The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit
Tom Rath is a suburban father and husband haunted by his memories of World War II, including a wartime romance with Italian village girl Maria, which resulted in an illegitimate son he's never seen. Pressed by his unhappy wife to get a higher-paying job, Rath goes to work as a public relations man for television network president Ralph Hopkins. Drawn into poisonous office politics, Tom finds he must choose his career or his family.
barrymost@barrymost
Oh, business woes.
Plot in a nutshell: Character study of a WWII veteran trying to make it in the business world of post-war America, and contend with his domestic problems.
Comments: Great cast of veteran actors really makes this work. Gregory Peck is a very mature actor by this point, and Jennifer Jones is very convincing as the wise but harried housewife. Fredric March plays a nice corporate boss, and comes across as a bit odd; maybe that's just Fredric March.
This film isn't just any old "escapist fare" - actually about as far from that as you can get. It's very long, dark, and intelligent.
"Without men like me there wouldn't be big and successful businesses. My mistake was in being one of those men." ~Ralph Hopkins (Fredric March)