1954 - EXECUTIVE SUITE - a look inside the management team of a company circa 1954

This film was big stuff when it was released.  The story involves the jockeying for power among the senior vice presidents of a manufacturing company after the CEO dies from a stroke.  The drama comes from all the manipulation and backstabbing among the vice presidents as they maneuver to replace the deceased CEO and assume the leadership of the company.

 

This film is notable for being the first produced screenplay from Ernest Lehman who went on to write North By Northwest and The Sound of Music.  Robert Wise was the director and as a former editor at RKO he knew how to pace this story for what is basically a film with a lot of talking heads sitting around a conference table. 

MGM didn't scrimp on the cast it was a major group of stars.  Frederick March is the CFO who is strictly a numbers guy and doesn't care about the employees.  Paul Douglas is the head of sales having a fling with his secretary played by Shelley Winters.  Walter Pidgeon is a VP who knows where all the bodies are buried.  Dean Jagger is the old timer who is in charge of manufacturing. A very hammy Barbara Stanwyck is the major stock holder. An impressive cast anyway you cut it.

Then there's our hero William Holden the VP in charge of design and development, he's married to June Allyson who for a change isn't playing her usual goody two shoes character.  Holden is so full of the compassion for the company and employees he's just to good to be true. 

 Executive Suite has a real 1950's vibe to it and seems very dated.  Ernest Lehman did a good job moving all the chess pieces of the plot around but overall the film seems very superficial and hackneyed, time has not been kind to this film.  The film was a critical and commercial success.

The running time is 103 minutes.