The Hudsucker Proxy (1994) is a screwball comedy film directed by Joel and Ethan Coen, telling a fictitious story about the invention of the hula hoop. It stars Tim Robbins, Paul Newman, and Jennifer Jason Leigh.

At $25,000,000 (USD), Hudsucker had the largest budget of any Coen film until Intolerable Cruelty, but it was a box office flop, grossing less than $3,000,000 in the US.

The score was composed by Carter Burwell and sampled many themes from Khachaturian's Sabre Dance and his ballet "Spartacus".

One of the film's narrative devices is repeated reference to the Wheel of Fortune.

Plot

Following the suicide of the company's founder (mimicking the 1975 death of Eli M. Black), the board of directors of a large company mounts a scheme to buy up a controlling interest in the company's stock before the founder's shares are made available for sale to the public. The directors install a naïve business school graduate as the company's new head, hoping to temporarily depress the stock price. A newspaper reporter, sent to learn about the previously-unknown newcomer, hides her identity in order to win his confidence. To the great chagrin of the board, the company becomes more successful when the proxy's new invention, the hula hoop, becomes a hit.

Origins

While trying to sell Blood Simple after making it, the Coens shared a house with Sam Raimi and ended up writing The Hudsucker Proxy. It took them two to three months to write the screenplay. As early as 1985, the Coens planned to make it but knew it needed a big budget in order to be made. So, they approached Hollywood producer, Joel Silver, who had made several successful big budget action films and was interested in working with them. The Coens wanted to make a movie that would get seen by a lot of people. Silver's only input was that he convinced the Coens not to shoot the film in black and white. Silver then pitched the film to Warner Brothers by saying that they would get a film that the critics would like and that everybody would want to see. The studio agreed but only if the Coens cast big stars in the main roles. However, Silver had promised to protect the Coens from the studio and convinced the studio to give them final cut.

Quotes

Norville: For instance, take a look at this sweet baby. (Shows a drawn circle on a piece of paper) You look like you can keep a secret. Something I developed myself. Yessir, this is my ticket upstairs. You know, for kids.

Moses: Strictly speaking, I ain't ever supposed to do this. But do you have a better idea?

Board of Directors: Long live the Hud! Long live the Hud! (This seems to be an homage to Hud which starred Paul Newman -- who plays the evil Sidney J. Mussburger in The Hudsucker Proxy)

Mail Room Orienter: very quickly You punch in at 8:30 every morning, except you punch in at 7:30 following a business holiday, unless it's a Monday, then you punch in at 8 o'clock. Punch in late and they dock you. Incoming articles get a voucher, outgoing articles provide a voucher. Move any article without a voucher and they dock you. Letter size a green voucher, oversize a yellow voucher, parcel size a maroon voucher. Wrong color voucher and they dock you! 6787049A/6. That is your employee number. It will not be repeated! Without your employee number you cannot get your paycheck. Inter-office mail is code 37, intra-office mail 37-3, outside mail is 3-37. Code it wrong and they dock you! This has been your orientation. Is there anything you do not understand, is there anything you understand only partially? If you have not been fully oriented, you must file a complaint with personnel. File a faulty complaint and they dock you! - This speech lasts exactly 60 seconds.

Smitty: That gag's got whiskers on it!

External links

• Coenesque: The Films of the Coen Brothers
• You Know, For Kids! Hudsucker Proxy page

1994 films | Films directed by the Coen brothers

Hudsucker – Der große Sprung | Le Grand Saut | Mister Hula Hoop | הקפיצה הגדולה | Зицпредседатель (фильм)