There's a lot to enjoy in THE HUCKSTERS.
For starters, CLARK GABLE has a role that could have been written for him, in a story about a man just out of the Army who tries to fit back into society by taking a job with an ad agency with one of the world's most obnoxious clients, SYDNEY GREENSTREET. From the start, we know that Gable is not going to sit back and take anything from anyone--even a man like Greenstreet who has all of his employees practically clicking their heels in agreement with him.
We also know that he's going to find meeting DEBORAH KERR a pleasurable experience, setting the stage for the film's romantic angle. For added charm, we have AVA GARDNER as a good-natured nightclub singer with her hopes pinned on landing a man like Gable. There's a modicum of suspense in wondering who he'll end up with.
It's a spoof of the advertising business with its inane insistence on commercials where words are spelled out for the product, assuming the audience has an IQ of 20. Gable has to satisfy the whims of the very demanding Greenstreet, who almost steals the picture with his merciless depiction of an egotistical executive whose Beautee Soap is seeking a new angle to promote its product on the radio airwaves.
The dialog is snappy and believable and all of the supporting players--including ADOLPHE MENJOU, EDWARD ARNOLD and KEENAN WYNN, do excellent jobs. Very entertaining film, it marks Gable's return to the screen after his service in WWII. He's more mature, but still has all of his charisma intact. It's a good, solid performance and Kerr is delightful opposite him.
For starters, CLARK GABLE has a role that could have been written for him, in a story about a man just out of the Army who tries to fit back into society by taking a job with an ad agency with one of the world's most obnoxious clients, SYDNEY GREENSTREET. From the start, we know that Gable is not going to sit back and take anything from anyone--even a man like Greenstreet who has all of his employees practically clicking their heels in agreement with him.
We also know that he's going to find meeting DEBORAH KERR a pleasurable experience, setting the stage for the film's romantic angle. For added charm, we have AVA GARDNER as a good-natured nightclub singer with her hopes pinned on landing a man like Gable. There's a modicum of suspense in wondering who he'll end up with.
It's a spoof of the advertising business with its inane insistence on commercials where words are spelled out for the product, assuming the audience has an IQ of 20. Gable has to satisfy the whims of the very demanding Greenstreet, who almost steals the picture with his merciless depiction of an egotistical executive whose Beautee Soap is seeking a new angle to promote its product on the radio airwaves.
The dialog is snappy and believable and all of the supporting players--including ADOLPHE MENJOU, EDWARD ARNOLD and KEENAN WYNN, do excellent jobs. Very entertaining film, it marks Gable's return to the screen after his service in WWII. He's more mature, but still has all of his charisma intact. It's a good, solid performance and Kerr is delightful opposite him.