IMDb > The Front (1976)
The Front
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The Front (1976) More at IMDbPro »

IMDb Holiday Movie Guide

Overview

User Rating:
7.3/10   3,079 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 9% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Martin Ritt
Writer:
Walter Bernstein (written by)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Front on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
17 September 1976 (USA) more
Genre:
Comedy | Drama more
Tagline:
America's Most Unlikely Hero.
Plot:
A cashier poses as a writer for blacklisted talents to submit their work through, but the injustice around him pushes him to take a stand. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
Nominated for Oscar. Another 3 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(2 articles)
A chat with the cast of Woody Allen's Whatever Works
 (From The Hollywood Interview. 18 June 2009, 11:52 PM, PDT)
Andrea's Still Sure-handed
 (From New York Post. 14 November 2008, 8:48 PM, PST)
User Comments:
Powerful and affecting film about the Blacklist. more (40 total)

Cast

  (in credits order) (verified as complete)

Woody Allen ... Howard Prince
Zero Mostel ... Hecky Brown
Herschel Bernardi ... Phil Sussman

Michael Murphy ... Alfred Miller

Andrea Marcovicci ... Florence Barrett
Remak Ramsay ... Hennessey
Marvin Lichterman ... Myer Prince
Lloyd Gough ... Delaney
David Margulies ... Phelps
Joshua Shelley ... Sam
Norman Rose ... Howard's Attorney
Charles Kimbrough ... Committee Counselor
Josef Sommer ... Committee Chairman (as M. Josef Sommer)

Danny Aiello ... Danny LaGattuta
Georgann Johnson ... T. V. Interviewer
Scott McKay ... Hampton

David Clarke ... Hubert Jackson
I.W. Klein ... Bank Teller

John Eric Bentley ... Bartender (as John Bentley)

Julie Garfield ... Margo
Murray Moston ... Boss
MacIntyre Dixon ... Harry Stone (as McIntyre Dixon)
Rudolph Willrich ... Tailman (as Rudolph Wilrich)
Burt Britton ... Bookseller
Albert Ottenheimer ... School Principal (as Albert M. Ottenheimer)
William Bogert ... Parks
Joey Faye ... Waiter
Marilyn Sokol ... Sandy
John J. Slater ... T. V. Director
Renee Paris ... Girl In Hotel Lobby (as Renée Paris)
Gino Gennaro ... Stage Hand
Joan Porter ... Myer's Wife
Andrew Bernstein ... Alfred's Child
Jacob Bernstein ... Alfred's Child
Matthew Tobin ... Man At Party
Marilyn Persky ... His Date
Sam McMurray ... Young Man At Party
Joe Jamrog ... F B I Man
Michael B. Miller ... F B I Man (as Michael Miller)
Lucy Lee Flippin ... Nurse
Jack Davidson ... Congressman
Donald Symington ... Congressman
Pat McNamara ... Federal Marshal (as Patrick McNamara)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Joseph Bergmann ... Demonstrator (uncredited)

Carson Grant ... Eddy Waiter (uncredited)
Stephen Hayes ... Alfred's child (uncredited)
Lauren Simon ... Train Passenger (uncredited)
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Directed by
Martin Ritt 
 
Writing credits
Walter Bernstein (written by)

Produced by
Robert Greenhut .... associate producer
Charles H. Joffe .... executive producer
Martin Ritt .... producer
Jack Rollins .... executive producer (uncredited)
 
Original Music by
Dave Grusin 
 
Cinematography by
Michael Chapman (director of photography)
 
Film Editing by
Sidney Levin 
 
Casting by
Juliet Taylor 
 
Art Direction by
Charles Bailey 
 
Set Decoration by
Robert Drumheller 
 
Costume Design by
Ruth Morley 
 
Makeup Department
Robert Jiras .... makeup artist
Philip Leto .... hair stylist (as Phil Leto)
 
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Robert P. Cohen .... dga trainee
Howard Himmelstein .... dga trainee
Peter R. Scoppa .... assistant director (as Peter Scoppa)
Ralph S. Singleton .... second assistant director (as Ralph Singleton)
 
Art Department
Joseph M. Caracciolo .... property master (as Joseph Caracciolo)
Marjorie Kellogg .... assistant art director
Bruno Robotti .... master scenic artist
 
Sound Department
Wayne Artman .... sound re-recording mixer
Tom Beckert .... sound re-recording mixer
Vito L. Ilardi .... boom operator (as Vito Ilardi)
John H. Newman .... sound editor
James Sabat .... sound mixer
James G. Stewart .... sound re-recording mixer (as Jim Stewart)
Roger Pietschmann .... sound recordist (uncredited)
 
Visual Effects by
Albert Whitlock .... matte effects
 
Camera and Electrical Department
Bill Johnson .... second assistant camera
Richard Quinlan .... gaffer
Tibor Sands .... first assistant camera
Fred Schuler .... camera operator
Robert Ward .... key grip
Josh Weiner .... still photographer
 
Costume and Wardrobe Department
Peggy Farrell .... wardrober: ladies
George Newman .... wardrober: men
 
Editorial Department
Hy Friedman .... assistant editor
Bruce Pearson .... color timer (uncredited)
 
Music Department
Else Blangsted .... music editor
 
Transportation Department
James Fanning .... transportation captain
 
Other crew
B.J. Bjorkman .... script supervisor
Peter J. Burrell .... location manager (as Peter Burrell)
Christopher Cronyn .... location manager (as Chris Cronyn)
Patricia Crown .... production assistant
Golda David .... assistant to producer
David Garfield .... production assistant
Sam Goldrich .... production auditor (as Samuel Goldrich)
Lois Kramer Hartwick .... production office coordinator (as Lois Kramer)
Scott MacDonough .... unit publicist (as Scott Mac Donough)
Susan McMahon .... payroll
Beth Rudin .... production assistant
Dennis Kear .... stand-in: Woody Allen (uncredited)
 
Crew believed to be complete


Production CompaniesDistributorsOther Companies
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Additional Details

Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parents
Runtime:
95 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Black and White | Color (Metrocolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono
Certification:
Singapore:PG | Iceland:L | Sweden:11 | USA:PG (Approved No. 24495) | Argentina:13 | Chile:14 | Finland:K-12 | West Germany:12
Filming Locations:
New York City, New York, USA more
Company:
Columbia Pictures Corporation more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The writers in the deli, according to screenwriter Walter Bernstein, were a composite of himself, Abraham Polonsky, and Arnold Manoff. All 3 writers were blacklisted by Hollywood as a result of the HUAC hearings, and all 3 co-wrote the segments for the 50's TV series "You Are There" (1953). more
Goofs:
Continuity: Investigator Hennessey, as his name is spelled in the credits, is shown sitting at his desk on which there is a nameplate which reads Francis K. Hennessy. more
Quotes:
Hecky Brown: [after gulping a glass of scotch] You know, I never learned how to sip a drink. When I was very little, every evening before supper my father would pour a shot glass full of whiskey, mumble a prayer,
[He emulates his father by mumbling in Yiddish]
Hecky Brown: and down it went! I thought that was the way you drank.
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in I Am Woody (2003) more
Soundtrack:
Young at Heart more

FAQ

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User Comments

   (Comment on this title)
19 out of 20 people found the following comment useful.
Powerful and affecting film about the Blacklist., 6 March 1999
Author: otter from Mountain View, Ca.

It's the 1950's, and Senator Joseph McCarthy has whipped America and especially Hollywood into an anti-communitst frenzy. Anyone who ever had ties to the left wing is persecuted and denied employment. Which means a big opportunity for Woody Allen (acting only, he didn't write or direct) to make a few bucks selling scripts written by blacklisted writers, being the "Front" of the title. Little does he know what he's getting into. Woody's masquerade starts as a favor to a pal in trouble and a chance for easy money, but it quickly snowballs into serious involvement with some very ugly things.

Great script and excellent performances by Allen and Andrea Marcovicci, but the film is lifted to terrifying heights by the magnificent Zero Mostel as a blacklisted comic. Every indignity and loss he faces is reflected in his wonderful face with a terrible sweet-natured dignity, you can see the weariness and hopelessness growing in his eyes scene by scene. His tragedy changes the lives of all the other characters, and makes the film the fine thing that it is.

There's a lot of wit and black humor in this film, but overall it's a very affecting tragedy, one with a fine, strong, yet hopeful ending.

Was the above comment useful to you?
more (40 total)

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The Front is out on DVD to buy in the UK! weishenme
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