Unfaithfully Yours (1948)

I have now seen 8 of the 13 movies directed by Preston Sturges -- and I'm not sure why. His humor hasn't aged that well, has it? The only one I've really liked is Sullivan's Travels, primarily for balancing with its serious side. And here I was checking out what Netflix described as a "pitch-black comedy" from him, starring Blithe Spirit's Rex Harrison and having had little commercial success in its day. Sounded like it would be still less my thing. But perhaps I was intrigued at what sounded significantly different from the norm for Sturges.

Celebrated orchestral conductor Alfred de Carter dotes on his wife, Daphne. Because of a miscommunication of his wishes, his brother-in-law has had her tailed during Alfred's absence. Alfred is too furious at this news to listen to the findings right away, but then he learns of evidence of her spending a suspicious amount of time with his secretary, Tony. During the three pieces of his concert that night, he entertains three vivid ideas of how to respond, each of them disregarding a detective's advice to give Daphne the benefit of the doubt. Two of them lethal. After the concert, however, he discovers quite a few differences between his fantasies and his reality.

How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (1967)

Have you ever checked out a movie or play without knowing in advance that it was a musical? Now I have. Good thing I don't mind the upbeat, sporadically sung old-school variety.

The title does indeed refer to a book -- facetious in reality but treated as genuinely helpful herein. New York window washer J. Pierpont "Ponty" Finch (Robert Morse, looking remarkably like Jerry Lewis) picks it up and wastes no time getting a foot in the door of the nearest large yet ill-run corporation, the MacGuffin-producing World-Wide Wicket Company. He then wastes no time wheedling and fibbing his way up the ladder. His main obstacles: the jealous nephew (Anthony Teague) of the CEO (Rudy Vallee), the occasional competently savvy suit, the affections of scrupulous secretary Rosemary (Michele Lee), and the affections of temptress secretary Hedy (Maureen Arthur).