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Patterns

  • 19561956
  • ApprovedApproved
  • 1h 23m
IMDb RATING
7.7/10
3.1K
YOUR RATING
Patterns (1956)
When Fred Staples is recruited onto the board of a high-powered New York corporation, he finds his ethics and ambition at odds.
Play trailer1:08
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Drama

When Fred Staples is recruited onto the board of a high-powered New York corporation, he finds his ethics and ambition at odds.When Fred Staples is recruited onto the board of a high-powered New York corporation, he finds his ethics and ambition at odds.When Fred Staples is recruited onto the board of a high-powered New York corporation, he finds his ethics and ambition at odds.

IMDb RATING
7.7/10
3.1K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Fielder Cook
  • Writer
    • Rod Serling(original story)
  • Stars
    • Van Heflin
    • Everett Sloane
    • Ed Begley
  • Director
    • Fielder Cook
  • Writer
    • Rod Serling(original story)
  • Stars
    • Van Heflin
    • Everett Sloane
    • Ed Begley
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 83User reviews
    • 22Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award
      • 1 nomination total

    Videos1

    Trailer
    Trailer 1:08
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    Photos256

    Patterns (1956)
    Patterns (1956)
    Patterns (1956)
    Patterns (1956)
    Patterns (1956)
    Patterns (1956)
    Patterns (1956)
    Patterns (1956)
    Patterns (1956)
    Patterns (1956)
    Patterns (1956)
    Patterns (1956)

    Top cast

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    Van Heflin
    Van Heflin
    • Fred Staples
    Everett Sloane
    Everett Sloane
    • Walter Ramsey
    Ed Begley
    Ed Begley
    • Bill Briggs
    Beatrice Straight
    Beatrice Straight
    • Nancy Staples
    Elizabeth Wilson
    Elizabeth Wilson
    • Marge Fleming
    Joanna Roos
    Joanna Roos
    • Margaret Lanier
    Valerie Cossart
    • Martha Stevens
    Eleni Kiamos
    • Sylvia Trammel
    Ronnie Welsh
    • Paul Briggs
    Shirley Standlee
    • Miss Hill
    Andrew Duggan
    Andrew Duggan
    • Harvey Jameson
    Jack Livesey
    Jack Livesey
    • D.J. Vandeventer
    • (as Jack Livesy)
    John Seymour
    • Ed Gordon
    James Kelly
    • Jim Latham
    John Shelly
    • Edgar Grannigan
    Victor Harrison
    • Carl Portier
    Sally Gracie
    • Ann
    Sally Chamberlin
    • Mrs. Jameson
    • Director
      • Fielder Cook
    • Writer
      • Rod Serling(original story) (screen play)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    Storyline

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    Did you know

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    • Trivia
      Based on a teleplay by Rod Serling, Patterns (1955). It featured several of the same actors who would appear in the movie, including Everett Sloane and Ed Begley. However, the part of Fred Staples, the lead, was originated by Richard Kiley. Begley's character, Bill Briggs, was called Andy Sloane in the original version. Serling's teleplay won him the first of his six Emmy Awards.
    • Goofs
      The dialog in the final scenes, starting with Staples' conversation with his wife in a coffee shop near his office, indicate the events take place well into the evening. However, the exterior shot linking this scene with Staples' confrontation with Ramsey in the Ramsey & Company building, as well as the exterior shot that follows the confrontation, were both taken in broad daylight.
    • Quotes

      Bill Briggs: On our level you don't get fired, you know that. After thirty years of productive work, they can't say to a man like me, "Alright, now get out!" They just can't do that. So what do they do? They create a situation. A situation you can't work in and finally that you can't live in with this tension, abuse. Small humiliations. It all starts out on a scale so subtle, so microscopic that at first you can't really believe it's happening at all. But gradually the thing begins to take shape. The pieces fit together - all the little bits. And it becomes unmistakable. They chip away at your pride, your security until you begin to have doubts, and then fears.

    • Connections
      Referenced in American Masters: Rod Serling: Submitted for Your Approval (1995)

    User reviews83

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    Short and Sour View of Office Politics.
    This tight, intense little film has been rarely seen in recent years (although the original teleplay on which it is based was a huge hit.) It's impact has been dulled slightly (mostly because it's ideas have been stolen for other countless TV shows and movies), but it's basic story is still as relevant as ever. Heflin is a small town plant manager whose company has been swallowed up by Sloane's conglomerate. Sloane moves him up to the executive level of the conglomerate and sets him up with a beautiful home, a fancy office and a top secretary. Soon, however, Heflin realizes that his promotion may have more to do with leverage against one of Sloane's adversaries, his vice president, Begley. Straight is Heflin's materialistic wife who urges him to succeed no matter what the moral cost. Wilson is Begley's secretary who finds herself torn between personal loyalty and company loyalty. The film is a curt 83 minutes and wisely unpadded with excess subplots. The acting is uniformly strong. Heflin is able to display a wide range of emotion. Begley, often cast as overbearing boors, is able to show a more vulnerable side. Sloane is the one who almost goes over the top. He shouts wildly at the drop of a hat and doesn't allow anyone to finish a sentence. One hopes that his type of management wouldn't be tolerated in today's world, but it very well may be. Wilson comes across very solidly in one of her better screen roles. She's given many quiet moments that display her internal struggle. (She would later put a comedic spin on the whole office thing with her wondrous turn in "9 to 5".) Straight is good, but isn't really a focal point of the story. The film has a dim view of corporate America and the unsettling feelings in the office begin right away. Though the times have changed, this story still holds value today and is an arresting work to watch.
    helpful•36
    2
    • Poseidon-3
    • Sep 18, 2002

    Details

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    • Release date
      • October 26, 1956 (West Germany)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Morgen trifft es dich
    • Filming locations
      • Pine Street and Nassau Street, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA
    • Production companies
      • Jed Harris
      • Michael Myerberg
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • Runtime
      1 hour 23 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Sound mix
      • Mono

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