Career

This film is not perfect, but it is certainly very entertaining. The film is terribly underrated, and has images that invoke films like "Marty", "A Star is Born", " A Face in the Crowd", and even "Barefoot in the Park". One could even draw a slight parallel to "Midnight Cowboy". (Martin the NYC hustler and Franciosa the small town hayseed). . Shirley MacLaine, however, steals the film with her spectacular, energetic and exotic style of acting. It was not her debut, but it was early in her career. She would go on to make "The Apartment" shortly thereafter.

The plot was nothing new; hayseed comes to NYC to become a star. That has been done 100 times, but this film captures many of the different angles of the life choices one has to make to get to the top (or at least be a major player in the game). You can't have it both ways in entertainment; you can have a happy family life, or you can have a.....career. An engrossing film from start to finish.

Dated, though still packing a dramatic punch, "Career" best serves as a showcase for some terrific acting. Anthony Franciosa's gives the best performance of his career; he appears to really be pouring himself into this role. Carolyn Jones is exceptional as his lonely agent; who self-destructively hides her affections for him. Their two performances alone make this worth viewing, but it's still a worthwhile film.

An actor is determined to make it to Broadway, even if he loses his family because of his obsession. Based on a play, the film offers an interesting glimpse into show business, but turns into something of a soap opera. The Korean War and McCarthyism, hot-button topics at the time, are somewhat clumsily shoehorned into the story and the final act comes across as contrived. Franciosa has his first big starring role as the struggling actor and he acquits himself well. Martin has typical role as a boozing director who lets success get to his head. MacLaine's free-spirited character is poorly developed. Jones is quite good as Franciosa's agent.

This is the journey of Sam Lawson-from aspiring young actor to aspiring old actor. Along the way he befriends the fair weather couple(McLain and Martin) and unwittingly joins the communist party. A Hollywood milestone, this movie actually flirted with the idea that the Hollywood blacklist might be irrelevant. Franciosa in the best performance of his life, and a great supporting cast make this a must see.

I saw this film when I was in High School, 1959, the year it came out, and remember being really impressed with the quality of the acting, and although it was something of a melodrama, it was well cast and the actors brought real meaning to their roles. A young man struggling to become an actor, and Dean Martin as a kind of slick character who befriends him. I've always been a fan of Carolyn Jones, and of course Shirley McClain in those days was excellent too. I haven't seen it in over fifty years, but I grew up with films, great films, during what I consider to be the high water mark of film making in the 40's and 50's, and I remember this film fondly. Recommended.