

The Day the Earth Stood Still begins when Klaatu, representing an interplanetary league, arrives in a space ship, upon the Washington Mall. People whip themselves into a frenzy of speculation and the U.S. Army swiftly surrounds the ship. Despite Klaatu’s greeting that he comes in peace, when he reaches into his uniform for a gift to the President, a trigger-happy soldier shoots him—some things never change! Luckily, it’s not serious and Klaatu brings along an instant-healing salve that would sell like hotcakes on TV infomercials. Klaatu’s request to seek an audience with all of the world’s leaders is met with rejection—again, what a surprise. The alien visitor then decides to go incognito amongst the American people to see what makes humans tick, in less than 24 hours. Good luck with that. Klaatu takes the name Carpenter, from a dry cleaning bill on a suit he snags, and checks in at a boarding house. There, he befriends a war widow mother and her little boy, and also seeks out a genius professor for help. Meanwhile, the government is on the lookout for Klaatu, with the aid of the Army. This public’s fears are further stoked, and the Army finally gets their man, fatally shooting him. Luckily, Klaatu brought along a giant robot for the ride, which the widow memorably activates with three little words. Gort the ‘bot brings Klaatu back to the ship, where he is brought back to life, and goes back out to deliver his interplanetary ultimatum to the earthlings.

Klaatu: “I am fearful when I see people substituting fear for reason.”

Robert Wise came up through thrifty RKO studio, and won his first Oscar nomination for editing Orson Welles’ Citizen Kane, where he observed Orson’s cinematic sleight of hand to suggest great wealth. In the fledgling director’s first movies, like Curse of the Cat People and The Body Snatchers, Wise further learned how cinematography, soundtrack, and atmosphere could heighten suspense. And these skills came in handy later, with Wise’s subtle The Haunting.

Professor Barnhardt: “It isn't faith that makes good science, Mr. Klaatu, it's curiosity.”

At just over 90 minutes, there's hardly a wasted moment in The Day the Earth Stood Still. The simple (but not simplistic) story, Wise’s subtle direction, Leo Tover’s noir-ish cinematography, mesmerizing score by Bernard Herrmann, thoughtful dialogue by Edmund H. North, and an excellent cast, all elevate this beyond the sci-fi flick genre. While The Day the Earth Stood Still is interesting as a snapshot of '50s life, the bigger picture of the movie's message still holds true. The Washington, D.C. location footage gives the film a strong sense of place—the Arlington Cemetery, Washington Mall, and Lincoln Memorial—all very much on our minds—what with Memorial Day, the recent death toll in this country, and the Lincoln Memorial and Donald Trump recent sharing camera time together.

Klaatu: "Did all those people die in wars?" Bobby: "Most of 'em. Didn't you ever hear of the Arlington Cemetery?"
Klaatu: "No, I'm afraid not."

Originally, Spencer Tracy and Claude Rains were considered to play Klaatu. Great actors both, but visualizing stocky Spencer or shorty Rains in a space suit is a giggle. The film’s producer suggested a newcomer, Michael Rennie—good call. Rennie's imposing physical presence is a huge plus, with his 6'4" height, striking, chiseled face, and lean appearance. Robert Wise’s wise advice to the British actor was to play Klaatu with dignity, not superiority. Rennie plays the role with great subtlety, in an era that often wasn't the case, another reason this movie remains compelling, not campy.

Klaatu: "I'm impatient with stupidity. My people have learned to live without it."

Patricia Neal is widowed mother Helen Benson, who is drawn to Klaatu’s calm voice of reason. Neal is a great contrast to Rennie's cool demeanor. During a period when Patricia often overplayed, Neal is intense as usual, especially with her fervid, darting eyes. Yet, she is restrained as the mother, whose world is shaken by alien visitors, with fear for her son, and later, disappointment in her fiancee.

Those three little words that Gort needs to hear!

Here's my look at another sci fi classic with an underlying political message, 1956's Invasion of the Body Snatchers:

https://ricksrealreel.blogspot.com/2020/11/invasion-of-body-snatchers-1956.html

The supporting cast is strong, in their archetypal roles: Sam Jaffe, born to play the Einstein-esque Professor Barnhardt, with his wild hair and wide eyes; Hugh Marlowe's nice guy persona gets a nice twist as Helen’s opportunistic beau, Tom Stevens; Billy Gray of Father Knows Best is Bobby, the personification of the nice '50s kid; and there’s many other familiar faces. Look for Frances Bavier, doing a dress rehearsal for her beloved Aunt Bea. Lock Martin, at nearly 7 feet tall, had the thankless task of donning the Gort robot suit. And several real-life correspondents, such as Drew Pearson, bring authenticity to this tale.

Klaatu (Michael Rennie) gets a tour of Washington, D.C. by Billy Gray's Bobby.

You can take The Day the Earth Stood Still at face value film entertainment or view the movie’s message through today’s eyes. Either way, it's a great Day. I’ll give Klaatu the final word, with his parting shot to planet Earth:

“I am leaving soon, and you will forgive me if I speak bluntly. The universe grows smaller every day, and the threat of aggression by any group, anywhere, can no longer be tolerated. There must be security for all or no one is secure. Now, this does not mean giving up any freedom except the freedom to act irresponsibly. Your ancestors knew this when they made laws to govern themselves and hired policemen to enforce them. We of the other planets have long accepted this principle. We have an organization for the mutual protection of all planets and for the complete elimination of aggression. The test of any such higher authority is, of course, the police force that supports it. For our policemen, we created a race of robots. Their function is to patrol the planets—in space ships like this one—and preserve the peace. In matters of aggression, we have given them absolute power over us; this power cannot be revoked. At the first sign of violence, they act automatically against the aggressor. The penalty for provoking their action is too terrible to risk. The result is that we live in peace, without arms or armies, secure in the knowledge that we are free from aggression and war—free to pursue more profitable enterprises. Now, we do not pretend to have achieved perfection, but we do have a system, and it works. I came here to give you these facts. It is no concern of ours how you run your own planet. But if you threaten to extend your violence, this Earth of yours will be reduced to a burned-out cinder. Your choice is simple: Join us and live in peace, or pursue your present course and face obliteration. We shall be waiting for your answer; the decision rests with you.”

Klaatu and Gort leave Earth with a message to ponder.

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Saturday, January 4, 2020

WB’s Feverish Film Version of ‘The Fountainhead’ 1949

The first time Patricia Neal's Dominique sees Coop's Howard Roark in action, it's with his mighty jackhammer!

FYI: I put all the movie overflow on my public FB movie page.
Check it out & join! https://www.facebook.com/groups/178488909366865/

Film fans’ reactions to the movie version of The Fountainhead are as varied as those to Ayn Rand’s notorious novel. The 1949 adaptation has been called everything from a misfire to camp to a misunderstood classic. To call The Fountainhead high camp seems inadequate. In fact, you might feel high when you watch the WB melodrama, which stars Gary Cooper and Patricia Neal. This movie is so bizarre on every level that I find it a highly entertaining train wreck.

The controversial rape scene from the book and movie of 'The Fountainhead.'

While The Fountainhead was a bestseller, what possessed Jack Warner to make this politicized movie when Red Scare was terrorizing Hollywood by the late ‘40s? Ayn Rand was anti-communist, but to Middle America, Rand was Russian, and you’d think Jack would want to avoid anything controversial. Once Warner committed, the big issue was how to make Rand’s 700-page tome, which wasn’t exactly Gone with the Wind, into a movie. Jack hired Rand to write the screenplay, though she had prior written just two. Rand must have had an air-tight contract, because she prevailed when director King Vidor initially wanted to delete Gary Cooper’s five-plus minute court room speech. Maybe Warner was afraid that Rand would blow up WB if he tampered with her work!

Is director King Vidor kindly explaining what the hell is going on in 'The Fountainhead?'

So, what do you get when an author boils down her mammoth book into a movie just under the two hour mark? Mad Magazine once did a Reader’s Digest parody, a one-page version of Gone with the Wind. The Fountainhead film is not far off! A major problem is the characters that are symbols for various ideologies on the page, and become caricatures when they are written bare bones for the screen. Add to the dilemma that Rand’s dialogue is mostly speechifying. Toss in characters that make hairpin turns regarding their life decisions or bombastic beliefs. The result?

Does Cooper's Howard think Neal's Dominique just has a crack in her marble,
or has lost her marbles?

I’ll give you MY Reader’s Digest version of The Fountainhead: Struggling architect Howard Roark has two strikes against him—his uncompromising values and unique architectural vision. These qualities bring out extreme reactions in others, such as egomaniacal columnist Ellsworth Toohey, rich dabbler Dominique Francon, and pompous publisher Gail Wynand. Every time Howard gets a foot hold in the building world, it’s two steps back. What success he has only inflames his enemies. Gradually, Roark’s love/hate relationship with Dominique turns to love, and he even befriends her husband, Gail. Howard’s extreme reaction to change made to a housing complex he designed leads to a near-operatic climax.

Dominique loves Howard's blueprints, but his jackhammer even more!

It’s hard to judge the acting, as the cast is given crazed characters and dialogue to play. Let’s just say the stars don’t help matters. Gary Cooper was massively miscast as Howard Roark. Coop was 47 during filming and like many stars of his era, looked prematurely aged. The solution to the early scenes, when Roark is a college lad, is to photograph him with his back to the camera, in silhouette. This makes the other characters haranguing of Coop’s shadow with expository dialogue especially hilarious. We get our first look at Gary when he’s finally hired, photographed in long shot, leaving at the door.

Unfortunately, at 47, Gary Cooper looks like Indiana Jones on his last crusade.

Still, when Coop gives Pat the look, it's pretty hot!

Overall, Gary Cooper was a fine film actor. He performed well in a variety of film genres and his understated performing style has aged well. Coop was also subtly charismatic, incredibly handsome in his youth, and despite his weathered appearance, still appealing through his film career. Proof of the latter: 22-year-old Patricia Neal fell madly in love with him. Coop is fine as usual in the romantic and more personal scenes. But as soon as Gary has to give a Rand rant, Coop sounds like he’s reading his lines phonetically. The courtroom defense speech that Roark gives is supposed to be so moving and eloquent that the jury finds him not guilty—Cooper’s halting line readings make you question Roark’s competency.

As Dominique, does Patricia Neal have crazy eyes or only eyes for hubby Raymond Massey?

On the other end of the acting spectrum is Patricia Neal. This was one of Neal’s first films and supposed to make her WB’s new Bette Davis. Unfortunately, King Vidor directs Patricia the same way he directed the old Bette Davis that same year, in Beyond the Forest! Vidor lets novice Neal go way over the top, just as he let Davis overplay her neurotic character. Neal rolls her eyes, tosses her hair, snaps her lines, and so much more as the slightly deranged Dominique. Unlike other actresses, Neal’s latter husky voice is more appealing than hers as a young actress. Neal sounds clipped and metallic here, much like the ‘30s Katharine Hepburn. Like Cooper, Neal’s best in the quiet, romantic moments, and their chemistry is quite evident. Also, Patricia Neal rarely looked so lovely on film. Neal is photographed beautifully, styled simply, and her 5’ 8” figure looks lovely in Milo Anderson’s costumes (minus the white ermine-trimmed bosom number!).

Robert Douglas has a hammy field day as evil architecture columnist Ellsworth Toohey.

Robert Douglas as Ellsworth Toohey, nemesis to Howard Roark, is outrageously hammy and amusing. Toohey is an architecture columnist who despises individualism and seeks unlimited power—quite a jump from critiquing skyscrapers. Toohey’s column is called “One Small Voice,” though “One Big Blowhard” would have been more apt. The character comes off like All About Eve’s Addison DeWitt off his meds. Toohey is obsessed with mankind being made servile and selfless, not himself, natch. He seeks to destroy individualist Howard. Reynolds has a field day, blowing cigarette smoke heavenward after smoking Roark at every turn. Inexplicably, Reynolds is dressed like a dandy from the previous century, not the late 1940s. If he had a monocle, he’d look like Mr. Peanut!

Also maddening: what IS Toohey’s end game? The character is so unctuous and unlikeable, yet you’re supposed to believe that “The Banner’s” big newsroom staff walked out in protest of his firing. Why are the masses enthralled by this Clifton Webb wannabe? I think one prophetic point that Rand touches on is the cult of celebrity and the cunning use of it over the masses. We have certainly been living in that world for awhile. The thing is, for as many followers as certain TV political pundits have, equally as many despise them.

Henry Hull, just over a decade older than youngster Gary Cooper, plays his wizened mentor in 'The Fountainhead.'

Henry Hull is a hoot as Roark’s mentor, Henry Cameron, another architect who won’t compromise. Hull so overplays that he seems schizophrenic rather than eccentric. Hull dies in the first 15 minutes, but not before he rails at Roark, rips up newspapers snatched from a paperboy, and gives an ambulance deathbed aria.

Raymond Massey pompously plays the pompous news publisher in 'The Fountainhead.'

Raymond Massey plays yet another overbearing role as newspaper mogul Gail Wynand. The grandiose lines further make Massey look like a total gasbag. He smugly recalls how he pulled himself up from the bootstraps in Hell’s Kitchen, but his patrician tones suggest otherwise. His character goes through several about faces, the last of which is especially unbelievable. After defending Roark to the hilt, his paper in ruins, then he suddenly gives in when the board of directors threaten to fire him.

WB's Kent Smith plays Peter Keating, yet another pleasant but spineless role for the actor.
Here, he's under the thumb of Reynolds' ruthless Ellsworth Toohey.

Kent Smith, WB’s resident player of wimps, is weakling architect Peter Keating. The character becomes a success through compromise, and then is twisted like a pretzel by most of the other characters. Though younger than Cooper, Smith wasn’t exactly a spring chicken here, sporting a buzz cut for his ‘college years.’

The cinematography and production values are the real star of 'The Fountainhead.'

The best thing about The Fountainhead is the production values of the movie. Depicting great wealth and stupendous architecture, frugal WB stretched the dollars, but used imaginative ways to put it over. First is Robert Burks cinematography. There are moments that remind me of Citizen Kane, which also had to come up with ingenious ways to portray extreme wealth. Some of the scenes and sets are simple, made vivid by contrast of stark light and shadows. The art direction by Edward Carrere and set decoration by William L. Kuehl is top notch, in tandem with Burks’ camera work. Max Steiner’s score is typically dramatic, but for the romantic scenes, his music is most subtle.

Patricia Neal looks skyward to Gary Cooper in the finale of 'The Fountainhead.'

The Fountainhead found King Vidor right in the middle of his baroque period. Vidor had already directed the operatic western Duel in the Sun for David Selznick. In 1949, he performed the double header of The Fountainhead and Beyond the Forest, which amazingly didn’t end his contract at WB. The last of his manic movies was 1952’s Ruby Gentry, with Jennifer Jones as a lusty swamp girl.

Who decided this was an appropriately flattering last shot of Coop in 'The Fountainhead?'

The ending of The Fountainhead conveniently makes Massey go away, finds Neal’s Dominique looking radiant as she looks up, riding to the top of Roark’s latest project. Coop stands waiting, hands on his hips like Superman, looking unflatteringly down. Yet, if Cooper’s Roark had swooped down and flown away with Neal’s Dominique, I wouldn’t have been at all surprised. Enjoy every moment or avoid at all cost!

If 'The Fountainhead' gives you a headache, take this!

Friday, January 20, 2017

'A Face in the Crowd' Looks at Real Issue of Media Mania: Us

'A Face in the Crowd' came out in '57, with Andy Griffith
as southern singing idol Lonesome Rhodes, a nod to Elvis!

Media pundits have had a field day over Lonesome Rhodes, from 1957’s A Face in the Crowd, claiming the charismatic creep “predicted” the rise of Donald Trump. Even religious right columnist Cal Thomas tagged Trump as Rhodes, the rags-to-riches character of Elia Kazan’s prophetic film. Yet one columnist scoffed that a more apt comparison would be of Trump to Orson Welles’ Citizen Kane—and meant it as a compliment!

Welles’ 1941 epic, Citizen Kane, is about a rich blowhard who pushes his luck with the public, and sends his empire tumbling. Like Rhodes, Kane pays the price for hubris. Kazan’s A Face in the Crowd and Welles’ Citizen Kane were tough movies that questioned the triangular love-hate relationship between the media, public figures, and their audience.

Andy Griffith, loathsome as Lonesome Rhodes: boob on the tube, audiences eat it up!

A Face in the Crowd was made in 1957, when film censorship and ‘50s conformity was past its zenith, but still in power. Still, the film is gritty, unglamorous, realistic, and packs a punch. Director Elia Kazan employs a sharp visual look but discards the glossy movie style of the era: A Face in the Crowd’s characters look sweaty, rumpled, harried, and human. Andy Griffith is eerily good, both loathsome and riveting as Lonesome, the country crooner turned super-celebrity. Patricia Neal does world weary perfectly, yet is also vulnerable as Marcia, the reporter who falls for Rhodes’ slick charm. Walter Matthau shows his dramatic side as a cynical reporter who carries the torch for Neal. And Lee Remick, in her film debut, is luminous and funny as Rhodes’ majorette bride.

Lee Remick, a majorette who thinks Lonesome is a dream, & finds out he's a nightmare.

The only letdown perhaps is when Lonesome loses his TV throne/bully pulpit after a hot mike exposes the real Rhodes on network television. Censorship of the day demanded characters pay for their sins. Today, we see inflammatory remarks, boorish behavior, and scandal rewarded with TV shows, book deals, and yes, public office.

Both A Face in the Crowd and Citizen Kane got rave reviews but were box office flops. Movies in Hollywood’s golden era were typically escapist fare and audiences didn’t flock to see grim dramas. Post-Watergate cynicism made Sidney Lumet’s Network possible as a black comedy hit, with its dire message about power, politics, and television. Network, which came out nearly two decades after A Face in the Crowd, takes washed-up TV anchor Howard Beale from a nervous breakdown on the air to a megalomaniacal media messiah.

Even worldly-wise reporters Walter Matthau & Patricia Neal can't look away!

A Face in the Crowd is an in-depth look at the impact that television has on the masses—both positive and negative. Lightening bolts like Elvis and The Beatles made their mark on pop culture when they appeared on American television. So did political phenom Joseph McCarthy, when he found himself on the other side of an investigative committee, and went down in flames on live TV. Yet, fellow Republican Richard Nixon managed to warm the public’s heart once, when he gave his infamous “Checkers” speech in the 1952. The public later cooled toward Nixon in the early ‘60s, with his shifty, sweaty looks next to all-American John Kennedy, during their presidential debates. His infamous losing comment didn’t help his image: “You won’t have Dick Nixon to kick around.” In the ‘70s, President Nixon sealed his Tricky Dick persona with the “I am not a crook” speech…which was later followed by his resignation speech!

Citizen Kane, A Face in the Crowd, and Network took a hard look at how far the media would go to manipulate the masses. Now you can add the internet to the mix. In their time, these films were a therapeutic slap in the face to audiences, to wake up from their complacency and naiveté.

Applause whets the appetite of celebrity consumers.

Here’s the difference in today’s world: We live in an age where just about any small-town person is media-wise. The change started with cable TV and later, the Internet, providing a world-wide platform for anyone with something to sell—a product, a personality, or a point of view. We have been the consumers, sitting in front of massive TV screens and computers, laptops, tablets, and cell phones. There’s been an escalating Tower of Babel built by “personalities,” pundits, and politicians. They are all vying for our favor, with louder voices, bigger promises, and no regard for the truth.

The problem is many of us want to believe the lies, despite the mass of information at our fingertips. Now, people have always preferred comforting lies to painful truths—that’s human nature. But now, we rationalize bad behavior, wallow in conspiracy theories, and defend to the death negative news that fits our world view—no matter what. Before, it was a matter of exposing lies to an unsuspecting public—Watergate, for example. Now, it seems hardly anyone cares. On a recent This American Life broadcast, Ira Glass addressed this trend in “Lies Become the Truth.” After recounting some recent political dust-ups where mud was flung, Glass noted, “It’s easier than ever to check if the fact is true, but the facts matters less than ever…”

The real "face" of celebrity isn't always pretty.

Is it because we want to cling to old beliefs, even though, deep down we know they don’t work anymore? Is it because it takes too much time to sift through the vast amounts of information out there, in our limited attention span era? Is it because we prefer to feed on a newsfeed that’s exclusively scandal over substance? Or is it all of the above?

The tune of a Lonesome Rhodes, Citizen Kane, and Howard Beale never really changes, nor do those of real-life demagogues like Huey Long, Joseph McCarthy, Richard Nixon, Donald Trump, or any of the loudmouths on MSNBC, CNN, or FOX News.

Only the face in the crowd changes, but the song remains the same. It is us who have changed. Too many people are willing to overlook the deep flaws of their idols, as long as they can continue to believe the false message.

What politicians still count on today...

FYI: I put all the movie overflow on my public FB movie page.

Check it out & join! https://www.facebook.com/groups/178488909366865/