Studio One (TV Series) The Man Who Had Influence (1950) User Reviews

fairly routine early TV play

[didi-5 · 6/10 · 25 January 2009]

One of the lesser 'Studio One' entries, this tale of a spoilt son of a rich and influential man trying to cut through corruption to find justice. Robert Sterling is OK in the lead role - and he was in many similar teleplays throughout the 1950s.

However the fact that this is live television is shown by some tripping of lines (notably by Stanley Ridges as the overbearing father), and a noticeable lack of budget. As it stands, this play is workmanlike enough, with decent performances from Sally Hester as Sterling's girlfriend, and Anne Marno (Bancroft) as the hat check girl.

It's just that the tale is too predictable, and therefore lacks interest. And the print I saw had significant sound problems in parts which meant some plot and dialogue was missed - aside from that, this is an entertaining enough hour.

Ok, David's a jerk...we get it...we get it!

[planktonrules · 6/10 · 20 August 2018]

I think I liked this installment of "Studio One" more than most. While I wholeheartedly agree that the writing was bad, it was only partially bad and the rest I liked and appreciated. The bad is that the first few minutes of the show beat you over the head again and again that David is an irresponsible spoiled brat. Subtle it wasn't...and I was tempted to turn it off and not finish. However, the good I noticed later. The father was a wonderfully evil and awful character...and he made the show worth seeing...even if the man playing that part occasionally had trouble with his lines!!

The story is about the bratty man-child, David and his killing a woman while under the influence. His father is a rich mover and shaker and plans, as usual, to buy his son's way out of trouble. However, through the course of his time in jail awaiting the trial, David has time to reflect...and he doesn't like what he's forced to admit.

So what we have is a mixed bag here. With a minor re-write, it could have been fabulous. As it is, we have an obviously flawed and therefore second-rate installment of an otherwise great series.

"If you want influence, stay out of the papers".

[classicsoncall · 6/10 · 26 April 2011]

Robert Sterling portrays an embarrassing drunk and an even worse heel as the adult son of a state senator (Stanley Ridges) used to getting his way. Sterling's character David Grant picks up a hat check girl at a local club while his stalwart fiancée takes it in stride as part of his incorrigible behavior. The hat check girl, as it turns out, would do a little seducing of her own some seventeen years later as Mrs. Robinson, who taught Dustin Hoffman a thing or two in "The Graduate". I would never have recognized Anne Bancroft in her role here, particularly since her screen credit was given as Anne Marno.

As it turns out, Bancroft/Marno doesn't have much to do here, as her character dies in an auto accident due to young Grant's condition. The rest of the story plays out as your basic morality play, with the elder Grant attempting to pull strings and line pockets to get his son off the hook. He's confronted by the fiancée (Sally Hester) at one point, making her point that David will never be a man under his father's influence.

The story was building to a dramatic conclusion with David's monologue in court, virtually talking his way into a maximum ten year sentence for manslaughter before a judge that was bought for the first time in his career. Even so, the judge skated David's sentence to the two year minimum, as the senior Grant had to sit there and take it while David unloaded with both barrels.

Probably the best part of this Westinghouse Studio One presentation for me was the inclusion of three era commercials for Westinghouse appliances. Really, you have to marvel at the only frost free refrigerator on the market at the time. The commercials were hosted by early TV pitch-woman, later consumer affairs advocate Betty Furness. The commercials look unbelievably hokey today, especially the one promoting a Westinghouse 'Dividend Sale', whereby you purchase a sandwich grill and pick up a free waffle grid worth, get this - $2.95! A bargain at any price, the appliance maker was surely resolved to live up to it's corporate slogan - 'You can be sure... if it's Westinghouse'.

Predictable Drama Notable for Early Anne Bancroft Appearance

[mstomaso · 4/10 · 21 March 2008]

The award-winning early TV series "Studio One" brought us this predictable morality play. J.C.Grant is a man who can buy anybody or anything, and when he can't buy someone, he resorts to blackmail. His son David, a budding alcoholic and recent college drop out, finally crosses the line one night when he offers to give a very young Anne Bancroft (Marno) a ride home from her job at a local bar, wrecks his car, and in the process, gets her killed. Facing manslaughter charges, David's only excuse is "I was drunk, I don't remember anything", and he is up against an elderly, head-strong judge with a pristine record. What will J.C. do to bail his son out this time? Most of the characters in this live-performance drama are pretty irritating, and like many Studio One broadcasts, the set and camera work create a somewhat claustrophobic feeling. With the exception of Stanley Ridges (J.C. Grant), the acting is fairly impressive. Ridges trips over several lines and noticeably self-corrects. Franklin Schaffner, a Studio One regular, does a nice tidy job with directing the show.

The story is a predictable morality play and is, at times, very heavy-handed. Although the moral is worth listening too, I was disturbed by the implicit bigotry just below the surface of this film, and positively angry about the way it ended.

Predictable Little Drama

[Hitchcoc · 5/10 · 20 April 2007]

Studio One was at the head of the list in the Golden Age of television. These dramas were often a little stilted since they were performed live. The actors do a decent job with this script. It's just not a very interesting story. The young spoiled son of a wealthy man is able to get away with virtually anything. His father has politicians in his pocket and continuously bails the guy out. The problem is that he finally causes the death of a young Italian cigarette girl. Once in jail, he has an epiphany as dad tries to exert his power, stopping at nothing to get his son out, including going after a judge with a dying wife, threatening his pension. The son (Robert Sterling) continues to turn to morality. It's a nice little story. My version has a group of 1950's Westinghouse commercials which are more interesting than the drama. Still, it's OK.

The Father Should Have Gone To Prison

[Rainey-Dawn · 2/10 · 10 May 2016]

It's not secret throughout this episode that the father, J.C. Grant, has lots of money and influence. J.C. is well known for his large cases of bribery & blackmail - which carries a hefty sentence in reality (especially as much money as he's paying out all the time). Also, he's trying to help buy and bribe his son David free of prison for accidentally killing a woman from a night of drinking and driving - (accidental) manslaughter. Yes the father should have gone to prison during or after this case - in fact, he should have been in prison years ago.

I also have to say that I almost understand why David drinks heavily - it's his father J.C. J.C. is a big time filthy rich crook that should have been in prison years ago. There is no way J.C. is rich enough to buy every one off - I don't believe.

The big question with this film: "Is David going to be found guilty or innocent of all charges against him?" 2/10

Hardly Studio One's finest hour

[fredcdobbs5 · 3/10 · 30 July 2015]

As other reviewers have noted, this is a predictable drama about the spoiled, dissolute son of a rich and powerful politician. Although it was filmed live and allowances have to be made for that, it's still marred by poor performances (especially by the unknown Sally Hester, who only has, according to the IMDb, three credits in her entire career, all of them in early television) and trite writing. Robert Sterling looks the part of a rich playboy but was never really much of an actor, as he proves here. He comes to life somewhat in the courtroom-scene finale, but it's too little too late. Veteran stage and film actor Stanley Ridges, as the father, noticeably flubs his lines on several occasions, as do other actors, and the camera-work is shaky at times. On the other hand, the young and radiant Anne Bancroft--billed as Ann Marno--lights up the screen in the few scenes she's in before she gets killed off, and Eva Marie Saint has a brief and unbilled part as a member of Sterling's entourage. Director Franklin Schaffner tries a few flashy directorial touches--noticeably one where he shoots Ridges through a pair of eyeglasses conveniently held in front of him by another character--but they don't really come off. The ending is somewhat ludicrous and the entire production--at least in the print I watched--had major problems with sound, but even if it hadn't, there really isn't all that much worth listening to in the first place. "Studio One" has a well deserved reputation for having presented some of the finest examples of TV's "Golden Era", but this show definitely isn't one of them.

The Man Who Had Influence Meets The Woman Who Sold Refrigerators

[cutterccbaxter · 30 July 2023]

Based on some of the reviewer comments it's interesting to note the enthusiasm for old tv commercials.

I know I have happily watched hours of vintage commercials, but have to fight the urge to throw myself out the window when sitting through a new tv commercial. But maybe fifty years from now I would gladly watch them if not for the fact that I will be dead and won't be watching anything.

While The Man Who Had Influence may stumble over its own earnestness, it is still fun to periodically take a peek at these live productions to appreciate the creative ingenuity on display given the inherent restrictions of the format.

Surprisingly Cynical

[dougdoepke · 9 July 2018]

Well acted, albeit rather cynical portrayal of America's upper echelon, circa 1950. Handsome David is the pampered son of wealthy calculating father who specializes in behind-the-scenes political fixes. Trouble is ne'r-do-well David picks up a hat-check girl while drunk and ends up with her dead in his car while he has no recollection. Nonetheless, it seems a piece-of-cake for veteran fixer Dad who specializes in bending rules his way, especially for his son. Meanwhile, David's coming to realize he will never be his own person until he disavows Dad's suffocating hand.

The hour's lasting highlight may well be a surprisingly honest insider view of political corruption. Dad knows just how to pressure public officials to do his bidding, whatever it may be. It's a particularly uncompromising glimpse of backdoor manuevering, and I expect were the show produced several months later, after the onset of the patriotic Korean War, it would never have reached the screen.

The drama itself culminates in a pretty good final court scene, with an unusually uncertain upshot. So there is some suspense. In their key roles, Ridges (Dad) and Sterling (David) manage emotion without going over the top. Calder's unlikely role as the friendly prison guard, however, strikes me as a contrivance aimed at bringing out David's inner thoughts. What I really like is the way the father's dominance is subtly accounted for in an ironic way. Anyway, it's an engaging hour of very early TV, when dramatic programs were expected to emulate the more prestigious aspects of theatre. Either way, it's worth a tune-in, especially for the bold cynicism that would soon disappear from Cold War channels.