I've been hooked on TCM for years now. I just always remember being a fan of Humphrey Bogart, Cary Grant, Errol Flynn, Audrey Hepburn, Katharine Hepburn, James (Jimmy) Steward, John Wayne, and many many more. Around a decade ago, I used to do some reviews of movies I saw on TCM. I figured I'd start it up again. If you're interested, click on through.
Currently, he is working at a nonprofit and makes $7,000 a year. That's equivalent to $87,000 in 2026 dollars. He commutes into New York from Connecticut. His wife, Betsy (Jennifer Jones), is pushing him to get a better paying job. As luck would have it, his seat partner on the train to New York works at United Broadcasting Company (UBC) and mentions that there is an opening in public relations. The job would pay $8,000 to $10,000 a year (or between $99,000 to $124,000). He could definitely use a pay bump, because he also has 3 young children.
His initial reaction; however, is that he isn't qualified for the job as he doesn't have any experience in public relations (though I didn't pick it up in the movie, I did find mention on the Internet that he was working as a writer for the nonprofit so there is at least some tangential experience).
His reluctance in taking the job is also potentially driven by the fact that his grandmother has died and he is hoping that there is a significant inheritance coming his way. He finds out the night after his morning conversation on the train that his grandmother only left him the house (an assumed net value of $10,000) and nothing else. (A side story is that her housekeeper has siphoned off the money and has a bank account of $78,000. In today's dollars, that would be a net worth of $970,000. Add on the net value of the house, and the Raths were expecting an inheritance equivalent to $1 million. So the Raths came from a family background that is definitely upper middle class. I would say that this side story never has a satisfying conclusion. I would think that they'd sue the housekeeper for theft, considering that this is a lot of money.)
Upon learning that there is no money coming his way, he approaches his commuter friend about the job and an interview is set up. He interviews for the job with the individual who would be his immediate supervisor. Later, he interviews with the head of UBC, Ralph Hopkins (Fredric March). He would be the equivalent of say the head of Disney (Josh D'Amaro) or Netflix (Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters). Hopkins takes an immediately liking to Rath and he is hired on a 6 month probation period. His permanent hiring is based on how he does on the drafting of a speech / campaign related to mental health. This is a project dear to Hopkins and he wants the speech / campaign to result in him leading the national effort.
In some ways, the movie is a less gritty version of say The Deer Hunter. The World War II veterans have all appeared to have adjusted back into civilization. Though Rath is still haunted by the war and has flashbacks to his time in Europe and the Pacific. There is a flashback where he has to kill a Nazi soldier with a knife. He is also directly responsible for a friend's death in the Pacific due to unfortunate timing driven by the confusion of battle. Ralph Hopkins is also scarred by the war as his son died serving his country. In this situation, perhaps the gray flannel suit represents someone who approaches life cautiously, knowing that he spent years of his life facing death and seeing death.
The movie also explores the post-war corporate life. The movie is filled with corporate politics. His immediate boss obviously recognizes the fact that Hopkins holds Rath in high regard. Going from a nonprofit to a corporation, Rath must learn the politically calculated language that is used (though I'm sure nonprofits have their own internal politics). Ultimately, the movie explores rather or not the gray flannel suit will aggressively pursue the corporate ladder or decide to stay a family man. As the CEO of the UBC holds him in high regard, the door is wide open for him to move up the ladder. What will his decision be?
The movie also includes an explosive reveal about his time in Europe that directly impacts his relationship with his wife, but I'll leave that storyline to those who wish to watch the movie.
While watching this movie, I started to get the feeling that this was based on a real place called the Hollywood Canteen so I did a Google search while watching the movie. Up came a Wikipedia article about the real Hollywood Canteen that was located at 1451 North Cahuenga Boulevard. This is actually a location that is near Hotel Cafe (the original location) and I drive by this location whenever I'm on my way to Bar Lubitsch. At the moment, there isn't a specific 1451 address as there is a parking lot occupying the area (see photo here).
The club was founded by Bette Davis and John Garfield and was a location where military soldiers were entertained by celebrities. Wikipedia mentions that 3,000 celebrities and industry personnel volunteered their time. If you know your Hollywood history, there is a really sad conclusion to the life of John Garfield. Even though he co-founded this club, he was later barred from working in Hollywood due to the Red Scare of the 1950s. It must have been awful for him personally, knowing how much he had done to support the soldiers during World War II and then less than a decade later having the country basically assume that you're a traitor.
Joan Crawford has a cameo in the movie and for Hollywood historians, you know there was a long frenemy relationship between Better Davis and Joan Crawford that exploded when they co-starred in the movie What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
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