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What a great musical! Too bad only one song made the hit parade( I Believe in You) Michelle Lee's singing voice has the depth and range of Barbara Striesand....wish we could have heard more of it. Rudy Vallee was a gem...topped off a remarkable career --the Elvis of the 1920s! Get the DVD....it's a beautiful transfer!

Today, at 77 years old, Robert Morse is still going strong as Mad Men's Cooper, but there's no question that his heyday was the late '50s to the early '70s, when his toothy grin, amiable tenor and boyish acting made him the toast of Broadway. Here, he repeats his Broadway success as J. Pierpont Finch in "How to Succeed In Business Without Really Trying," a 1967 film also starring Michele Lee, Rudy Vallee, and Anthony Teague. Lee and Vallee also repeat their Broadway roles.

With music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Abe Burrows, "How to Succeed" is the story of window washer J. Pierpont Finch, who in a matter of days, thanks to a book he carries around by the same name as the film title, has risen through the ranks of the Worldwide Wicket Company without doing any work. He has his enemies, but one very good friend in Rosemary (Lee), a secretary with a crush on him who wants Ponty, as he is called, to make good.

I'm not all that familiar with the musical, but I understand that there are several songs missing, including "Happy to Keep His Dinner Warm." The standouts are "I Believe in You," which became a hit song, and the rousing "Brotherhood of Man." What makes the music for me is the wonderful orchestrations.

Sexist today in some of its themes, this is a brightly-colored musical, done the old-fashioned way, without cutting the numbers to pieces. Morse is delightful and never had any trouble adapting to film. Ditto a young, pretty Lee who sings "I Believe in You" like a dream. Vallee is well cast as the head of the company who has a girlfriend on the side. Anthony Teague is very good as the boss' nephew, but Charles Nelson Reilly played this role on stage, and I can only imagine how hilarious he was in the role.

Good movie, and director David Swift keeps the pace moving.

I've lived in the Metropolitan New York area all my life but the first musical I ever saw was the revival of How to Succeed in Business with Matthew Broderick in the title role. This prompted me to purchase the original musical with Robert Morse and I was not disappointed. My wife preferred the live musical, however what attracted me to the video was the performance of Rudy Vallee as Mr Bigly. Frank Loesser's score is marvelous, I think that the song "The Company Way" is a humorous parody of those corporate types who risk nothing that will damage their careers. This video is one that I've watched over and over and I can recommend to any musical lovers other than ardent feminists who might be turned off by the 1960s type relationships between the men and women.

This is an interesting musical. Unlike many movies that were originally Broadway musicals, this film does little to try to make it look like a movie. Instead, it plays a lot like watching a play--complete with many musical and dancing numbers where you can easily see how it was performed on stage. Now this is NOT meant an a negative--just stating how it's almost like watching a filmed version of the play. And, because of this, the sets are often very surreal--like sets from a play that are easily moved and disassembled. And, if you are interested, this play is currently playing on Broadway--with Daniel Radcliff in the revival. I am not sure if tickets are now so expensive because of its star or because it's a darn good musical--but I suspect it's both.

The innocuous looking Robert Morse stars in the film (he played the same role on stage previously). He's a very, very cynical young man who used a book entitled "How To Succeed in Business"--and follows it for his meteoric rise through the ranks of a corporation. In fact, in only a matter of days, he moves from the mail room to a vice president...and his stock keeps on rising. Along the way are a lot of peppy and cynical songs--my favorite of which is "A Secretary is NOT a Toy" though "I Believe in You" has become a standard. And, to get ahead, he sucks up, manipulates and lies--all which the movie seems to heartily endorse, as in every case Morse is wildly successful! As a result, it's a funny comedy and ultimate movie for cynics! I thoroughly enjoyed it--and I really don't even like musicals all that much! Apart from good songs, a fun and goofy plot and good acting, the film manages to be entertaining and new. There just aren't any other films like it--and it's a bit surprising that it didn't make Morse a star, as he was very good here. Ironically, he's been brought back to the small screen for a recurring role on "Mad Men"--a drama that seems, at times, inspired by this film.

By the way, George Fenneman plays himself. If you wonder why his face is familiar, he was the announcer for the TV show "You Bet Your Life". Also, doesn't the boss' nephew look a LOT like a 1960s version of Napoleon Dynamite?! Look at him yourself--you'll see what I mean.

Except for four songs being dropped and a slight altering of the original story's pacing, this is a flawless translation of a Broadway classic to the big screen, making great use of New York locations and retaining Robert Morse in the best role of his entire career as the ambitious window washer J. Pierrepoint Finch who climbs his way up the corporate ladder by every little trick in a book that the musical takes it's title from. Morse's timing and delivery is perfect and everyone who's played the part of Finch since on Broadway (most notably Matthew Broderick a few years back) have had to emulate his basic approach to the part.

Michele Lee is also perfect as the secretary Rosemary who is madly in love with Finch. Her sexy solo of "I Believe In You" (a vast improvement over the stage's "Happy To Keep His Dinner Warm") makes you wish she hadn't given up Broadway for TV success because she has one of the best singing voices you'll ever hear.