How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying Glossary

How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying
Glossary

The show How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying is loosely based on the book How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying: The Dastard’s Guide to Fame and Fortune, by Shepherd Mead. It is based on Mead’s own experience working at the advertising firm Benton & Bowles. It is a satire of corporate culture in the guise of a self-help book. The show has lines taken directly from the book, and some of the names, such as Finch and Biggley are taken directly from the book.

Act I, Scene 1: Exterior of the World Wide Wicket Company (How to . . .)

J. Pierrepont Finch: This name is taken from John Pierpont Morgan (1837-1913) and his son of the same name (1867-1943), of the banking firm of J. P. Morgan & Co. (Pierpont and Pierrepont both mean "stone bridge".)

Act I, Scene 2: Corridor of the World Wide Wicket Company (Happy to Keep His Dinner Warm)

The designation Personnel Department was deemed by about 1990 to be somewhat impersonal, so in most companies it has been given the more impersonal name of Human Resources Department.
Smitty was once a common nickname for anyone, especially female, named Smith.
Metrecal was the first high-energy, high protein beverage, like Slim-Fast or Ensure, introduced in 1959 by Mead Johnson Nutritionals (now owned by Bristol-Myers-Squibb), originally developed for those trying to gain weight. It quickly became popular among those trying to lose weight; one would drink Metrecal instead of lunch. (It is also kosher for Passover.) The Metrecal fad faded in the mid 1960s. In the late 1960s, Mead Johnson introduced a product called Nutrament, for those trying to gain weight: you would drink it in addition to your lunch. But Nutrament turned out to be the same product as Metrecal, with a different name. [Smitty: I, 2]
Bud Frump: A Frump is a drab, dowdy, or unattractive person.
New Rochelle, White Plains, and Tarrytown are in Westchester County, New York, considered rich suburbs of New York City; perhaps analogous to El Segundo, Beverly Hills, and Manhattan Beach. In the 1930s New Rochelle was the richest city in New York state, by per-capita income. Perhaps it had that distinction around 1960, the time frame for the show. By 2000, New Rochelle was surpassed by both White Plains and Tarrytown, and all of them by Scarsdale, also in Westchester County. But today, the richest counties are now adjacent to Washington, D.C. [Rosemary: I, 2; I, 2; II, 1]

Act I, Scene 3: The Outer Office (Coffee Break)

Krumholtz is from German krummholz: krumm means "crooked" or "twisted", and holz means "wood". The term is applied to trees exposed to freezing winds, where the wind kills the branches on the windward side of the trunk.
The first commercially-available fluorescent lamps were sold in 1938. During World War II, demand for electric lighting was high, so fluorescent lighting increased. By 1951, there was more light produced by fluorescent lamps than by incandescent lamps. By the time of How to Succeed, fluorescent lighting was seen as "modern". Fluorescent lighting is more efficient in use of energy than incandescent lighting, but the cost of fixtures is higher. For a large company, the fixture costs is offset by the lower cost of electricity. Today, compact fluorescent light bulbs are becoming the norm for homes. However, since fluorescent lamps contain mercury, they become hazardous waste. But light-emitting diode (LED) lamps are becoming available, although at this time they are more expensive than incandescent and fluorescent lamps.
Foam rubber was first produced in 1929, and first available commercially in the 1940s. So a chair made of foam rubber would be "modern" at the time of How to Succeed.
Dame Judith Anderson, actress, star of stage and screen, was known for playing "Cruella DeVil" type roles: powerful women gripped by strong emotions. She was born Frances Margaret Anderson-Anderson in Adelaide, South Australia, February 10, 1898. As a child, she was inspired to go into acting by Nellie Melba. She came to America in 1918, and in 1922 she was performing on the New York stage. In 1934 she changed her name to Judith Anderson. Her portrayal of the title role in Euripides’ tragedy Medea is legendary. In 1930 she began appearing in movies, and is known particularly for the roles of Mrs Danvers in Rebecca (directed by Alfred Hitchcock), Ann Treadwell in Laura, Big Mama in Tennessee Williams’s Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, and the Vulcan Priestess in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock. In 1960, she was knighted by Queen Elizabeth. She appeared in the soap opera Santa Barbara, and she died in Santa Barbara, California, in 1992. For more information, see the All Movie Guide, and an article from the National Library of Australia. [Rosemary, referring to Miss Jones: I, 3]

Act I, Scene 4: The Mail Room (The Company Way)

Nepotism is favoritism shown to relatives by those in power, as by giving them jobs. Literally, it means preference for one’s nephews, and it originally referred to bishops, especially the pope, granting church offices to his nephews (as bishops, being celibate, were not supposed to have sons on whom to show favors). During earlier centuries most popes were particularly guilty of nepotism, and often there was a member of the college of cardinals known as the "Cardinal Nephew". When Pope Benedict XIV(1740-58), who was a very devout churchman, was not a nepotist, Horace Greeley praised him as "a priest without insolence or interest, a prince without favourites, a pope without nephews." [Biggley: I, 4]
A junior executive is a glorified title for someone who assists a company senior manager by performing tasks the manager has no time for. The junior executive expects to learn his boss’s job and to be promoted to manager eventually. According to Shepherd Mead, "A junior executive is any male in an office who sits down."
Playboy has been published since 1953.

Act I, Scene 5: Biggley’s Office

Hedy LaRue: Named for Hedy Lamarr, born Hedwig Eva Maria Kiesler in Vienna. She became famous in the Czech film known in English as "Ecstasy", where she appeared in the nude. She came to Hollywood in 1937 and, although she was not much of an actress, she appeared in roles where she only had to stand around and look beautiful, equating sex appeal with "looking stupid". She was not stupid, however; she with composer George Antheil received a patent for a device important in preventing the jamming of radio signals, and later in the development of cellular phones, although the patent had expired before it was put to use. See the article on Ms Lamarr in the Encyclopaedia Britannica, the official site, and also the obituary from the Los Angeles Times. At least for the film version of How to Succeed, the character of Hedy was based in part on Marilyn Monroe. La Rue is French for "the street".

Act I, Scene 6: Corridor (A Secretary Is Not a Toy)

The modern profession of secretary may be said to have begun in 1870 when Sir Isaac Pitman founded a school for secretaries, to teach shorthand and other skills. His school was originally for men only. But in the 1880s with the invention of the typewriter, women began to enter the profession. The majority of secretaries were men, until World War I. After World War I, and especially after World War II, the profession has been primarily associated with women. Since the advent of computers and dictation machines, the profession has changed over the years, with shorthand being much less important, and typing somewhat less.
F. A. O. Schwarz is the oldest toy store in the United States, and still one of the leading toy stores in New York City. Today they are owned by Toys "R" Us, Inc., but operated separately.
The Erector set was first manufactured and marketed by A. C. Gilbert in 1913, one year before the Tinkertoy set. It consists of metal beams, to be held together with screws and bolts; pulleys, gears, wheels, and electric motors are also part of the set. It became very popular, possibly because unlike other construction toys, it contained a motor. The French firm of Meccano has owned the Erector brand since the year 2000.
Lionel has been making toy trains since 1900. Their chief rival was American Flyer, a brand owned by A. C. Gilbert, the manufacturer of the Erector set. But A. C. Gilbert went bankrupt in 1967, and sold the American Flyer name to Lionel. But that transaction caused Lionel to file for bankruptcy the same year. The Lionel line was acquired by General Mills at one time, and is now reorganized under the Lionel name. Their trains are mostly in the "O" (32 mm) gauge. Today, model railroaders prefer the "HO" (16.5 mm) gauge, which is too small for children to handle easily.
A caboose was the last car on a freight train in the United States and Canada, where the conductor would ride and have his office, usually accompanied by one brakeman; thus the rear end of the train. After around 1980, railroads began replacing cabooses with an electronic signaling device attached to the last car, called a ETD (end of train device), or "flashing rear end device": FRED.
A gavotte is a dance in 4/4 time popular in the 18th century.
The Tinkertoy set was introduced by three men, one of whom was named Tinker, in 1914, one year after A. C. Gilbert’s Erector set. It was modeled after the three saw children playing with spools and sticks. The successively larger straight pieces are in the ratio of the square root of 2, enabling building a 30°-60°-90° triangle. Today the Tinkertoy brand is owned by Hasbro, and sets are produced in both wood and plastic.

Act I, Scene 7: Elevator Landing (Been a Long Day)

Helena Rubinstein (1870-1965) was born Chaya Rubinstein in Krakow, Galicia; then part of Austria-Hungary, but the old capital of Poland. She emigrated to Australia in 1902, and began creating and selling cosmetics. In 1914 she moved to New York. She became one of the world’s richest women.
Betty Crocker was a name used for a cooking column by one of the companies that later merged to form General Mills. The head of the advertising department, Samuel Gale, answered cooking questions from women who wrote to the company. He felt that women might not take advice from a man, so he signed the responses with the name of Betty Crocker. In 1924, Betty Crocker acquired a voice on radio, and then in 1951 a face on television. Several women have played the role.
Stouffer’s opened their first restaurant in Cleveland in 1922. In the 1950s they began their frozen food operation. The company is now owned by Nestlé, the Swiss chocolate company. They also produce a line of reduced-fat products with the brand name Lean Cuisine. ["Been a Long Day", Smitty: I, 7]
The Copa, the short name for the Copacabana, is a New York nightclub with a Brazilian theme. It was made famous in part by the song recorded by Barry Manilow. From its opening in 1940 until 1992 it was located at 617 W 57th Street. It was closed for three years in 1973; by then it had become a discothèque. It has since moved several times, and been closed and reopened. Today it is located at 268 W 47th Street.

Act I, Scene 8: Outer Office, Saturday Morning (Old Ivy)

The Old Ivy song contains a reference to their chief rival Northern State ("The Chipmunks"); most school fight songs do not. Two notable exceptions are "The Aggie War Hymn" at Texas A. & M., and "Anchors Aweigh", the fight song of the U.S. Naval Academy.
Vassar College, located in Poughkeepsie, New York, a small city on the Hudson River, 75 miles north of New York City, is one of the "seven sisters": seven traditionally all-women’s colleges that maintained standards of education comparable to Ivy League colleges, in the days when the Ivy League was men only. Founded in 1865, Vassar became coeducational in 1969. (For those interested, the other "sisters" were: Radcliffe, Smith, Barnard, Mt Holyoke, Bryn Mawr, and Wellesley.)

Act I, Scene 9: Finch’s First Office

Although an assignation can refer to an assignment, it usually means a secret rendezvous between lovers. Hedy may be confused, but maybe not.
To matriculate is to enroll or be enrolled in an institution, especially a college or university.

Act I, Scene 11: A Corridor

Benjamin Burton Daniel Ovington: B B D O (Batten, Barton, Durstine, & Osborn) is one of the leading advertising firms in New York City, so it is appropriate that Ovington is being made head of advertising.
A nymphomaniac is a woman with excessive and uncontrollable sexual desire. [Smitty]

Act I, Scene 12: The Roof (Paris Original)

Mimeograph, originally a trade name, is a document duplication process. A typist types the document on a stencil, which is attached to a cylinder. The cylinder is rotated by motor or by hand, and ink passes through the stencil to print on the paper. It is useful for large duplication runs. In the 1970s and 1980s, as xerography became cheaper and desk top computers became ubiquitous, mimeographing was largely superseded by photocopying.
A Martini is a cocktail made from gin and vermouth (at least 2:1 gin to vermouth; stir, don’t shake, with ice; strain the ice; pour into a chilled cocktail glass; serve with an olive or twist; the proper name for a shaken Martini is a Bradford). About 100 years ago, Martinis were typically made with equal parts gin and vermouth. But over the course of the 20th century, the gin content kept increasing. In the '30s and '40s, 3:1 or 4:1 was common. Toward the end of the century, 6:1, 8:1, or even 100:1 were common. Purists insist that a Martini must be made with gin; James Bond famously ordered a "Vodka Martini, shaken, not stirred." Cocktails became less popular in the late '60s and through the '70s, being replaced by wine or "wine coolers" (also known as "wine spritzers"). But the popularity of cocktails began resurging in the 1980s with vodka being used more frequently. Traditional cocktails and gin began to make a comeback in the 21st century. [Hedy: I, 12; "I Believe in You": II, 4]
A Double Martini is made with twice as much gin and vermouth, served in a double-sized cocktail glass.

Act I, Scene 14: Biggley’s Office (Rosemary)

To give a bum steer is a predominantly Australian and New Zealand idiom which is evident from the 19th century use and means to provide information that is not correct, was not found helpful, or caused one to be led astray. It does not imply either intentional or unintentional provision of information, and is not generally regarded as pejorative. (From Wikipedia)
Fortune Magazine was founded by Henry Luce, publisher of Time magazine, in 1930, just after the beginning of the Great Depression. Its chief competitor is Forbes.
The teams of Princeton University are the Tigers; Yale, the Bulldogs; USC, the Trojans; the University of Minnesota, the Golden Gophers; and the University of Wisconsin, the Badgers.
A steno pool is a group of employees available to take notes in shorthand for various employees in various departments. Steno is short for stenography, which is taking notes in shorthand. Various forms of stenography have been developed, going back to ancient Rome and China. The most common method in the United States is the Gregg System, followed by the Pitman System. Use of shorthand has declined, with the advance of recording and dictation machines.

Act II, Scene 1: The Outer Office (Cinderella Darling)

Carbon paper was originally paper coated with dry ink on one side and bound with wax. It was used for making multiple copies of documents with a typewriter or ballpoint pen, placing sheets of carbon paper between the sheets, "carbon" side down. In practice, only four or five copies could be made at a time. By the 1950s the coating was changed from wax-based to polymer-based, so it became possible to use polyester or some other plastic rather than paper. Today, carbon paper has been superseded by carbonless copy paper, photocopying, and computers.
Chintz is a colorful, usually glazed, plain-weave cotton fabric, usually dyed with at least five colors, used for clothing and interior decoration.
Bergdorf Goodman is a chain of fashionable department stores, with two stores in Manhattan. Owned by Neiman-Marcus, they are considered high-end, even for Neiman-Marcus.
Elizabeth Arden markets a line of cosmetics, sold in "finer" stores around the country; they operate a few boutiques and spas with their own name, where a woman can go for a one-day makeover.
Station wagons were the standard suburban vehicle in the 50s and 60s. By the 80s, they were being replaced with minivans, and in the 90s, by SUVs.
Twenty-One (or 21 Club) is a restaurant in Manhattan, which started as a speakeasy in the 1920s, is today frequented by celebrities. They have a huge wine cellar, with secret exits, useful in prohibition days. 21 W 52nd St, New York, NY 10019: 212 582-7200

Act II, Scene 2: Finch’s Advertising Office

Provincial refers to a decorative style (as in furniture) marked by simplicity, informality, and relative plainness; especially : French Provincial: a style of furniture, architecture, or fabric originating in or characteristic of the 17th and 18th century French provinces. [" Merriam-Webster.com. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 23 Jan. 2014. <http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/French provincial>] Thus, I suppose Chinese provincial refers to decor in the style of the Chinese provinces.

Act II, Scene 3: Biggley’s Office (Heart of Gold)

Pince-nez refers to spectacles clipped to the bridge of the nose, usually associated with "old people". [(stage direction, Biggley): II, 3]

Act II, Scene 4: Executive Men’s Washroom (I Believe in You; Gotta Stop That Man)

Wildroot Cream-Oil was a popular men’s hair tonic in the post-World War II era. It was heavily advertised in barber shops, using the character Fearless Fosdick from the comic strip "L’il Abner". It was featured in ads on such radio programs as "The Adventures of Sam Spade" and "The F.B.I. in Peace and War", as well as the TV program "The Adventures of Robin Hood". Ronald Reagan also appeared in ads for Wildroot Cream-Oil.
Gin and vermouth are the two main ingredients of a Martini. ["I Believe in You": II, 4]

Act II, Scene 5: The Board Room (Finch’s Presentation)

Time magazine was the first weekly news magazine in the United States. For many years, it was dominated by Henry Luce, who was one of the co-founders, in 1923. Today it is the largest circulating news magazine.
Newsweek, founded in 1933, is another weekly news magazine. Its print edition was discontinued at the end of 2012; it is now only available online. They plan to resume the print edition sometime in 2014.
A debenture is a certificate creating or acknowledging a debt. In the United States, a debenture is usually an unsecured bond, but in the United Kingdom, it is usually secured. A sinking fund is a method by which an organization sets aside money over time to retire its indebtedness. Finch’s speech here is just gibberish. [Finch: II, 5]
The Boeing 707 was the first successful commercial jetliner. Introduced in 1958, there were 1010 built until production ended in 1979. In July 2013, there were still 10 Boeing 707s in use.
The Untouchables was a 1959 TV series based on the exploits of federal lawman Eliot Ness, who recruits an incorruptible team to catch Chicago gangster Al Capone. Machine guns are part of their arsenal. Gatling was the inventor of a workable automatic gun. [Finch: II, 5]
West of the Sun, West of the Moon is a variation of the title of the Norwegian folk tale Østenfor sol og vestenfor måne ("East of the Sun, West of the Moon"). It is perhaps best known in English by its inclusion in Andrew Lang’s The Blue Fairy Book, first published in 1889.

Act II, Scene 6: The Television Show (Pirate Dance)

In the days of the Spanish colonial empire, the Spanish Main referred to the mainland of the American continents under Spanish rule. In particular, the term was used for the coasts of the Caribbean Sea: more specifically, for the coast from Porto Bello in Panama to the Orinoco delta in what is now Venezuela. From there the Spanish treasure fleets would sail to Spain, galleons laden with gold, silver, spices, hides, hardwoods, and other treasures. The Spanish colonial possessions were expected to supply these treasures, and buy anything they could not grow themselves from Spain. But because Spain really did not produce anything, smuggling was endemic. The smugglers were an international brotherhood of sailors with their own captains and admirals, and were known as buccaneers. The Spanish treasure ships were a tempting target for the buccaneers. Eventually they were based in Jamaica, and tolerated by the English, Dutch, and French. The Spanish claimed a legal monopoly on trade in the Caribbean, and tried to forbid the ships of all other nations. But France was at war with Spain from 1480 to 1559, with a few interruptions. So French king Francis I (reigned 1515-1547) gave many buccaneers letters of marque: meaning a license to capture Spanish ships; such buccaneers were then privateers. The English and Dutch did the same. In the wars from 1689 to 1713, buccaneers served as official or unofficial auxiliaries to the English or Dutch fleets. After 1715, the British, Dutch, and French determined that their Caribbean possessions needed some law and order, and did not look as kindly on privateering, but incorporated some of the buccaneers into their own fleets. Those that turned against all flags became legally pirates. As pirates, though, their careers were usually cut short.

Act II, Scene 7: The Wrecked Outer Office

Wally Womper’s title is chairman of the board. Today we would also use the term "chief executive officer", or "C.E.O."; but that term was first used in 1975.

Act II, Scene 8: The Elevator Landing

Auld lang syne is a poem by Robert Burns sung throughout the English-speaking world on New Year’s Eve and other occasions. The phrase means, literally, "old long since", or more loosely, "[for] old time’s sake".

Act II, Scene 9: Biggley’s Office (Brotherhood of Man)

Tomato is a slang term for a desirable woman or girl. (In Guys and Dolls in the sewer scene, Big Jule refers to Miss Sarah Brown as a "praying tomato".)
The Elks (officially Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks: BPOE), founded in 1868, is one of the oldest fraternal organizations in the country. Their local chapters are called lodges.
The Shriners (officially Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine [A.A.O.N.M.S.]; the initials are probably an anagram of "A MASON"), another fraternal organization, was founded in 1872. The members wear the fez, and their chapters are called temples. All members are also master masons. They also operate the Shriners Hospitals for Children.
Diners’ Club was the first general charge card, first issued in 1950. (Before, charge accounts were issued by individual merchants or by oil companies.) For awhile, it was the only Travel and Entertainment (T&E) card, but soon the Carte Blanche card appeared, as well as the American Express Card. Today, Diners’ Club is one of two major T&E cards, along with American Express. The company was acquired by Discover Card, and the cards issued today in the United States bear the Master Card logo, and can be used wherever Master Card is accepted. They also acquired the Carte Blanche name, and the Carte Blanche Diners’ Club is the high-end version of the card, with a $300 annual fee, competing with American Express Platinum, with a fee of $450.

Act II, Scene 10: The Outer Office (Finale)

A wire in this instance means a telegram. Before the internet, the fastest way to send information other than by telephone was by telegraph. Today, with facsimile ("fax"), email, instant messaging, and text messaging, telegrams are almost unknown. Western Union, which handled almost all telegrams in the United States for over 100 years, sold their telegram business in 2006 to a firm called iTelegram. Telegrams are available mainly for nostalgia: the cost of a telegram is far greater than other means of telecommunication. In Great Britain and other Commonwealth countries, there is the custom of wedding telegrams, sent by those who wanted to convey good wishes to the happy couple, but were unable to attend the ceremony. They used to be actual telegrams, but today they may be sent by mail or email, and read (or summarized) by the best man after his speech.

Last updated April 12, 2014; Original version July 12, 2001: additional comments July 11, 2003, and August 4, 2008.
For corrections, additions, suggestions, or comments, please email me.
URL: http://tfmcq.altervista.org/theater/H2S/htsibwrt_glossary.html