The Best Man (1964) |
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| Director(s) | Franklin J. Schaffner |
| Producer(s) | Lawrence Turman, Stuart Millar |
| Top Genres | Comedy, Drama, Film Adaptation |
| Top Topics | Based on Play, LBGT, Politics |
Featured Cast of The Best Man See More »
Henry Fonda
(as William Russell)
Cliff Robertson
(as Joe Cantwell)
Edie Adams
(as Mabel Cantwell)
Lee Tracy
(as President Art Hockstad...)
Ann Sothern
(as Sue Ellen Gamadge)
Gene Raymond
(as Don Cantwell)
Kevin McCarthy
(as Dick Jensen)
Richard Arlen
(as Sen. Oscar Anderson)
The Best Man Overview:
The Best Man (1964) was a Comedy - Drama Film directed by Franklin J. Schaffner and produced by Lawrence Turman and Stuart Millar.
Academy Awards 1964 --- Ceremony Number 37 (source: AMPAS)
| Award | Recipient | Result |
| Best Supporting Actor | Lee Tracy | Nominated |
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The Best Man Quotes:
President Art Hockstader:
[Slyly] You know, those rumors about you and lady friends... they won't do you a bit of harm.
President Art Hockstader:
In those days we poured God over everything like ketchup.
William Russell:
[to reporters] And I am happy, of course, the best man won.
President Art Hockstader:
You're not crazy, are you?
William Russell: Any man that wants to be President is crazy.
William Russell: Any man that wants to be President is crazy.
William Russell:
T.T. Claypoole has all the characteristics of a dog except loyalty.
See More Quotes from The Best ManThe Best Man Facts
See More Facts about The Best Man >>
One of the filming locations is the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. In 1968, Robert Kennedy was assassinated here during his campaign to win the Democratic Party's nomination for president.
George Furth's first movie.
Adapted from a stage production that opened on Mar. 31, 1960 at the Morosco Theatre in New York and ran for 520 performances. Lee Tracy repeated the role that he created on Broadway and was nominated for the 1960 Tony Award for Best Actor for his performance. Melvyn Douglas originally played William Russell in the play, the Henry Fonda role in the film. The play also won the 1960 Tony Award for Best Play, written by Gore Vidal who also penned the screenplay for the movie version.
Ronald Reagan was rejected for a role in this film because a studio executive didn't think he had "that presidential look."
Gore Vidal cheerfully admitted that he meant the character of William Russell to remind people of Adlai Stevenson and that Joe Cantwell was based on Richard Nixon. Stevenson and Nixon were, of course, in different parties. Similarly, the character of the former President played by Lee Tracy bore resemblances to both the Republican Dwight D. Eisenhower and the Democrat Harry Truman.