The Best Man (1964 film)

The Best Man
theatrical poster
Directed by	Franklin J. Schaffner
Produced by	Stuart Millar Lawrence Turman
Written by	Gore Vidal
Starring	Henry Fonda Cliff Robertson Lee Tracy Margaret Leighton Edie Adams Ann Sothern Kevin McCarthy
Music by	Mort Lindsey
Cinematography	Haskell Wexler
Edited by	Robert Swink
Distributed by	United Artists
Release date	April 5, 1964 (US)
Running time	102 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

The Best Man is a 1964 political drama film directed by Franklin J. Schaffner with a screenplay by Gore Vidal based on his play of the same title. Starring Henry Fonda, Cliff Robertson, and Lee Tracy, the film details the seamy political maneuverings behind the nomination of a presidential candidate. The supporting cast features Edie Adams, Margaret Leighton, Ann Sothern, Shelley Berman, Gene Raymond, and Kevin McCarthy.

Lee Tracy was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for this, his final film.

William Russell (Fonda) and Joe Cantwell (Robertson) are the two leading candidates for the presidential nomination of an unspecified political party. Both have potentially fatal vulnerabilities. Russell is a principled intellectual (said by Vidal to be based on Adlai Stevenson). A sexual indiscretion has alienated his wife Alice (Margaret Leighton). In addition, he has a past nervous breakdown to live down. Cantwell (whom Vidal wrote was based on Richard Nixon) portrays himself as a populist "man of the people," and patriotic anti-communist campaigning to end "the missile gap" (a Kennedy campaign catch-phrase). Cantwell is a ruthless opportunist, willing to go to any lengths to get the nomination.

Neither man can stand the other; neither believes his rival qualified to be President. They clash at the nominating convention in Los Angeles and lobby for the crucial support of dying former President Art Hockstader (Tracy). The pragmatic Hockstader (a character based on Harry Truman, particularly his comments on "striking a blow for liberty" whenever he drinks a bourbon) prefers Russell, but worries about his indecision and principles; he despises Cantwell but appreciates his toughness and willingness to do what it takes.