• Latest
African Queen (1951)

A Face in the Crowd (1957)

June 15, 2021
African Queen (1951)

Exodus (1960)

March 21, 2023
Just Some Thoughts

“Don’t Worry”

March 21, 2023
Job Training Well Done

Job Training Well Done

March 21, 2023

ACLU, Partners Call on Legislators to Oppose Plans for Prison Expansion

March 21, 2023

Conservation Supports New Farm In Central Vermont

March 21, 2023

Vermont Hunter Education Courses

March 15, 2023

Vermont Philharmonic and Green Mountain Youth Symphony Present “Awakenings: Music of Young Composers”

March 15, 2023

Central Vermont Council on Aging (CVCOA) Joins in Month-Long March for Meals Celebration with Communities Nationwide

March 15, 2023
African Queen (1951)

Divorce, Italian Style (1961)

March 15, 2023

Following Successful Public Pressure Campaign to Lower the Cost of Eli Lilly’s Insulin, Sanders and Bush Introduce Bill to Finish the Job and Cap the Price at $20 Per Vial

March 15, 2023
Udderly Crazy 4-H Club Members Take Part In 4-H Dairy Quiz Bowl

Udderly Crazy 4-H Club Members Take Part In 4-H Dairy Quiz Bowl

March 7, 2023
Hunger Free Vermont Receives $36,090 Nourishing Neighbors Grant from Shaw’s Foundation’s Nourishing Neighbor Campaign

Hunger Free Vermont Receives $36,090 Nourishing Neighbors Grant from Shaw’s Foundation’s Nourishing Neighbor Campaign

March 7, 2023
  • Home
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy
  • Sitemap
Tuesday, March 21, 2023
The World Online
  • Home
  • News & Features
    • Local News
    • Letters & opinions
    • George Shuman
    • Max’s View
    • Local Sports & Outdoors
    • Births
  • Calendar
    • Art Exhibits
    • Calendar of Events
    • Ongoing Events
  • Obituaries
  • Submit
    • Submit Calendar Listing for Non-Profit Events
    • Submit An Article To The World
    • Submit Letter To The Editor
    • Submit Sports News/Photo
    • Submit Birth Announcement
    • Submit Engagement Announcement
    • Submit Wedding Announcement
  • Advertising
    • World Rates and Ad Sizes
    • World Distribution Map
    • World Deadlines
    • Audit and Reader Surveys
    • Advertising Inquiry
  • Classifieds
    • Place Classified Ads
    • View Current Classifieds
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News & Features
    • Local News
    • Letters & opinions
    • George Shuman
    • Max’s View
    • Local Sports & Outdoors
    • Births
  • Calendar
    • Art Exhibits
    • Calendar of Events
    • Ongoing Events
  • Obituaries
  • Submit
    • Submit Calendar Listing for Non-Profit Events
    • Submit An Article To The World
    • Submit Letter To The Editor
    • Submit Sports News/Photo
    • Submit Birth Announcement
    • Submit Engagement Announcement
    • Submit Wedding Announcement
  • Advertising
    • World Rates and Ad Sizes
    • World Distribution Map
    • World Deadlines
    • Audit and Reader Surveys
    • Advertising Inquiry
  • Classifieds
    • Place Classified Ads
    • View Current Classifieds
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
The World Online
No Result
View All Result

A Face in the Crowd (1957)

3.5 Stars

vt-world by vt-world
June 15, 2021
in Max's View
0
African Queen (1951)

Tennis star Naomi Osaka stood up for herself and changed the world for the better.

Apparently, professional tennis players are contractually obligated to attend a press conference after every match. Last month, Ms. Osaka announced that she was not going to talk to reporters because the press conferences are a threat to her mental health.

Pretty darn reasonable, right? Not according to the heartless people who run professional tennis. They fined Ms. Osaka $15,000 and threatened her with further penalties. Osaka withdrew from the French Open.

Overall, the media hasn’t been too hard on Ms. Osaka. But they also have been careful not to address the real issue at hand. It is a known fact that celebrity is an imminent threat to a person’s happiness, peace, and sanity.

Legendary director Elia Kazan understood this. At the dawn of the television era, he released “A Face in the Crowd.”

Kazan envisioned a world where entertainers and politicians were little more than celebrity influencers. And where fame would attract the sickest people and inevitably make them sicker.

When we meet Lonesome Rhodes (Andy Griffith), he’s just your average jerk with a country guitar. He’s a selfish, dishonest cad drying out in a small-town Arkansas drunk tank.

Local radio producer Marcia Jeffries (Patricia Neal) sees greatness in Lonesome and gives him a morning show. Lonesome’s charisma is undeniable; before long he is a national celebrity with a top-rated television show.

That’s when “A Face in the Crowd” gets unexpectedly dark. Fame exacerbates all of Lonesome’s flaws and frailties. He uses women left and right. He begins to believe that he’s better than everyone else and his fans are morons who need his guidance.

In a visionary side-plot, a substantive but milquetoast presidential candidate named Worthington Fuller hires Lonesome Rhodes to advise him. During the Eisenhower era, Elia Kazan already understood that the future of politics is showbiz and commerce, not issues. “We’ve got to find 35 million buyers for the product we call Worthington Fuller,” Lonesome explains.

“A Face in the Crowd” is a little preachy and heavy-handed, but the film is saved by Andy Griffith’s energetic and uncompromising performance. Andy of Mayberry had a serious dark side.

In the climactic scene, we see that addiction to fame has driven Lonesome Rhodes mad. He’s a delusional raving lunatic. Marcia Jeffries watches her protégé with sorrow and regret. She is Dr. Frankenstein and he’s her miserable monster. He would have been much better off rotting in that Arkansas jail where she found him.

Celebrity destroys the soul. This is why Naomi Osaka is a hero who is pointing the way toward a more moral future for our society.

The greatest tennis players and baseball players and actors do have to be famous. But they don’t have to be celebrities. They should never be forced to talk to reporters and we should not know what they think about politics.

“A Face in the Crowd” is not the best film. But it is insightful and convincing. It shows that mass media culture churns out unhappy, unhinged celebrities. And we are all worse off because of it.

Previous Post

Efficiency Vermont Announces 2nd Annual Appliance Recycling Offer Limited-Time Program Offers Cash Back for Old-But-Working Appliances

Next Post

Governor Phil Scott Signs Historic Investments to Grow the Economy, Make Vermont More Affordable and Protect the Most Vulnerable

Next Post

Governor Phil Scott Signs Historic Investments to Grow the Economy, Make Vermont More Affordable and Protect the Most Vulnerable

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This Week’s Ads

  • Home
  • About Us
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy
  • Sitemap
The World
403 US Route 302
Barre, VT 05641
Phone: (802) 479-2582

Copyright © 2019 The World Online. All Rights Reserved. Powered by CoolerAds.

No Result
View All Result
  • Art Exhibits
  • Audit and Reader Surveys
  • Births
  • Calendar
  • Contact Us
  • Daily Horoscope
  • Fall Guide
  • Food & Recipe
  • Home
  • Obituaries
  • Ongoing Events
  • Pay Your Bill Here
  • Senior Living Edition
  • Showtimes
  • Submit Birth Announcement
  • Submit Calendar Listing for Non-Profit Events
  • Submit Engagement Announcement
  • Submit Listing to our Local Directory
  • Submit Sports News/Photo
  • Submit Wedding Announcement
  • Testimonials
  • The World Coupons
  • Weather Forecast
  • World Deadlines
  • World Distribution Map
  • World Rate Card
  • World Rates and Ad Sizes
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy
  • Sitemap
  • About Us
  • Vermont Lottery
  • Advertising Information
  • The World Staff
  • Advertising Inquiry
  • Submit Letter To The Editor
  • Local Directory
  • Poll Results
  • Local Deals
  • Classifieds
  • Submit An Article To The World
  • Events
  • The World – This Week’s Online Digital Edition
  • The World Auto & Sports

Copyright © 2019 The World Online. All Rights Reserved. Powered by CoolerAds.

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Fill the forms bellow to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In