The Front is both a comic delight and perhaps the most graceful act of show business revenge in cinema history. Written by, directed by, and starring various talents blacklisted during the McCarthy-era witch hunts of the 1950s entertainment industry, the film stars Woody Allen as Howard, a cashier and bookie approached by blacklisted television-writer Alfred (Michael Murphy) to act as a "front," i.e., the alleged author of Alfred's works. The scam proves hugely successful.
Often overlooked, Broadway Danny Rose has developed a cult following among select Woody Allen fans; Chris Rock, of all people, says it's one of his favorite films. Allen plays a devoted talent agent for acts whose talent is, shall we say, marginal. But one of his clients, a faded singer named Lou Canova (Nick Apollo Forte), suddenly has a chance to perform for a record executive. Nervous, Canova insists that Rose bring his girlfriend to the show--unfortunately, his girlfriend is Tina Vitale (Mia Farrow), the wife of a big-time mobster.
