EXECUTIVE SUITE may have a claim to being in the top ten ensemble films, and one that (when one thinks about the plot) should not have turned out so well. But author Cameron Hawley was one of the first novelists to seriously write of American business as one of flesh and bone. Previously a novelist might comment on the greed or stupidity or short sightedness of a businessman, and when movies dealt with big business it was a setting. Occasionally some knowledge of business crept in. When Preston Sturgis did THE POWER AND THE GLORY (1933) he actually included a board scene where Spencer Tracy discusses financing a consolidation move with debentures. And when Orson Welles and Herman Mankiewicz did their final screenplay for KANE, there were scenes showing Welles shaking up a stodgy old paper he acquired. But the personality of the central figures dominate those films - not the details of the railway and newspaper empires.
EXECUTIVE SUITE was different. Treadway is a furniture company, whose founder committed suicide in 1933 at the height of the Depression. But the founder's right hand man, one "Adrian Bullock", saved the company and made it into the third largest furniture company in the country. Bullock is only heard at the start of the film, leaving work on a Friday, and going into the street where he dies from a heart attack.
Most of the directors are out in Pennsylvania. Only Louis Calhern, who has financial contacts, was on Wall Street at the time. Calhern sees "Bullock" die, and makes the mistake of playing a "sure thing" insider trading sale of 3700 shares of stock - stock he can't afford to buy at the height of the market, but which will dip upon the discovery that the company strongman has died. Unfortunately for Calhern this depends of the rapid discovery that "Bullock" died, and the depressing effect over the weekend on the stock price. The fact that "Bullock" is not identified starts toppling Calhern's illegal scheme - you see he never owned the shares!
It slowly develops in the film that all the leading figures in the corporation have their own problems and agendas. Calhern brought one Loren P. Shaw to "Bullock's" attention, and Shaw (Frederic March) is a very modern company comptroller - more concerned with profit than with quality. March has made himself indispensable to "Bullock", and March was looking forward to being named Executive Vice President. But March now is in a possible position to succeed Bullock. However in getting there he has cut down in the quality of the furniture they a selling, and has pushed the others aside.
William Holden is an excellent design chief, brought in by "Bullock". He wants to streamline the designs. But this goes against the craw of the Production Chief, Dean Jagger, who thinks his old ways are the soundest. Curiously enough, given the rivalry built up between March and Holden, March is actually more willing to reach out (eventually) to Holden than Jagger is. But Holden has had his budget requests rejected too often by March's careful money pruning methods.
Walter Pidgeon was with "Bullock" from the depression onward as his right hand man, but "Bullock" never thought of him as Executive Vice Presidential material (nor a successor). The head of the Sales Department is Paul Douglas, who is a nice guy - but he has been a glad-handler for years. He also has been having an affair with his secretary (Shelley Winters). Then there is the founder's daughter, Julia Treadway (Barbara Stanwyck) who never wanted the company or the wealth - she wanted "Bullock" who never went the farthest step with her. Finally there are two peripheral characters: Nina Foch (the secretary to Bullock - whom March tries to get information from), and June Alyson as Holden's wife - who hates how Holden is turning into a younger version of "Bullock" (all company; little time for family life).
We are supposed to cheer on the forces for quality in this film, against March's bean counting parsimony. It helps that the ambitious March uses blackmail. But March actually is quite on his toes. When "Bullock's" death is finally announced, March arranges (quote sensibly) a large newspaper add across the country regarding the soundness of the stock and even dividends coming up! Pidgeon and Holden are not taken into his planning but they weren't around.
Furthermore (although it may have been in the original novel) "Bullock" had been favorably responsive to Shaw when Caswell introduced them. That suggests he may have actually had some scheme in mind (use Shaw to build up the financial muscle of Treadway, and when the time came "Bullock", Shaw, and Wailing (Holden) would customize and improve the product again). In fact, in the final confrontation at the Board meeting, March when attacked for the awful new line of crappy furniture admits it was just a temporary idea - and that was how it was to be sold!
EXECUTIVE SUITE never fails to stimulate interest in it's characters, and the corporate world they inhabit - really the first movie to do so.
One final comment. Although he is in only one scene, actor Harry Shannon plays a wise old foreman. They are closing the works for the night, and Shannon talks to Holden about how the shabby recent production standards and cost cutting has been effecting the staff. He recalls the better, pride full years (before March) and asks Holden if it can ever be brought back. Holden, exhausted tilting at windmills, can't even say anything (a rarity for that great, gritty voiced actor). Ironically, Shannon is best recalled as the father of Charles Foster Kane.
EXECUTIVE SUITE was different. Treadway is a furniture company, whose founder committed suicide in 1933 at the height of the Depression. But the founder's right hand man, one "Adrian Bullock", saved the company and made it into the third largest furniture company in the country. Bullock is only heard at the start of the film, leaving work on a Friday, and going into the street where he dies from a heart attack.
Most of the directors are out in Pennsylvania. Only Louis Calhern, who has financial contacts, was on Wall Street at the time. Calhern sees "Bullock" die, and makes the mistake of playing a "sure thing" insider trading sale of 3700 shares of stock - stock he can't afford to buy at the height of the market, but which will dip upon the discovery that the company strongman has died. Unfortunately for Calhern this depends of the rapid discovery that "Bullock" died, and the depressing effect over the weekend on the stock price. The fact that "Bullock" is not identified starts toppling Calhern's illegal scheme - you see he never owned the shares!
It slowly develops in the film that all the leading figures in the corporation have their own problems and agendas. Calhern brought one Loren P. Shaw to "Bullock's" attention, and Shaw (Frederic March) is a very modern company comptroller - more concerned with profit than with quality. March has made himself indispensable to "Bullock", and March was looking forward to being named Executive Vice President. But March now is in a possible position to succeed Bullock. However in getting there he has cut down in the quality of the furniture they a selling, and has pushed the others aside.
William Holden is an excellent design chief, brought in by "Bullock". He wants to streamline the designs. But this goes against the craw of the Production Chief, Dean Jagger, who thinks his old ways are the soundest. Curiously enough, given the rivalry built up between March and Holden, March is actually more willing to reach out (eventually) to Holden than Jagger is. But Holden has had his budget requests rejected too often by March's careful money pruning methods.
Walter Pidgeon was with "Bullock" from the depression onward as his right hand man, but "Bullock" never thought of him as Executive Vice Presidential material (nor a successor). The head of the Sales Department is Paul Douglas, who is a nice guy - but he has been a glad-handler for years. He also has been having an affair with his secretary (Shelley Winters). Then there is the founder's daughter, Julia Treadway (Barbara Stanwyck) who never wanted the company or the wealth - she wanted "Bullock" who never went the farthest step with her. Finally there are two peripheral characters: Nina Foch (the secretary to Bullock - whom March tries to get information from), and June Alyson as Holden's wife - who hates how Holden is turning into a younger version of "Bullock" (all company; little time for family life).
We are supposed to cheer on the forces for quality in this film, against March's bean counting parsimony. It helps that the ambitious March uses blackmail. But March actually is quite on his toes. When "Bullock's" death is finally announced, March arranges (quote sensibly) a large newspaper add across the country regarding the soundness of the stock and even dividends coming up! Pidgeon and Holden are not taken into his planning but they weren't around.
Furthermore (although it may have been in the original novel) "Bullock" had been favorably responsive to Shaw when Caswell introduced them. That suggests he may have actually had some scheme in mind (use Shaw to build up the financial muscle of Treadway, and when the time came "Bullock", Shaw, and Wailing (Holden) would customize and improve the product again). In fact, in the final confrontation at the Board meeting, March when attacked for the awful new line of crappy furniture admits it was just a temporary idea - and that was how it was to be sold!
EXECUTIVE SUITE never fails to stimulate interest in it's characters, and the corporate world they inhabit - really the first movie to do so.
One final comment. Although he is in only one scene, actor Harry Shannon plays a wise old foreman. They are closing the works for the night, and Shannon talks to Holden about how the shabby recent production standards and cost cutting has been effecting the staff. He recalls the better, pride full years (before March) and asks Holden if it can ever be brought back. Holden, exhausted tilting at windmills, can't even say anything (a rarity for that great, gritty voiced actor). Ironically, Shannon is best recalled as the father of Charles Foster Kane.