The Oscar (film)

Infobox Movie
name = The Oscar

---

image_size= 200px
caption= film poster
imdb_id = 0060801
producer = Clarence Greene
director = Russell Rouse
writer = Harlan Ellison
Clarence Greene
Russell Rouse
starring = Stephen Boyd
Elke Sommer
Jill St. John
Milton Berle
Eleanor Parker
Joseph Cotten
music = Percy Faith
cinematography =Joseph Ruttenberg
editing
distributor =Embassy Pictures
Paramount Pictures
released = 1966 | runtime = 119 min
language = English
country = USA
"The Oscar" is a 1966 drama film, written by Harlan Ellison, Clarence Greene, Russell Rouse and Richard Sale, directed by Rouse and starring Stephen Boyd, singer Tony Bennett (in his film debut), comedian Milton Berle (in a dramatic role), Elke Sommer, Ernest Borgnine, Jill St. John, and Eleanor Parker. The film also features Bob Hope, Hedda Hopper, Merle Oberon, Frank Sinatra and Nancy Sinatra as themselves.

The film features an impressive cast which includes several actual Oscar winners: eight time costume design winner Edith Head; best actor winners Ernest Borgnine and Broderick Crawford; best supporting actor winners Ed Begley, Walter Brennan (three wins), James Dunn, and Frank Sinatra. Merle Oberon and Eleanor Parker were nominated for Oscars but did not win.

While the film is technically a drama, many consider it to be an unintentional comedy, with critics skewering the script and performances. Others consider it most likely to be a burlesque, given the stature of the actors involved. TBS once included it in a film series called "Bad Movies We Love".

The film was produced by Embassy Pictures, and distributed by Paramount Pictures. In later years, full rights to the film would revert to Embassy, and are now owned by StudioCanal.

Plot

As movie star Frankie Fane (Boyd) is about to hear if he won a best acting Oscar, his friend Hymie Kelly (Bennett) reminisces about Fane's struggle to the top, beginning as a spieler for his stripper girlfriend Laurel (St. John). After moving to New York, Frankie dumps Laurel for a budding fashion designer, Kay Bergdahl (Sommer), which sets up a chance meeting with talent scout (and "cougar") Sophie Cantaro (Parker). Sophie arranges for him to be signed with agent "Kappy" Kapstetter (Berle) and brings Frankie to Hollywood, where he quickly becomes a rising star. At each turn, however, Fane is an unprincipled heel, using and hurting others and causing them to recoil from him. His life into a tailspin, he unexpectedly receives an Oscar nomination, which Kappy believes is the result of Fane's portrayal of a "man without morals", therefore portraying himself. In order to ensure his victory, he secretly employs the services of a crooked private investigator (Borgnine), who leaks information that should influence voters to support Fane's Oscar candidacy. The moment of truth comes as presenter Merle Oberon (playing herself) announces the winner.

External links

*imdb title|id=0060801|title=The Oscar