Andy Griffith's Dark Role in A Face in the Crowd

0:00On April 22nd, Andy Griffith kicked off his movie career with a bang in 1957's A Face in the Crowd, directed by the legendary Elia, Kazan. He played Lonesome Rhodes, a drifter whose skyrockets to fame on radio and TV, only to turn into a total egomaniac who trashes his fans. That film was supposed to be his big break, but it bombed at the box office and got mixed reviews back then. Critics and crowds just didn't connect with a dark twist on fame. His follow-up movie, Onion Head, flop 2, so Andy ditched films altogether. Biographer Daniel DeVice calls it, Andy's greatest one-off role, saying he basically became that twisted character during filming and had to shake it off afterward. It showed a side of him way darker than folks expected. By 1960, Andy pivoted to TV and the Andy Griffith show hit Big Time, running eight seasons with him as the wholesome sheriff Andy Taylor. Alongside Don Nuts, Ron Howard and Francis Bavier. DeVice says the real Andy mixed that goodness with some Lonesome Edge.

1:02He later starred in Matlock from 1985 to 1995, popped up in a few films like Hearts of the West and Waitress, and now. A Face in the Crowd scene as a classic preserved in the Library of Congress National Film Registry. Stay in the know with entertainment and celebrity news today, AI-powered updates.