The Best Man (1964) |
|
| 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)
The Best Man
Released
1964
The Best Man
Released
1964
Henry Fonda
(as William Russell)
Cliff Robertson(as Joe Cantwell)
The Best Man
Released
1964
The Best Man
Released
1964
Cliff Robertson
(as Joe Cantwell)
Edie Adams(as Mabel Cantwell)
The Best Man
Released
1964
The Best Man
Released
1964
Edie Adams
(as Mabel Cantwell)
Lee Tracy(as President Art Hockstader)
The Best Man
Released
1964
The Best Man
Released
1964
Lee Tracy
(as President Art Hockstad...)
Ann Sothern(as Sue Ellen Gamadge)
The Best Man
Released
1964
The Best Man
Released
1964
Ann Sothern
(as Sue Ellen Gamadge)
Gene Raymond(as Don Cantwell)
The Best Man
Released
1964
The Best Man
Released
1964
Gene Raymond
(as Don Cantwell)
Kevin McCarthy(as Dick Jensen)
The Best Man
Released
1964
The Best Man
Released
1964
Kevin McCarthy
(as Dick Jensen)
Richard Arlen(as Sen. Oscar Anderson)
The Best Man
Released
1964
The Best Man
Released
1964
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 |
The Best Man BlogHub Articles:
No article for The Best Man at this time. Submit yours here.
The Best Man Quotes:
President Art Hockstader:
There have been moments when I have questioned your methods.
Joe Cantwell: Well, you have to fight fire with fire, Mr. President.
President Art Hockstader: And the end justifies the means?
Joe Cantwell: Well, yes, sir. Yes. That is what I believe.
President Art Hockstader: Well, son, I have news for you about both politics and life... and may I say the two are exactly the same thing? There are no ends, Joe, only means...
Joe Cantwell: Well, you have to fight fire with fire, Mr. President.
President Art Hockstader: And the end justifies the means?
Joe Cantwell: Well, yes, sir. Yes. That is what I believe.
President Art Hockstader: Well, son, I have news for you about both politics and life... and may I say the two are exactly the same thing? There are no ends, Joe, only means...
President Art Hockstader:
Major Bascomb... do I understand, by the way you are slowly beating around the bush, that Joe Cantwell is what we used to call a dee-generate?
Sheldon Bascomb: Yes, sir. That's just what I'm saying.
William Russell: I don't believe it. No man with that awful wife and those ugly children could be anything but normal.
Sheldon Bascomb: Yes, sir. That's just what I'm saying.
William Russell: I don't believe it. No man with that awful wife and those ugly children could be anything but normal.
President Art Hockstader:
In those days we poured God over everything like ketchup.
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:
You're not crazy, are you?
William Russell: Any man that wants to be President is crazy.
See More Quotes from The Best ManWilliam Russell: Any man that wants to be President is crazy.
The 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.
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.
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.
Ronald Reagan was rejected for a role in this film because a studio executive didn't think he had "that presidential look."
George Furth's first movie.