The original broadway production, which featured a stellar cast including jason robards, william daniels, and sandy dennis, was very much a product of its time. Oscars best picture winners best picture winners golden globes emmys san diego comiccon new york comiccon sundance film festival toronto intl film festival awards central festival central all events. Let us now praise herb gardner, author of a thousand clowns. Starring jason robards, barbara harris, martin balsam, gene saks, william daniels, philip bruns, john mcmartin, and barry gordon. An adaptation of a 1962 play by herb gardner, it tells the story of an eccentric comedy writer who is forced to conform to. Browse memorable film quotes from a thousand clowns 1965 p1 at classic movie hub cmh. A thousand clowns won the 1966 oscar for actor in a supporting role balsam and was nominated for three more oscars. A thousand clowns 1965 jason robards yes,sir, thats my baby duration. Hes headlining a revival of herb gardners adorable 1962 comedy a. A thousand clowns is part of the exploring jewish voices series, which is a collaboration between mct, jewish museum milwaukee and the jewish community center.
Thousand clowns 1965 by fred coe fred coe, jason robards. Social workers deem an extv writer jason robards unfit to raise his nephew. Herb gardner, whose 1962 play a thousand clowns was the first of a string of broadway successes in which his eccentric characters conveyed the. Jason robards as worthless bum writer martin burns is great, as always.
But the child welfare people try to force robards to get a good job so that. A thousand clowns cast list on, the most comprehensive source for broadway shows, broadway tickets and broadway information. A thousand clowns 1965 jason robards martin balsam. A thousand clowns full english movie comedy 1965 ride in the whirlwind western starring jack nicholson, free full movie, english youtube movies duration. A thousand clowns production information, other productions of a thousand clowns. Le paradis sur terre lartiste italien michelangelo pistoletto, lun des. Herb gardners a thousand clowns, the current revival of which opened last night at the longacre theatre, is now 39 years old and showing its age. With jason robards, barbara harris, martin balsam, gene saks. A thousand clowns is a comedy, but its antiestablishment point remains pungent and influential.
And herb gardners satire of conformity and dehumanization. The movie is full of humor and pathos and you will never forget these characters. Jun 29, 2015 a thousand clowns 1965 jason robards yes,sir, thats my baby duration. Based upon herb gardners hit broadway play of the same name, a thousand clowns retains the static, oneroom feel of the stage version in order to convey the inspired inertia of its lead character, disaffected exwriter murray burns jason robards. Written by herb gardner, adapted from his 1962 broadway play of the same name. In fact, there arent any clowns shown in this film.
An adaptation of a 1962 play by herb gardner, it tells the story of an eccentric comedy writer who is forced to conform to society to retain legal custody of his nephew. Thousand clowns, a 1965 movie clip shock treatment. Micawberlike dickensian character who keeps hoping something wont turn up. New interview with costar barry gordon optional english subtitles duallayered bd50 disc.
A thousand clowns is a 1965 film directed by fred coe, starring jason robards, barbara harris, barry gordon, martin balsam, gene saks, and william daniels murray burns robards is an unemployed television writer, who has been jobless for five months, since he left his previous gig writing for childrens show chuckles the chipmunk. Unrated 1h 58min comedy, drama, romance 9 september 1966 finland. And herb gardners satire of conformity and dehumanization a broadway hit in. Herb gardner, 68, a playwright who created quirky souls the. A thousand clowns apr 5, 1962 eugene oneill theatre original a thousand clowns jul 14, 1996 criterion center stage right revival shows that opened that season. A thousand clowns summary the play tells the story of murray burns, a cheerful eccentric raising his nephew, a twelveyearold genius, in new york city. This study guide consists of approximately 55 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of a thousand clowns. Fed up with the rat race, murray quits his job and retreats to his cluttered manhattan apartment, where he. A thousand clowns is a mgm dvd release of a 1965 movie starring jason robards, who plays the ultimate slacker named murray who has been taking care of his 12yearold nephew named nick. So is martin balsam as his brother and won an oscar for it. A thousand clowns is a 1965 film about an eccentric, nonconformist childrens television writer living in a new york city apartment with his nephew. I want so much to show it to my year old daughter.
Its refreshing to see a witty, intelligent play in a commercial loop theater. Oct 26, 2009 johnny digiorgio as nick burns in a thousand clowns 2012 with leo and murray duration. Lazy tv writer and fulltime new yorker murray jason robards tries to manage unhinged social worker sandra barbara harris, whos dumped and kickedout her coworker and boyfriend, during a checkup on robards livein nephew, in a thousand clowns, 1965, from herb gardners play. A thousand clowns is a funhouse mirror of our times tuesday, august 14, 2012 by jeff grygny, milwaukee theatre examiner. Multiple links are listed since a different versions exist and b many scripts posted become unavailable over time. An adaptation of a 1962 play by herb gardner, it tells the story of an eccentric comedy writer who is forced to conform to society to retain legal custody of his nephew jason robards starred in both the original broadway version and in the film. Chuckles the chipmunk, william daniels albert amundson, phil bruns the man in the. At the opening night of a thousand clowns playbill. Johnny digiorgio as nick burns in a thousand clowns 2012 with leo and murray duration.
It has one of the best opening scenes in all of moviedom. A thousand clowns by herb gardner, collected stories by donald margulies and underneath. Bily teaches literature and writing at adrian college in adrian, michigan. A thousand clowns is about a twelveyearold barry gordon who lives with his uncle, jason robards. A social worker played by barbara harris shows up and ends up falling in love with robards. Phyllis diller with groucho marx on you bet your life. In the end, murray becomes another of the conforming people he has fought so hard not to become. A thousand clowns 1965 posted on october 14, 2009 october 14, 2009 by marco trevisiol while im no expert on the history of the academy awards, id dare say it would be hard to find a film that was nominated for best picture within the last 45 years thats been as forgotten as 1965s a thousand clowns has. A thousand clowns original, play, comedy, broadway opened in new york city apr 5, 1962 and played through apr, 1963.
Jul 11, 2001 a thousand clowns eminently adorable tv star tom selleck has chosen a safe bet for his broadway debut. A thousand clowns murray burns is an arrested adolescent, constantly declaring his own holiday irving r. Robards plays murray burns, head writer of tvs popular chuckles the chipmunk show. Judd hirsch found himself july 14 back where he started his professional acting career 32 years agostarring in herb gardners a thousand clowns then it was summer stock. I saw this in a hippie movie theater when i was maybe 17 or 18 and it ruined my life. I assumed this dvdr would play only on my standard dvd player, per the warning on the package. A middleaged iconoclast, doggedly avoiding the tedium of employment and conventional life, faces the prospect of losing custody of his young ward. Jul 12, 2001 herb gardners a thousand clowns, the current revival of which opened last night at the longacre theatre, is now 39 years old and showing its age. While a thousand clowns meets the classic definition of a comedy at the end murray and sandy form a household with nick it is in a real sense a tragedy. Phyllis diller with groucho marx on you bet your life duration. As the child welfare people try to force murray to become a conventional man as. If you saw and loved a thousand clowns in the 1960s, when it was a hit broadway play and movie, you may recall murrays railing against squares and phonies as wacky whimsy. Feldmans birthday so that he can play hooky to fly kites, wave goodbye to departing ocean liners, and take to the streets at dawn to exhort his neighbors to fall out for calisthenics and volleyball. From auntie mame to harold and maude, it depicts whimsical souls pitting.
What turns up is a social worker, who falls in love with murray and a bit in love with nick. A thousand clowns 1965 twelveyearold nick lives with his uncle murray jason robards, a mr. During the 201220 season, mct is producing three plays by prominent jewish playwrights. Doctor zhivago and the sound of music win music awards. Sandra markowitz, martin balsam arnold burns, gene saks leo herman, a. Well, nick is the young boys name for the moment, because when he turns, hes allowed to pick whichever name he desires. Long before out of the box became a cliche, there was an american literary trope we could call the free spirit. A thousand clowns is a 1965 american comedydrama film directed by fred coe and starring. Murray believes in living life fully, even if that means going to the movies instead of looking for a job.
But the child welfare people try to force robards to get a good job so that they wont have to take gordon away from him. Picture coe, adapted screenplay gardner and score don walker. Hes headlining a revival of herb gardners adorable 1962 comedy a thousand clowns, playing. The thing oozes and crackles with smartassery and stagecraft. The duality of these two is why i love this movie so much. A thousand clowns is a 1965 american comedydrama film directed by fred coe and starring jason robards, barbara harris, martin balsam, and barry gordon. Jason robards, barbara harris, martin balsam, barry gordon, fred coe, fred coe, herb gardner. A thousand clowns eminently adorable tv star tom selleck has chosen a safe bet for his broadway debut. A thousand clowns revival, play, comedy, broadway opened in new york city jul 14, 1996 and played through aug 10, 1996.
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