THE CANDIDAZE

THE CANDIDATE (1972)
dir: Michael Ritchie

THE CANDIDATE
Cracked #107, March 1973
a: John Severin

A team for the Democratic party, led by Marvin Lucas (Peter Boyle) must have someone to run for Senator against the current Republican incumbent, and choose Bill McKay (Robert Redford), current lawyer and son of a former governor. They expect to lose anyway, but let him speak his mind to help get the message of the party across.

McKay begins his campaign making a speech in front of a brush fire in Los Angeles, and presses flesh throughout the town.

Harold Stassen ran for President and other major political offices several times over several decades but never won

The parody has McKay trailing far behind, but he never was by that much.

McKay agrees to a publicized debate with challenger Sen. Crocker Jarmon (Don Porter). In the debate he brings up that some issues weren't mentioned.

The nude centerfold in Cosmopolitan is a reference to Burt Reynolds posing nude for them in an article parodying Playboy's spreads. The panel with the bubble gum wasn't actually in the movie but taken from the poster.

The movie ends with Bill McKay winning and saying “Now what?”