The Entertainer

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The Entertainer ★★★½ 1960

Splendid drama of egotistical, third-rate vaudevillian Archie Rice (Olivier), who tries vainly to gain the fame his dying father Billy (Livesey) once possessed. His blatant disregard for his alcoholic wife Phoebe (De Banzie), his superficial sons (Bates and Finney), and his loyal daughter (Plowright) brings his world crashing down around him, as Archie discovers how self-destructive his life has been. Adapted from the play by John Osborne. Remade for TV in 1975 with Jack Lemmon. 104m/B VHS, DVD . GB Laurence Olivier, Brenda de Banzie, Roger Livesey, Joan Plowright, Daniel Massey, Alan Bates, Shirley Anne Field, Albert Finney, Thora Hird; D: Tony Richardson; W: Nigel Kneale, John Osborne; C: Oswald Morris; M: John Addison.

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The Entertainer

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