When the head of a large manufacturing firm dies suddenly from a stroke, his vice-presidents vie to see who will replace him.
Acting
Five Oscar winners circling like sharks in wool suits.
Direction
Wise shoots the boardroom like a boxing ring.
Cinematography
Shadows of capitalism literally swallowing characters whole.
Director
Robert Wise
William Holden
McDonald Walling
June Allyson
Mary Blemond Walling
Barbara Stanwyck
Julia O. Tredway
Fredric March
Loren Phineas Shaw
Walter Pidgeon
Frederick Y. Alderson
Shelley Winters
Eva Bardeman
Paul Douglas
Josiah Walter Dudley
Louis Calhern
George Nyle Caswell
Dean Jagger
Jesse Q. Grimm
Nina Foch
Erica Martin
Tim Considine
Mike Walling
William Phipps
Bill Lundeen
Edgar Stehli
Julius Steigel
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Shot in 28 days on MGM's standing executive office sets, reused from countless prior films.
Released months after the Army-McCarthy hearings, its corporate intrigue mirrored national paranoia about hidden agendas and loyalty tests.
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