Comedy ·Drama · United States of America · 1969 · 1h 35m

The Comic

Director

Cast

Dick Van Dyke as Billy Bright Michele Lee as Mary Gibson Mickey Rooney as Cockeye Cornel Wilde as Frank Powers Nina Wayne as Sybil Atlas Pert Kelton as Mama Bell

Crew

W. Wallace Kelley — Director of Photography Adrienne Fazan — Editor Jack Elliott — Original Music Composer Carl Reiner — Screenplay Aaron Ruben — Writer Carl Reiner — Producer

Tagline

A funny new motion picture that tells Hollywood like it was!

Synopsis

An account of the rise and fall of a silent film comic, Billy Bright. The movie begins with his funeral, as he speaks from beyond the grave in a bitter tone about his fate, and takes us through his fame, as he ruins it with womanizing and drink, and his fall, as a lonely, bitter old man unable to reconcile his life's disappointments. The movie is based loosely on the life of Buster Keaton.

Mood & Themes

silent film star

Key Collaborators

Carl Reiner Director W. Wallace Kelley Director of Photography Adrienne Fazan Editor Jack Elliott Original Music Composer Carl Reiner Screenplay Aaron Ruben Writer Carl Reiner Producer Aaron Ruben Producer Walter M. Simonds Production Design Guy C. Verhille Costume Design

Follow the Thread

Carl Reiner directed The Comic. Explore their complete filmography and the collaborators who shaped their vision.

Carl Reiner's filmography → More Comedy → More Drama → W. Wallace Kelley's cinematography →

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