Charles Castle (Jack Palance) is a successful top Hollywood actor. His wife Marion (Ida Lupino) is about to leave him. She is idealistic and wants him to stop making trash movies. He tries to do what she wants and refuses to renew his contract angering studio boss Stanley Shriner Hoff (Rod Steiger). Smiley Coy had covered up Castle's hit and run and Hoff uses the incident to blackmail him to sign a new 7 year contract. Charles struggles as his dark secret comes back to haunt him when hungry actress Dixie Evans (Shelley Winters) threatens to reveal it.
It's Hollywood at its sleaziest. I just have a problem with Jack Palance as the 'Artist'. He is a stiff actor with a limited range and can't convince me otherwise. He's great at what he does but I can't buy him as the tortured artist. It just takes me out of the movie. Shelley Winters is terrific but otherwise the movie is filled with overacting.
It's Hollywood at its sleaziest. I just have a problem with Jack Palance as the 'Artist'. He is a stiff actor with a limited range and can't convince me otherwise. He's great at what he does but I can't buy him as the tortured artist. It just takes me out of the movie. Shelley Winters is terrific but otherwise the movie is filled with overacting.