A middle-aged iconoclast, doggedly avoiding the tedium of employment and conventional life, faces the prospect of losing custody of his young ward.A middle-aged iconoclast, doggedly avoiding the tedium of employment and conventional life, faces the prospect of losing custody of his young ward.A middle-aged iconoclast, doggedly avoiding the tedium of employment and conventional life, faces the prospect of losing custody of his young ward.
- Won 1 Oscar
- 4 wins & 7 nominations total
- The Man in the Restaurant
- (as Phil Bruns)
- The Man in the Office
- (as John MacMartin)
- News Reporter
- (uncredited)
- Nick Burns' Double
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaPer William Daniels' memoir, several months after production on the film concluded, he attended a private screening of an initial cut of the movie. This version contained no location filming, no marching band music score (as was featured in the play), and the role of Leo Herman was performed by Paul Richards and not Gene Saks (who had successfully played it on stage but was originally unavailable for filming). This early cut proved to be such a disappointment to the film's makers, Herb Gardner decided to relinquish his screenwriting fee in exchange for permission from the producers to rewrite several scenes, hire the now-available Saks as a substitute for Richards' performance, shoot a number of exterior scenes on location and extensively re-edit the film into its final version. (Ironically, Richards had taken over the part of "Leo" from Saks in the original Broadway production).
- GoofsAfter Leo leaves the apartment, two different cardboard cutouts of him are used, with different facial appearances.
- Quotes
Murray: I just want him to stay with me until I can be sure he won't turn into Norman Nothing. I want to be sure he'll know when he's chickening out on himself. I want him to get to know exactly the special thing he is or else he won't notice it when it starts to go. I want him to stay awake and know who the phonies are, I want him to know how to holler and put up an argument, I want a little guts to show before I can let him go. I want to be sure he sees all the wild possibilities. I want him to know it's worth all the trouble just to give the world a little goosing when you get the chance. And I want him to know the subtle, sneaky, important reason why he was born a human being and not a chair.
- Crazy creditsIn opening credits: and introducing Barry Gordon as Nick. In the end credits, Gordon is credited to all the different names his character has tried: Nick Burns, Wilbur Malcome Burns, Theodore Burns, Raphael Sabatini, Dr. Morris Fishbein, Woodrow Burns, Chevrolet Burns, Big Sam Burns and Lefty Burns. In the film, however, he is called Nick, Nicky, and Nicholas.
- ConnectionsFeatured in The 68th Annual Academy Awards (1996)
- SoundtracksA Thousand Clowns
(1965)
Written by Judy Holliday and Gerry Mulligan
Sung by Rita Gardner
[Played before the opening titles]
The setting is New York City in the 60s and the movie excellently portrays the feeling of the city at that time. It features incredibly witty and clever dialogue that my family and I unceasingly quote from. This movie deals with the topics of conformity vs. individuality. A movie that can be watched over and over and enjoyed all the more with each viewing! It will enrich your life to see it.
- Princess-18
- Mar 2, 1999
- How long is A Thousand Clowns?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Tausend Clowns
- Filming locations
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $5,232,000
- Runtime1 hour 58 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.66 : 1
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