The Hucksters - Plot

Plot

Victor Norman (Clark Gable) is a radio advertising executive just back from World War II and looking for a job in his old field. He literally throws his money out the hotel window, telling the hotel valet that being down to his last fifty dollars "will help me seem sincere about not needing a job." On his way to his interview, he stops and spends thirty-five of those dollars on a "sincere" hand-painted necktie.

His appointment is at the Kimberly Advertising Agency, with Mr. Kimberly himself (Adolphe Menjou). As the two size each other up, they are interrupted by a phone call from Evan Llewellyn Evans (Sydney Greenstreet), the tyrannical, high-volume chief of the Beautee Soap company, the agency's biggest account. The call throws the staff into turmoil and derails Vic's interview, so he offers to perform an unpleasant task for Kimberly: recruit Mrs. Kay Dorrance (Deborah Kerr) for a Beautee soap campaign featuring New York socialites.

At the elegant Dorrance townhouse he misrepresents himself as being from the "Charity League" and charms Kay into agreeing, but when they arrive at the photo shoot, the Beautee art director produces a layout featuring "a loose and flouncy" negligee. Vic overrules the concept and directs a dignified shoot of Kay, in an evening gown, flanked by her children.

In the next day's maelstrom, Vic and "Kim" are summoned to Beautee's offices where they are confronted by Mr. Evans, whose first action is to expectorate heartily onto his conference table. He summarizes his philosophy on advertising: "You have just seen me do a disgusting thing. But you will always remember it!" He confronts Vic about the change to his Dorrance ad, and Vic tells him that "Beautee soap is a clean product—and your advertisement is not clean." When Kim plays the radio commercial Vic produced overnight—"Love That Soap"—Evans likes it and directs Kim to hire Vic. "You have your teeth in our problems," he says, removing and brandishing his own dentures.

Vic finds himself attracted to Kay. When the two double-date with Mr. and Mrs. Kimberly, a belligerently drunken Kim confesses that he started his agency by overthrowing his old mentor and snaking the Beautee soap account. Vic arranges an above-board weekend getaway for the couple at one of his old pre-war haunts in Connecticut; Kay arrives and finds that the place has slipped under its new owner and that they have been booked into adjoining rooms with a connecting door. She leaves, vowing never to see Vic again.

Evans summons Vic and Kim to a rare Sunday "chat-chat" and reveals he wants a new radio variety show built around C-list comedian Buddy Hare (Keenan Wynn). He chastises the two ad men for his having to do their work for them, informing them that Hare's agent Dave Lash (Edward Arnold) will be leaving for the coast on that evening's train. Vic will try to ink a deal on board, before word of Evans's interest leaks out and boosts Hare's price. On the way to the station, he stops at Kay's house, but she is remote: "You'll make any promise to make your point," and he says, "That's the kind of guy I am." He takes his leave for the train; it is a difficult parting for them both.

On the train, Vic bumps into an old flame, singer Jean Ogilvie (Ava Gardner). He recruits her for his plan to sign a deal for Hare: with Ogilvie as his shill, he gets agent Lash to offer Hare at a bargain basement price. They shake on the deal, and when Lash realizes he has been had, he graciously agrees to honor it.

Once in Hollywood, Vic and his writers set about creating the radio show; early on, they ban Hare from the proceedings because his contributions are such cliches. One night, Vic is surprised to find Kay in the shadows outside his bungalow, there to try to patch things up. She is successful—Vic starts talking marriage, and seeing himself as a breadwinner for Kay and her children.

Trouble intervenes, though, when a legal technicality overrides the talent contract for Buddy Hare. It was Dave Lash's honest mistake, but Vic uses cruel innuendo about Lash's childhood and implied backmail to get the agent to eat the cost difference himself. Vic immediately regrets the tactic, and Lash's wounded demeanor makes him feel even shabbier.

Back in New York with show in hand, Vic and Kim play the recording for Evans. The newly-compliant Vic—now with thoughts of a family to feed—finds himself playing the groveling role that Evans requires of his subordinates, and realizes it is not for him. Even though Evans liked the show, Vic gets up, pours water over Evans's head, tells him he's "all wet," and strides out of the room.

Outside in Kay's car, Vic tells her their marriage will have to wait until he can regain his earning power. She replies that money, at least "big money," isn't important—that he "can sell things with dignity and taste." He reaches in his pocket, fetches out the money there, and hurls it up the street. "Now we're starting with exactly nothing," he says, "it's neater that way."

Jean Ogilvie: Torch singer, Vic's old flame and his co-conspirator to trick Dave Lash Buddy Hare: Third-rate burlesk comic who caught Mr. Evans's ear to host a radio show Dave Lash: Talent agent whose integrity puts him at the mercy of Vic's ruthlessness