The Front

• Woody Allen as Howard Prince
• Zero Mostel as Hecky Brown
• Herschel Bernardi as Phil Sussman
• Michael Murphy as Alfred Miller
• Andrea Marcovicci as Florence Barrett
• Lloyd Gough: as Delaney
• Charles Kimbrough: as a committee Counselor
• David Margulies as Phelps
• Josef Sommer as Chairman of the Committee
• Danny Aiello Danny lagattuta
• Donald Symington as a Congressman

The straw man is an American feature film from the year 1976.

Action

The film is set in the USA, in the early 1950s. It is the time of the McCarthy era. Howard Prince is a small cashier in a restaurant. He deserves some extra money with sports betting and when he loses his money at a horse racing bet, Alfred Miller helps him out of trouble. Since his school days, he is friends with the screenwriter Alfred Miller. Miller received by the Committee on Un-American Activities prohibition, as well as some of his colleagues. The now unemployed writer persuade Howard to act as a straw man for her. You write scripts for television series and Howard outputs it as his. The idea is successful. Television is its most gifted writers robbed and takes Howard to kiss. Now his legendary ascent begins. Howard is the most popular writer of television and the television dramaturge Florence Barrett falls in love with him. He enjoys the fame, the new apartment and the money. The relationship with Florence is clouded, as the comedian Hecky Brown was dismissed in a communist demonstration for alleged participation. Hecky is trying desperately to work, needs money and gets involved in a collaboration with the Committee. He should spy on Howard. Florence, however, announced a protest against the handling of Hecky her work in television. She wants to take action against the committee and tries to convince Howard to be helping her. But Howard refuses to help. The relationship breaks down because Florence remembers that Howard is not the same values ​​as shared. Due to the espionage of Hecky also Howard is eventually called before the committee. As Hecky takes his own life, also comes the time for Howard to say goodbye to the sweet life of a celebrated screenwriter and confess political color. It can rebuffed the committee and is imprisoned because of his illegal sports betting bookings.

Background

The film based on a screenplay by Walter Bernstein, who was just as Martin Ritt on the so- called "black list " of Hollywood. Ride dedicated to the film some actors that also on the "black list " were in the early 1950s and had prohibition, including Zero Mostel, who played the comic Hecky. Herschel Bernardi plays the role of television producers Sussman and Lloyd Gough, the role of the scriptwriter Delaney. Both were also on the blacklist. The film was shot in New York City.

Reviews

" A little undecided between tragicomedy, satire and entertainment swaying Ritts film is where a whole group of McCarthy - the indexed nevertheless cooperated revealing a settlement with opportunism and ideological spying. "

The magazine wrote Cinema, the film was an " enlightening tragicomedy about a dark time ." The director think " sent the balance between comedy and sadness ."

Awards

Walter Bernstein received an Oscar nomination for his screenplay in 1977. Andrea Marcovicci was nominated for a 1977 Golden Globe Award for Best Young Actress. Zero Mostel was nominated for the British Academy Film Award for his performance in 1978.