The Great Man

The Great Man

1/1/1957 1h 32m 5.2/10

Overview

Joe Harris, preparing a eulogy for popular radio commentator Herb Fuller, finds that nobody has a good word to say about him.

Director

José Ferrer

Top Billed Cast

Julie London

Julie London

Carol Larson

Keenan Wynn

Keenan Wynn

Sid Moore

Dean Jagger

Dean Jagger

Philip Carleton

Ed Wynn

Ed Wynn

Paul Beaseley

José Ferrer

José Ferrer

Joe Harris

Joanne Gilbert

Joanne Gilbert

Ginny

Reviews

CinemaSerf

CinemaSerf

1/7/2025

7/10

When national treasure "Fuller" dies, it falls to his erstwhile radio colleague "Joe"(José Ferrer) to put together the traditionally adulatory obituary programme, and so he routinely sets about gathering information and comments from the man's contemporaries. Quite quickly, though, he begins to discover that maybe this man wasn't as pure as the driven snow after all. Indeed, though people don't wish to speak ill of the dead to a microphone, there are soon no shortage of detractors assessing his character and posing quite a quandary for "Joe". Meantime, there's some internal politicking going at the station as his boss (Dean Jagger) sort of promises him the man's shoes if he delivers a positive, glowing, hour of tribute so "Joe" has to choose. Does he go with the flow or does he expose the man? Ferrer delivers competently enough here and the story is one that resonates quite potently across a society that never really feels comfortable being unkind to the dead - however fake their façade they'd presented. It all comes to an head using a conversation between "Joe" and "Beaseley" (Ed Wynn) who delivers us the best, most insightful, ten minutes of the film and poses some interesting questions about where we might draw our own lines. When it comes to the broadcast, what will "Joe" do?

Similar Movies

The Bikeriders

6.7

The Bikeriders

2024

Little Girl Fly Away

6.0

Little Girl Fly Away

1998

The Prince of Tides

6.6

The Prince of Tides

1991

Mansfield Park

6.7

Mansfield Park

1999

For Love of the Game

6.5

For Love of the Game

1999

A Beautiful Star

6.3

A Beautiful Star

2017

The Blue Angel

5.6

The Blue Angel

1959

Süss, the Jew

4.3

Süss, the Jew

1940