The Best Man 1964
7.6 / 10
The Best Man
The other party is in disarray. Five men vie for the party nomination for president. No one has a majority as the first ballot closes and the front-runners begin to decide how badly they want the job.
The other party is in disarray. Five men vie for the party nomination for president. No one has a majority as the first ballot closes and the front-runners begin to decide how badly they want the job.
Videos & Photos
All 2 Videos & 9 Photos
cast
Full Cast & Crew
... William Russell
... Joe Cantwell
... Mabel Cantwell
... Alice Russell
... Sheldon Bascomb
... President Art Hockstader
User reviews
See All 1 Reviews04 Apr 2022 by CinemaSerf
As the presidential nomination process comes to it's chaotic climax, the two leading candidates are deadlocked. The more principled "Russell" (Henry Fonda) and the more savvy "Cantwell" (Cliff Robertson) are trying to get the approval of the former president "Hockstader" (Lee Tracy) whilst the former tries to avoid the whole process becoming mired in personal issues (and back-stabbing). Like so many films that depict American political process, it presents a scenario in which it's rarely the best man who wins and the so-called "Land of the Free" proves anything but! Neither of these candidates really merit the job, it all just boils down to which is going to be prepared to scrape the bottom of the barrel and ruin the reputation of the other. Both Fonda and Robertson are on good form, but pale by comparison with the rather manipulative and scheming Tracy whom you could actually believe held high office once. The pace is good, there is plenty of intrigue and as the denouement looms, I was still never quite sure who was going to come out on top. I liked the ending, though I did feel it was just a little bit of a cop out. Almost as if Gore Vidal didn't really want to make a choice either! Nobody is all bad, nobody is all good - but is compromise always the best answer? It's good, this.
Genres:
Release Date:
Apr 05, 1964 (United States)
Run Time:
1hr 42`
MMPA Rating:
NR
Original Language:
English
Production Countries:
United States
Status:
Released
Plot Keywords:
Related Movies To
The Best Man
As the presidential nomination process comes to it's chaotic climax, the two leading candidates are deadlocked. The more principled "Russell" (Henry Fonda) and the more savvy "Cantwell" (Cliff Robertson) are trying to get the approval of the former president "Hockstader" (Lee Tracy) whilst the former tries to avoid the whole process becoming mired in personal issues (and back-stabbing). Like so many films that depict American political process, it presents a scenario in which it's rarely the best man who wins and the so-called "Land of the Free" proves anything but! Neither of these candidates really merit the job, it all just boils down to which is going to be prepared to scrape the bottom of the barrel and ruin the reputation of the other. Both Fonda and Robertson are on good form, but pale by comparison with the rather manipulative and scheming Tracy whom you could actually believe held high office once. The pace is good, there is plenty of intrigue and as the denouement looms, I was still never quite sure who was going to come out on top. I liked the ending, though I did feel it was just a little bit of a cop out. Almost as if Gore Vidal didn't really want to make a choice either! Nobody is all bad, nobody is all good - but is compromise always the best answer? It's good, this.
Cast & Crew of
The Best Man
Directors & Credit Writers
Cast
... William Russell
... Joe Cantwell
... Mabel Cantwell
... Alice Russell
... Sheldon Bascomb
... President Art Hockstader
... Sue Ellen Gamadge
... Don Cantwell
... Dick Jensen
... Herself
HKS
Howard K. Smith... Howard K. Smith
JHF
John Henry Faulk... Gov. T.T. Claypoole
... Sen. Oscar Anderson
... Mrs. Claypoole (scenes deleted)
GK
George Kirgo... Speechwriter
... Tom
... Janet (as Anne Newman)
... Mrs. Merwin
HW
H.E. West... Sen. Lazarus
... Zealot
Produced By
... Producer's Assistant
... Producer
... Casting Director
Videos & Photos of
The Best Man
Videos ( 2)
The Best Man ≣ 1964 ≣ Trailer
YouTube
The Best Man - Available now
YouTube
Photos ( 9 )
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