A thousand clowns is a 1965 american comedydrama film directed by fred coe and starring jason robards, barbara harris, martin balsam, and barry gordon. A middleaged iconoclast, doggedly avoiding the tedium of employment and conventional life, faces the prospect of losing custody of his young ward. And herb gardners satire of conformity and dehumanization. Oscars best picture winners best picture winners golden globes emmys san diego comiccon new york comiccon sundance film festival toronto intl film festival awards central festival central all events. A thousand clowns 1962 broadway awards and nominations.
But in the intiman airing of a thousand clowns staged by sari ketter. Oct 26, 2009 johnny digiorgio as nick burns in a thousand clowns 2012 with leo and murray duration. Social workers deem an extv writer jason robards unfit to raise his nephew. Often, the best way to deal with something, or someone, that you find absurd is to take a step. A thousand clowns does, and i enjoyed every minute of seeing his kissable mug and hearing his dirty laugh. Thousand clowns, a 1965 movie clip shock treatment. Feb 18, 2002 a thousand clowns a 1965 movie based on the play which ran on broadway by herb gardner. And herb gardners satire of conformity and dehumanization a broadway hit in. Tcm messageboards post your comments here add your comment. Clever in every way, packed with intricate personas and witty dialogue, each character is given appropriate life by the performers and. As is, its still pretty good, speaking poignantly of the human condition and captivating with great performances all around. Ruined somewhat for me by the fact that i had to memorize a monologue from this film, a thousand clowns remains a critique of what bring contentment to life.
An adaptation of a 1962 play by herb gardner, it tells the story of an eccentric comedy writer who is forced to conform to. I see this one pop up periodically on tcm and the premise sounded intriguing enough that i finally had to bite. A play in three acts by gardner, herb and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Great performances and timeless sentiments make up for a lack of focus, a dated sense of humor, and some technical sloppiness.
Jun 29, 2015 rodney dangerfield at his best on the tonight show starring johnny carson 1983 duration. But the child welfare people try to force robards to get a good job so that they wont have to take gordon away from him. With jason robards, barbara harris, martin balsam, gene saks. Someone who knows about plays is invited to write the play article. Often, the best way to deal with something, or someone, that you find absurd is to take a step back and laugh. Murray believes in living life fully, even if that means going to the movies instead of looking for a job. Lazy tv writer and fulltime new yorker murray jason robards tries to manage unhinged social worker sandra barbara harris, whos dumped and kickedout her coworker and boyfriend, during a checkup on robards livein nephew, in a thousand clowns, 1965, from herb gardners play.
Multiple links are listed since a different versions exist and b many scripts posted become unavailable over time. A thousand clowns by gardner, herb and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Starring jason robards, barbara harris, martin balsam, gene saks, william daniels, philip bruns, john mcmartin, and barry gordon. While a thousand clowns meets the classic definition of a comedy at the end murray and sandy form a household with nick it is in a real sense a tragedy. Rodney dangerfield at his best on the tonight show starring johnny carson 1983 duration. This study guide consists of approximately 55 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of a thousand clowns. While im no expert on the history of the academy awards, id dare say it would be hard to find a film that was nominated for best picture within the last 45 years thats been as forgotten as 1965s a thousand clowns has. What turns up is a social worker, who falls in love with murray and a bit in love with nick. The official database for broadway theatre information a thousand clowns broadway show play ibdb. A thousand clowns is a 1965 film about an eccentric, nonconformist childrens television writer living in a new york city apartment with his nephew. In the end, murray becomes another of the conforming people he has fought so hard not to become.
An adaptation of a 1962 play by herb gardner, it tells the story of an eccentric comedy writer who is forced to conform to society to retain legal custody of his nephew. A thousand clowns 1965 dvdrip x264 heroturko download. During tcms 31 days of oscar, i was finally able to catch this elusive best. Reviews of the thousand clowns until now in regards to the publication we have thousand clowns pdf responses end users have never however remaining his or her writeup on the overall game, or you cannot read it but. The amusingly eccentric lifestyle and dialogue of the nonconformist unemployed murray burns, who shouts his grievances to new york from his apartment window, makes this play truly wonderful. For nearly four years now i have been searching for a thousand clowns. A thousand clowns was first presented at the eugene oneill theatre in new york city on april 5, 1962, with jason robards in the role of murray burns. Eminently adorable tv star tom selleck has chosen a safe bet for his broadway debut. A thousand clowns 1965 posted on october 14, 2009 october 14, 2009 by marco trevisiol while im no expert on the history of the academy awards, id dare say it would be hard to find a film that was nominated for best picture within the last 45 years thats been as forgotten as 1965s a thousand clowns has. A thousand clowns production information, other productions of a thousand clowns.
He has tired of writing cheap comedy for a childrens television program and finds himself unemployed with some free time to saunter through new york and do everything he has always wanted to do. Overview full credits full synopsis notes music screenplay info original print info genre keywords. Director winner david lean nominees george cukor norman jewison norman taurog 4th place. He plays a loveable eccentric, splendidly supported by barbara harris who reminded me very much of carey mulligan and a young kid named barry gordon who. A thousand clowns is a 1965 american comedydrama film directed by fred coe and starring. Also sign me up for fanmail to get updates on all things movies. Johnny digiorgio as nick burns in a thousand clowns 2012 with leo and murray duration. As the child welfare people try to force murray to become a conventional man as. A thousand clowns 1965 twelveyearold nick lives with his uncle murray jason robards, a mr.
It tells the story of an eccentric comedy writer who is forced to conform to society to retain legal custody of his nephew. The year is 1962 and bachelor uncle murray burns is endeavoring to rear his precocious nephew in n. A thousand clowns 1965 jason robards martin balsam. A thousand clowns a 1965 movie based on the play which ran on broadway by herb gardner. Most plays that were remade as movies have two articles, but for some reason, a thousand clowns has only the movie article. Its refreshing to see a witty, intelligent play in a commercial loop theater. A thousand clowns is about a twelveyearold barry gordon who lives with his uncle, jason robards. I was first introduced to the story i was kid through the film version starring jason robards, jr.
Enter your location to see which movie theaters are playing a thousand clowns near you. Thats when allen first screened a thousand clowns, starring jason robards, barry gordon, barbara harris and william daniels. Micawberlike dickensian character who keeps hoping something wont turn up. That same ceremony gave it best picture, and marty balsam best supporting actor. Unrated 1h 58min comedy, drama, romance 9 september 1966 finland. Memorable quotes and exchanges from movies, tv series and more. A nonconformist television writers custody of his young nephew is threatened when the child welfare bureau comes. Intiman theatres staging of a thousand clowns, directed by sari ketter, opens new dimensions of the iconic murray burns played by jason robards in the 1960s. While the central message of a thousand clowns may grate on some viewers, the film is saved by the exuberance of pdf the cast. Big rental pictures of 1966, variety, 4 january 1967 p 8. A thousand clowns original, play, comedy, broadway opened in new york city apr 5, 1962 and played through apr, 1963. The play tells the story of murray burns, a cheerful eccentric raising his nephew, a twelveyearold genius, in new york city. A thousand clowns was made at the cusp of change in american cinema, and had it been adapted just a few years later or perhaps by less traditional or less rigid filmmakers, it might have been an extraordinary achievement. When i walked into the theater, in my private universe, everyone had this thing in life that they were supposed to do, be it sinner or saint, business or baking.
Film a thousand clowns is a 1965 film adaptation from a 1962 play by herb gardner, and directed by fred coe. But the boy comes around to murrays sudden realization that compromise is sometimes necessary if its for the sake of someone you love. While the central message of a thousand clowns may grate on some viewers, the film is saved by the exuberance of the cast. The duality of these two is why i love this movie so much. This film seemed to be always out of my grasp, never on dvd, never on netflix and never on tcm. A thousand clowns cast list on, the most comprehensive source for broadway shows, broadway tickets and broadway information. A thousand clowns does not meet its full cinematic potential, but it holds up fairly well as a pleasing picture made in between what most people would consider the divide between old and modern films. Hes headlining a revival of herb gardners adorable 1962 comedy a. Jul 11, 2001 eminently adorable tv star tom selleck has chosen a safe bet for his broadway debut.
Herb gardners first fulllength play, it was nominated for the tony award for best play and was so successful commercially that gardner, named the most promising playwright of 196162, was. The original broadway production of a thousand clowns opened on apr 5, 1962. From the views of new york in the 1960s, to jason robards irreverent attitude and care for his nephew, its a fascinating movie. In this fourtime oscar nominated film including best picture, a nonconformist, unemployed writer of a kids tv show, is forced to find a conventional job after hes threatened with losing custody of his nephew. He plays a loveable eccentric, splendidly supported by barbara harris who reminded me very much of carey mulligan and a young kid named barry gordon who effortlessly steals the show whenever they let him. Written by herb gardner, adapted from his 1962 broadway play of the same name. Clever in every way, packed with intricate personas and witty dialogue, each character is given appropriate life by the performers and the moments are given great depth by the director. Hes headlining a revival of herb gardners adorable 1962 comedy a thousand clowns, playing the adorable. A thousand clowns won the 1966 oscar for actor in a supporting role balsam and was nominated for three more oscars. A social worker played by barbara harris shows up and ends up falling in love with robards. Based on a highlyregarded 1962 play, it was well enough received critically. Bily teaches literature and writing at adrian college in adrian, michigan. Id heard of this movie but never saw it until i stumbled across it on an antenna allmovie station.
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