A Face in the Crowd (1957)

Walter Matthau: Mel Miller

Photos 

Quotes 

• Mel Miller : [commenting on one of Lonesome Rhodes' on-air tirades after the two have had a falling out]  I'll say one thing for him, he's got the courage of his ignorance.

• Lonesome Rhodes : Listen, I'm not through yet. You know what's gonna to happen to me?

  Mel Miller : Suppose I tell you exactly what's gonna happen to you. You're gonna be back in television. Only it won't be quite the same as it was before. There'll be a reasonable cooling-off period and then somebody will say: "Why don't we try him again in a inexpensive format. People's memories aren't too long." And you know, in a way, he'll be right. Some of the people will forget, and some of them won't. Oh, you'll have a show. Maybe not the best hour or, you know, top 10. Maybe not even in the top 35. But you'll have a show. It just won't be quite the same as it was before. Then a couple of new fellas will come along. And pretty soon, a lot of your fans will be flocking around them. And then one day, somebody'll ask: "Whatever happened to, a, whatshisname? You know, the one who was so big. The number-one fella a couple of years ago. He was famous. How can we forget a name like that? Oh by the way, have you seen, a, Barry Mills? I think he's the greatest thing since Will Rogers."

  [Mel turns and starts to leave. Then, he turns back towards Lonesome] 

  Mel Miller : Beanie!

  [Beanie, who is manning the automatic appalause machine, instinctively pulls the switch, unleashing a massive abundance of cheers. The machanical jubilation continues as Mel joins Marcia in the waiting elevator, leaving Lonesome alone in the empty penthouse with his broken dreams] 

• Mel Miller : Didn't you know? All mild men are vicious. They hate themselves for being mild, and they hate the windy extroverts whose violence seems to have a strange attraction for nice girls. You should know better.

• Mel Miller : [of writers]  Here you see the lepers of the great television industry. Men without faces. Why, they even slide our paychecks under the door so they can pretend we're not here.

• [last lines] 

  Lonesome Rhodes : [as Marcia and Mel enter the taxi, screams violently]  MARCIA!

  Marcia Jeffries : [quickly turns and sees him at the top of the building]  Mel...

  Lonesome Rhodes : DON'T LEAVE ME!

  Mel Miller : I don't figure him for a suicide.

  Lonesome Rhodes : Marcia!

  Marcia Jeffries : Mel, if I'd only left him in that jail in Pickett...

  Mel Miller : Marcia, stop it. You were taken in, just like we were all taken in. When we get wise to him, that's our strength. We get wise to him.

  Lonesome Rhodes : [continues screaming]  Come back, Marcia! Marcia, come back! Don't leave me! Don't leave me!

  [Marcia and Mel drive off in the taxi] 

  Lonesome Rhodes : Don't leave me! Marcia, don't leave! COME BACK! COME BACK! COME BACK!

• Mel Miller : [of TV]  You gotta be a saint to stand all the power that little box can give you.

• Lonesome Rhodes : [Marcia and Mel exit the elevator to Lonesome's hotel floor, loud cheering is coming from the room]  Secretary for National Morale is a job that I was born for!

  Elevatorman : Somebody ought to send for a doctor. He's been screaming like that for 20 minutes.

  Lonesome Rhodes : In a time of crisis, who else could rally the people like Lonesome Rhodes? Who else could move the people to action like Lonesome Rhodes? You are looking at America's answer to the crying need for national...

  Mel Miller : What you doing that for?

  Beanie : He likes lots of applause.

  Lonesome Rhodes : Beanie!

  [Beanie plays applause on the automatic reaction machine] 

  Lonesome Rhodes : Maybe I'm just a country boy, but if the president tries to stop me, I'll flood the White House with millions of telegrams! I made him, and I can break him! Yeah, you know I can! Because the people listen to Lonesome Rhodes! Because the people love Lonesome Rhodes! Lonesome Rhodes is the people! The people is Lonesome Rhodes! Beanie! More! Yeah, yeah! Go, go!

  [Beanie turns up the applause on the machine]