****SPOILERS**** With his good friend Congressman Charles Hanson's, Linden Chiles, sleazy campaign manager Mike Miller, John McMartin, making a shamble of his work in getting people off welfare and the streets and getting them jobs and educations ace and on the ball super social worker Neil Brock, George C. Scott, lets it all hang out when he's given a chance to express his opinions on the state of the city's poor. That's when he's a replacement guest on the popular 1960's David Susskind discussion show "Open End". This after Miller screwed things up so bad for the trying to survive Valdez family who's two sons, after Miller did a fluff job on them in the newspapers, ended up out of work as well as school and on the street panhandling, or even worse,in order to support themselves and their family.
With one of Susskind's, played by David Susskind himself, guests chickening out and not showing up it's Brock who's forced to replace him in thinking that he'll be, by the manipulating Mike Miller, too stage or TV fright to say anything! And in Miller's mind just sit there like a dummy or a potted plant playing pocket billiard with himself and staring at the furniture. As things turned out Brock became the star of the show making all the other guests including actress Shirley Frost played by the then and future Mrs. George C. Scott Colleen Dewhurst, who was married to him at the time and later divorced and then later re-married him again, look out of their league in going head to head with the bull headed and unflinching Neil Brock.
As it turned Brock not only got his point across about the state of the city's problems but impressed host David Susskind so much that he offered him to, when he can find the time off from his busy workload, co-host the show with him. In fact Brock did such a good job making Congressman Hanson look like the fighter for the poor and oppressed in his district that he soon replaced Miller in representing Hanson to the public as his both press agent and campaign manager as well.
With one of Susskind's, played by David Susskind himself, guests chickening out and not showing up it's Brock who's forced to replace him in thinking that he'll be, by the manipulating Mike Miller, too stage or TV fright to say anything! And in Miller's mind just sit there like a dummy or a potted plant playing pocket billiard with himself and staring at the furniture. As things turned out Brock became the star of the show making all the other guests including actress Shirley Frost played by the then and future Mrs. George C. Scott Colleen Dewhurst, who was married to him at the time and later divorced and then later re-married him again, look out of their league in going head to head with the bull headed and unflinching Neil Brock.
As it turned Brock not only got his point across about the state of the city's problems but impressed host David Susskind so much that he offered him to, when he can find the time off from his busy workload, co-host the show with him. In fact Brock did such a good job making Congressman Hanson look like the fighter for the poor and oppressed in his district that he soon replaced Miller in representing Hanson to the public as his both press agent and campaign manager as well.