How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying (1967)

This witty musical satire about an ambitious if devious young window washer’s (Robert Morse) climb up the ladder of corporate America remains as sparkling as ever. Director David Swift (THE PARENT TRAP) wisely retained most of the original Broadway cast in transferring the Broadway hit musical to the screen but he isn’t intimidated by its proscenium origins and balances movie fluidity while not entirely doing away with the Broadway conventions. Robert Morse is really terrific here, one of the best musical comedy performances I’ve ever seen. The songs by Frank Loesser are smart and melodic and Nelson Riddle’s arrangements do the score justice. Robert and Edward Boyle’s candy colored art direction is handsomely photographed by Burnett Guffey (BONNIE AND CLYDE). With Michele Lee, Rudy Vallee, Maureen Arthur, Murray Matheson and Anthony Teague.