Getting The Beauty Soap Shoved Up Your Ass

Observations About The Movie, "Hucksters" (1947)

Sydney Greenstreet portrays Mr. Evans, the boorish head of a successful "beauty soap" company meeting with his advertising agency about a new campaign. Clark Gable is the man sent to handle the account. Deborah Kerr is the formerly rich socialite hired to be beautiful in the soap commercials.

At the first meeting between the soapman and the salesman, Evans unexpectedly spits on his highly polished conference table. "Gentlemen," he growls, summing up his philosophy on advertising, "You have just seen me do a disgusting thing. But you will always remember it!" (Several of his yes-men all nod and smile appreciatively as Gable barely manages to restrain his look of disgust.)

Sydney Greenstreet’s other memorable line about his advertising theory was to pound on the table and recommend (about the buying public) that the thing to do is to "Irritate them! Irritate! Irritate!" Sounds like a pretty modern way of getting our attention, I’d say. I think it's the same shit I was watching last night.

Evans was based on George Washington Hill, the colorfully crude president of the American Tobacco Company. Now that must've been a nice fellow. I bet he could sell shit for peanut butter!

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"I told my psychiatrist that everyone hates me. He said I was being ridiculous, everyone hasn't met me yet." — Rodney Dangerfield (1921 - 2004)

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