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296:) refuses and Bright begins to storm off, but when his car rolls off a cliff he is forced to accept the terms. As soon as the cameras are rolling, however, he improvises (and sabotages) his way to becoming the hero of the scenario. His combination of acquiescence and audacity pays off, and before long he has become a major film comedy star in the 1910s and '20s, the silent picture era of 376:. The denouement of Bright's life, and the film, finds him in and out of the hospital and visited by his now-grown son Billy Jr. (also played by Van Dyke in a dual role), reduced to setting the alarm in his dingy two-room apartment, and catching airings of him and his former wife's old comedies at odd hours on TV — which he watches without a hint of a smile. 323:; when she confronts him, he tries to turn the tables and shame her into apologizing for the accusation. But at the height of their fame and fortune, he is served with papers naming him in a Hollywood power couple's divorce filing. Mary leaves him, taking their young son and the couple's palatial estate. 36: 330:, also leaving the country to film in Europe for four years. He sobers up and attempts a comeback in Hollywood but — ever living in the past — will accept it on no other terms than those he had been accustomed to, adamantly refusing the studio's offer to star him in a 338:). Like the film industry, people are moving along without Billy, including his wife, who rebuffs his attempt to win her back. The one constant in his life, other than his decreasingly appealing sense of identity, is his old screen 291:
clown Bright arrives on his first California film location insisting that he will perform his bit role only if he can wear the outrageous costume and makeup of the character he has been known for on the stage. The director
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The film did poorly at the box office upon its release, but it was appreciated later as a movie about one silent star's rise and fall, patterned after the many silent stars who tried to make it and failed in later years.
319:), and is beaten up by the director, whom she's been dating. The two increasingly popular performers marry, starting their own production company together. As early as her pregnancy, she begins to suspect his 577:, and no attempt was made to legally stop them from imitating Laurel and his friend Hardy or even copying his face, which in part inspired this film. 357:
as himself) has the faded star on in an effort to revive Bright's career, and the elderly comedian proves capable — if somewhat pathetically to the
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Reiner loosely patterned the story of Bright's career downfall on the real-life travails of a number of early film actors, primarily
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said that he wrote the film as a vehicle for Van Dyke, who had often expressed the wish on the set of their TV show
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schtick. The pitch works, but this time the only vehicle that will allow him to run through his preferred brand of
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that he had been working at the same time as comedy legends such as his hero
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stars of the day on the couch alongside him — of recreating his old
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as Bright's friends and colleagues. Reiner wrote the screenplay with
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Discusses His Career in Entertainment". Aired September 22, 2000.
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as Billy Bright (which was the original title of the film),
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http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0009/22/lkl.00.html
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Some details parallel the experiences of silent comedians
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This article is about the 1969 film. For other uses, see
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era and, in part, by the life of silent film superstar
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Among the exceptions were silent and sound film star
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Englehardt 21:Comic (disambiguation) 463:] as 1st Director 1061:1960s American films 185: (United States) 174: (New York City) 695:; 2003, hardcover, 225:is a 1969 American 1021:Films about actors 837:Films directed by 767:TCM Movie Database 693:St. Martin's Press 651:Mr. Saturday Night 1051:Films set in 1969 973: 972: 689:My Anecdotal Life 517: 516: 218: 217: 152:Columbia Pictures 108:W. Wallace Kelley 40:theatrical poster 1073: 963:That Old Feeling 883:The One and Only 831: 824: 817: 808: 807: 737: 721: 715: 682: 665:Benny & Joon 595:was released on 385: 184: 182: 173: 171: 142:Acre Enterprises 38: 26: 25: 1081: 1080: 1076: 1075: 1074: 1072: 1071: 1070: 976: 975: 974: 969: 947:Sibling Rivalry 841: 835: 802:Rotten Tomatoes 746: 741: 740: 726:Larry King Live 722: 718: 683: 679: 674: 641: 590: 563: 523: 518: 508:as Al Schilling 488:Isabell Sanford 411:as Frank Powers 393:as Billy Bright 382: 306:Charlie Chaplin 266: 195: 188: 180: 178: 169: 167: 160: 143: 138: 136: 88: 84: 72: 60: 41: 24: 17: 12: 11: 5: 1079: 1069: 1068: 1063: 1058: 1053: 1048: 1043: 1038: 1033: 1028: 1023: 1018: 1013: 1008: 1003: 998: 993: 988: 971: 970: 968: 967: 959: 955:Fatal Instinct 951: 943: 935: 927: 919: 911: 903: 895: 887: 879: 871: 867:Where's Poppa? 863: 855: 851:Enter Laughing 846: 843: 842: 834: 833: 826: 819: 811: 805: 804: 793: 792: 780: 769: 758: 745: 744:External links 742: 739: 738: 716: 676: 675: 673: 670: 669: 668: 661: 654: 647: 640: 637: 589: 586: 562: 559: 522: 519: 515: 514: 510: 509: 503: 497: 485: 479: 473: 470: 464: 455:Gavin Mac Leod 452: 449:Jeannine Riley 444: 443: 442: 436: 433:Barbara Heller 430: 424: 418: 412: 406: 400: 399:as Mary Gibson 394: 383: 381: 378: 268:Billy Bright ( 265: 262: 216: 215: 212: 208: 207: 204: 200: 199: 196: 193: 190: 189: 187: 186: 175: 163: 161: 158: 155: 154: 149: 148:Distributed by 145: 144: 141: 139: 134: 131: 130: 125: 121: 120: 118:Adrienne Fazan 115: 111: 110: 105: 104:Cinematography 101: 100: 97: 93: 92: 79: 75: 74: 69: 65: 64: 57: 53: 52: 47: 43: 42: 39: 31: 30: 15: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 1078: 1067: 1064: 1062: 1059: 1057: 1054: 1052: 1049: 1047: 1044: 1042: 1039: 1037: 1034: 1032: 1029: 1027: 1024: 1022: 1019: 1017: 1014: 1012: 1009: 1007: 1004: 1002: 999: 997: 994: 992: 989: 987: 984: 983: 981: 965: 964: 960: 957: 956: 952: 949: 948: 944: 941: 940: 936: 933: 932: 931:Summer School 928: 925: 924: 923:Summer Rental 920: 917: 916: 912: 909: 908: 904: 901: 900: 896: 893: 892: 888: 885: 884: 880: 877: 876: 872: 869: 868: 864: 861: 860: 856: 853: 852: 848: 847: 844: 840: 832: 827: 825: 820: 818: 813: 812: 809: 803: 799: 798: 794: 791: 788: 786: 785: 781: 779: 775: 774: 770: 768: 764: 763: 759: 757: 753: 752: 748: 747: 736: 732: 731:Dick Van Dyke 728: 727: 720: 713: 709: 707: 703:). 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It stars 234:Carl Reiner 96:Narrated by 86:Michele Lee 73:Aaron Ruben 71:Carl Reiner 68:Produced by 62:Aaron Ruben 59:Carl Reiner 50:Carl Reiner 46:Directed by 986:1969 films 980:Categories 672:References 633:B00F1FVLPM 625:0800132823 588:Home media 521:Production 490: [ 482:Fritz Feld 457: [ 429:as himself 415:Nina Wayne 374:commercial 328:alcoholism 289:vaudeville 282:flashbacks 227:PathĂ©color 198:94 minutes 181:1969-12-26 170:1969-11-19 135:Production 56:Written by 915:All of Me 859:The Comic 797:The Comic 784:The Comic 773:The Comic 762:The Comic 751:The Comic 706:The Comic 607:in 1986 ( 593:The Comic 582:The Comic 484:as Armand 478:as Phoebe 469:as Miguel 435:as Ginger 371:detergent 367:slapstick 351:talk show 222:The Comic 114:Edited by 29:The Comic 891:The Jerk 875:Oh, God! 778:AllMovie 639:See also 613:17939307 561:Response 502:as Nurse 417:as Sybil 363:pratfall 340:sidekick 321:adultery 211:Language 124:Music by 78:Starring 787:at the 765:at the 710:at the 658:Chaplin 439:Ed Peck 423:as Mama 278:funeral 214:English 203:Country 179: ( 168: ( 137:company 966:(1997) 958:(1993) 950:(1990) 942:(1989) 934:(1987) 926:(1985) 918:(1984) 910:(1983) 902:(1982) 894:(1979) 886:(1978) 878:(1977) 870:(1970) 862:(1969) 854:(1967) 699:  631:  623:  611:  512: 359:groovy 353:host ( 332:talkie 369:is a 272:), a 756:IMDb 697:ISBN 629:ASIN 621:ISBN 609:OCLC 553:and 380:Cast 308:and 264:Plot 800:at 776:at 754:at 729:, " 723:On 615:). 601:RCA 599:by 597:VHS 493:sic 460:sic 346:). 982:: 687:. 539:. 312:. 304:, 300:, 260:. 830:e 823:t 816:v 714:. 691:( 603:/ 292:( 183:) 172:) 23:.

Index

Comic (disambiguation)

Carl Reiner
Aaron Ruben
Dick Van Dyke
Michele Lee
Mickey Rooney
W. Wallace Kelley
Adrienne Fazan
Jack Elliott
Columbia Pictures
Pathécolor
comedy-drama
Carl Reiner
Dick Van Dyke
Michele Lee
Mickey Rooney
Aaron Ruben
silent film
Buster Keaton
Dick Van Dyke
silent-era film comedian
funeral
flashbacks
vaudeville
Cornel Wilde
Buster Keaton
Harold Lloyd
Charlie Chaplin
Stan Laurel

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