This Friday at 8pm TCM will be showing The Best Man, an excellent political drama about a down-n-dirty presidential campaign starring Henry Fonda, Cliff Robertson and Lee Tracy. The other day I was trying to think of good movies to kick off the campaign season and this was the first that came to mind. Thanks, TCM, for showing it! They will also rerun the movie on Saturday June 28.
TCM also has a good description of the movie on their website, including gossip about who the main characters might have been based on (the movie came out in 1964) and details about the horrifying script changes Frank Capra would have made if he had ended up directing the movie, and thank god he didn't. Warning, the description of Capra's proposed changes includes spoilers, so best to read it after watching the movie. The Best Man is worth seeing unspoiled.
I think I've mentioned to you that we saw a stage production of this back in 2000, with Charles Durning, Spalding Gray, and Chris Noth. Utterly brilliant.
"Power is not a toy we give to good children. It is a weapon."
There are downsides to living in New York. But the stage is one of the definite perks.
I remember you saying that -- it sounds like a dream cast!
My favorite line is the still the one about politicians pouring God all over everything, like ketchup.