The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit (1956)

An ex-soldier faces ethical questions as he tries to earn enough to support his wife and children well.

Director:

Nunnally Johnson

Writers:

Nunnally Johnson (screenplay), Sloan Wilson (novel)

Stars:

Gregory Peck, Jennifer Jones, Fredric March

1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Gregory Peck	...	Tom Rath
Jennifer Jones	...	Betsy Rath
Fredric March	...	Ralph Hopkins
Marisa Pavan	...	Maria Montagne
Lee J. Cobb	...	Judge Bernstein
Ann Harding	...	Helen Hopkins
Keenan Wynn	...	Sgt. Caesar Gardella
Gene Lockhart	...	Bill Hawthorne
Gigi Perreau	...	Susan Hopkins
Portland Mason	...	Janey Rath
Arthur O'Connell	...	Gordon Walker
Henry Daniell	...	Bill Ogden
Connie Gilchrist	...	Mrs. Manter
Joseph Sweeney	...	Edward M. Schultz
Sandy Descher	...	Barbara Rath

Storyline

Tom Rath lives in Connecticut and commutes to work every day in Manhattan. He's happily married and has a loving wife and three children. Money is a bit tight and when the opportunity arises, he applies for a public relations job with a major television network. During his long commute to work everyday, Tom reminisces about the war. Although 10 years have gone by, he is still haunted by the violence and the men he killed. He also thinks of Maria, an Italian girl with whom he had an affair while stationed in Rome. At his new job, the head of the network Ralph Hopkins takes an immediate liking to him. Tom soon realizes that he will have to choose between becoming a wholly dedicated company man or maintaining a healthy work-life balance. When he learns that Maria gave birth to his son after he left Italy, he decides to let his wife know and ensure that the boy is cared for.

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Plot Keywords:

business ethics | new york city | melodrama | based on novel | suburb | 

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Taglines:

His loves...his world---both past and present---and the crisis they caused!

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Genres:

Drama | Romance | War

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

DeForest Kelley, the future Dr. McCoy of Star Trek fame, plays a medic in an uncredited role. His first words in the film were "He's dead captain."

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Goofs

In the film, Tom Rath and his paratroopers belong to the 509th Parachute Infantry Battalion, which actually saw combat in Italy during World War II. In reality (unlike the film), the 509th did not get sent to the Pacific Theater to fight the Japanese (or make a combat jump there) after the battalion's tour in Italy was over.

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Quotes

Medic: This man's dead, Captain.

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Crazy Credits

Once it fades in, the 20th Century Fox logo (set to the film's dramatic opening credits music, rather than the traditional Fox fanfare) appears in a slightly smaller CinemaScope windowbox, slowly panning to normal size (correctly fitting the CinemaScope screen) before fadeout.

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Connections

Spoofed in The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit (1968)

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Soundtracks

(I'm a) Ramblin' Wreck from Georgia Tech
(1908) (uncredited)
Lyrics by Billy Walthall
Music by Frank Roman and Mike Greenblatt
based on "Son of a Gambolier"
Music by Charles Ives (1895)
Played on the ukulele by Gregory Peck

User Reviews

9 to 5 Fellows

In Connecticut, the former WWII officer Tom Rath (Gregory Peck) and his wife Betsy (Jennifer Jones) are happily married middle class couple with three children. However, they have financial difficulties and Tom commutes every day to Manhattan to work in a charitable organization receiving a low salary.

Tom is tormented by the traumatic experience in war, where he killed seventeen persons including a young German soldier and he occasionally recalls his love affair with the Italian Maria (Marisa Pavan) in 1945.

When Tom inherits his grandmother's house, her former servant claims the real state but using forged document. Meanwhile Tom is hired to work as public relation of a television network and is assigned to write a speech to the owner, Ralph Hopkins (Frederic March). Soon he needs to decide whether he will be a dedicated executive or 9 to 5 fellows. Further, he learns that he has a son with Maria and she is very needy and he needs to choose between telling the truth to Betsy or keep the secret.

"The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit" is a realistic and humanistic drama about choices of an insecure man with a war trauma that frequently haunts him. Tom Rath sometimes is reluctant, thinking in the safety of his family first, but always takes the right decision supported by his beloved wife Betsy. The story has many subplots and one memorable character, Judge Bernstein, performed by Lee J. Cobb. The story is long but never boring. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Homem do Terno Cinzento" ("Man in the Gray Suit")

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Italian German

Release Date:

8 May 1956 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit

Filming Locations:

20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$2,670,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox

Technical Specs

Runtime:

153 min

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.55 : 1