by Barb Lentz.
The five movies Bob provided me from which to choose were these:
The Charge of the Light Brigade (1936)
Executive Suite (1954)
Panic in Year Zero! (1962)
The Talk of the Town (1942)
Who is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe? (1978)
I chose Executive Suite because it is a drama with a strong cast. Something about it appealed to me more than the others, perhaps the presence of Barbara Stanwyck. In any case, this was my choice and I enjoyed it very much.
It’s a business drama that takes its time establishing an unusual situation — a group of mostly male characters all vie for the top slot when a furniture company president unexpectedly drops dead. The ways in which five vice presidents and two other board members interact and position themselves as power plays begin mirror each character’s views of life, love and business, reflecting how many of us would react under similar circumstances.
The movie is more melodramatic than I would prefer, especially surrounding Barbara Stanwyck’s character, Julia Tredway, but the tremendous cast keeps things convincingly realistic. Every character is given something important to do, or to represent, and the time to develop their portraits. Not all the characters are likable, but each one is developed as fully as possible, even if their actions are ultimately not defendable. The short time period — just a weekend — also keeps the drama moving forward at a brisk clip; the film is never boring. Indeed, the final act is quite powerful and impressive, when Don Walling (William Holden) makes his move and proves conclusively that he is the man to lead the Tredway Corporation forward.
My top five moments of the movie are these:
1. When each character is introduced and informed of the company president’s death. Each character has a different take, depending on his circumstances and position, with the probability that the company’s future (and thus their own) will be very different than they were previously.
2. The opening scene, in which the company president is heard but not seen, since the camera perspective is from his eyes. It is unusual and very effective, although I wanted to see the man to get a stronger impression of him. Avery Bullard’s death is very jarring, given that the movie begins with him and that his death sets in motion all of the political intrigue in the story.
3. I liked how human Mary Walling (June Allyson) proved to be. Mary is Don’s wife, initially surprised that her husband isn’t interested in the top slot of the company. But she’s more than just a company wife; she actively discusses things with her husband, she plays baseball with their son Mike (Tim Considine) when Don has to leave, and, in my favorite moment, she makes the decision not to tell Don about an important telephone call, but then later confesses to Don what she has done. In a movie where the great Barbara Stanwyck has to play a role more symbolic than realistic, June Allyson delivers a finely-crafted performance of a real woman with real responsibilities and worries.
4. Don Walling makes his decision to pursue the leadership role during his son’s baseball game, and I liked that even in the midst of the company turmoil, he was able to keep thinking about his family and keep things in proper perspective. Although he left the game early, Mary told their son Mike that his dad would eventually ask who won the game. And he does, at the very end of the picture.
5. Don Walling’s speech at the end is so inspiring that it is Walt Dudley (Paul Douglas) who nominates Walling for the presidency, even though he has promised his vote to Loren Shaw. Likewise, George Caswell (Louis Calhern) reverses course because he also recognizes Walling is more suited for the job than Shaw — even though Caswell will likely lose everything personally because he dumped Tredway stock when he saw Avery Bullard lying dead on a New York sidewalk.
The reason that this movie resonates so well is that it is about more than just one company’s business interests. While ostensibly about the Tredway furniture corporation, the business practices it questions and issues it raises are universal in nature and as important today as they were then. Business has a responsibility to community, perhaps now more than ever before. In the movie, Don Walling recognizes this because he interacts with the people at the manufacturing facility. He realizes how much they depend on the work, and that their pride in making quality product is what keeps the company going strong. None of the other vice presidents has such a perspective, and none of them would run the company in the same way that Walling will, with an eye toward keeping the company progressive and relevant instead of just trying to make the most money any way possible. Few movies that I have seen question the societal status quo so critically, nor find such an admirable a conclusion. This is a movie about much more than its subject, and I appreciate its smart, progressive viewpoint and invigorating conclusion.
Is Executive Suite a classic? Yes! It’s final act reminded me of another 1950s drama set in one room where a group of men thrashed out an important scenario — 12 Angry Men. The situations are different, but there are similarities, especially when one person paints a vision and persuades others with differing viewpoints to follow. It is also an intense drama with an inspiring conclusion. Both films lack music scores, too, I think, but neither one needs them.
Executive Suite (May 6, 1954) MGM.
Directed by Robert Wise. Produced by John Houseman and Jud Kinberg.
Written by Ernest Lehman, based on the novel by Cameron Hawley.
Principal Cast (character, performer):
McDonald “Don” Walling William Holden
Mary Blemond Walling June Allyson
Julia O. Tredway Barbara Stanwyck
Loren Phineas Shaw Fredric March
Frederick Y. Alderson Walter Pidgeon
Eva Barteman Shelley Winters
Josiah Walter Dudley Paul Douglas
George Nyle Caswell Louis Calhern
Jesse Q. Grimm Dean Jagger
Erica Martin Nina Foch
Mike Walling Tim Considine
Bill Lundeen William Phipps
Mrs. Caswell Lucille Knoch
Julius Steigel Edgar Stehli
Sara Asenath Grimm Mary Adams
Edith Alderson Virginia Brissac
Ed Benedeck Harry Shannon
104 minutes. B&W. Widescreen (1.66:1). Not Rated.