HotToastyRag When the head of a very successful company dies without naming his successor, those in contention fight amongst themselves to claim the Executive Suite. I don't really want to tell you any more about the plot, because it's so wonderful when the twists and turns unfold by themselves. Needless to say, this is a fantastic and exciting dramatic film with lots of tension, lots of scandal, lots of arguments, and lots of deception. With an all-star cast Barbara Stanwyck, Fredric March, William Holden, Shelley Winters, Paul Douglas, June Allyson, Walter Pidgeon, Louis Calhern, Dean Jagger, and Nina Foch, this is one classic you're not going to want to miss. Barbara Stanwyck gives a particularly great performance, so fans of hers will definitely want to check this out. With never a dull moment, and tons of characters and plot turns for you to root for and against, there's something for everyone to love in Executive Suite!

Beth Cole Amazing to see these stories of how in the good ol' days, you could start out on the shop floor and work your way up to president of the corporation, MBA optional. In this movie we see just that, as a floor manager, despite misgivings, ends up vying with the chief financial officer for the presidency of a corporation.I enjoyed the drama section of the movie, peering into the wheelings and dealings of the members of a board. The plot is satisfyingly convoluted as the skeletons come out of the closet one by one, and everybody gets the upper hand on each other.However at the risk of a spoiler (I'm ticking that box), Holden's acclaimed pride-over-profit speech near the end fell somewhat flat for me. It is rousing enough, and I was fist-pumping in spite of myself. I guess even back then, as now, there was that irresistible pipe dream of big corporations offering quality over quantity, paying a decent living wage, and staying domestic all at the same time. The economics simply do not add up. That's what buying local is for, and yes, that comes at a premium. If there were a sequel to this movie ten or twenty years down the road, unfortunately the company would probably be bankrupt à la Rolls Royce circa 1971. Then I imagine a Citizen Kane moment with Holden's character sadly crumpling his tattered Declaration of Principles.

Claudio Carvalho In a Friday afternoon in Wall Street, the president of the Tredway Corporation Avery Bullard has just had a meeting with investment bankers and sends a telegram scheduling a meeting at the furniture factory in Millburgh, Pennsylvania, at six PM with his executives. Bullard has never appointed an executive vice-president for the corporation after the death of the previous one but when he is getting a taxi, he has a stroke and dies on the street. A thief steals his wallet to get his money and his body goes to the morgue without identification. The investment banker George Nyle Caswell (Louis Calhern) sees Bullard's body from his window and decides to use the information to make money, asking a broker to sell as much Tredway stocks as possible until the end of the day, with the intention of buying them back Monday morning by a lower price making profit. Meanwhile the executives unsuccessfully wait for Bullard in the meeting room. When they learn that Bullard is dead, the ambitions accountant VP and Controller Loren Phineas Shaw (Fredric March) releases to the press the balance of Tredway showing profit and assumes temporarily the leadership of the company, expecting to be elected the next president by the seven-member board. However, the VP for Design and Development McDonald "Don" Walling (William Holden) and the VP and Treasurer Frederick Y. Alderson (Walter Pidgeon) oppose to Shaw. There is a struggle in the corporation for the position of president and Shaw blackmails the VP for Sales Josiah Walter Dudley (Paul Douglas) that is married and has a mistress, his secretary Eva Bardeman (Shelley Winters), to get his vote. Caswell needs to cover the 3,700 stocks he sold and Shaw promises to give to him the stocks for the price he sold if he is elected president. The VP for Manufacturing Jesse Q. Grimm (Dean Jagger) is near to retire but is a close friend of Frederick and supports him. Therefore the heir of Tredway and Bullard's mistress Julia O. Tredway (Barbara Stanwyck) will be responsible to give the casting vote. But she is disenchanted with the corporation. Who will be elected the next president? "Executive Suite" is a realistic film about struggle for power in a corporation. Serious films about the Machiavellian competition in a company, such as "Glengarry Glen Ross", "Le couperet" or "El método", are usually engaging and "Executive Suite" is surprisingly great since it is not dated. The film is directed by Robert Wise, who is one of the best directors in Hollywood ever. The cast is top-notch and Fredric March has one of his best performances. The final speech of Don is a lesson for classes of motivation. My vote is eight.Title (Brazil): "Um Homem e Dez Destinos" ("A Man and Ten Destinies")

movie-viking Just enjoy this movie. And/or use it for a great teaching lesson. On great drama, On great classic actors, On maybe moral concerns facing all corporations!All fine actors... The devious guys can out Gecko - Gecko (of "Wall Street" fame).The good guy speaks at the meeting...better watch out for flying furniture...as he makes his point.Let's see ...Insider trading (not even sure if it was illegal back then) will destroy someone...Corporate Backstabbing...Power Plays...Lobbying Committee Votes... Trying to sway the company heiress...Quality products made versus...bigger profits. The business suit-clad vultures start circling minutes after the Big Exec is dead!!!Executive Suite could be a good film for your high school (or home school) business class. But if you just want a quality drama...just watch and enjoy!