The film stars Henry Fonda as a former Secretary of State and Cliff Robertson as a sitting U.S. Senator who are two candidates vying for their unspecified party’s presidential nomination. Fonda is a conscience-ridden intellectual rumored to be based on Adlai Stevenson while Robertson is a ruthless opportunist rumored to be based on Bobby Kennedy. Both men have potential fatal vulnerabilities that may stop them from getting the nomination. Once each of the men learns of the other’s skeletons things heat up.

Adapting his own 1960 stage hit, Vidal puts us in the “smoke filled rooms” (non-smoking today) of a political convention. Both candidates are hinging on the endorsement of outgoing president, Art Hockstader, who thrives on infighting and deplores indecision. For his brilliant performance, the late Lee Tracey as Hockstader, a snappish, self-styled political “hick,” received the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1964.

“There’s nothing like a good, dirty, low down political fight to bring the roses to your cheeks” says Hockstader and there was nobody better to pen this sly, sardonic and provocative drama that brings out the best and worst in American politics than Gore Vidal. Apparently, producers still agree since the play was recently performed on Broadway starring James Earl Jones and Angela Lansbury. As an interesting side note, in 1972 James Earl Jones also played the first black President of the United States in the film version of Irving Wallace’s The Man with a screenplay by Rod Sterling. Sadly, this film was never put on DVD but The Best Man was and is available exclusively in Rockland County at the Palisades library. Without giving away the surprise ending, suffice it to say that the best man wins and always will.