A FACE IN THE CROWD (1957) One you won't see in Mayberry

What do a sweet sitcom sheriff and an egomaniacal TV messiah have in common? Only one thing – both were brought to life by former standup comic Andy Griffith. In A FACE IN THE CROWD, pre-Mayberry Griffith makes his gritty film debut as a character miles away from Ange, Lonesome Rhodes, whose rocket rise from jail to TV philosopher to ruthless politician is abruptly wrecked by a moment of on-air hubris. Griffith's hypnotic performance proves how strong a performance a strong director (Elia Kazan) can bring out – and taken as a cautionary tale about the power of TV, the movie could have been made yesterday.