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Movie: The Candidate (1972)Robert Redford, Peter Boyle, Melvyn Douglas Star in Political Film
Robert Redford is Bill McKay, a dark-horse prospect for a U.S. Senate seat, in Warner Bros'. The Candidate. Peter Boyle, Melvyn Douglas and Don Porter co-star.
Director Michael Ritchie's The Candidate came to movie theaters in the presidential election year of 1972. Robert Redford has the title role of a political neophyte who runs for a United States Senate seat from California. Don Porter is Redford's seemingly invincible opponent, with Peter Boyle, Melvyn Douglas, Allen Garfield and Michael Lerner also on the Hollywood ballot. Screenplay, Director, MusicJeremy Larner wrote The Candidate for Warner Bros. Directing was Michael Ritchie, who had previously directed Robert Redford in Downhill Racer (1969). John Rubinstein created the music score. The Candidate CastRobert Redford is idealistic attorney Bill McKay. Other cast members include Peter Boyle (Marvin Lucas), Melvyn Douglas (John J. McKay), Don Porter (Senator Crocker Jarmon), Allen Garfield (Howard Klein), Karen Carlson (Nancy McKay), Quinn Redeker (Rich Jenkin), Morgan Upton (Henderson), Michael Lerner (Paul Corliss) and Kenneth Tobey (Starkey). Real-life politicians seen in the movie include Senator Alan Cranston, Senator Hubert H. Humphrey, Senator George McGovern, Congressman Jerry Waldie and Mayor Sam Yorty. Filming LocationsThe Candidate was filmed on location in California in 1971. The Paramount Theatre in Oakland served as McKay campaign headquarters. Other locales included Monterey, San Francisco, San Jose, Tracy (the parade scene), Angel Island, Ross and King City. Bill McKay for U.S. SenatePolitical operative Marvin Lucas is searching for a Democratic candidate to take on the popular Republican incumbent, Senator Crocker Jarmon. When no big name politico comes forward, Lucas persuades liberal lawyer Bill McKay to enter the race. McKay, the son of a former governor, easily wins the Democratic nomination almost by brand name alone. Viewed as a sure loser in the general election, however, McKay still hits the campaign trail, speaking his mind on an array of issues. Suprisingly, McKay's star begins to rise in the polls. Now confronted with the distinct possibility of actually winning, McKay changes course, modifying his views in order to attract more votes. A televised debate between McKay and Jarmon transpires, with McKay going off script near the end in a candid speech on poverty and justice. McKay (as in "Bill McKay - the better way") is eventually aided by his ex-governor father. Now corrupted by the campaign itself, Candidate McKay becomes hell-bent for simple election as the big day arrives and he nervously awaits the results. The Candidate Release, ReviewsThe Candidate made its world premiere at New York City's Sutton Theater on June 29, 1972. "The Candidate is an excellent drama starring Robert Redford as a naive liberal political novice who wises up fast," reported Variety (6/21/72). "The Candidate is serious, but its tone is coldly comic, as if it had been put together by people who had given up hope," offered Vincent Canby of The New York Times (6/30/72). Academy Award, Box OfficeJeremy Larner -- a former speechwriter for Senator Eugene McCarthy -- won an Academy Award for his biting screenplay. The Candidate did only fair business at the box office, failing to crack the list of the top twenty moneymaking films of 1972 and lagging far behind another Robert Redford movie that year, the iconic Jeremiah Johnson (#5). The Candidate DVDThe Candidate is available on DVD from Warner Home Video. "Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it, misdiagnosing it, and then misapplying the wrong remedies," said Groucho Marx (1890-1977). Look for Groucho in a walk-on cameo, making The Candidate his last film appearance.
The copyright of the article Movie: The Candidate (1972) in Film Dramas is owned by William J. Felchner. Permission to republish Movie: The Candidate (1972) in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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