A Thousand Clowns

Nick is twelve and lives with his uncle Murray. Murray used to write comedy for television; he walked away from it a year ago, keeps a routine entirely of his own, and has no intention of working again. Then the welfare people arrive: for the boy to stay with him, Murray will have to find a proper job and look like a normal man. Nick has spent his life glorying in his uncle's refusal to comply, and now he is the one mediating. What actually frightens him is watching Murray start to give in. Fred Coe's 1965 film comes from Herb Gardner's own play. Martin Balsam won the Academy Award for best supporting actor for it, and the film was nominated for best picture.