The Comic

An account of the rise and fall of a silent film comic, Billy Bright. The movie begins with his funeral, as he speaks from beyond the grave in a bitter tone about his fate, and takes us through his fame, as he ruins it with womanizing and drink, and his fall, as a lonely, bitter old man unable to reconcile his life's disappointments. The movie is based loosely on the life of Buster Keaton.

Cast

Dick Van Dyke

Billy Bright

Michele Lee

Mary Gibson

Mickey Rooney

Cockeye

Cornel Wilde

Frank Powers

Nina Wayne

Sybil Atlas

Pert Kelton

Mama Bell

Steve Allen

Steve Allen

Barbara Heller

Ginger

Ed Peck

Edwin G. Englehardt

Jeannine Riley

Lorraine Bell