Six Characters in Search of an Author

Luigi Pirandello's modern classic, starring Andy Griffith in a brilliant departure from his television persona as a country sheriff, along with Academy Award-winner John Houseman (The Paper Chase), is directed by Stacy Keach, who has transposed the play?s traditional theatrical setting to a television studio. As a group of actors prepare for a rehearsal of a TV adaptation of another Pirandello play -- "The Rules of the Game" -- the television monitors in the control booth give way to an electrical interference which inexplicably replaces the images of the actors with the images of six mysterious strangers. These are the "six characters" of the title who appear in the flesh in the studio to confront the director and actors with the proposition that their story is more interesting than the play at hand. They gradually take over the stage to act out their story, each character representing a different point of view. A groundbreaking work which has exerted considerable influence on 20th Century drama.
1976, Drama, 90 minutes, Color
Cast: Andy Griffith, John Houseman, Julie Adams, Beverly Todd, James Keach
Written by: Luigi Pirandello
Directed by: Stacy Keach
Produced by: Norman Lloyd
Executive Producer: Norman Lloyd
Productions Stills
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Richard Dreyfuss in
Sam Waterston in 