The Front
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Short description
Set during the anti-communist blacklist in the American entertainment industry, The Front follows Howard Prince, a restaurant cashier and small-time bookmaker who agrees to let a blacklisted television writer submit scripts under his name. The arrangement proves lucrative for both men, and Howard soon extends the same service to other writers shut out of work. His borrowed reputation brings him money, a degree of fame and a romance with a woman who works in television, but it also draws the attention of the House Un-American Activities Committee. When a comedian caught up in the investigations is destroyed by the pressure, Howard's indifference turns to anger and he decides to confront the committee directly.
Martin Ritt directed and produced the film from a screenplay by Walter Bernstein. It sits between Sounder and Norma Rae in Ritt's filmography, the eighth of the ten features listed among his directing credits. Woody Allen plays Howard Prince, heading a large credited cast that includes Zero Mostel, Herschel Bernardi, Michael Murphy and Andrea Marcovicci, with 51 credited cast members and 42 credited crew.
Released in late September 1976 by Columbia Pictures and running 95 minutes, the film is both a comedy and a drama. On IMDb it holds a rating of 7.3 from roughly 10,000 votes, suggesting a solid and widely held reputation, while on TMDB it rates 7 from about 185 votes. A critics' rating of 7 from 25 reviews places it in line with those audience scores.
What's left behind the scenes
- The scene where Hecky Blaine commits suicide is based on the real suicide of an actor on the blacklist – Philip Loeb. This information was revealed in the documentary "Yoo-Hoo, Mrs. Goldberg" (2009).
- While Howard and Florence are walking the streets of New York, a woman dressed in 1970s style can be spotted.
- In the credits, Investigator Hennessy's name is spelled as Hennessey, while the nameplate on his desk reads Francis K. Hennessy.
- The writers in the grocery store, according to screenwriter Walter Bernstein, were images of himself, Abraham Polonsky, and Arnold Manoff. All three were blacklisted in Hollywood as a result of the hearings of the House Un-American Activities Committee. They also co-wrote the script for the series You Are There (1953—1957).
- When Howard and Florence kiss in the park, the George Washington Bridge, a double-decker bridge, can be seen in the background. In 1952, when the film is set, the bridge only had one level.
- The McCarty blacklist includes the names of real people who participated in the making of the film. Among them are director Martin Ritt, screenwriter Walter Bernstein, and actors Zero Mostel, Herschel Bernardi, Lloyd Gough, and Joshua Shelley.
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