A young but bright former window
cleaner rises to the top of his company by following the advice of a book about ruthless advancement in business.
Synopsis
Nothing Succeeds Like "Succeed" ! !
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Song and dance singing, musical, songs, tune or dancing musical, songs, singing, comedy or funny band, songs, concert, musician or lyrics dancing, choreography, songs, tune or musical western, cowboy, outlaw, wild or frontier Show All…
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Robert Morse didn’t need to sing himself a love song. At the age of 11, I would have gladly done it for him.
Alongside the likes of Blondie from “Good Bad and the Ugly” and Haley Joel Osment in “The Sixth Sense,” there was a third man whose picture adorned my primary school locker: Robert Morse.
By then, he would have passed the marker of entering into the age of a septuagenarian, but I (and my locker) had a particular image of him scotch taped to our consciousness: as J. Pierpont Finch in “How to Succeed in Business Without Ever Really Trying.”
One of only a handful of musicals to ever claim the Pulitzer Prize, “How to….,” with songs by…
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A completely delightful musical comedy that sends-up big business, marketing, and the corporate ladder, "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying" is a joy to watch. With its array of semi-classic tunes and flirty sensibility, the film is a fully entertaining toe-tapper.
Following the meteoric rise up and subsequent stumbles down the economic escalator by Robert Morse's J. Pierpont Finch, "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying" finds its protagonist leaving a clumsy mark on the World-wide Wicket Company. Quickly in over his head, Finch's exploits serve as a satirical commentary on the world of large-scale capitalistic ventures.
Directed by David Swift, the film bounces with vibrant melodies and appealing color. The tone is textured, allowing for a…
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"Ah the moon belongs to everyone
The best things in life they're free
Stars belong to everyone
They cling there for you and for me..."But now it belongs to you, Robert Morse. A theatre legend. He gave an unforgettable performance in the TV show 'Mad Men'.
RIP, good sir.
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I am obsessed. This is currently my favorite movie of the 60’s and that’s saying something. Very few movies are as fun as this. Full with color, catchy songs, and charm. Streaming for free on plutotv (a free legal streaming service) #notsponsored. Anyway watch it. Please.
Favorite Of Each Decade -
Robert Morse as the conman who works his way up the corporate ladder using a guide called… How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying! Don't know why his isn't referenced more as one of the all time great comedic performances, though I'll admit I had no idea he had it in him either. My partner isn't a fan of musicals, while I am with the caveat that I don't blindly love them, but we both loved this. Proportionately it's 60% a satire on corporations, and 40% a musical with Bob Fosse at the helm which makes it pretty dang hard to deny whoever you are.
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The set design was impeccable, and there were some bits of wonderful choreography. But Robert Morse had such a wild gleam in his eyes! I am uncomfortable.
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Whoof. I keep trying to catch up with the big musicals I haven't seen, but every time I step outside the classic canon, I see why some musicals have stood the test of time, and others… haven't. This is a pretty toxic and not very funny story about a venal, backstabbing yahoo rapidly climbing the corporate ladder from window-washer to a much higher position, largely by sucking up, sabotaging, and stealing. It's meant as satire, but it's awfully broad and sour and smarmy. A story with no one to root for can still be thrilling, but a story with no possible outcome to root for tends to just be tedious. And ugh, the gender politics, the creepy idea of love…
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This is one of the most underrated movie musicals! I forgot how many of these songs were good/catchy, with a fun story. I really liked Robert Morse in Mad Men, but never saw any of his early work, and I thought he was great in this too. This role was very familiar to him as he had also played J. Pierpont Finch on broadway (to which he won a Tony). This is a very fight, light musical that’s also a great screen adaption.
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Robert Morse plays an uneducated nobody who lies and manipulates his way into a high-powered career in advertising during the 1960s. I tell you that'd make a great plot for a dramatic television series, but they'd need a veteran actor to play a senior partner at the firm and it oughta be someone who'd famously played a role in that same millieu.
R.I.P. sir. You were a giant.
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Film #1 of the Mystery March Challenge, selected by Jonny G.
The oddly named J. Pierpont Finch (F-I-N-C-H) finds a book named 'How To Succeed in Business' and gives up his job as a window cleaner. Thanks to the questionable business practices that the book offers, within two days he's a Vice President.
His meteoric rise is told in a charmingly silly film that lurches from scene to scene to song to song in a way that feels rather like a series of sketches rather than a fully connected narrative, but it's amusing, charming and colourful to raise a few laughs, even if it does drag a little toward the end.
I felt like it was concentrating on the wrong…
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Essential viewing for Mad Men fans, and Mid-Century Modern design enthusiasts. Robert Morse is a revelation as the window-washer turned vice-president of advertising and Michele Lee turns in an utterly fetching performance as his secretary/love interest. For a 50-year old film, the themes were still surprisingly relevant. Not much has changed in terms of office politics. I wish there'd been more musical numbers, but what was here was pure quality.
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Film #2 in Mystery March Challenge
I was pretty stoked when this came up as my second film in the Mystery March Challenge. Being a musical theatre tragic, I've seen clips of the recent revival of the stage show with everyone's favourite hobbit-sized man, Daniel Radcliff, donning the bow tie and playing J. Pierrepont Finch.
The film however, has not aged as well as I had hoped. I think my major problem with it is the acting of the original J. Pierrepont Finch, Robert Morse. His character has zero redeeming qualities. All he wishes for is exactly what the title says. He is a cunning little man, whose gapped-tooth, smug dimpled face annoyed me further and further into the story.…