Jose Ferrer directs and stars in The Great Man (1956), which isn't a great movie. Based on Arthur Godfrey, the same television personality who inspired Elia Kazan's A Face in the Crowd (1957), it's really a poor man's Citizen Kane. Entertainment reporter Joe Harris (Jose Ferrer) gets the scoop of a lifetime when his colleague, broadcaster Herb Fuller dies in an accident. Joe's boss (Dean Jagger) asks him to compare a profile of Fuller, beloved by millions as television's "great man." However, Joe finds that Fuller's colleagues reveal him to a be greedy, womanizing alcoholic whose persona is a sham. Should Joe tell the truth and tarnish the network's reputation, or perpetuate a lie?
The Great Man has the germ of a worthwhile idea, exploring the difference between a celebrity's public face and private failings. Problem is, Orson Welles (let alone William K. Howard and Preston Sturges) mined that vein much better. Al Howard's script is a tedious series of speeches, with Fuller's producer (Keenan Wynn), protégé (Julie London) and editor (Russ Morgan) relating their experiences. We hear one of Fuller's broadcasts but otherwise he's unseen figure, worshipped by an ignorant public. Only Joe's ethical dilemma registers, which lacks enough force to carry the film.
Jose Ferrer plays with his usual cool reserve, sprinkled with hard-edged hit. He's a fine lead because he does more than declaim. Julie London's sultry, mournful monolog provides a high point; Jim Backus and Keenan Wynn play broadly, bordering on caricature. Dean Jagger provides ballast as Ferrer's crusty boss.
Bland and forgettable, The Great Man demonstrates how different filmmakers approach similar material. Elia Kazan and Budd Schulberg used Arthur Godfrey for a brilliant, scary satire that still resonates today. Ferrer and Howard make a soggy drama forgotten the week it came out.
