A Thousand Clowns (1965)

“If things aren’t funny then they’re exactly what they are; and then they’re like a long dental appointment.” – Murray Burns

Number of Times Seen – 1 (25 Nov 2014)

Brief Synopsis – A comedy sketch writer who is raising his 12 year old nephew must deal with social services who want their household to have more stability.

My Take on it – This movie is a brilliant adaptation of the play by the same name.

The script and dialogue are written quite cleverly and comedically and it’s a pleasure to listen to the back and forths between the characters.

Jason Robards was known throughout his career as a supporting player, but in a rare case, he played the lead in this film. He does such a great job that it still amazes me that he didn’t have more lead acting opportunities in the future based on this performance.

I can see how this story could be so pleasurable to also see on stage because it was filmed quite intimately and claustrophobic.

Martin Balsam won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role as Robard’s brother.

Bottom Line – Excellent and very clever script. Robards is great as the lead eventhough he excelled through his career as a supporting character actor. Adapted quite well from the original stage play. Highly Recommended!

Rating – Oscar Worthy

_______________________________________

Check out my *updated* movie stats here

To see my reviews of Oscar Winning Performances check out this link

To see my reviews of all Oscar Best Picture Winners click here (now complete)

Here is a link to my movie index A-Z