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insisting on waiting for him during his confrontation with Ramsey shows another side of the story--the
American woman, just as ambitious as the Corporate Man. Ramsey rebukes him, asserting only men with his talent have what it takes to make a corporation like Ramsey & Company succeed. He offers Briggs' job to Staples at double his present salary, double his stock options and an unlimited expense account. Staples resists and Ramsey increases the fever of his pitch, adding that Staples will never be able to reach his full potential anywhere else. Staples counters that he would have to have more than Vice Presidency of the company, effectively another 'whipping boy' for Ramsey. He states that he wants equal footing, implying a partnership - adding that he will do all he can to replace him, and as a 'bonus', the right to break Ramsey’s jaw if he feels so inclined. Ramsey enthusiastically agrees to all of the conditions with a rider that he reserves the right to reciprocate the final condition.
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381:"It's a forceful melodrama, that takes the viewer into the pits of a big corporation's board room politics, backstabbing, and the tough way of doing business. Things have changed since the 1950s which make some things outdated, but the film still has its finger on the savage nature of the business world. Even when a company is not as corrupt as an Enron, people are still perceived as secondary to making a profit no matter what."
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the opinion that corporate politics and boardroom bloodletting no longer exist... With minimally judicious scene-setting (shots of clocks, a building directory, a switchboard) and a rapid introduction of characters, Serling pulls a viewer almost immediately into his story, a tale of corporate morality—or the lack of it—and such everyday battles as the ones waged between conscience and ambition.
367:, Rod Serling, is considered by many as the finest piece of writing he has ever done and brought him instant acclaim. It is ably directed by Fielder Cook ... The ensemble cast is superb, with special kudos to Van Heflin, Ed Begley, Beatrice Straight and Everett Sloane. This is Van Heflin's finest role since
260:
The stress gets to Briggs, who collapses after a confrontation with Ramsey and later dies. This causes a heated showdown between Ramsey and
Staples, in which Staples announces he is quitting. Staples initially went up to kill Ramsey but the fact that his wife refused to go home and 'pack' everything,
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Briggs has been with the firm for decades, having worked for and admired by the company's founder, Ramsey's father. His concern for the employees clashes repeatedly with Ramsey's ruthless methods. Ramsey will not fire Briggs outright but does everything in his power to sabotage and humiliate him into
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Ruthless Walter Ramsey runs Ramsey & Co., a
Manhattan-based industrial empire he inherited from his father. He brings Fred Staples, a youthful industrial engineer whose performance at a company Ramsey has recently acquired has impressed him, in for a top executive job at the headquarters. Though
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was so well-received that Kraft mounted a live repeat of the show a month later, and the intimate TV show was turned into a less intimate (and somehow less satisfying) movie in 1956. Except for the use of terms like “mimeographed” and “teletype,” little about the drama seems dated, unless one is of
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is based on the teleplay of Rod
Serling which was aired live on TV in January of 1955 on Kraft Television Theater, and was so-well received that it was repeated four weeks later. That was something not done during that period. This brilliant script by the creator of the
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Some people thought live TV was the beginning of a truly new storytelling medium—one uniquely suited to intimate, unadorned, psychological dramas—but it turned out to be a beginning with a tiny middle and a rushed end...
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resigning. The old man stubbornly refuses to give in. Staples is torn by the messy situation, his ambition conflicting with his sympathy for Briggs.
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Staples is initially clueless, Ramsey is grooming him to replace the aging Bill Briggs as the second in command at the company.
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Enser's Filmed Books and Plays: A List of Books and Plays from which Films have been Made, 1928-2001
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Film critic Dennis
Schwartz gave the film an A and highly praised it in his 2002 Ozus review:
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of the same name, which was originally broadcast
January 12, 1955 on the
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as Marge
Fleming, Briggs' loyal secretary, who is reassigned to Staples
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This article is about the 1956 film. For the 1955 television play, see
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compared the movie unfavorably to the live TV production:
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From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
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615:is available for free viewing and download at the
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307:Valerie Cossart as Miss Stevens
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706:A Big Hand for the Little Lady
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414:List of American films of 1956
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500:(film review). Archived from
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316:Shirley Standlee as Miss Hill
292:as Nancy Staples, Fred's wife
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885:1950s English-language films
880:1956 directorial debut films
556:AFI Catalog of Feature Films
466:Baskin, Ellen (2018-04-27).
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337:John Shelly as Mr. Grannigan
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498:"Ozus' World Movie Reviews"
472:. New York, NY: Routledge.
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850:Films about businesspeople
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226:. The screenplay was by
156:March 27, 1956
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447:American Film Institute
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754:Miracle on 34th Street
698:The Philadelphia Story
230:, who adapted it from
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875:United Artists films
840:American drama films
524:an Icon of Lost Era"
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328:as Mr. Vanderventer
660:Films directed by
606:TCM Movie Database
518:(April 27, 2008).
222:; and directed by
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674:The Emperor Jones
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348:Critical response
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286:as William Briggs
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149:Release date
115:Dave Kummins
50:Fielder Cook
520:"Serling's
516:Shales, Tom
302:Joanna Roos
228:Rod Serling
117:Carl Lerner
74:Produced by
69:Rod Serling
60:Rod Serling
46:Directed by
825:1956 films
819:Categories
452:2020-10-04
437:"Patterns"
420:References
391:Tom Shales
272:Van Heflin
212:Van Heflin
177:84 minutes
160:1956-03-27
130:Jed Harris
123:Production
90:Van Heflin
80:Jed Harris
714:Brigadoon
343:Reception
284:Ed Begley
220:Ed Begley
125:companies
112:Edited by
98:Ed Begley
682:Patterns
623:Patterns
612:Patterns
601:Patterns
595:AllMovie
590:Patterns
574:Patterns
563:Patterns
550:Patterns
522:Patterns
408:See also
400:Patterns
373:(1953)."
358:Patterns
201:Patterns
190:Language
86:Starring
66:Story by
29:Patterns
794:Why Me?
604:at the
553:at the
387:TV Week
193:English
182:Country
158: (
805:(1986)
797:(1984)
789:(1981)
781:(1979)
773:(1979)
765:(1975)
757:(1973)
749:(1973)
741:(1972)
733:(1968)
725:(1968)
717:(1966)
709:(1966)
701:(1959)
693:(1959)
685:(1956)
677:(1955)
528:TVWeek
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218:, and
370:Shane
568:IMDb
474:ISBN
265:Cast
248:Plot
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