Review of Putney Swope (1969) by Walter M — 24 Jan 2013

With the death of a CEO of an advertising firm, the board members now vote for his successor. Holding up matters temporarily is the fact that they are not allowed to vote for themselves. Soon, that is rectified when Putney Swope(Arnold Johnson), the music director and the only African American board member, is elected by a wide margin, as nobody thought anybody else would vote for him.(Coincidentally this is how "Titanic" won the Best Picture Oscar in 1997.) Putney quickly and efficiently makes a clean sweep, renaming the firm "Truth and Soul" while only retaining Nathan(Stanley Gottlieb), liking his corruption, and vowing not to work for any accounts that include alcohol, cigarettes or war toys.

As satire, "Putney Swope" proves the old adage that what was once provocative and risky in its take on race relations is now safe and dated as the movie eventually runs out of steam. That's not to mention an odd subplot concerning the diminutive President(Pepi Hermine) which is offset by the movie's startling production design. As far as advertising goes, that will always provide a huge target which to the film is a racket like any other which is illustrated by mock advertisements and fictional products, the only exception being the Long Island Rail Road which is only fictional during rush hours.