150 Word Review: 'A Face In The Crowd' (1957)

Brought to you by Vitajex™

Photo: Warner Bros.

I grew up with Andy Griffith. First, in reruns of a sitcom about a sweet-natured sheriff. Later, as a murder-solving lawyer, Matlock. So, to watch him hoot and holler in this bleak political drama is a revelation—a remarkable performance by any standard.

Griffith plays Lonesome Rhodes, a jailhouse drunk who gets lucky one day: a local radio journalist, played by Patricia Neal, is interviewing regular folks for her morning show. Rhodes' charismatic hayseed schtick immediately turns him into a local celebrity and, from there, stardom, money, and power. He's got two faces and two grins.

Directed by Elia Kazan and written by Budd Schulberg, A Face In The Crowd rewrites Sinclair Lewis' famous quote: “When Fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross." In this dark look at pop culture and populism, Fascism comes to America via television screens in between commercial breaks.

---