When the head of a large manufacturing firm dies suddenly from a stroke, his vice presidents vie to see who will replace him.When the head of a large manufacturing firm dies suddenly from a stroke, his vice presidents vie to see who will replace him.When the head of a large manufacturing firm dies suddenly from a stroke, his vice presidents vie to see who will replace him.
- Nominated for 4 Oscars
- 3 wins & 9 nominations total
- Mrs. George Nyle Caswell
- (as Lucille Knoch)
- Bartender
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThis was one of the few Hollywood films of the era not to have a musical score. The opening credits are shown to the accompaniment of traffic noises and the tolling of a bell.
- GoofsWhen Don tries to delay the start of the meeting, Shaw states that five members are sufficient for a quorum -- the four men present plus Julia Tredway's proxy (and later, Julia in person). But all Don had to do to hold up the meeting was to walk out, thereby depriving it of the necessary quorum.
- Quotes
McDonald Walling: The force behind a great company has to be more than the pride of one man; it has to be the pride of thousands. You can't make men work for money alone - you starve their souls when you try it, and you can starve a company to death the same way.
McDonald Walling: [picking up a small, flimsy table] And that's when we started doing things like this: the KF line. Walt, are your boys proud when they go out and sell this stuff? When they know the finish is going to crack, the veneer split off and the legs come loose?
Loren Phineas Shaw: Wait a minute, wait a minute. That's priced merchandise - it serves a definite purpose in the profit structure of this company. We're not cheating anyone.
McDonald Walling: Ourselves!
Loren Phineas Shaw: At that price, the customer knows exactly what he is going to get.
McDonald Walling: This!
[flips the table over, and easily tears off one of its legs]
McDonald Walling: This is what Tredway has come to mean!
[violently throws the leg against the wall]
McDonald Walling: And what do you suppose the people think of us when they buy it? How do you suppose the men in the factories feel when they make it? What must they think of a management that is willing to stoop to selling this kind of junk in order to add a dime a year to the dividend?
- ConnectionsFeatured in The Ed Sullivan Show: MGM's 30th Anniversary Tribute (1954)
- SoundtracksSingin' in the Rain
(1929) (uncredited)
Music by Nacio Herb Brown
Lyrics by Arthur Freed
Hummed by Tim Considine
Had MGM made this film 15 years earlier Spencer Tracy would have been cast in Holden's part, the young idealistic Vice President in charge of the experimental division. He has a vision as to where the company should go and his speech at the board meeting spells it out eloquently.
Most of the reviewers of this film single out Fredric March's performance as the best in this all star cast. But Holden is more than a match for March in the film and for acting kudos.
Spencer Tracy was always the actor who could deliver the long speeches the best for example, Boom Town and State of the Union. Holden goes into that category in this film.
You couldn't make Executive Suite today. Now the Board of Directors would have chosen a new president who would have shipped the factory to some third world country and left that town unemployed.
- bkoganbing
- Feb 24, 2004
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Details
Box office
- Budget
- $1,383,000 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 44 minutes
- Color