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A bit of musical theatre written by Abe Burrows, with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser, which was first staged in 1961. It's based on a book by Shepherd Mead, which had the subtitle "The Dastard's Guide to Fame and Fortune". Obviously, it is a satire.
 
The story starts out with a kid named J. Pierpont Finch, a window-washer at the World Wide Wicket company (no, that's not a [[Stealth Pun]], this was [[The Sixties]]). He's reading from the eponymous book, quotes from which are often provided by a disembodied Narrator. After a [[Crash Into Hello]] with the president of the company, Finch gets a proper job. Now, with only advice from the book, [[Indy Ploy|Indy Ploys]] and a [[Twinkle Smile]] to aid him, Finch must work his way up the corporate ladder, with the help and/or opposition of (amongst others): Bud Frump, nephew of WWW current president J.B. Biggley; [[Femme Fatale]] Hedy LaRue, who is having an affair with Biggley but causes [[Hello, Nurse!|instant attraction]] from just about any male character; Rosemary Pilkington, his [[Love Interest]]; and his own plans and schemes, which have a tendency to [[Gone Horribly Right|Go Horribly Right]].
 
[[The Movie]] version starring Robert Morse, Rudy Vallee, and Sammy Smith (reprising their respective roles of Finch, Mr. Biggly, and Mr.Twimble/Wally Whomper from the Broadway original) came out in '67. The show was revived on Broadway in '95 with [[Matthew Broderick]] as Finch and [[Walter Cronkite]] reading the book, for which Broderick won a Lead Actor Tony. Its 50th-anniversary revival in 2011 starred [[Daniel Radcliffe]] of ''[[Harry Potter (Filmfilm)|Harry Potter]]'' fame. In what may be a [[Casting Gag]], Radcliffe was replaced by [[Darren Criss]], of [[Glee]] and [[A Very Potter Musical]], in January 2012 for a two week run, to be replaced again by [[Nick Jonas]].
 
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{{tropelist}}
=== ''[[How to Succeed In Business Without Really Trying]]'' contains examples of the following tropes: ===
 
* [[All Musicals Are Adaptations]]
* [[Ambiguously Gay]]: Frump can come off as this, especially in the movie
** Given that [[Match Game|Charles Nelson Reilly]] originated the part on Broadway, this shouldn't be a surprise.
* [[Anti -Hero]]: Finch, the protagonist, while thoroughly charming, is a conniving backstabber willing to do anything to climb the corporate ladder.
* [[Based Onon an Advice Book]]
* [[Beta Couple]]: Hedy and JB, who actually have more problems than the [[Official Couple]].
* [[Betty and Veronica]]: Rosemary and Hedy for Finch
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* [[Dresses the Same]]: "Paris Original" takes this to its logical extent by having ''all'' the secretaries walk into a company party wearing the same gown.
* [[Favouritism Flip Flop]]
* [["Faux toTo" Guide]]
* [[Femme Fatale]]: Hedy
* [[First Girl Wins]]: Rosemary
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* [[Grande Dame]]: Mr. Biggly's secretary, Miss Jones, has some affinities with the type.
* [[Guile Hero]]: Finch, Finch, Finch.
* [[Hello, Nurse!]]: Hedy
* [[Hey, ItsIt's That Guy!]]: Robert Morse, the original Ponty, plays Bert Cooper on the likewise business-oriented ''[[Mad Men]]''.
** Not to mention [[Daniel Radcliffe|Harry]] [[Harry Potter|Potter]] ([[Casting Gag|and later]] [[Darren Criss|Harry]] [[A Very Potter Musical|Potter]]) starring in the 2011 revival.
* [[Informed Attractiveness]]: Hedy. Or not, depending on who's playing her.
* [[Lyndon B. Johnson]]: In the film version, when Rosemary tells Ponty that she doesn't care if he ends up as a window-washer or President of the United States, there is a quick cut to Ponty washing the windows of the White House, and leaning in to say (with a significant grin), "Good morning, Mr. President," to a Johnson-lookalike.
* [[Love Epiphany]]: "Rosemary". Strangely, Finch has this while kissing another woman.
* [[Male Gaze]]: Hedy inspires them.
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* [[Named After Somebody Famous]]
* [[Nepotism]]
* [[Non -Actor Vehicle]]: both played straight and ''inverted''. The role of Finch involves as much acting as singing, and skill in one can compensate for lack of ability in the other.
* [[The Quiet One]]: Miss Jones, until "Brotherhood of Man."
* [[Reassigned to Antarctica|Reassigned To Venuzuela]]: The fate of anyone whom Mr. Biggley finds with Hedy
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* [[Sexy Secretary]]
* [[Sexy Walk]]: Hedy's gets its own music cue.
* [[Shout -Out]]: Hedy Larue in the 2010 revivial looks quite a bit like another [[Mad Men|gorgeous redhead secretary from the same time period]]...
* [[Silly Love Songs]]: Every Broadway musical is required to include at least one, and this show's silly love is "I Believe In You"; it's sung twice, first by J. Pierpont Finch [[Acquired Situational Narcissism|to himself]], and then by Rosemary as a pep talk when it looks like everything has gone wrong and J. Pierpont is probably going to get fired.
* [[Stepford Smiler]]: Rosemary looks like she's going to become one (see her [[Establishing Character Moment]], "Happy To Keep His Dinner Warm"). This is clearly played for laughs. It's a tongue and cheek portrayal of a 60's housewife.
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[[Category:The Musical]]
[[Category:How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying]]
[[Category:TropeTheatrical Productions]]
[[Category:Multiple Works Need Separate Pages]]
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