How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Published November 6, 2022
Film info
- Title How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
- Director David Swift
- Year 1967
- Run time 2hrs 1m
- Genres Comedy, Music
- Tagline Nothing succeeds like 'Succeed'
A humble window washer at the New York offices of World Wide Wickets, J. Pierpont Finch applies the lessons he's learned from a book called How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying to scrabble his way up the corporate ladder. Though advised by the mailroom supervisor to keep a low profile and play things 'the Company Way', Finch would rather play by his own set of rules and ethics, however skewed they may be.
Live blog
| Time | Comment |
|---|---|
| 2:03 | Is it a real book? Because I bet a lot of people would want to read that. |
| 5:35 | “Who the hell was that?” “Where’s the factory?” “What the hell is a wicket?” Love it. |
| 8:09 | Pierrepont is an odd name, no? |
| 13:49 | “Mailroomery.” |
| 22:35 | Yay, knitting! |
| 26:15 | Haha, Bud Frump gets his comeuppance. |
| 32:37 | A world in which we need songs about “a secretary is not a toy”. |
| 45:00 | Ah damn, Bud Frump’s comeuppance has been undone. |
| 54:28 | The pink and yellow jumper and socks combo is a look, even for golf. |
| 1:00:35 | “I’ve spent the happiest minutes of my life here.” |
| 1:04:52 | Twelve words a minute, dude. |
| 1:08:02 | He transferred himself and then it couldn’t be complained about because the person who did it transferred. Utter genius. |
| 1:12:07 | The biggest flaw in this is that I don’t think skyscraper windows open like that. |
| 1:26:08 | I love how specific the book is. |
| 1:42:21 | “A day without a wicket is like a day without sunshine.” |
| 1:53:36 | That IS a lot of suits in one office. |
| 1:59:02 | Weirdest office ever. |
Thoughts
I was tucked up under a duvet feeling ill and sorry for myself and figured an old-school musical might lift the blues a bit. I couldn’t have picked a better one for it. I didn’t know anything about this going into it, although turns out I do know the song The Company Way. But it was entertaining from start to finish, funny and a really good jab at the world of business and marketing.
There didn’t seem to be too many songs, and some of them haven’t necessarily aged well, but the musical doesn’t take itself too seriously, and is really a riot. The colour scheme in the offices are a bit of an eyesore but that only added to the bright mood I was looking for. Robert Morse is incredible, physical comedy alongside perfect timing, and the whole cast work together really well. Top job.
Rating: 5 / 5