1957 in Film: A Face in the Crowd

We live in a society driven by attention. In the era of social media, attention is the most powerful tool and weapon that one can hold. And more people can get their quicker than ever if they play their cards right. The ability to bring people together for a cause of any kind is a powerful one that is sought by many. This desire exists in politics, media and all of American society’s various microcosms.

A Face in the Crowd is the story of one man consumed by this very desire, a Frankenstein’s monster of silver age Americana. The film follows a radio journalist, named Marcia, recording a segment in a rural Arkansas jail.

When she meets drunken drifter, Larry Rhodes, he instantly becomes a hit with Marcia’s audience. This begins Rhodes’ slow, but steady, climb in political power as his gruff demeanor and small town appeal power him to stardom. But Rhodes’ egotistic nature pushes him too far, as he seeks to conquer the public eye.

Any evaluation of this film must begin with Andy Griffith. I watched this man act as Andy Taylor on The Andy Griffith Show since I had any comprehension of media. A golden child of television passed down lovingly through generations of my family. I grew up with Andy, Opie, and Barney (and almost every other character) as household names. Griffith shined on the show, playing a straight man with plenty of comedic and dramatic detours throughout the show’s run.

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The Andy Griffith Show has lasted the test of time as a relic of 1960s television. And Griffith’s career in television continued into the eighties and nineties with Matlock. Griffith played a lawyer so similar in manner to Andy Taylor, you would think they were the same man.

On the contrary, Griffith’s feature film catalogue is surprisingly slim. A Face in the Crowd was his film debut, a product of director Elia Kazan’s habit of picking unknown actors. Griffith plays Larry “Lonesome” Rhodes like a man possessed. His voice is gruff, his laugh boisterous, his eyes wild.

The reputation Griffith holds as a working man’s actor and kind soul, even to this day, makes Rhodes an even more magnetic figure to watch. He feels like an Andy Taylor of Mayberry ripped from a darker timeline, where he made one mistake too many. A man just as appealing to the common citizens of the film’s world, but much more sinister in nature.

It’s difficult as an audience member to not be just as swayed by Griffith’s performance. Multiple times I sat back and thought to myself just how well the film was working, me being just as spellbound as the thousands of gawking extras. There’s a genius element of charm and attractiveness to Rhodes, only the viewer has the benefit of seeing the cracks beneath the surface.

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A Face in the Crowd might be more than sixty years old, but its critique of media is just as biting and accurate as it was then, if not more. Rhodes begins his career in the media with a guest spot on a talk show. A pivotal scene finds him bringing a black woman onto the stage, who he has heard is struggling financially. Producers behind the cameras acknowledge that this is a brave move, one of them even says this will be the first appearance of a black woman on live TV.

Rhodes hauls out a wheelbarrow filled with change, giving it to the woman to buy a new house. Only we never see this woman after that. We never see the results of this, we are never even certain if she is given the money. It is a challenging moment where the audience is forced to question the authenticity of Rhodes, the first of many occurrences to come.

Even though this is never brought up, I found myself questioning if that woman would come back into play somehow. But it never revisits that idea. Even if there is authenticity to Rhodes’s gift to the woman, there is a clear lack of sentiment. He has used her to build himself up, and has no more need for her.

Rhodes uses his small town demeanor and common ground with the working class to build his own fame and rise above the people he pretends to represent. He is more at home amid the businessmen that he creates unconventional advertisements for. After dissing a mattress salesman on his show ends up boosting sales, Rhodes becomes the most wanted man of advertising.

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Eventually he comes up with the idea to market a new drug as a male enhancement pill, and changes a political candidate’s entire image in his favor. Rhodes eventually devises a new segment for his show, playing a character in a small town setting who monologues to ad-libbing extras about his social and political beliefs. As the world bends around Rhodes, Marcia’s relationship with him becomes deeply strained.

Rhodes might be the heart of the film, but Patricia Neal as Marcia is the film’s empathetic center. Marci’s desire for a hit is what creates the monster that is Lonesome Rhodes. Along with her own infatuation with the man. You feel pity for her as her frustration and loneliness continues to grow. With her being forced to deal with all of Rhodes’s personal baggage while he becomes the star. She sets out to ruin the man’s reputation, but clearly regrets ever getting involved with the man.

A Face in the Crowd has become one of my favorite films, and is timeless in its story of power, the media, and obsession. Griffith’s performance is one of my favorites of all time to study, and Kazan’s editing is masterful. A wonderful film that has stood the test of time yet still feels of its era.