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
We are given a gripping drama as to what goes on among all the possible candidates to take the helm of the business. There will only be a winner, but who can be the most qualified person to take the company to do better than it had performed under the dead man? Would it be the ambitious Loren Shaw, a man with facts and figures at the tip of his fingers? Would it be Frederich Alderan, the man who has dedicated almost 30 years of his life to the business? Or would it be McDonald Walling, the younger man who knows what's wrong with the way the company has been turning inferior products to its customers?
The all star cast assembled for the film do an outstanding job guided by Mr. Wise, the director. William Holden plays Walling, the youngest of all the executives. Mr. Holden gave an inspired performance as the man who knows where the focus of the company should be, and he is decent enough not to want to be seen as pushing to get the CEO's job.
Fredric March, one of the best actors of his generation, is one of the best things in the film. His ambitious Loren Shaw, clearly, the man who makes no bones about his aspirations, is one of the best roles he played for the screen. Mr. March's portrayal of the ruthless Shaw gives us an idea of how driven some people in those high places will react knowing the power they'll yield, not caring how they will affect the lives of those under them.
The rest of the players are good. Barbara Stanwyck has a small part as the daughter of the man that created Treadway. Walter Pigeon is Fred, the man who has given his life to this company. Paul Douglas is Walter, the straying man having an illicit relation with his secretary. Louis Calhern is the reptilian Casswell, who stands to make a lot of money out of his gamble to back up Shaw. Nina Foch, the executive secretary Erica, does a fine job in projecting the sadness of a lonely woman who has probably loved the dead man Bullard. Shelley Winters only has a couple of scenes as Eva, the secretary that suddenly sees the light in her situation with Walter.
The film offers a good look at the financial district of New York as it looked in those years. It's sad to realize what the recent events have done to that part of Manhattan and how different it looks today!
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Details
Box office
- Budget
- $1,383,000 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 44 minutes
- Color