Tony Franciosa lives and breaths for acting on the stage. He is working currently as a waiter to make ends meet when he's in between plays. When he sees an ex sit at one of his tables, he takes us back via flashback to where it all began, with he and his wife trying to make a go of it. He meets Dean Martin who's a stage director of off-Broadway plays. They form a working kind of friendship, one that's convenient and beneficial to each other, but Tony finds over time that Dean is an opportunist who only thinks of himself. Shirley MacLaine is Dino's girl, who's madly in love with him and that's too bad. Tony's wife leaves him when he can't get steady work, so she can find a dependable father for the new baby she's going to have, and Tony and Shirley wind up together. Then there's Carolyn Jones, who used to be a stage actress, but couldn't find work so she became an agent. She develops a silent crush on Tony. "Career" is a very character-driven film and the acting by its stars are nothing less than perfect. They grab your attention and tug at your heart with their eccentricities and dreams, especially Tony and Carolyn's characters. This may just be Carolyn Jones' best performance put on celluloid, save for "King Creole" with Elvis. This film, while reflecting the highs and lows of the acting profession, delivers solid entertainment and gives a very satisfying ending. It's interesting to see how when one person's star is on the rise, another's is down and that by the end of the film everyone's lives or outlooks are completely different than the beginning. Comeuppance is found for those who may need it in very realistic ways and happiness is found for those who deserve it and worked hard for it. "Career" is about listening to oneself and discovering the obvious. Similar in tone to the film in homage to Hollywood acting and backstabbing, "The Bad and the Beautiful," this underrated film has been swept under the rug. Wipe off the dust and discover your "career" today.
