I'm recommending a good one, this time. Early Tuesday morning, Turner Classic Movies is running A Thousand Clowns, starring Jason Robards and Barbara Harris in the film version of Herb Gardner's play of the same name.
The movie, about an out o' work comedy writer trying to pull his life together, is pretty faithful to the play. It was directed by Fred Coe and according to legend, the producers and Mr. Gardner were not all that thrilled with what Coe considered a finished product. They turned the whole magilla over to Gardner and film editor Ralph Rosenblum, who proceeded to recut the entire thing and even shoot some additional scenes. It took several long months but they managed to improve the movie so much that United Artists, which was distributing the film, began to sense a hit. U.A. agreed to kick in the extra bucks for a more ambitious score and the complete replacement of one actor.
The key role of Chuckles the Chipmunk, a rather disturbing clown, had been originated and performed on Broadway by Gene Saks. Everyone wanted him for the film but at the time it was to begin shooting, Saks was unavailable so another actor played the part. Gardner felt the movie needed the original and by the time he and Rosenblum had completed most of their transformation, Saks was available. He was hired, the Chuckles scenes were reshot with him, and the performance of the other actor was consigned to the scrap bin.
What they wound up with as a film is irresistible and it was even nominated for the Oscar for Best Picture that year. (It lost to The Sound of Music. If it hadn't, it would have lost to Dr. Zhivago, which also came out that year.) Perhaps more important is that in the pantheon of motion picture versions of plays, it's a stellar example of one that totally reflects the vision and sensibilities of the playwright and not the director. Its message about being a non-conformist and maintaining your individuality is pretty obvious — at least half the movies made in 1965 were about being a non-conformist and maintaining your individuality — but it holds up better than most. Give it a peek. It's better than a lot of stuff I've coerced you into watching.