February Movie of the Month: The Hucksters (1947)
Voted on by you Gable fans…The Hucksters is the Movie of the Month for February!
And the winner of The Hucksters on DVD is Debbie Moore, who voted via Facebook!
The Hucksters is my personal favorite of Clark’s films after he returned from the war. The script is good and with a cast that includes Deborak Kerr, Ava Gardner, Sydney Greenstreet and Adolphe Menjou, Clark is surrounded by talent. It was the first script offered to him after the war that he actually liked. The film is considered a drama, but it has some comedic moments and is really more of a satire, ridiculing the advertising industry.
Clark’s character, Victor “Vic” Norman ( a Don Draper of the 40’s!), is just home from the war and immediately sets his sights on returning to the advertising game. He seeks a job from Adolphe Menjou (an off screen pal of Gable). To land the job, he must entice a British widow (Deborah Kerr) to pose for a soap campaign. He falls in love with her, as a nightclub singer (a young and fresh-faced Ava Gardner, their first film together) falls for him. He is constantly at odds with himself: is all this manipulation and diminishing self respect worth it, just to please a bellowing soap company tycoon (Sydney Greenstreet)?
Ava Gardner, here at the very beginning of her career, is very beautiful here and the scenes between her and Clark have real sizzle.
I wouldn’t refer to what Clark and Deborah have as sizzle, persay, but I would say their chemistry works for what the picture calls for. Deborah’s character is supposed to be restrained and rather prudish, and Deborah fits the bill here.
Clark was at first very pleased with the casting of Deborah, since he liked being paired with new actresses instead of the same ones time and time again. But as the film went on and the MGM publicity machine started its work for the picture, he became rather annoyed at the film’s tagline, “Gable’s New Star is Deborah Kerr!”, meant to bolster American awareness of the British newcomer and to indicate how to pronounce her name.
Clark’s smooth talking is at home here in the advertising world and he isn’t holding back any punches, schmoozing clients, canoodling with both Deborah and Ava and sparring with Sydney Greenstreet.
You can read more on the film here, it’s available on DVD here
3 Comments
Grand Old Movies
I really enjoy Sidney Greenstreet’s performance in this film. He downplays his usual suave persona and plays it rather crude and loud-mouthed, which works for the part and adds much of the humor.
Debbie
What a fabulous surprise! I almost dropped my teeth when I saw my name. Thank you, Dear Mr. Gable!
connie
I love this movie. If art imitates life; I find it interesting that Ms. Kerr’s name in the picture is Kay and she has 2 children, a boy and a girl. She is either divorced or widowed. Not too long after this, Clark married Kay Williams with 2 children, a boy and a girl. Wonder if he realized this in retrospect. I loved when he did comedy.