The beginning of the fifties in the United States. A talented TV writer Alfred Miller, who are in the black list of persons who sympathize with Communist ideas, loses his job. He turns to his friend and offers to become the figurehead on television.
Howard is a loser and a player. Promised ten percent of the fees he'll need it. Very soon the young writer Howard is becoming popular. The producers at a loss - how did such a talented writer? Howard plucks up courage and starts to look over the charming Florence, working in television.
Because he is a complete ignoramus in the literature, it is necessary to educate ourselves. Howard comes up with a brilliant idea: why not introduce even a couple of disgraced writers?..
The Front
| Year | 1976 |
|---|---|
| Country | USA |
| Tagline | What if there were a list? A list that said: Our finest actors weren't allowed to act. Our best writers weren't allowed to write. What would it be like if there were such a list. It would be like America in 1953 |
| Director | Martin Ritt |
| Cinematography | Michael Chapman |
| Scriptwriters | Walter Bernstein |
| Produced | Martin RittRobert GreenhutCharles H. Joffe |
| Music | Dave Grusin |
| Art Direction | Charles BaileyRuth MorleyRobert Drumheller |
| Editing | Sidney Levin |
| Genres | DramaComedy |
| Release Date | September 30, 1976 |
| MPAA | PG |
| Runtime | 95 min. |
Plot Summary
Did You Know?
In the black list McCarthy stated the names of real people involved in creating this film. Among them the Director Martin Ritt, screenwriter Walter Bernstein, and actors zero Mostel, Herschel Bernardi, Lloyd Gough and Joshua Shelley.
Writers at the grocery store, according to screenwriter Walter Bernstein, were images of himself, Abraham Polonsky and Arnold Manoff. All three were blacklisted in Hollywood by the results of the hearings of the Commission on UN-American activities. Together they also wrote the script for the show You Are There (1953-1957).
The scene where Hecky brown commits suicide, based on the real suicide of the actor of the blacklist, Philip Loeb. This information was revealed in the documentary "Woo-hoo, Mrs. Goldberg" (2009).