A Thousand Clowns (1965)
Reference View | Change View
- Approved
- 1h 58min
- Comedy, Drama
- 09 Sep 1966 (Finland)
- Movie
- Won 1 Oscar. Another 3 wins & 7 nominations.
- See more »
Photos and Videos
Cast verified as complete
Jason Robards | ... |
Murray
|
|
Barbara Harris | ... |
Sandra
|
|
Martin Balsam | ... |
Arnold
|
|
Gene Saks | ... |
Leo
|
|
William Daniels | ... |
Albert
|
|
Philip Bruns | ... |
The Man in the Restaurant
(as Phil Bruns)
|
|
John McMartin | ... |
The Man in the Office
(as John MacMartin)
|
|
Barry Gordon | ... |
Nick Burns / Wilbur Malcome Burns / Theodore Burns / Raphael Sabatini / Dr. Morris Fishbein / Woodrow Burns / Chevrolet Burns / Big Sam Burns / Lefty Burns
|
|
Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
Garrett Cassell | ... |
News Reporter (uncredited)
|
|
Barry Pearl | ... |
Nick Burns' Double (uncredited)
|
Directed by
Fred Coe |
Written by
Herb Gardner | ... | (screenplay) |
Herb Gardner | ... | (based on his original play) |
Produced by
Fred Coe | ... | producer |
Herb Gardner | ... | associate producer |
Ralph Rosenblum | ... | associate producer |
Music by
Don Walker |
Cinematography by
Arthur J. Ornitz | ... | director of photography |
Editing by
Ralph Rosenblum |
Editorial Department
Sheila Bakerman | ... | assistant editor |
Edward Beyer | ... | associate editor |
Set Decoration by
George DeTitta Sr. | ... | (uncredited) |
Herbert F. Mulligan | ... | (uncredited) |
Costume Design by
Ruth Morley |
Makeup Department
Irving Buchman | ... | makeup artist |
Charles Fialla | ... | hairdresser |
Production Management
Henry Spitz | ... | production manager |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Tony Belletier | ... | second assistant director |
Dan Eriksen | ... | assistant director |
Art Department
Willie Lucak | ... | scenic artist (as Willie Lucan) |
William Smidt | ... | set designer (as Burr Smidt) |
Sound Department
Hugh A. Robertson | ... | sound editor (as Hugh A. Robertson Jr.) |
Jim Shields | ... | sound mixer (as James Shields) |
Dick Vorisek | ... | sound recordist (as Richard Vorisek) |
Camera and Electrical Department
Joe Coffey | ... | associate photographer |
Albert Taffet | ... | camera operator |
Willie Meyerhoff | ... | grip (uncredited) / lighting (uncredited) |
Costume and Wardrobe Department
Bert Matthews | ... | wardrobe |
Flo Transfield | ... | wardrobe |
Music Department
Gerald B. Greenberg | ... | music editor (as Gerry Greenberg) |
Harold Hastings | ... | conductor |
Script and Continuity Department
Betty Todd | ... | script supervisor |
Additional Crew
Arthur Cantor | ... | produced on the stage by |
Fred Coe | ... | produced on the stage by |
Mel Howard | ... | production assistant |
Ted Trinkaus | ... | titles |
Belle Iacobellis | ... | production secretary (uncredited) |
Allan Wertheim | ... | set production assistant (uncredited) |
Production Companies
Distributors
- United Artists (1965) (United States) (theatrical) (released through)
- United Artists (1966) (United Kingdom) (theatrical)
- United Artists (1967) (Argentina) (theatrical) (as Artistas Unidos)
- Kommunenes Filmcentral (KF) (1967) (Norway) (theatrical)
- Les Artistes Associés (United Artists) (1968) (France) (theatrical)
- United Artists (1967) (Sweden) (theatrical)
- National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1973) (United States) (tv)
- CBS/Fox (1987) (United States) (VHS) (For MGM/UA Home Entertainment)
- 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2011) (United States) (DVD)
- Kino Lorber Studio Classics (2020) (United States) (Blu-ray)
- MGM/UA Communications Co. (United States) (tv)
- MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1997) (United States) (video) (LaserDisc)
- MGM/UA Home Entertainment (United States) (VHS)
Special Effects
Other Companies
- Film Opticals (opticals)
Storyline
Plot Summary |
12-year-old Nick lives with his Uncle Murray, a Mr. Micawber-like Dickensian character who keeps hoping something won't turn up. What turns up is a social worker who falls in love with Murray and a bit in love with Nick. As the child-welfare people try to force Murray to become a conventional man (the price they demand for allowing him to keep Nick), the nephew, who until now has gloried in his uncle's iconoclastic approach to life, tries to play mediator. But when he succeeds, he is alarmed by the uncle's willingness to cave in to society in order to save the relationship.
Written by Warlen Bassham |
Plot Keywords | |
Taglines | ...IT'S LAUGHTER FOR EVERYONE!! See more » |
Genres | |
Parents Guide | Add content advisory for parents » |
Certification |
Additional Details
Also Known As |
|
Runtime |
|
Country | |
Language | |
Color | |
Aspect Ratio |
|
Sound Mix | |
Filming Locations |
Did You Know?
Trivia | Per William Daniels' memoir, several months after production on the film concluded, he attended a private screening of an initial cut of the movie. This version contained no location filming, no marching band music score (as was featured in the play), and the role of Leo Herman was performed by Paul Richards and not Gene Saks (who had successfully played it on stage but was originally unavailable for filming). This early cut proved to be such a disappointment to the film's makers, Herb Gardner decided to relinquish his screenwriting fee in exchange for permission from the producers to rewrite several scenes, hire the now-available Saks as a substitute for Richards' performance, shoot a number of exterior scenes on location and extensively re-edit the film into its final version. (Ironically, Richards had taken over the part of "Leo" from Saks in the original Broadway production). See more » |
Goofs | After Leo leaves the apartment, two different cardboard cutouts of him are used, with different facial appearances. See more » |
Movie Connections | Featured in The 68th Annual Academy Awards (1996). See more » |
Soundtracks | A Thousand Clowns See more » |
Crazy Credits | In opening credits: and introducing Barry Gordon as Nick. In the end credits, Gordon is credited to all the different names his character has tried: Nick Burns, Wilbur Malcome Burns, Theodore Burns, Raphael Sabatini, Dr. Morris Fishbein, Woodrow Burns, Chevrolet Burns, Big Sam Burns and Lefty Burns. In the film, however, he is called Nick, Nicky, and Nicholas. See more » |
Quotes |
Murray:
I just want him to stay with me until I can be sure he won't turn into Norman Nothing. I want to be sure he'll know when he's chickening out on himself. I want him to get to know exactly the special thing he is or else he won't notice it when it starts to go. I want him to stay awake and know who the phonies are, I want him to know how to holler and put up an argument, I want a little guts to show before I can let him go. I want to be sure he sees all the wild possibilities. I want him to know it's worth all the trouble just to give the world a little goosing when you get the chance. And I want him to know the subtle, sneaky, important reason why he was born a human being and not a chair. See more » |