A friend once suggested that the perfect way to begin a film collection would be to buy every Best Picture nominee. He had movies like "A Thousand Clowns" (nominated in 1965) in mind when he said it.

"A Thousand Clowns" was a film years ahead of its time. When you say the words "comedy in black and white" most conjure up images of Capra-like sentimentality, or Marx-esque slapstick.

But "Clowns" is instead a modern comedy, with punchlines as funny and as full of irony and meaning as anything from "Seinfeld" or "The Simpsons."

The film tells the story of Murray Burns (played by Jason Robards), a Kramer-like eccentric (to continue the Seinfeld comparison), who refuses to play society's game.

Murray is a writer who has just quit his job as head writer for the "Chuckles the Chipmunk" show, finding the work completely unsatisfying. Instead, he spends his days raising his 12-year old nephew Nick (an Oscar-deserving performance by Barry Gordon) and doing as he pleases. This includes going to the Statue of Liberty (for the one-hundredth or so time), playing in the park and waving good-bye to people on the ships in New York Harbor — even though he doesn't actually know anyone on the boats.

He goes about having fun, enjoying life on his terms and hassling others for their boring lifestyles.

For example, this is how he answers the phone: "Hello, is this someone with good news or money? (pause) No." Hangs up.

But a team of social workers, concerned by Nick's increasing absence from school, come to Murray and try to convince him to fall back into the fold and rejoin normal society — because that is the proper environment in which to raise a child. And they threaten to take Nick away if he doesn't.

So, the central conflict for Murray becomes the question "Will he `sell-out' and get a normal job, lead a normal life, for the sake of his relationship with Nick?"

While it deals with this fairly serious topic, it does so in a very funny manner. It is a classic film because of its ironic humor. This is a result of Herb Gardner's stellar writing and the actor's wonderfully rich characters.

"A Thousand Clowns" works because it avoids making Murray a hero or making everyone else who does live a more orthodox life the bad guys. Instead, every character gets an opportunity to try to convince Murray to settle down, without the script making a joke of them. Even the uptight social worker (William Daniels) honorably gets a chance to defend his life choices, and he does so very convincingly.

Martin Balsam, who won a Best Supporting Actor award for his role as Murray's brother, Arnold, gives an impassioned speech to Murray, arguing that a job is the sacrifice one makes to be with and support one's family. He claims he is the best Arnold he can be because he does just that.

Nick, who idolizes the life of his uncle, tries at first to convince Murray to be like everyone else. Nick then starts to get upset when Murray actually does so, because it means an end to the carefree life they both had lead.

It is this complexity of story and characters that adds poignant meaning to all the jokes.

The film's modern message and humor make it seem out of place for a 1965 black and white movie. In fact, this reviewer's reaction upon first seeing it was, "I didn't know they made movies like this back then." In a time when both parents are forced to work, and when the work-week seems to get longer and longer, the questions raised in this film seem even more relevant today.

Despite all this, "A Thousand Clowns" remains a little seen film, rarely shown on TV or cable. But its intelligent humor, wonderful performances and profound meaning that lies beneath the surface, as well as its "unknown" status make it a shockingly delightful surprise — well worth a drive to Blockbuster. Or better yet, take my friend's advice and add it to your collection.

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