We all know Andy Griffith as the upstanding and affable Andy Taylor from the Andy Griffith show or the similarly upstanding, folksy attorney Ben Matlock on Matlock. Well, before he was type cast into roles like these, he played the morally corrupt character Larry "Lonesome" Rhodes.
The film begins with talent scout Marcia Jefferies (Patricia Neal) visiting the Tomahawk County jail in Arkansas. She is looking for talent to feature on her "roving reporter" radio program called A Face in the Crowd. While there, she discovers boisterous drifter, Larry Rhodes, who she immediately renames "Lonesome Rhodes". Larry is in jail for drunk and disorderly conduct but negotiates getting out of jail early if he sings and agrees to be recorded for the radio show. Once the agreement is reached, Larry breaks out his guitar and mesmerizes the small crowd with witty stories and a bluesy style ad lib country song about his upcoming freedom. Marcia plays the recording back to her uncle who owns the radio station and they immediately know they have a hit on their hands. They track Larry down and offer him a chance for his own radio show. The show is an instant success with housewives and advertisers. Larry quickly realizes that he has a gift to persuade people when he tanks the popular Tomahawk sheriff's bid for mayor by deriding him on his radio program. This incident garners national attention and Larry gets offered a chance to appear on television in the big city of Memphis. He agrees to the offer and takes Marcia along with him and they begin a relationship. Together with program writer, Mel Miller (Walter Matthau), they create a television hit and the sponsor of the show, a mattress company, sees its sales increase by 55%. From this point forward, we see the familiar but wonderfully handled themes related to the evils of fast fame and fortune and how there is nothing like a woman scorned.
This movie is a real gem. Anyone who enjoys films like Citizen Kane, All About Eve or The Bad and The Beautiful will enjoy this film. The only flaw I really see is that Andy Griffith's portrayal of Lonesome Rhodes is so strong that he overshadows the other formidable actors, Patricia Neal, Walter Matthau, and Lee Remick. Overall, this film is a classic because Griffith provides you with a unique glimpse into what he was capable of as a character actor.
The film begins with talent scout Marcia Jefferies (Patricia Neal) visiting the Tomahawk County jail in Arkansas. She is looking for talent to feature on her "roving reporter" radio program called A Face in the Crowd. While there, she discovers boisterous drifter, Larry Rhodes, who she immediately renames "Lonesome Rhodes". Larry is in jail for drunk and disorderly conduct but negotiates getting out of jail early if he sings and agrees to be recorded for the radio show. Once the agreement is reached, Larry breaks out his guitar and mesmerizes the small crowd with witty stories and a bluesy style ad lib country song about his upcoming freedom. Marcia plays the recording back to her uncle who owns the radio station and they immediately know they have a hit on their hands. They track Larry down and offer him a chance for his own radio show. The show is an instant success with housewives and advertisers. Larry quickly realizes that he has a gift to persuade people when he tanks the popular Tomahawk sheriff's bid for mayor by deriding him on his radio program. This incident garners national attention and Larry gets offered a chance to appear on television in the big city of Memphis. He agrees to the offer and takes Marcia along with him and they begin a relationship. Together with program writer, Mel Miller (Walter Matthau), they create a television hit and the sponsor of the show, a mattress company, sees its sales increase by 55%. From this point forward, we see the familiar but wonderfully handled themes related to the evils of fast fame and fortune and how there is nothing like a woman scorned.
This movie is a real gem. Anyone who enjoys films like Citizen Kane, All About Eve or The Bad and The Beautiful will enjoy this film. The only flaw I really see is that Andy Griffith's portrayal of Lonesome Rhodes is so strong that he overshadows the other formidable actors, Patricia Neal, Walter Matthau, and Lee Remick. Overall, this film is a classic because Griffith provides you with a unique glimpse into what he was capable of as a character actor.