I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

Not sure how, but this is easily one of the best movies all summer. Multiple levels of funny, never takes itself seriously, super colorful, and creative.

It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

Had the pleasure of watching today on a day long salute to Barbara Stanwyck,a very fine actress.She didn't have many lines or much action,but was a very important part of the Board.Surprised George Macready wasn't in the role played by Paul Douglas.In my opinion,he would've been the better choice,but Douglas was a good actor,although not what I consider in Macready's class (he plays a marvelous villain,and a decent good guy,too).Holden had me rooting for him.Pidgeon turns in his usual good acting job,and March is tip top here.Nina Foch does a great job,deserving an Oscar nomination,but Shelley Winters is a pain and is another drag.

Corporate America went through a growth acceleration in the 1950's. So it's not surprising that this would be reflected in the movies. Such films as The Solid Gold Cadillac (1956), Cash McCall (1959), and especially Patterns (1956) focused on boardroom jockeying for their storyline drama. This is very much the case here, and if I'm not mistaken, Executive Suite was the earliest (1954) and most ballyhooed of the pack. Audiences just weren't used to seeing the human drama that often goes on behind boardroom doors.Fresh material or not, this is a typical MGM product: star-studded, slickly produced, with a pat, sunny ending. Nonetheless, it's a fascinating trip along the way as managerial contenders jockey to succeed the suddenly deceased company president. I should mention that the subjective camera used at the beginning, showing us only what the company president Bullard is seeing, was a brilliant touch. Anyway, we get a peek into the personal lives of the Board members, their wives, kids, and in some cases, their mistresses, even as they connive with and against one another. Holden is direct and honest, Calhern calculating and greedy, March smug and confident, Pidgeon loyal and company-minded, while Douglas gets a rare non-blustery role as a yes-man. Meanwhile the women secretaries (Foch) are tight-lipped and efficient, while Stanwyck is Stanwyck in a lesser role, probably for marquee value. On the whole, the acting is commendably first-rate.Of course, the most topical part is the showdown between two philosophies of corporate management—short-term profits and dividends vs. long- term growth. It's not surprising that the accounting manager March would emphasize the centrality of numbers, while the hands-on engineer Holden would emphasize the broader picture. My only complaint is that Holden's character is a bit too stagy in presenting his case. Nonetheless, I suspect these competing approaches remain as relevant today as they were then.On he whole, the movie remains both dramatically entertaining and topically relevant, even 60-years later. And if ES ultimately lacks the gritty bite of Rod Serling's classic Patterns, it's still a revealing 90-minutes.

I was glad to catch this movie today on the Turner Classic Movies channel; it is amazing how these lost gems are hidden away and then just pop up in the middle of the day or night on this channel. The first part of the movie leaves us in suspense as the viewer awaits a hastily called Friday night meeting but the CEO does not arrive. His sudden death sets up a battle for control of the company. Grief soon gives way to infighting among the rivals. I was pleased with the quality of the cast in the movie, although some of them did not get a lot of time on the set. Nevertheless, it is a movie in the Frank Capra style with the board of a large furniture company divided against itself. The battle is not only over the next CEO but also the direction the company will take. William Holden and Fredric March are the main protagonists and March appears to be the heir apparent but his lust for making money loses him the support of key people on the board of directors. Holden, youthful, ambitious and idealistic, and Walter Pidgeon, who is the epitome of the elder statesman and mentor, are both superb. In an unusual role for him, Frederic March is outstanding as the ambitious and scheming Vice President with his cost analysis sheets and charts. Barbara Stanwyck is Miss Treadway, the daughter of the deceased CEO. I liked her performance as a bitter and disappointed young woman who experienced a change of heart. Dean Jagger, Paul Douglas and Louis Calhern rounded out the cast of share holders. Calhern personifies the Wall St. profiteer who sees an opportunity to profit from the company's misfortune when the stock price drops on the news of the CEO's death. Nina Foch as the executive assistant Erica Martin was a model of decorum and efficiency. June Allyson played Wm. Holden's wife. A great story that held my interest throughout, I would gladly see it again.

During the 1950's an established model of what America and Americans were becoming could be seen everywhere. Proper rules of social behavior were surfacing and nearly all levels of our economic strata were fitting neatly into place. There were few places where this new hierarchy could not be seen and a few places where this mode was especially evident. Among them was the corporate ladder and that is the take of this film called " Executive Suite. " The novel written by Cameron Hawley, is directed by Robert Wise and is perhaps the main reason why the movie has received so much praise. Taken from the Corporate world, it tells the story of the Tredway company and it's top executives who learn that the company president has died suddenly, leaving the rest of the board to began jocking for position to replace him. William Holden plays McDonald Walling one of vice presidents who believes the company needs a new man at the helm, but also doubts his own abilities to fill that slot. Fredric March is Loren Shaw, the ambitious financial executive who believes in reaching for and obtaining the Almighty dollar at the expense of its workers. Others on the board include Walter Pidgeon, Paul Douglas, Louis Calhern and Dean Jagger. Each creates a reason for their department but have little else to win the Presidency. In the end it's the women like June Allyson, Shelly Winters and Barbara Stanwyck who will tip the scales one way or another. Consequently, the entire staff is marvelous in their roles and give the audience a solid performance which established the foundation of this Black and White Classic. Well done. ****