How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (1967)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Director:

David Swift

Writers:

Shepherd Mead (novel)
Abe Burrows (play) ...

Release Date:

9 March 1967 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Musical

Tagline:

Nothing Succeeds Like "Succeed" ! !

Plot:

Armed with a "How to..." manual, an ambitious window washer seeks to climb the corporate ladder.

Plot Keywords:

How To | Business | Book | Advertising | Secretary

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Robert Morse	...	Finch
Michele Lee	...	Rosemary
Rudy Vallee	...	J.B. Biggley
Anthony 'Scooter' Teague	...	Bud Frump (as Anthony Teague)
Maureen Arthur	...	Hedy LaRue
John Myhers	...	Bratt
Carol Worthington	...	Lucille Krumholtz
Kay Reynolds	...	Smitty
Ruth Kobart	...	Miss Jones
Sammy Smith	...	Twimble Womper / Wally Womper
Jeff DeBenning	...	Gatch (as Jeff Debenning)
Janice Carroll	...	Brenda
Robert Q. Lewis	...	Tackaberry
Paul Hartman	...	Toynbee
Dan Tobin	...	Johnson

Also Known As:

How to Succeed in Business... (USA) (short title)

Runtime:

121 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Finland:S | Sweden:Btl | USA:Unrated | Australia:G | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

270 Park Avenue, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Mirisch Corporation, The

Trivia:

The original Broadway production of "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying" opened at the Forty-sixth Street Theater in New York on October 14, 1961, ran for 1417 performances and won the 1962 Tony Awards for the Best Musical and Book and was nominated for Best Score. Robert Morse (Winner of the 1962 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical), Rudy Vallee, Ruth Kobart and Sammy Smith recreated their stage roles for the movie version.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): When Finch is showing his advertising campaign to the directors, J.B Biggley says, "Bravo, J.B, you've done it again!" to Finch, using his own name.

Quotes:

TV Announcer: A day without a wicket is like a day without sunshine.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Green Acres: How to Succeed in Television Without Really Trying (#3.19)" (1968)

Soundtrack:

Grand Old Ivy

I Believe In You!

Except for four songs being dropped and a slight altering of the original story's pacing, this is a flawless translation of a Broadway classic to the big screen, making great use of New York locations and retaining Robert Morse in the best role of his entire career as the ambitious window washer J. Pierrepoint Finch who climbs his way up the corporate ladder by every little trick in a book that the musical takes it's title from. Morse's timing and delivery is perfect and everyone who's played the part of Finch since on Broadway (most notably Matthew Broderick a few years back) have had to emulate his basic approach to the part.

Michele Lee is also perfect as the secretary Rosemary who is madly in love with Finch. Her sexy solo of "I Believe In You" (a vast improvement over the stage's "Happy To Keep His Dinner Warm") makes you wish she hadn't given up Broadway for TV success because she has one of the best singing voices you'll ever hear.