Joe Dante on THE BEST MAN

There's a reason presidential elections happen so soon after Halloween; they're their own kind of horror show. The ghouls in Gore Vidal's The Best Man aren't typical monsters though, they're political operatives. Henry Fonda is a conflicted but honorable candidate facing off against the Prince of Darkness, Cliff Robertson, a phony populist willing to break the country to win the race. Franklin J. Shaffner directed this slow-boil character study with a keen eye and a tremendous supporting cast including Kevin McCarthy, Edie Adams, and veteran funny man Lee Tracy in a heart tugging-and Oscar nominated-swan song.
----------
Trailers from Hell showcases classic previews of past movie attractions punctuated with humorous commentary by iconic filmmakers.
www.trailersfro...
But wait! There's more! TFH has a podcast!
It's THE MOVIES THAT MADE ME, where you can join Oscar-nominated screenwriter Josh Olson and Trailers From Hell Fearless Leader Joe Dante in conversation with filmmakers, comedians, and all-around interesting people about the movies that made them who they are. Check it out now, and please subscribe wherever podcasts can be found.
Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple...
Spotify: spotify.trailer...
Megaphone: cms.megaphone....
Google Play: googleplay.trai...
RSS: goo.gl/3faeG7

[@ramblinrandal]

Thank you, Joe. The Best Man is one of those semi-forgotten films that needs to be remembered. Fonda and Robertson perfectly embody (the then) liberal and conservative viewpoints and make their characters real people. And yes, Lee Tracy makes the film extra potent with his pragmatic view of the world of politics. It would make an interesting double-feature with John Frankenheimer's Seven Days in May. Peace.

[@briansmith2163]

Love you Joe Dante.

[@BarryHart-xo1oy]

Amen.

[@_jk94]

Gore Vidal is a fascinating figure. Great pull, Joe!

[@azohundred1353]

Henry Fonda and Cliff Robertson play perfectly against one another in this. The Best Man is one of the greatest political films of the 1960's that remains underrated yet relevant today, right there with Seven Days In May (1964), a film with Burt Lancaster, Kirk Douglas, and Fredric March that shares many thematic elements as well.

[@robertgandler3177]

Good film and good analysis!

[@baileymarkham]

I LOVE Lee Tracy’s performance!

[@Blaqjaqshellaq]

Another actor who often played the cynical reporter is Arthur Kennedy.

[@svjim1]

Back in the days when the press was able to keep secrets.

[@kevlareditor7532]

never knew about Lee Tracy until a year ago when TCM played Blessed Event. Became a big Lee Tracy Fan.

[@FCSchaefer]

This a film that needs to be rediscovered.

[@maxthepupp]

Love ya Uncle Joe! Great movie and underrated Fonda role ( to be fair Fonda has a plethora of those)

[@mikesilva3868]

Great 😊

[@Philbert-s2c]

Love this film.

[@HeathcliffBlair]

Thanks. Intelligent filmmakers of that period wouldn't know where to begin with the grotesque political situation we have today. They simply wouldn't believe it - an era that makes even Lumet's Network look tame. I haven't seen The Best Man. I'll try to seek it out. Thanks again. 👍 P.S. As of this writing, America has less than twenty four hours to decide if it wants to roll back the MAGA-crazy. Let's see. 🤞

[@tomflorio3639]

We all miss that "sane era". Well, at least the sane among us do.

[@Philbert-s2c]

It wasn't any more "sane" than politics now. It just wasn't in your house...

[@AnthonySmith-ty7ij]

The Best Man is a great political film. 1964 was big year in political films, we had this film, Seven Days in May with Kirk Douglas and Burt Lancaster, Fail-Safe with Henry Fonda as the President. Even comedies like Dr. Strangelove and Kisses for My President. Amazingly, Joe is right how this film sounds similar to this election year. Lee Tracy takes the picture for me.

[@VonWenk]

Why isn't Franklin Schaffner better known?

[@Blaqjaqshellaq]

His other movies include THE WAR LORD, PLANET OF THE APES, PATTON (many Oscars, including Best Director), NICHOLAS & ALEXANDRA, PAPILLON and THE BOYS FROM BRAZIL.

[@aaronjohnson7812]

Micturition: is the process of expelling urine from the bladder to remove toxic waste and metabolic products from the body. It's a vital bodily function that's controlled by a complex network of signals between the nervous system and the urinary tract. Lee Tracy was in Mexico when he was seen publicly urinated, possibly when a military parade went by, possibly when someone insulted him, or maybe just because he was drunk. Regardless, the country of Mexico was offended.

[@the8ctagon]

I can fix that for you: Micturition = pissing. You're welcome.

[@CajunZen]

The version I heard involved him relieving himself from his hotel balcony onto a military parade featuring the Presidente himself which was passing beneath Tracy at the time. Legendary story.

[@Blaqjaqshellaq]

He was on location filming VIVA VILLA!

[@aaronjohnson7812]

@@CajunZen I've seen that version too.

[@Blaqjaqshellaq]

Why doesn't "the best man" get elected POTUS? Because US elections always come down to "the better man" instead. (But lately they've been coming down to "the less bad...")

[@jhhone]

This is ripe for review! It should be redone as a limited series on HBO or streaming with an all-star cast!

[@BarryHart-xo1oy]

That’s a good idea.

[@benjaminwilson4558]

OMG ?! Are you "referencing" a film with a STRONG-BACKSTORIED "MAN"(or MEN)? A lost creative skill,and NOT allowed in "Hollywood for today's male populace...

[@Philbert-s2c]

Yeah, yeah...whatever.