Which performance among this great cast did you like best? My pick is Fredric March. I think he gives a superb performance as a weasel trying to get his way to the top.
"Dry your eyes baby, it's out of character."
I agree with you, March is best, though Walter Pidgeon's performance as a weakling who still manages to retain some dignity is a deceptively difficult characterization to pull off, and I think he does so wonderfully.
But my favorite character (as opposed to performance) is Louis Calhern's "George Caswell", the ultimate in cynicism, double-dealing, selfishness and greed, whose efforts to profit by Bullard's death backfire at every turn -- he winds up only cheating and ruining himself. Wonderful come-uppance between him and March at the end.
I agree--both March & Calhern are great. And Stanwyck makes the most out of her little part.
shareProbably the best ensemble cast of the 50s.
shareIsn't it a pleasure to see a movie where almost the entire cast performs at top level? Its hard to say who was best but I agree March was "first among equals".
I think this might have been the archetype that the Democratic party tried to hang on Richard Nixon. Sadly, there seemed to be some truth to it. Just remember, Shaw held back from breaking any laws. He played with "sharp elbows" and wasn't sympathetic in many ways but, it is arguable that he sincerly believed he was doing the best thing for the company.
Bill Holden's speech at the end deserves mention for the fireworks.
PS I think B. Stanwyck gave B. Holden his first big break in the movies by asking for him when others had been preferred by the director and casting.
I confess your Nixon reference eludes me, though I don't believe the Democratic Party hung anything on him. Nixon hanged himself.
As to the film, you're quite right about both the cast in general and Holden's closing speech.
And indeed, it was Barbara Stanwyck who may have saved Holden's career. They had been cast together in the movie Golden Boy (1939), but not at her request -- she's unlikely to have even heard of him at first. Stanwyck was a big star while it was Bill's first major role (he'd had only one bit and one small supporting part before this). After several days' shooting Holden wasn't working out and the studio wanted to fire him, but Stanwyck interceded, saying he'd be good and she would work with him on his performance. She prevailed, and it all worked out, and forever afterward Holden and she were close friends. (They allegedly had an affair during that film as well.) For the rest of his life, Holden sent Stanwyck flowers on her birthday, in gratitude for her help.
When Stanwyck was offered the relatively modest role of Julia Tredway here, she accepted solely because it was only the second chance she'd had to work with her friend Bill Holden. It's the only other time they made a movie together. (Ironically, Henry Fonda was originally offered Holden's part but declined it to do a play, which ended up never being produced. Holden was much better for the role.)
In the fall of 1981, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences informed Stanwyck that it had voted her an honorary Oscar, to be presented at the 1981 ceremonies held in the spring of '82. William Holden was scheduled to bestow it on her. But Holden died in a fall in his apartment that November. When Stanwyck accepted the award a few months later, she told the audience that Holden had been the intended presenter, and that he had always hoped she'd win an Academy Award. Holding it heavenward, with tears in her eyes, she then said, "Well, tonight, my golden boy, you've got your wish." There wasn't a dry eye in the house.
The cast is only rivaled by 12 Angry Men. And yes, March and Calhern are the best of the lot.
Morons . . . I've got morons on my team!
Agreed. I found myself signing off on every comment about who gave the best performance. Yeah, Calhern was best, yeah March, yeah Holden . . . .
LL
Stanwyck's MAD SCENE is priceless! I love when we think she just might jump, then the tower bell drives her back inside.
Dale
Agreed! And he's always got a hot 50s babe on his couch "reading the funnies". He was much like this in "Asphalt Jungle". A great character actor.
-drl
Nina Foch. It is not through the sparse dialogue the character has, but by her actions and reactions that we learn so much of Bullard and the workings of the company. She's terrific!
"It's as red as The Daily Worker and just as sore."
March, by far.
shareAgreed. The scene where she has the chair moved away from the Board table pretty much says everything about Bullard that the rest of the cast spent the whole movie saying. And the look on her face - she deserved her Oscar nomination, just for that. That's acting as its best, saying so much through so little.
shareNina Foch has it IMHO also. Not much dialogue but oh what volumes her eyes and looks speak! She certainly deserved her Oscar.
shareMarch, as he frequently did, steals the show.
I think that Calhern and Pidgeon were also terrific, though. I liked Holden too, but he's not particularly a standout here. Maybe because the character just isn't as interesting. Nina Foch was also wonderful.
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"I'm vilifying you for God's sake - pay attention!"
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One of my favorite films, because the cast is spectacular. Favorite performance? So hard to pick, because they're all so good, but I always have a soft spot for those actors that I felt have been under-appreciated through the years. Nina Foch and Louis Calhern certainly fall into that category, along with Frederic March to a certain degree. Certainly one of the best ensemble films ever made. William Holden may have had the starring role, but it was the cast that was the true star. And no musical score to this film- perhaps they felt it would detract?
(BTW, this is my very first post!)
Stanwyck.
“Let's be crooked, but never common”
A wonderful ensemble cast! Kudos to all the actors in this memorable film.
One performance that's often overlooked is that of Shelley Winters. She's terrific, and completely believable, as the office secretary involved with a married man (Paul Douglas).
There are no weak performers in this cast.
March is unforgettable as the scheming CFO, and Bill Holden holds the whole thing together (he wasn't a "star" for nothing!).
Holden. The final speech in the boardroom and the confrontation with Stanwyck prior to the board meeting give him the nod in my opinion. All of the performances were exceptional.
share