A Thousand Clowns (1965)
Directed by Fred Coe
Twelve-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 (as 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.
2 connections found
View:
2 connections, in both directions
What critics compared A Thousand Clowns to
Reminiscent of earlier parables of nonconformity in which professional men in midlife crises “drop out” or are saved by lovable “kooks,” it’s like a nightmare combination of A Thousand Clowns and Petulia.
Richard LaGravenese's script follows in the tradition of A Thousand Clowns, King of Hearts and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, in which a character whom society sees as crazy or irresponsible proves to be wiser than the respected guardians of morality.