The Oscar
The Oscar ★½ 1966 (R)
Unless you enjoy razzing bad acting, this is not for you. Meant as a comeuppance for Hollywood, by Hollywood, this story of movie star Frank Fane (Boyd), climbing the ladder of success and squashing fingers on every rung is too schlocky to succeed. The climax, when the scumbag star thinks he's won an Oscar and stands up, only to find it's for someone else, was based on Frank Capra's embarrassing experience in 1932 with the same situation. Adapted from the novel by Richard Sale. 119m/C VHS . Stephen Boyd, Elke Sommer, Jill St. John, Tony Bennett, Milton Berle, Eleanor Parker, Joseph Cotten, Edie Adams, Ernest Borgnine, Ed Begley Sr., Walter Brennan, Broderick Crawford, James Dunn, Peter Lawford, Merle Oberon, Bob Hope, Frank Sinatra; D: Russell Rouse; W: Russell Rouse, Harlan Ellison, Clarence Greene; C: Joseph Ruttenberg.