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Original title:How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Category:Movie / Comedy / Musical
Released:1967
Director:David Swift
Actors:Robert Morse,Michele Lee,Rudy Vallee
Writer:Abe Burrows,Jack Weinstock
Duration:2h 1min
Video type:Movie

Rating 7.2: Votes 741

1967 Robert Morse Michele Lee Rudy Vallee David Swift

Short summary

Twenty-seven year old New York window washer, J. Pierrepont Finch, believes he can be a success in the corporate world after he impulsively picks up the book "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying". The book promises its reader that he can climb the corporate ladder simply and quickly. The Worldwide Wicket Corporation, the business in the office building whose windows he washes is, according to the book, the perfect type of business. There he meets secretary Rosemary Pilkington, who sees in Ponty (as she calls him) an unassuming man who she believes the corporate world will eat alive. But Ponty, memorizing what the book tells him, does quickly climb the corporate ladder but not by doing any real work. Ponty has a few obstacles along the way such as: Bud Frump who sees Ponty as a rival and is the nephew by marriage of the company president J.B. Biggley; Hedy La Rue, a curvaceous but simple woman who has a secret or not-so-secret tie to someone important in the company; Mr. ...

The scene featuring Robert Morse skipping & dancing down the street on his way to work (immediately after the "Old Ivy" fight song duet with Rudy Vallee) was filmed on location in New York City using hidden cameras and a small earpiece to cue Morse on his timing. The various amused & astonished passersby were not extras, but rather were New Yorkers reacting genuinely to someone dancing to his own tune.

All of Rosemary's songs (including "Happy To Keep His Dinner Warm" and "Paris Original") were cut from the movie version. Additionally, the song "Rosemary" was shortened to only be sung by Finch, rather than being a duet between the two. To make up for this "I Believe In You" was given to her for the movie. In the stage play, she does not sing this to him, and the first time it is heard is during the scene where Finch sings it to himself in the executive washroom, but she does a brief reprise of the song after this scene. In the film, she sings the full version in an earlier scene, making Finch's washroom version the reprise.

The Broadway version of Finch had a lot more "edge" to him. The movie producers felt they had to make him nicer for the movie in order to be more likeable to the audience.

How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying won the Pulitzer Prize in Drama in 1962. Only nine musicals have won the Pulitzer Prize in drama - one per decade from the 1930s to the 1990s. They are as follows: Of Thee I Sing (1972) from the 1930s, South Pacific (1958) from the 1940s, Fiorello from the 1950s, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (1967) from the 1960s, A Chorus Line (1985) from the 1970s, American Playhouse: Sunday in the Park with George (1986) from the 1980s, Rent (2005) from the 1990s, Next to Normal from the 2000s and Hamilton from the 2010s.

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.

A self-help book titled "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying" did exist. The full title: "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying: the Dastard's Guide to Fame and Fortune" by Shepherd Mead (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1952). At the time-of-setting of the play and film, Simon and Schuster had almost certainly issued it in mass-market paperback, so that a real-life J. Pierpont Finch could indeed have picked it up at a kiosk and run with it.

Michele Lee's movie debut.

Many of the actors, notably Robert Morse and Rudy Vallee, reprised their Broadway roles in this film.

The music during Miss Jones' first entrance is the same music that Nelson Riddle used as the Penguin's Theme in the Batman (1966) TV show.

When Mr. Gatch grabs Rosemary and is rebuffed, he says, "I really have to stop reading Playboy." How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying was serialized in Playboy magazine.

The song "Coffee Break" was filmed, but the footage was later deemed unusable, leaving a somewhat obvious cut when the coffee cart arrives.

Although Dick Van Dyke was briefly considered to play Finch, the actor quickly dismissed the idea by pointing out he wasn't nearly young enough.

In 1964, Tony Curtis expressed interest in playing the role of the up-and-coming young business exec eventually portrayed by Robert Morse, even though he was then nearly 40 and far too old for the role.

The Mirisch Company paid $1,000,000 for the film rights, an astronomical figure in 1964.

Actor Sammy Smith really did prove it's possible to succeed in business without even trying. Not only was he Twimble, the head of the mail room at the beginning, but he also was Wally Womper, the chairman of the board, at the conclusion. Just read the credits that this actor portrayed two unbelievably different characters in looks, speech, mannerisms and singing voice in such an outstanding way..

During the film, Finch states that he is 27 years old. In real life, Robert Morse was 36 at the time.

Biggley's desk is in the shape of a question mark.

The initials of the company (www) were way ahead of their time.

Included among the American Film Institute's 2000 list of the 500 movies nominated for the Top 100 Funniest American Movies.

User reviews

Author: Eseve

One of the great satirical, musical comedies of the 60s. Robert Morse in the lead role is not unlike a sophisticated version of one of the Jerry Lewis characters of the same era - with the exception that he sings. And, he sings some wonderfully witty songs that must be very close to the bone in companies that take themselves too seriously. Sammy Smith is superb in his dual roles as the quarter of a century mail room head who "plays it the company way" and then later as Chairman Wally, the ex window washer. The lyrics will never date, along with the hammy caricatures of the self serving executives and staff. Not all stage musicals have translated well to the screen but How to Succeed is a noteworthy exception - highly recommended.

Author: Uafrmaine

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.

Author: Rageseeker

I've lived in the Metropolitan New York area all my life but the first musical I ever saw was the revival of How to Succeed in Business with Matthew Broderick in the title role. This prompted me to purchase the original musical with Robert Morse and I was not disappointed. My wife preferred the live musical, however what attracted me to the video was the performance of Rudy Vallee as Mr Bigly. Frank Loesser's score is marvelous, I think that the song "The Company Way" is a humorous parody of those corporate types who risk nothing that will damage their careers. This video is one that I've watched over and over and I can recommend to any musical lovers other than ardent feminists who might be turned off by the 1960s type relationships between the men and women.

Author: Whiteflame

In this film version of the 1960's Broadway musical that won 7 Tony Awards, Robert Morse (Tony winner) plays J. Pierpont Finch, a New York City window washer, who takes the advice of a how-to-succeed book, and quickly ascends the corporate ladder.

This is one of the best musicals ever made. The songs are forceful and original. The dialogue is sharp-witted. The plot is a hoot. The pace is brisk. And the casting is perfect. In addition to a superbly funny Morse, the film features talented Michele Lee, and the great Rudy Vallee. Of special mention is Maureen Arthur. She is hilarious as the curvaceous (39-22-38), but vacuous secretary, Miss Hedy LaRue. In one scene, Finch asks her if she can type fast; her self-confident response: "like a jack rabbit, 12 words a minute".

Underneath the humor, "How To Succeed In Business ..." is, of course, a scathing indictment of corporate culture. The film also takes a gleefully irreverent jab at pop-psychology books.

The visuals look dated now, with those awful 60's hats and hairdos, and that bright orange, yellow, and red decor; yet, even that is part of the film's charm.

"How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying" is wonderfully entertaining. And its biting social commentary is as timely now as it was in 1967.

Author: Lanionge

I saw this movie on a local PBS station for the first time since it originally came out in the movies. I was only 10 at the time so I didn't get it and I remember not being crazy about it. ALthough the song "I believe in you" was a favorite of mine. I actually looked at the TV schedule to see what else was on. And I vowed to change the channel at 12, the coming hour. But a funny thing happened, I forgot about the other movie and I remained glued to the screen and saw it to the end. The movie is about a window washer who pledges to become a CEO within a short time by reading a "How To Book", hence the title. How delightful to see Michelle Lee singing..what a voice. I didn't remember her singing I Believe in You. Then we have Robert Morse. I was never a big fan of the slap stick comedy ala Jim Carrey Chevy Chase and Robin Wiliams. Robert Morse could give them all a few lessons on playing broad comedy without going over board. Rudy Vallee and the man who played Big Deal in West Side Story (one of my favorite musicals) were hilarious. He was the nephew of the CEO Vallee so we all know what type of character he was playing. We also have the CEO's bimbo girlfriend who wants to get out of the Secretary pool. She actually is not as dumb as we are suppose to think she is. It was a very upbeat funny movie. And for some reason I believe a lot of people in the business world probably know even less then the Robert Morse character, a window washer Maybe they should read the same type of book he was reading. This musical actually would be good if it was just the story. The book could stand on its own. I felt the same way about Carousel. Which deals with very serious issues. The music adds to the story which IMO separates a OK musicals from a great musical. This is a great musical. Oh beware a few songs were cut for the film. The Broadway musical was almost 3 hours, as a lot are. They have intermissions on Broadway. So they cut musical numbers from movie musicals. They did that with Guys and Dolls, one of the great songs at that. HTSIBWRT they cut the Coffee break scene, a great scene. So just as a caution to people who look at movie versions of Broadway musicals. Don't expect to see/hear all of the songs. It's a dumb practice because there are movies made now which are running 3 hours which have a whole lot less going for them then a Broadway musical.

Author: Rishason

This was one of the rare Broadway musicals whose book is actually more interesting than its score. So while roughly a half-dozen Frank Loesser songs from the stage version are deleted, they're not really missed. What survives is a witty skewering of office politics, featuring much of the Broadway cast. And while such '60s business staples as rampant sexism and smoking now look quaintly offensive, the gleeful satirizing of backstabbing and skulduggery in business will always be relevant. David Swift, whose training was in TV, doesn't do much with the widescreen format (except for the ingenious ballet-mechanique in "A Secretary Is Not a Toy"), but he cuts cleverly away from the production numbers just as the musical-comedy silliness is on the verge of becoming embarrassing, and he splices in some delectable location shots of '60s New York. The color scheme is bright, the pacing brisk, the cast friendly, the production values refreshingly modest. At a time in movie history when so many adaptations of stage hits were overbudgeted and overlong, what a pleasure to see something to faithful to its source material -- and so unpretentious.

Author: Nargas

I just watched HTSIBWRT on DVD with my sons (14 and 11), both of them said that is was the best movie they have seen in a while (including Spiderman). Funny, great songs and Frank Loesser lyrics can't be beat. The 60's sets are terrific, the bright colors echo the optimism of the film.

Author: Stonewing

The longer I watched the movie the more convinced I became that the world of business in 2006 is the same as it was in 1967. Robert Morse as J.P. Finch finds a self-help book that he uses as his guide to get ahead in the corporate world. Nothing different there than now. Go to any bookstore and there are an amazing number of "how to" books simply written and easily read (don't get me wrong, many are indeed very good).

J.P. Finch follows every page's instructions very carefully. He learns how to utilize people's weaknesses to promote himself. Along the way he sings several quite original songs that are quite entertaining and definitely add to the story.

It was evident that everyone making the movie was having a good time. Yet they took their roles seriously and did not overplay their roles. The comedy is high level and the satire is nothing less than brilliant.

Author: Jay

What a great musical! Too bad only one song made the hit parade( I Believe in You) Michelle Lee's singing voice has the depth and range of Barbara Striesand....wish we could have heard more of it. Rudy Vallee was a gem...topped off a remarkable career --the Elvis of the 1920s! Get the DVD....it's a beautiful transfer!

Author: EXIBUZYW

I've loved this for over twenty years but I had feared it had become dated. I recently watched it again with someone I know who works at Disney. He'd never seen it before but he screamed, "TRUE!" when he wasn't howling with laughter throughout. And this was nearly forty years later!

Author: Mr_Jeйson

Based on a very successful Broadway comedy of the 1960s, HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING was a marvelous look at climbing the corporate ladder at the height of American Business Success (from 1945 to 1970). Instead of climbing by means of showing superior executive abilities, the successful climbers make it by back stabbing, ass-licking, and trickery. The hero of the fable is window washer J. Pierpont Finch, who is played by Robert Morse (who played the role on Broadway). Morse purchases a pamphlet entitled "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying". Throughout the musical and movie we see Finch making his plans while reading the pamphlet, hearing a voice over telling us what he's reading. He starts off in the mail room, and quickly becomes a friend of the retiring mail room head, but also meets his arch-nemesis Bud Frump (Anthony Teague). Throughout the film Bud constantly tries to thwart the rise of Finch, but while his schemes seem fool-proof, Finch constantly outwits him.

Complicating the story is the behavior of the President of the firm, Jasper B. Bigley (Rudy Vallee). Vallee too played the eccentric millionaire on stage - and it is wonderful that both these performances are preserved, for Vallee's greatest film performance is as Bigley - the "old Groundhog" supporter of his alma mater "Old Ivy", as well as the man who relieves his tensions by either going out with his mistress Hedy LaRue (Maureen Arthur), or by knitting covers for his golf clubs.

Finch too finds romance with Rosemary (Michel Lee), a secretary at the corporate giant WORLD WIDE WICKETS. But will he be single minded in his determination to rise to the top, or will he take time out to marry the girl he loves? A splendid spoof, which while exaggerated does suggest more of the reasons for promotions in the corporate and real world than we care to acknowledge usually.

Author: Kashicage

One of the most often overlooked movie musicals of the 1960s is also one of the most successful: the screen version of the Broadway smash HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING, which delivers a sharp comic rap across the corporate knuckles in its tale of a nobody (Robert Morse) who uses a self-help book to rocket up the corporate ladder--and by the time our hero reaches the heights, romantic complications leads him to wonder what price corporate success.

Although the business world has changed quite a bit since 1967, SUCCEED is so dead-on with its attack that even modern corporate leaders will be bloodied from the fray. The company is just large enough so that no one knows what is actually going on, leadership cries out for creative solutions then promptly fires any one who shows a talent for it, and promotion doesn't hinge so much upon ability as it does upon sucking up, backstabbing, and looking like you know what you're doing. There are jabs at dressing for success, the idea that employees don't engage in sexual hankypanky, hidden nepotism, and the importance of belonging to the "right" clubs. And along the way our hero meets the classic business crowd: the company man, the bombshell secretary, the boss' nephew, and a host of largely incompetent yes-men VPs.

The film is very stylized, making no pretense at naturalism per se, and the cast follows suit, playing in a way that blends beautifully with the self-boosting and jingoistic tone that pervades the piece. Robert Morse gives a truly brilliant performance in the lead--and one wonders why Hollywood so seldom used him in later years; Michele Lee, as the secretary who befriends him, is equally fine, and the supporting cast is wonderful all the way around. The musical numbers (which includes such numbers as "The Company Way," "A Secretary Is Not A Toy," "It's Been A Long Day," and "Brotherhood of Man") are remarkably sly and memorably performed. All in all, HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING is sure to appeal to any one who has had the misfortune to grapple with the idiocies of corporate America--and it will almost certainly outrage every "company man" on your city block. Strongly recommended, but make sure you get the widescreen version; pan-and-scan doesn't cut it on this one! Gary F. Taylor, aka GFT, Amazon Reviewer

Author: greatest

The movie has everything you could want from a movie: humor, music, a great cast, and a complete and thorough plot. The first time I passed it on TV I said,"This movie is stupid." But after I watched the whole movie I got the jokes and understood what was going on. The cast was great especially Robert Morse with his impish grin and great voice and Rudy Vallee from the original Broedway cast. Also Sammy Smith joins the cast from the Broadway play. One of the my personal favorite songs from the movie was "I Believe In You." Where he is in the bathroom singing at the mirror about himself. This is a great movie and suggest that people should definitely see it.

Author: Bev

This is an interesting musical. Unlike many movies that were originally Broadway musicals, this film does little to try to make it look like a movie. Instead, it plays a lot like watching a play--complete with many musical and dancing numbers where you can easily see how it was performed on stage. Now this is NOT meant an a negative--just stating how it's almost like watching a filmed version of the play. And, because of this, the sets are often very surreal--like sets from a play that are easily moved and disassembled. And, if you are interested, this play is currently playing on Broadway--with Daniel Radcliff in the revival. I am not sure if tickets are now so expensive because of its star or because it's a darn good musical--but I suspect it's both.

The innocuous looking Robert Morse stars in the film (he played the same role on stage previously). He's a very, very cynical young man who used a book entitled "How To Succeed in Business"--and follows it for his meteoric rise through the ranks of a corporation. In fact, in only a matter of days, he moves from the mail room to a vice president...and his stock keeps on rising. Along the way are a lot of peppy and cynical songs--my favorite of which is "A Secretary is NOT a Toy" though "I Believe in You" has become a standard. And, to get ahead, he sucks up, manipulates and lies--all which the movie seems to heartily endorse, as in every case Morse is wildly successful! As a result, it's a funny comedy and ultimate movie for cynics! I thoroughly enjoyed it--and I really don't even like musicals all that much! Apart from good songs, a fun and goofy plot and good acting, the film manages to be entertaining and new. There just aren't any other films like it--and it's a bit surprising that it didn't make Morse a star, as he was very good here. Ironically, he's been brought back to the small screen for a recurring role on "Mad Men"--a drama that seems, at times, inspired by this film.

By the way, George Fenneman plays himself. If you wonder why his face is familiar, he was the announcer for the TV show "You Bet Your Life". Also, doesn't the boss' nephew look a LOT like a 1960s version of Napoleon Dynamite?! Look at him yourself--you'll see what I mean.

Author: Owomed

Today, at 77 years old, Robert Morse is still going strong as Mad Men's Cooper, but there's no question that his heyday was the late '50s to the early '70s, when his toothy grin, amiable tenor and boyish acting made him the toast of Broadway. Here, he repeats his Broadway success as J. Pierpont Finch in "How to Succeed In Business Without Really Trying," a 1967 film also starring Michele Lee, Rudy Vallee, and Anthony Teague. Lee and Vallee also repeat their Broadway roles.

With music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Abe Burrows, "How to Succeed" is the story of window washer J. Pierpont Finch, who in a matter of days, thanks to a book he carries around by the same name as the film title, has risen through the ranks of the Worldwide Wicket Company without doing any work. He has his enemies, but one very good friend in Rosemary (Lee), a secretary with a crush on him who wants Ponty, as he is called, to make good.

I'm not all that familiar with the musical, but I understand that there are several songs missing, including "Happy to Keep His Dinner Warm." The standouts are "I Believe in You," which became a hit song, and the rousing "Brotherhood of Man." What makes the music for me is the wonderful orchestrations.

Sexist today in some of its themes, this is a brightly-colored musical, done the old-fashioned way, without cutting the numbers to pieces. Morse is delightful and never had any trouble adapting to film. Ditto a young, pretty Lee who sings "I Believe in You" like a dream. Vallee is well cast as the head of the company who has a girlfriend on the side. Anthony Teague is very good as the boss' nephew, but Charles Nelson Reilly played this role on stage, and I can only imagine how hilarious he was in the role.

Good movie, and director David Swift keeps the pace moving.

Author: Iaiastta

A few notes of full disclosure here: 1) I love musical theatre 2) I'm old enough to remember this show when it was on Broadway.

OK, now: This isn't really a movie. It's a film of a stage show. With the exception of a couple location shots of New York City 40 years ago, it's almost exactly the Bob Fosse staged production that swept the Tony Awards in 1962 and is one of only seven musicals in 90 years to win the prestigious Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Robert Morse, Rudy Vallee, Ruth Kobart and Sammy Smith reprise their stage roles as the ambitious corporate ladder climber, the pompous executive, his dictatorial secretary and the middle manager who "plays it the company way". Michelle Lee is Morse's love interest, and Maureen Arthur channels Judy Holiday as Vallee's ditzy paramour. The musical numbers are transferred almost verbatim from stage to screen, and if you're not familiar with the show, you won't be disappointed that a few of them were left out.

In sum, you have to be ready to accept this as more a stage play than a cinematic experience; but if you are in the mood for a true period piece that truly reflects the American musical theatre of the past century and is unlikely to be replicated or even approximated on the screen in the foreseeable future, you could do a lot worse than watching this on a commercial free channel or grabbing the DVD for an afternoon with your teens, especially if any of them have thoughts of a career on the stage.

Author: Jox

Next to Guys and Dolls, How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying is Frank Loesser's best known and best loved musical. It did have the longest run of any of his shows, 1417 performances from 1961 to 1965.

Though Hollywood was smart enough to retain Robert Morse and Rudy Vallee in their roles from Broadway, the only flaw with this film is that I do so wish Charles Nelson Reilly had repeated his role as Bud Frump, the rival to Robert Morse's J. Pierrepont Finch the upwardly mobile executive. It was the breakthrough part for Reilly in his career and it would have been nice had it been retained.

Frank Loesser did it all in this show, book, music, and lyrics in a wonderful satire on the mores of the business world. How To Succeed is one of the few Broadway musicals that succeeds more on its book than anything else. The songs from this production are more functional than anything else, hits though some of them are. Unlike Guys and Dolls, Where's Charley, The Most Happy Fella there are no really stand alone ballads that could be enjoyed outside the context of the film or the stage show.

Robert Morse never got a role like this one, the man who starts out as a window washer and moves up the corporate ladder through careful planning and a lot of nerve. He follows carefully the advice of a book with the title of the show. By the way in the film it is Morse's voice used in the narrative as the character reads from the book. On stage the prerecorded voice of Walter Cronkite was used.

Rudy Vallee is the company president and Loesser took advantage of Vallee's unique personality and style with his songs and character. A lot of people who did not grow up with Rudy Vallee today would probably not get a lot of the inside humor. Vallee's big song is Grand Old Ivy and the humor of it would be lost today unless you knew that Vallee had recorded in his career such song hits as The Maine Stein Song, Betty Coed, and The Whiffenpoof Song, back when he was the reigning singer of the day.

Though the jokes about Vallee are dated, the overall humor of How To Succeed was ahead of its times. Can you imagine had this musical premiered in the Reagan years? It would have been deified by all those motivational speakers that started to become popular then.

For that reason How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying is as fresh as when Frank Loesser put those first notes down for this wonderful show.

Author: misery

I grew up on the soundtrack to this, both the Broadway version and later the movie--so much so that I could watch it with the sound off and still not miss anything.

But the music is SO catchy (and surprisingly undated--a rare thing for 1960's films) and the characters played so over-the-top that there's a universal appeal.

If you enjoy musicals, or comedy, or just want a 'fun watch', this is a great choice.

Author: Mullador

Was a shipmate of Tony Teague (Bud Frump) when he was in the reserves and was stationed on the USS PERMIT SSN594, a nuke submarine. At that point I had not seen the movie but made a point of seeing it when I got out.

Tony was a cutup on the boat and used to keep us in stitches. You wouldn't have known by talking with him that he already had a few movies under his belt. Never let his success go to his head.

I thought he did a terrific job as Bud Frump even though Bud was the "bad" buy in the movie!

I'd like to get a copy of the movie, but I was distressed to see there were some songs cut out of that version. Maybe I'll just keep looking for the VHS and transcribe it later.

Author: Xurad

HOW TO Succeed IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING is the 1967 film version of the Pulitzer Prize winning 1960 Broadway musical that broke Broadway box office records and made a star out of Robert Morse. Morse was thankfully allowed to recreate his Broadway role in this exuberant film version as J. Pierpont Finch, an ambitious young window washer who, through the aid of the title book, cleverly manages to work his way up the corporate ladder at World Wide Wickets, Inc. Morse lights up the screen in the best role of his career. He sadly never really got a role of this caliber again and I've never been able to figure out why. He gives a smart and brassy performance and is well-supported by 20's crooner Rudy Vallee, also reprising his Broadway role as company president JB Biggley and Michele Lee as devoted secretary/girlfriend Rosemary Pilkington. There is also standout work by Anthony Teague as company brown-noser Bud Frump and Maureen Arthur as Miss La Rue, Biggley's outspoken mistress whose physicals assets clearly outweigh her secretarial skills. David Swift's fast-paced direction is a plus as is Bob Fosse's inventive choreography. Sadly, the original score has been severely tampered with and several great songs from the stage show have been cut, but we still have "How to", "The Company Way", "A Secretary is not a Toy", "It's been a long day", and the show's most famous song, "I Believe in You." A clever and entertaining screen adaptation of a classic Broadway musical.

Author: Shomeshet

Not really a review but an appreciation. Kay Reynolds was absolutely delightful as "Smitty" in the 1967 movie version of "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying". She had a small but memorable part in the film and sang a terrific trio with Robert Morse and Michelle Lee in "It's Been a Long Day". She apparently had a very short career in movies and TV (1965 - 1969) and I've never seen her in anything else, although she's listed as having made a movie in 1969 called "The Picasso Summer". I've never seen it. I admit it - I'm quite in love with her. Whatever became of her? Does anyone know? Is she still around?

Author: Jogas

I stumbled along this movie on a rainy Sunday. For some reason I could not change the channel. I was interested to see where Finch would end up. The good thing about this movie is that it was filmed in 1967 providing some interesting stereotypes.

Author: Daron

After Singin' in the Rain, I'd have to rate How To Succeed as the best musical I've ever seen. The dialog is superb, and I really don't see how the casting could have possibly been any better. I would

never pay to see any of its revivals - it would be a travesty for me, I'm sure. Morse and Lee are perfectly cast opposite one another and

Rudy Vallee owned the part of Mr.Bigley. Now that it's on DVD, it's time to toss out my VHS copy. One thing I can't understand is why this

film isn't on IMDB's top 100 musicals. I do note that the newer the

film, the more likely it is to make their lists - younger raters only know recent flicks is the reason, I'm sure.

Author: Ricep

This is just a totally delightful production that's all Robert Morse, who is reminiscent of a toned down sophisticated Jim Carey (if you can imagine that). If you like fast paced frivolous satire that is just as pertinent today as it was back in the sixties, you've got to dig up a a dusty old copy of "How to Succeed..." and just enjoy the fun.

Does anyone out there know what a wicket is?

Author: LiTTLe_NiGGa_in_THE_СribE

Cynics may say that the film merely copied the play, which was ALREADY a smash. Bad argument. Whether this film merely copies a superb piece of entertainment which already existed, or takes an existing work to the next level is irrelevant. It is superb and it holds up extremely well. Morse is nothing less than brilliant as both the lead character and the "master of ceremonies" who is always talking directly to the audience. I have seen this at least half a dozen times and every time I have to ask myself, why was Morse not known for other roles aside from this? He had talent. It is one of those odd Hollywood quirks that sometimes an actor will become known for just one role. In this case one is more than enough. Michelle Lee is not only glamorous but intelligent, a mix that was rare in the era. Those same cynics will tell you that mores have changed and the workplace is not like this anymore. They are wrong. The same games exist, the rules have changed slightly. Guaranteed entertainment.

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

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How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (1967) watch online HD

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