How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying tells
the story of J. Pierpont Finch, a window washer at the World
Wide Wicket Company. But the ambitious, young Finch is not content
to remain a window washer forever. He has discovered a life-changing
book entitled How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying,
and certain that this particular guide is his ticket to success,
he devours it ravenously. Following the book's instructions,
Finch soon lands a job in the mailroom and catches the eye of
a pretty young secretary named Rosemary. With the help of his
instruction manual, Finch stages a miraculous climb up the corporate
ladder: from the mailroom to junior executive in Plans and Systems
to Head of Plans and Systems to Vice President in charge of Advertising,
all the while outwitting his enemies, particularly Bud Frump,
the jealous nephew of J.B. Biggley, the president of the company.
At each step along the way, Finch's instruction manual seems
to predict Frump's back-stabbing plans before they develop, but
when Finch is tricked into backing a disastrous ad campaign,
the handy how-to guide suddenly runs out of ideas, and the former
window washer will have to rely on his own wits if he wants to
salvage his job!
How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying opened
at the 46th Street Theatre on October 14, 1961 with a cast that
featured Robert Morse (Finch), Rudy Vallée (Biggley),
Bonnie Scott (Rosemary), Charles Nelson Reilly (Frump), and Virginia
Martin (Hedy). The production enjoyed a run of 1,417 performances
and went on to win the Pulitzer Prize for drama. Morse and Vallée
reprised their roles in the 1967 film version. A Broadway revival
featuring Matthew Broderick opened at the Richard Rodgers Theatre
on March 23, 1995 and ran for 548 performances.
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