The Comedian
1957 · TV movie · 74 min
Directed by John Frankenheimer. Written by Rod Serling. Starring Mickey Rooney, Kim Hunter, Edmond O'Brien, Mel Tormé.
Sammy Hogarth, a vaudeville comedian who now has his own TV show, is a ruthless egomaniac who demands instant obedience from his staff and heaps abuse on those in lesser positions than his. His most vituperative behavior, however, is reserved for his weak-willed brother, Lester, whom Sammy has hired as his assistant but whom he really uses as his whipping boy.