Cash McCall

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Cash McCall
Directed by	Joseph Pevney
Produced by	Henry Blanke
Written by	Lenore J. Coffee Marion Hargrove Cameron Hawley (novel)
Starring	James Garner Natalie Wood
Release date(s)	1960
Country	United States
Language	English
IMDb profile

Cash McCall is a 1960 movie starring James Garner and Natalie Wood, based upon the novel of the same name by Cameron Hawley about a man who buys businesses in order to sell them at a profit. Recognized by critics as decades ahead of its time in numerous ways,^{[citation needed]} especially its hardcore depiction of business dealings, the innovative film was directed by Joseph Pevney from a screenplay by Lenore J. Coffee and Marion Hargrove.

[edit] Plot summary

Grant Austen (Dean Jagger), the head of Austen Plastics, yearns for retirement. So when Scofield Industries, by far his largest customer, threatens to take its business elsewhere, Austen considers selling his company. He hires a consulting firm, which finds an interested potential buyer, Cash McCall (James Garner).

Cash meets with Austen and his daughter Lory (Natalie Wood), who owns part of the company. Austen conceals the problem with Scofield Industries and sells out to Cash. Afterwards, Cash speaks to Lory privately; it turns out that they had been romantically involved the previous summer. Cash had broken off the relationship, but later found he had made a mistake.

Before the deal is finalized, Cash's assistant Gil Clark (Henry Jones) discovers that Austen Plastics holds patents essential to Scofield Industries. Its alarmed boss, General Danvers (Roland Winters), tries to buy Austen Plastics himself. Cash then decides that he could run Scofield more profitably and starts buying up controlling interest in the second company.

In the middle of all the dealmaking, Cash proposes marriage to Lory, and she accepts. However, the assistant manager of the hotel where Cash lives, Maude Kennard (Nina Foch), wants Cash herself, and tricks Lory into believing that she is Cash's girlfriend. Meanwhile, one of Danvers' associates convinces Austen that Cash is offering much less than the company is worth. Eventually, everything is cleared up, and Cash and Lory reconcile.