Blu-ray Review How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying Blu-ray Review (1 Viewer)

[Matt Hough]

Matt Hough

How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying Blu-ray Review

David Swift's How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying emerges as a bright, funny, and slick Big Business satire 1960s style with wryly tuneful songs and enjoyably engaging performances.

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[haineshisway]

Color is absolutely slightly faded to brown.

 

[Adam Gregorich]

I have always enjoyed this film and am very happy that TT has released this on Blu-ray. I have ordered it.

 

[Drew Salzan]

Watched it last night. Probably as good as it will ever look. Slightly faded, but enjoyable. More disappointed in the sound design. Sounds like repurposed mono expanded to 5.1. Not sure if it ever had a discrete stereo release, but rumor has it that there were limited stereo prints made, probably for the large venues like Radio City.

 

[Joe Caps]

I saw this film opening day at Radio City Music Hall.
It was stereo and still had the Coffee Break number in it.
Talked in the early nineties to David Swift, the director.
Radio City complained that the film just ran over two hours and that was too long to get the rockets on too.
They cut the coffee break number and the film ran in mono from then on.
UA cut the other prints to conform to eh NYC print and all went out in mono.

 

[Will Krupp]

I saw this film opening day at Radio City Music Hall.
It was stereo and still had the Coffee Break number in it.
Talked in the early nineties to David Swift, the director.
Radio City complained that the film just ran over two hours and that was too long to get the rockets on too.
They cut the coffee break number and the film ran in mono from then on.
UA cut the other prints to conform to eh NYC print and all went out in mono.

We went over this over a year ago. There was no room in the opening day schedule for another five minute musical number. I think you're mistaken.

https://www.hometheaterforum.com/community/threads/a-few-words-about-™-how-to-succeed-in-business-without-really-trying-in-blu-ray.351974/#post-4473412

 

[roxy1927]

Of course there was room for the Coffee Break number. Producers cut the film before it opened not the Music Hall. Years later they would say it was the Music Hall's fault. Radio City did not have final cut approval.
The Disney Company said this untruth also about Bednobs and Broomsticks.
The Music Hall not only played a number of films over 2 hours they played 2 and 1/2 hour films even with a holiday show. All they needed was to fit in the Rockettes, ballet company and an overture by the orchestra which was easy in a half hour and they had a show.
To show you how inept United Artists was concerning this film not only did they throw away the Coffee Break number they destroyed all the first run stereo prints. So these terrific Broadway brassy orchestration can only be heard on the soundtrack album and Coffee Break is seemingly lost for good.
And it must have been done at the very last moment because the opening day artwork includes it.
Fun fact: Mary Blair worked on the production design.