Nov. 6 movie: The Hucksters. I've seen this a couple of times before and it frustrates me every time. On the one hand, Clark Gable and Deborah Kerr have no chemistry whatsoever. Watching Gable ditch smoldering Ava Gardner for mousy Kerr is just bizarre. (Don't get me wrong; I like Kerr. She's just all wrong for Gable.)
On the other hand, the portrayal of the post-war advertising world is hilarious. Great supporting work by Keenan Wynn as a washed up, unfunny comedian; Adolphe Menjou (who did not play Seth Lord in The Philadelphia Story although I think he did every time I see his face) as the nervous ad agency president; and especially Sidney Greenstreet as the tyrannical soap baron who spits on the table and forces everyone to yell Right! and Check! on cue in meetings. Those guys are why I keep watching this movie. I think next time I'll fast forward all of Kerr's scenes and just watch the parts about the ad biz.
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