| | | | The Secret of My Success
(1987) |
his movie was made at the height of Michael J. Fox's success in the mid 80's but wasn't a biography of Michael. Rather it was a kind of corporate fairytale about a a young man who moves to New York determined to 'make it' ...and succeeds spectacularly!
This is the kind of film that a cynical critic would dismiss as another rubbish "cliche 80's greed movie --kind of a soft core, comic book "Wall Street"" --but they'd be missing the point.
Directed by Herbert Ross immediately after finishing "Footloose", the movie is just pure fun, along the way poking fun at the corporate America of the 80's (although I'm sure not a lot has changed!) and introducing us to many brilliantly eccentric characters and silly situations.
Like most 80's movies of this kind, this is not a movie that takes itself seriously at all.. and as such, should be viewed as pure, unadulterated entertainment.
Fox plays the central character of 'Brantley Foster' who along the way to his fortune, starts off in the mail room of a large corporation run by his distant "Uncle Howard", played excellently by Richard Jordan.
His world is popluated by colorful types like 'Melrose', who is his coworker in the mailroom and Helen Slater is the 'cold fish' high flying executive who is the target of his affection and ultimately does warm to his charms. Margaret Whitton does an outstanding job of playing "Uncle Howard's" scheming wife "Vera".
If you're looking for a great piece of 80's culture (complete with tons of musical montaging), music and a lot of harmless fun, you could do a lot worse than "The Secret Of My Success"...
 Don't forget that The Secret of My Success is now available to order on Widescreen DVD using our special 80s Retro Assistant...
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Warm entertaining 80's classic that has many fans but leaves the critics cold. Highly recommended.
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"The Secret of my Success" went on to be the 7th highest grossing film of 1987, with almost $68,000,000! Pretty good for a fun screwball comedy.  -Thanks to Vince
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Helen slater who plays Fox's love interest in the movie also starred as Supergirl and as an inept kidnapper in the awesome 80's movie "Ruthless People" with Bette Middler and Danny De Vito.
Cindy Crawford makes a very brief cameo in a musical montage near the beginning, when Brantley moves to New York.
When Brantley is in the office of a recently vacated 'suit' enjoying the view from on high, the phone rings-he answers. During the conversation concerning boxcars, shipping and the like, he puts his feet on the desk. Notice the black ash stains on the bottom of his shoes, from stomping out cig butts during breaks in filming (Fox was a smoker at the time). -Thanks to Michael
Herbert Ross, the director, sadly died in October 2001 after a career that spanned more than three decades.
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Rediscover your favorites! If you like
The Secret of My Success or 80's Romantic Comedy classics, then be sure to
check out this list: ..... Can't Buy Me Love ..... Say Anything ..... Some Kind Of Wonderful ..... Sixteen Candles ..... Valley Girl ..... Switching Channels ..... Grandview, U.S.A. ..... Dance 'til Dawn ..... Don't Tell Her It's Me ..... Mannequin ..... Teen Wolf ..... Secret Admirer ..... Pretty In Pink ..... She's Having a Baby ..... Dream A little Dream .....[More]
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According to People magazine in 1989, Kristy McNichol was originally given the role of the Christy Wills character by director Herbert Ross, but the studio dropped McNichol from the role two weeks before filming began (due to her alleged problems at the time) and gave the role to Helen Slater instead. -Thanks to Kenneth Sutton
Michael J. Fox and Helen Slater dated in real life during the filming of the movie. -Thanks to Barry Freiman
The chant of "S-U-C-C-E-S-S" on the theme song was performed by 5 girls from the John Burroughs High cheerleading squad.
When the Executives are huddled around a table at Howard and Vera's for the weekend and Brantley is talking to other guests at the gazebo.... there are at least 2 executives at the table that are also with Howard......... Guess they must have twins! :) -Thanks to Mike Manrique
In the scene where M.J. Fox is sitting in his new office for the first time and decides to answer the phone the length of his hair changes noticeably during his conversation (this happens a lot during the film). -Thanks to Caitlin Foito
There is a time where "Uncle Howard" and his exec. are jogging on the roof of the office building, then there is a scene where Howard asks the exec. to check their pulse rate, everybody was watching their pulse by looking at their watch, the bald guy wasn't wearing a watch! Shortly, when another scene continues, that bald guy is wearing a black watch. -Thanks to Mohd Nizam
When Brantley gets the limo to drive Vera to the country, her big diamond ring is on the left hand. But then she reaches to press a button on the roof of the limo, the pear shaped diamond ring is on her right hand. In the next scene she reaches down to take off the shoes and the plain ring is back on the right hand and the diamond ring is back on the left. -Thanks to Debbie Worth
While "Carlton Whitfield" is on the phone requesting his secretary (just after moving into his office) he states that he has his name name on the door, yet what he does not have is a secretary. Interesting, because the next scenes of him in mailroom garb, walking down to request personailzed stationary and memos and..... a nameplate for his door. -Thanks to Mike Manrique
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|  |  |  | | The Secret of My Success
Locations |
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 Featured Movie Location: Howard and Vera's country house
Wanna see the real life filming location used for Howard and Vera's country house in the movie? These scenes were actually shot at Lasdon Park, located in Katonah, New York. [New! Show Google Map]
The "Pemrose" corporation interiors were shot at the [then] headquarters of the International Paper company, on the 43rd and 44th floors of the building just south of the Rockefeller Center [name of the building anyone? -Is it the 520 Madison Ave?].
The building where Michael J. Fox initially goes to work with a suit on is 599 lexington ave. (You can actually see the 599 on the screen) [Thanks to Nicholas J. Kauffman]
The executives run round the top of the 885 Third Avenue ("Lipstick Building")
The interior scenes were shot at Kaufman Astoria Studios in Queens, New York.
The farm that Brantley and his parents live on in the beginning of the movie is also in Somers, NY. It is called Muscoot Farm.
The name of Vera's Mansion is Lasdon Estate, not Park. It was owned by Mr. Lasdon who owned Reader's Digest. The tennis court and the gazebo were only there for the movie. [Thanks to Abby]
Can you help? Do you know any of the New York (or any other) filming locations used for The Secret of My Success, particularly "Pemrose" office building name, Brantley's apartment building, The cafe.? [Please send them in]
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The music was coordinated by the always brilliant David Foster, who also did the music for such films as "St Elmo's Fire". It has a great selection of the pop tracks from the film as well as some of Fosters electronic score. A must for 80's officianados!
"Oh Yeah", the music-theme during the changing-the-bedrooms-scene in the country house at the end of the film, is written and played by the swiss-electro-duo Yello, a very succesful group in the international techno-scene. However, be warned, it's not present on the soundtrack. [Thanks to Peter Baldinger]
The song "Oh Yeah" by Yello is also featured in another cult 80s movie - Ferris Bueller's Day Off. -Thanks to Luke Beaman, Uk
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Soundtrack Available:
Used On CD
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