In 1967, a group of talented filmmakers pulled off the nearly impossible by capturing a hilarious Broadway musical, expanding it to showcase the city of New York and showing us all HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING.
Much of the original Broadway cast bring their roles to the screen. Robert Morse is J. Pierpont Finch, a window washer with a drive for senior management and a handbook that serves as his guide to the top.
Michelle Lee is Rosemary, a secretary with eyes for Finch, Rudy Vallee is the company's President (having a lot of fun from another era) and the entire Worldwide Wicket Corporation is a massive office of 60's pastels, high heels, gloves and business suits.
Frank Loesser wrote the music and lyrics and drops stage classics from beginning to end, including "Brotherhood of Man", "I Believe In You", "Coffee Break" and "A Secretary Is Not A Toy".
It's all horribly sexist by today's standards, but perfectly captures the sixties business world in NYC like a sung through version of "Mad Men".
Morse and Lee are terrific together and Morse informs his role here with every hilarious stage performance as Finch, hitting every joke, line reading and note pitch perfectly.
We had the chance to see both Matthew Broderick and Daniel Radcliffe on Broadway in this show over the years and the show remains a ton of fun for each generation.
If you want to learn HOW TO SUCCEED in adapting a stage musical for the movies, look no further. Finch and Company succeed with an A.
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