# How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (1967 film)
**How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying** is a 1967 American musical comedy film directed, written, and produced by David Swift, adapted from the 1961 Broadway musical of the same name. It stars [Robert Morse](https://www.edgepedia.org/robert-morse) as J. Pierpont Finch, an ambitious window cleaner who buys a self-help book and follows its ruthless advice to climb the corporate ladder at the World Wide Wicket Company, with [Michele Lee](https://www.edgepedia.org/michele-lee) as secretary Rosemary Pilkington and Rudy Vallee as company president J. B. Biggley.[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/23810-HOW-TO-SUCCEED-IN-BUSINESS-WITHOUT-REALLY-TRYING)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | 9 March 1967, opening as the Easter attraction at Radio City Music Hall, New York; Los Angeles opening 22 March 1967 at Grauman's Chinese Theatre[2](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/23810-HOW-TOSUCCEEDINBUSINESSWITHOUTREALLYTRYING) |
| Running time | 119 minutes (AFI); the British Board of Film Classification recorded the 1967 cinema version at 121 minutes 8 seconds[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/23810-HOW-TO-SUCCEED-IN-BUSINESS-WITHOUT-REALLY-TRYING) • [3](https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/how-to-succeed-in-business-without-really-trying-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0ynjqynde) |
| Source | The 1961 Broadway musical (music and lyrics by Frank Loesser, book by Abe Burrows, Jack Weinstock, and Willie Gilbert), itself based on Shepherd Mead's 1952 satirical book *How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying; the Dastard's Guide to Fame and Fortune*[2](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/23810-HOW-TOSUCCEEDINBUSINESSWITHOUTREALLYTRYING) |
| Stage pedigree | The musical, still in its initial run at the 46th Street Theatre when the film was optioned, had won seven Tony Awards, a Pulitzer Prize, and the New York Drama Critics Award[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/23810-HOW-TO-SUCCEED-IN-BUSINESS-WITHOUT-REALLY-TRYING) |
| Rights cost | The Mirisch Corp. paid over $1 million for the screen rights plus a promised 25 percent of the film's gross after production costs were recouped[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/23810-HOW-TO-SUCCEED-IN-BUSINESS-WITHOUT-REALLY-TRYING) |
| Principal photography | 2 May to 11 July 1966, on 35 sets across three soundstages at Goldwyn Studios in Hollywood, with additional scenes shot in New York City[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/23810-HOW-TO-SUCCEED-IN-BUSINESS-WITHOUT-REALLY-TRYING) |
| Box office | Listed by Variety as the 33rd highest grossing picture of 1967, with cumulative film rentals of $2.9 million; The Numbers records a domestic box office of $6,000,000[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/23810-HOW-TO-SUCCEED-IN-BUSINESS-WITHOUT-REALLY-TRYING) • [4](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/How-to-Succeed-in-Business-Without-Really-Trying) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
While on his way to work, the brash young window cleaner J. Pierpont Finch buys a book titled *How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying*. Following its suggestions, he leaves window washing, talks his way into the World Wide Wicket Company, and lands a job in the mailroom by pretending to be a close friend of the company's pompous head, J. B. Biggley. He charms secretary Rosemary Pilkington and connives through a series of promotions to junior executive, earning the hatred of Biggley's nephew Bud Frump, who plots to destroy him.[2](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/23810-HOW-TOSUCCEEDINBUSINESSWITHOUTREALLYTRYING)
Frump tricks Finch into suggesting a company-wide treasure hunt for shares, expecting Biggley to hate the television-giveaway idea. The plan backfires when Finch nominates Hedy LaRue, Biggley's current lover, as the Treasure Girl, and the public reduces the offices to shambles searching for the prizes. Finch admits he is a lowly window washer who wanted to become a success, whereupon the chairman of the board, Wally Womper, himself a former window washer, announces his retirement and names Finch his successor. At the top at last, Finch declares his love for Rosemary, and a short time later he is washing the windows of the White House.[2](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/23810-HOW-TOSUCCEEDINBUSINESSWITHOUTREALLYTRYING)
## From page to stage to screen
Shepherd Mead wrote the satirical guide while working on [Madison Avenue](https://www.edgepedia.org/madison-avenue), and it became a bestseller in 1952; he retired from the work world at 41 and moved to the English countryside.[5](https://www.tcm.com/articles/27957/how-to-succeed-in-business-without-really-trying) Playwright Willie Gilbert and Jack Weinstock, a neurosurgeon who wrote plays in his free time, created a dramatic adaptation in 1955 that remained unproduced until 1960, when theatrical agent Abe Newborn brought it to producers Cy Feuer and Ernest Martin. They asked the *Guys and Dolls* team of librettist Abe Burrows and composer-lyricist [Frank Loesser](https://www.edgepedia.org/frank-loesser) to turn it into a musical.[6](https://frankloesser.com/library/how-to-succeed-in-business-without-really-trying/)
The musical opened on Broadway at the 46th Street Theatre on 14 October 1961 and ran for 1,417 performances, winning multiple [Tony Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/tony-awards) including Best Musical, the New York Drama Critics Circle Award, and the 1962 [Pulitzer Prize for Drama](https://www.edgepedia.org/pulitzer-prize-for-drama), only the fourth awarded to a musical.[6](https://frankloesser.com/library/how-to-succeed-in-business-without-really-trying/) • [7](https://www.musikundbuehne.de/fileadmin/media/Downloads/Education_Packs/How_to_Succeed_Study_Guide.pdf)
On 14 October 1964, Variety reported that the Mirisch Corp. was considering optioning the screen rights, and items later that month in Daily Variety and The New York Times confirmed the purchase.[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/23810-HOW-TO-SUCCEED-IN-BUSINESS-WITHOUT-REALLY-TRYING) The adaptation was slated for release by [United Artists](https://www.edgepedia.org/united-artists) as one of five "roadshow" releases Mirisch planned over two years under a total budget of $39 million; the film was the least costly of the five, with an anticipated budget of $5.5 million, later cited at $2.5 million, which Daily Variety called "a record-busting low budget" for a major film musical.[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/23810-HOW-TO-SUCCEED-IN-BUSINESS-WITHOUT-REALLY-TRYING)
## Production
**Casting.** Swift was adamant that certain actors reprise the roles they had originated on Broadway, reportedly holding out for his desired cast, particularly Rudy Vallee. Robert Morse, Ruth Kobart, and Sammy Smith came from the original Broadway cast, while Michele Lee, Maureen Arthur, and Jeff DeBenning had appeared in later Broadway performances.[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/23810-HOW-TO-SUCCEED-IN-BUSINESS-WITHOUT-REALLY-TRYING) Morse had been the first person cast in the stage version as Finch, and Vallee joined him as his boss at World Wide Wicket; Lee had joined the Broadway cast after the original actress departed.[5](https://www.tcm.com/articles/27957/how-to-succeed-in-business-without-really-trying)
**Filming.** Swift, who had begun his Hollywood career as a Disney animator and wrote and directed *[Pollyanna](https://www.edgepedia.org/pollyanna-1960-film)* (1960) and *The Parent Trap* (1961), was hired on loan-out from [Columbia Pictures](https://www.edgepedia.org/columbia-pictures) after Mirisch obtained the rights.[5](https://www.tcm.com/articles/27957/how-to-succeed-in-business-without-really-trying) • [1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/23810-HOW-TO-SUCCEED-IN-BUSINESS-WITHOUT-REALLY-TRYING) He acknowledged that although the adaptation would closely follow the Broadway show, he would build up the romance between Finch and Rosemary, which he said "didn't mean much in the play"; a Daily Variety item claimed he completed the screenplay in only seven days.[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/23810-HOW-TO-SUCCEED-IN-BUSINESS-WITHOUT-REALLY-TRYING) [Principal photography](https://www.edgepedia.org/principal-photography) began a year later than planned on 2 May 1966, on 35 sets across three soundstages at Goldwyn Studios in Hollywood; after Hollywood shooting finished six days early, the company moved to New York City to shoot half a dozen additional scenes, with filming scheduled to end on 11 July 1966.[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/23810-HOW-TO-SUCCEED-IN-BUSINESS-WITHOUT-REALLY-TRYING)
**Music and choreography.** The film keeps Frank Loesser's score, including "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying," "The Company Way," "A Secretary Is Not a Toy," "Been a Long Day," "I Believe in You," "Grand Old Ivy," "Rosemary," "Gotta Stop That Man," "Brotherhood of Man," and "How to."[2](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/23810-HOW-TOSUCCEEDINBUSINESSWITHOUTREALLYTRYING) [Nelson Riddle](https://www.edgepedia.org/nelson-riddle) supervised and conducted the music, Burnett Guffey was director of photography, [Robert Boyle](https://www.edgepedia.org/robert-boyle) the art director, and Ralph E. Winters and Allan Jacobs the film editors.[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/23810-HOW-TO-SUCCEED-IN-BUSINESS-WITHOUT-REALLY-TRYING) Dale Moreda's choreography was based on that of [Bob Fosse](https://www.edgepedia.org/bob-fosse), who choreographed the original stage presentation.[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/23810-HOW-TO-SUCCEED-IN-BUSINESS-WITHOUT-REALLY-TRYING)
After principal photography, Variety reported that a "non-musical" print was being readied for overseas audiences, since musical sequences were "difficult if not impossible to dub"; additional sequences had been shot as potential "dialog bridges," and it was anticipated that thirty minutes of musical footage might be removed.[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/23810-HOW-TO-SUCCEED-IN-BUSINESS-WITHOUT-REALLY-TRYING)
## Reception
The film opened as the Easter attraction at [Radio City Music Hall](https://www.edgepedia.org/radio-city-music-hall) on 9 March 1967, and critical reception in the United States was generally favorable.[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/23810-HOW-TO-SUCCEED-IN-BUSINESS-WITHOUT-REALLY-TRYING) Critics praised the tight integration of story and song and the sophisticated satire of corporate America; Life magazine claimed that "generations as yet unborn will be grateful to have [Morse's performance] in permanent form."[8](https://cinema.wisc.edu/2015/06/25/fidelity-strategy-how-succeed-business-without-really-trying/) [The Hollywood Reporter](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-hollywood-reporter) praised the cinematography for capturing "the brassy quality of Broadway musical theatre at its best."[8](https://cinema.wisc.edu/2015/06/25/fidelity-strategy-how-succeed-business-without-really-trying/)
**Fidelity over reinvention.** Swift's approach kept the film looking much as the stage show did, with Moreda's recreations of Fosse's choreography; some reviewers found his stylistic choices old fashioned, and Commonweal noted the film could have been an "imaginative movie-kind-of-movie" but concluded that the original show was so funny that even the static movie was a laff riot.[8](https://cinema.wisc.edu/2015/06/25/fidelity-strategy-how-succeed-business-without-really-trying/) Some have criticized the film for being more "archival record" than movie musical, but in certain respects this was Swift's aesthetic goal.[8](https://cinema.wisc.edu/2015/06/25/fidelity-strategy-how-succeed-business-without-really-trying/)
**Box office.** The film resonated more with critics than with the public: despite a strong opening weekend at Radio City Music Hall, its box office performance lagged, and Variety's 3 January 1968 chart placed it 33rd among 1967's highest grossing pictures with cumulative film rentals of $2.9 million.[8](https://cinema.wisc.edu/2015/06/25/fidelity-strategy-how-succeed-business-without-really-trying/) • [1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/23810-HOW-TO-SUCCEED-IN-BUSINESS-WITHOUT-REALLY-TRYING) A later critic noted it earned even less than the same year's more roundly panned musicals *Camelot* and *Doctor Dolittle*.[9](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/how_to_succeed_in_business_without_really_trying) On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds a 93 percent Tomatometer from 14 reviews and an 82 percent audience score.[9](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/how_to_succeed_in_business_without_really_trying)
## Legacy
The Guardian's Philip French called it an excellent screen version, "essentially a lite version of Billy Wilder's The Apartment," superbly photographed by Burnett Guffey and furnished wall to wall with Loesser's witty, melodic songs.[10](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2010/jan/03/french-classic-dvd-succeed-business) Morse's performance as Finch remained his most remembered role across a six-decade career, and the film has been read as a snapshot of the corporate culture that the television series *Mad Men*, in which Morse later appeared as Bert Cooper, would revisit decades later.[11](https://time.com/3860577/tonys-musical-1962/) • [9](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/how_to_succeed_in_business_without_really_trying) The film remains in circulation on home video and streaming services.[12](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/how-to-succeed-in-business-without-really-trying)
## References
1. [How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (1967), AFI Catalog of Feature Films](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/23810-HOW-TO-SUCCEED-IN-BUSINESS-WITHOUT-REALLY-TRYING)
2. [How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, AFI Catalog (details and synopsis)](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/23810-HOW-TOSUCCEEDINBUSINESSWITHOUTREALLYTRYING)
3. [How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying, British Board of Film Classification](https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/how-to-succeed-in-business-without-really-trying-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0ynjqynde)
4. [How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (1967), The Numbers](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/How-to-Succeed-in-Business-Without-Really-Trying)
5. [How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Turner Classic Movies article by Stephanie Thames](https://www.tcm.com/articles/27957/how-to-succeed-in-business-without-really-trying)
6. [How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Frank Loesser estate library](https://frankloesser.com/library/how-to-succeed-in-business-without-really-trying/)
7. [How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, MTI Study Guide](https://www.musikundbuehne.de/fileadmin/media/Downloads/Education_Packs/How_to_Succeed_Study_Guide.pdf)
8. [The Fidelity Strategy in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, UW–Madison Cinematheque, essay by Amanda McQueen](https://cinema.wisc.edu/2015/06/25/fidelity-strategy-how-succeed-business-without-really-trying/)
9. [How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/how_to_succeed_in_business_without_really_trying)
10. [Classic DVD: How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, The Guardian, Philip French](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2010/jan/03/french-classic-dvd-succeed-business)
11. [See Photos From the Musical That Nearly Swept the Tonys in 1962, Time](https://time.com/3860577/tonys-musical-1962/)
12. [How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying streaming, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/how-to-succeed-in-business-without-really-trying)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Musical and music films (individual works) › Musical films of the 1930s to 1960s*
*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license