''How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying'' is a 1967 American romantic

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the characters are interwo ...

comedy-drama film Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...

based on the 1961 stage musical of the same name, which in turn was based on

Shepherd Mead Shepherd Mead, born Edward Mead (April 26, 1914 – August 15, 1994) was an American writer and is best known as the author of ''How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying,'' which was adapted into a hit Broadway show and motion picture. ...

's 1952 book. The film was produced by

United Artists United Artists Corporation (UA), currently doing business as United Artists Digital Studios, is an American digital production company. Founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks, the stu ...

and directed by David Swift, with original staging by

Bob Fosse Robert Louis Fosse (; June 23, 1927 – September 23, 1987) was an American actor, choreographer, dancer, and film and stage director. He directed and choreographed musical works on stage and screen, including the stage musicals ''The Pajam ...

. The cast includes

Robert Morse Robert Alan Morse (May 18, 1931 – April 20, 2022) was an American actor, who starred in ''How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (musical), How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying'', both the 1961 original Broadway production ...

Rudy Vallee Rudy or Rudi is a masculine given name, sometimes short for Rudolf, Rudolph, Rawad, Rudra, Ruairidh, or variations thereof, a nickname and a surname which may refer to: People Given name or nickname *Rudolf Rudy Andeweg (born 1952), Dutch poli ...

and

Michele Lee Michele Lee is an American actress, singer, dancer, producer, and director. She is known for her role as Karen Fairgate MacKenzie on the prime-time soap opera ''Knots Landing'' (1979–1993), for which she was nominated for a 1982 Emmy Awar ...

all reprising their

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

roles; as well as Anthony Teague, and Maureen Arthur. The film marks the movie debut of Lee. Robert Osborne, who was an actor at this time, was given a small uncredited role as an office employee.

Plot

J. Pierrepont Finch (

) buys the book ''How to Succeed in Business'', describing in step-by-step fashion how to rise in the business world. The ambitious young window cleaner follows its advice carefully. He joins the "World-Wide Wicket Company" and begins work in the mail room. Soon, thanks to the ethically questionable advice in the book, he rises to vice president of advertising by having each person above him either fired or moved or transferred within the company. Finch begins to fall in love with Rosemary Pilkington (

), a secretary at the company. Finch finds out that J.B. Biggley (

), the president of the company, has made advances towards Hedy LaRue ( Maureen Arthur), a beautiful but incompetent woman the company has hired. Finch uses this information to assist his climb on the corporate ladder. Biggley's annoying nephew, Bud Frump ( Anthony Teague), also takes advantage of the situation and tries to get to the top before Finch. By story's end, however, Finch has become chairman of the board, and might make the White House his next step to success.

Cast

Production notes

$1 million was paid for the film rights with the other costs coming to $2.5 million. Both musical and non-musical versions were prepared. The character of Finch was edited slightly as it was feared that the stage characterization of the character was too edgy and that audiences would not find him likable. Many songs from the stage version were cut from the movie, most notably all of Rosemary's solos. She was given a version of the song "I Believe in You" in order to make up for this. The Union Carbide Building (most recently the JPMorgan Chase Tower) that stood at 270 Park Avenue in New York City from 1960 until 2019 was used in exterior shots as the headquarters for the "World-Wide Wicket Company" in the movie. It most notably was used in the sequences in which Finch dashes into the building before his boss arrives in order to arrange coffee cups on his desk and pretends to have fallen asleep on it after apparently working all night as a way to convince his boss to promote him to a higher position in the company. Several actors reprised their roles from the stage version, most notably Morse and Vallee.

Dick Van Dyke Richard Wayne Van Dyke (born December 13, 1925) is an American actor, entertainer and comedian. His award-winning career has spanned seven decades in film, television, and stage. Van Dyke began his career as an entertainer on radio and telev ...

was considered for the role of Finch, but he turned it down due to concerns that he was too old for the role.

Reception

The film received generally positive reviews.

Bosley Crowther Francis Bosley Crowther Jr. (July 13, 1905 – March 7, 1981) was an American journalist, writer, and film critic for ''The New York Times'' for 27 years. His work helped shape the careers of many actors, directors and screenwriters, though his ...

of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', for example, praised the film as successfully re-creating "just about everything that was conducive to the stage success," especially the performances of Morse and Vallee:

Seeing Mr. Morse in close-ups, as those wily expressions cross on his face and those wicked designs of Pal Joey gleam in his Horatio Alger-character eyes, is better (and I'm not chauvinistic) than seeing him on the stage. And Mr. Vallee—well, I can say nothing nicer than that he continues to improve with age.

Upon its release, however, the film failed to make a profit and was a commercial disappointment. It currently holds an 89% "fresh" rating on

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wan ...

. Although the original musical had been a great

success, capturing seven

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual c ...

s, the film version was not nominated for any Academy Awards.

Home release

Broadcast television ''How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying'' premiered on ''

NBC Saturday Night at the Movies ''NBC Saturday Night at the Movies'' was the first TV show to broadcast in color relatively recent feature films from major studios. The series premiered on September 23, 1961, and ran until October 1978, spawning many imitators. Previously, te ...

'' on November 25, 1972. DVD ''How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying'' was released to DVD on April 1, 2003 by MGM Home Video in a Region 1 DVD and is available on Region 2 DVD from Simply Media. Blu-ray ''How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying'' was released to Blu-ray on March 14, 2017 by Twilight Time in a Region A Blu-ray.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying 1967 romantic comedy films 1967 musical comedy films American business films American musical comedy films American romantic comedy films American romantic musical films American satirical films Films about businesspeople Films directed by David Swift Films based on non-fiction books Films based on musicals Films scored by Nelson Riddle Films set in New York City Films shot in California Films shot in New York City American independent films United Artists films Films based on adaptations Musicals choreographed by Bob Fosse 1967 independent films 1967 films Films set in the White House 1960s English-language films 1960s American films