''A Thousand Clowns'' is a 1965 American comedy-drama film directed by Fred Coe and starring

Jason Robards Jason Nelson Robards Jr. (July 26, 1922 – December 26, 2000) was an American actor. Known for his roles on stage and screen, he gained a reputation as an interpreter of the works of playwright Eugene O'Neill. Robards received numerous accola ...

, Barbara Harris,

Martin Balsam Martin Henry Balsam (November 4, 1919 – February 13, 1996) was an American actor. He had a prolific career in character roles in film, in theatre, and on television. An early member of the Actors Studio, he began his career on the New ...

, and

Barry Gordon Barry Gordon (born December 21, 1948) is an American actor and political talk show host. He was the longest-serving president of the Screen Actors Guild, having served from 1988 to 1995. He is perhaps best known as the original voice of Dona ...

. The script was adapted by Herb Gardner from his 1962 play of the same name. The film tells the story of an eccentric comedy writer who is forced to conform to society to retain legal custody of his nephew. Jason Robards, Barry Gordon, William Daniels, and Gene Saks all reprised their roles from the original 1962 Broadway production. Martin Balsam won the

Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor The Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It has been awarded since the 9th Academy Awards to an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in ...

for his performance in the film.

Plot

Unemployed television writer Murray Burns (

) lives in a cluttered

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

studio apartment with his 12-year-old nephew, Nick (

). Murray has been unemployed for five months after quitting his previous job writing jokes for a children's television show called ''Chuckles the Chipmunk''. Nick, the son of Murray's unwed sister, was left with Murray seven years earlier. When Nick writes a school essay on the benefits of

unemployment insurance Unemployment, according to the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), is the proportion of people above a specified age (usually 15) not being in paid employment or self-employment but currently available for work du ...

, his school requests that New York State send

social worker Social work is an academic discipline and practice-based profession concerned with meeting the basic needs of individuals, families, groups, communities, and society as a whole to enhance their individual and collective well-being. Social wo ...

s to investigate his living conditions. Investigators for the Child Welfare Board Sandra Markowitz ( Barbara Harris) and her superior and boyfriend, Albert Amundson ( William Daniels), threaten Murray with removal of the child from his custody unless he can prove he is a capable guardian. Charmed by Nick and Murray, Sandra argues with Albert, who goes off without her to their next case. Sandra spends the night with Murray. She urges Murray to find a job so that he can keep his nephew, and Murray agrees to look. But he walks out of his job interviews, treating them as a joke, because he feels that work would make him conventional and conformist and make every day the same. He apologizes to Sandra, but she is so disappointed in him that she walks out. Yet he knows that if he wishes to keep his nephew, he must swallow his pride and go back to work. Murray also feels that he cannot let go of Nick until the boy shows some "backbone". In a confrontation with his brother and agent Arnold (

), Murray expounds his nonconformist worldview: that a person must fight at all costs to retain a sense of identity and aliveness and avoid being absorbed by the homogeneous masses. Arnold retorts that by conforming to the dictates of society, he has become "the best possible Arnold Burns". Murray agrees to meet with his former employer, the detested ''Chuckles'' host Leo Herman ( Gene Saks). When Nick does not laugh at Leo's pathetic display of comedy, Leo insults Nick, who quietly but firmly puts Leo in his place. Nick becomes upset with Murray for tolerating Leo's insults, and Murray sees the boy has finally grown a backbone. Realizing that Nick has come of age, Murray resigns himself to going back to his old job, Sandra returns, and the next morning Murray joins the crowds of people heading off to work.

Cast

as Murray Burns * Barbara Harris as Dr. Sandra Markowitz *

as Arnold Burns *

as Nick Burns * William Daniels as Albert Amundson * Gene Saks as Leo "Chuckles the Chipmunk" Herman * Phil Bruns as Sloan * John McMartin (as "John Macmartin") as Man in office

Awards and nominations

Music

Music in the film ranges from rudimentary drum cadences to

Dixieland Dixieland jazz, also referred to as traditional jazz, hot jazz, or simply Dixieland, is a style of jazz based on the music that developed in New Orleans at the start of the 20th century. The 1917 recordings by the Original Dixieland Jass Band ( ...

arrangements of " The Stars and Stripes Forever". The song " Yes Sir, That's My Baby" is used in several places.

Judy Holliday Judy Holliday (born Judith Tuvim, June 21, 1921 – June 7, 1965) was an American actress, comedian, and singer.Obituary ''Variety Obituaries, Variety'', June 9, 1965, p. 71. She began her career as part of a nightclub act before working in Bro ...

wrote the lyrics for the theme song "A Thousand Clowns". This was her last film credit, as the film was released after her death on June 7, 1965.

References

External links

*
''A Thousand Clowns''
at the

Internet Broadway Database The Internet Broadway Database (IBDB) is an online database of Broadway theatre productions and their personnel. It was conceived and created by Karen Hauser in 1996 and is operated by the Research Department of The Broadway League, a trade asso ...

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Thousand Clowns 1962 plays American plays adapted into films Broadway plays Plays by Herb Gardner Plays set in New York City 1965 films 1965 comedy-drama films 1965 directorial debut films 1965 independent films American black-and-white films American comedy-drama films American films based on plays American independent films Films featuring a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award–winning performance Films set in New York City Films shot in New York City United Artists films Films directed by Fred Coe 1960s English-language films 1960s American films English-language comedy-drama films English-language independent films