Victor Norman, a returning soldier who becomes an advertising executive, must sell soap — and his soul — to a demanding client.
In The Hucksters (1947), Clark Gable plays Victor Norman, who returns from the Second World War and takes a job in advertising. He is assigned to the account of Evan Llewellyn Evans, played by Sydney Greenstreet, a tyrannical soap manufacturer who demands loyalty and flattery. Victor also falls for Kay Dorrance, played by Deborah Kerr, a war widow who works for a rival firm.
Gable plays Victor as a man who is tired of taking orders, whether from the army or from a client. The film is a satire of post-war American business, and Gable’s performance, weary and principled, gives it its bite.
The Hucksters is a sharp, adult drama about selling and self-respect, and Gable’s Victor Norman is a hero for a new era: a man who wants to do honest work in a world that rewards the opposite.