Horrible, fascist and poorly acted

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

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!

Avery Bullard is the president of furniture manufacturer Tredway Corporation in the small town of Millburgh, Pennsylvania. He runs it as an one-man show with several VPs under him. After talking to his New York bankers, he drops dead in the street. His wallet is stolen and presumed to be a John Doe. George Caswell notices the death from his window and sells short the company stock before others find out. When the news arrive back in Millburgh, various people vie for control of the company including VP Don Walling (William Holden) and Loren Shaw (Fredric March) with the founder's heir Julia Tredway (Barbara Stanwyck).The most memorable characters are Holden and Stanwyck. Otherwise, they are mostly varying shades of old white guys in suits. Fredric March portrays the villain of the piece. It might be useful to concentrate more on his story. Instead, there are lots of character actors playing every one of the roles. Concentrating on Caswell early on may not set up the main conflict properly. There are some great actors galore receiving a few nominations. It is Holden who shines through with the climatic debate. This movie is swimming with greatness although it does lose me at certain times.

More stars than there are big shots on Wall Street, that's the theme of this big MGM drama that deals with a sudden death in the board rooms of a New York City fortune 500 company. The sudden death of the chairman of the board, fights behind the scenes, and quite a bit of money and power on the line, leaving everybody wondering who will end up in charge. Having been through some complicated situations in my own big business career, I can relate to much of what goes on here. I have seen equal ruthlessness, lies, passing of the blame, and can say that working in the rat race of big business ain't no cake walk, regardless if you're in the mail room or C.F.O. Too complicated a plot to really describe and mention what every character does, this is far more interesting to go into not knowing really anything about it. The cast is a who's who of Hollywood greats, none really the lead, and certainly the best ensemble of 1954. It's a reunion for "Golden Boy" stars Barbara Stanwyck and William Holden, joining Walter Pidgeon, Fredric March, Louis Calhern, Paul Douglas, June Allyson, Shelley Winters and Nina Foch, who managed to get the single Oscar nomination as the dead man's executive secretary. Of course, there's the shocking death scene, witnessed only by one of the main cast, who sets into motion a really evil scheme.Stanwyck gives what I consider the very best performance that easily could have won her a Supporting Actress Oscar. She is a combination of elegance, neurosis and vulnerability as not only the potential heiress to the company, but the holder of the largest amount of stock, too. Everybody gets a little moment to shine so it's starless even when filled with stars. I've heard people compare this to the equally excellent "Patterns", but films like this date back to the silent era. The big business world holds so much power over so many people, it's no wonder that these themes are the subjects of many novels, plays, TV series and movies. The themes touch practically the entire world, not just one company in one city in one country.

You talk about an All-Star cast. This casting was right out of the former and present day stars of it's time. An absolute home run all the way.A president of a moderately successful furniture company dies and his minion's all scramble to see who's gonna be the new president. With this happening we realize that 2 main people up for the job are on 2 different wavelength's. One wants to keep the stockholders happy and trim the fat. Keep churning out crappy, poorly made but profitable products. The other wants to return back to the days when they're product line was innovative and was quality by industry standard. The penny pincher is a Night school educated book worm who's more interested in controlling people than anything else. He knows everyone's personal business and he tries to use it against them to gain their vote at the end of the day. He's a weaselly little guy. You know the type, picked on in school and would like to get back at anyone the best way...worming his way to the top. The other is a chemist at their plant that creates new finishes/varnishes for their products. He wants quality products and wants to return to the old way the company was run but at that day and time...is it the bottom line that matters most?I don't think I've seen a better film with this kinda star power. From Walter Pidgeon to Barbara Stanwyck to William Holden to Fredric March. If you don't know your film history, these people are towering figures in acting and they all shine in this ruthless look at the back-biting that goes on behind closed doors at corporations. Fredric March is dead perfect at playing the weaselly little controller/comptroller of the company. William Holden plays the perfect hero with the perfect speech at the end. Walter Pidgeon plays the elder statesman like he always does. Barbara Stanwyck plays the "hidden" love interest of the previous president who died. She doesn't have a lot of scenes or lines but she's effective.Just watch this and see how relevant it is today. If you've seen this and then read this review you'll think, "this is about 2 guys vying for the presidency". Think about it. It's really about 2 different ways of thinking in the corporate world. How much quality do we actually put out in today's world? How many pieces of electronics do you return because of shoddy quality control? See this film and see why so many CEO jobs change hands these days. It's about the bottom line... and not the product.