Madison Avenue (1961)

An advertising executive (Dana Andrews) is fired by the head of the company (Howard St. John) because he senses that the executive plans on starting his own advertising agency and take some top clients with him. The executive plots his revenge by taking a struggling ad agency inadequately run by a woman (Eleanor Parker) and building it up with the intention of destroying his former employer. Based on the novel THE BUILD UP BOYS by Jeremy Kirk and directed by H. Bruce Humberstone (I WAKE UP SCREAMING). Completed in 1960, this movie was released on a double in Great Britain in 1961 and wasn't shown in the U.S. until 1962. 20th Century Fox clearly had little faith in the film and the movie doesn't have a good reputation so I was expecting a dog. Therefore, I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it. In its modest way, it's a cousin to Oliver Stone's WALL STREET (1987). With one exception, all the characters are cutthroats ready to stab a colleague in the back or use them when they're of use and then dispose of them after they've served their purpose. The one decent character is Jeanne Crain as a journalist who sees through everybody and has her own set of ethics. Certainly not a film to seek out but if it happens to come across your path, it's an enjoyable watch. With Eddie Albert, Henry Daniell, David White and Kathleen Freeman.