Putney Swope (1969)
- Starring:
- Stanley Gottlieb, Allen Garfield, (more)
- Director(s):
- Robert Downey, Sr.
- Theatrical MPAA Rating:
- R
Member Rating
My RatingSynopsis of Putney Swope
After several years working along the margins of the underground film scene in New York, director Robert Downey broke through to wider recognition with the arthouse hit Putney Swope, a wildly irreverent satire of race and advertising in America. Putney Swope (Arnold Johnson) is the token African-American executive at an otherwise all-white advertising agency when the chairman of the board unexpectedly drops dead. Through a fluke in the chain of command, Swope becomes the new head of the firm, and decides its time to do things his way. He fires nearly all the staff (except for his one token white employee), renames the agency Truth and Soul, Inc., and announces they'll no longer accept accounts advertising tobacco, alcohol, or war toys. The ads they do produce -- for acne remedies and breakfast cereal, among other things -- are wildly successful, and the iconoclastic ad agency (which only accepts payment in cash) is targeted by government operatives as a threat to the national security. Antonio Fargas and Allen Garfield lead the supporting cast; Mel Brooks makes a cameo appearance. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Theatrical Feature Running Time:
- 85 mins
Complete Cast of Putney Swope
- Stanley Gottlieb - Nathan
- Arnold Johnson - Putney
- Ramon Gordon - Bissinger
- Antonio Fargas - The Arab
- Allan Arbus - Mr. Bad News
- Joe Fields - Pittsburgh Willie
- Spunk-Funk Johnson - Mr. Major
- Archie Russell - Joker
- Perry Gerwitz - Sonny Williams
- George Morgan - Mr. Token
- Bert Lawrence - Hawker
- Ching Yeh - Wing Soney, Jr.
- Mel Brooks - Mr. Forget It
- Walter Jones - Jim Keranga
- George Marshall - Mr. Executive
- David Kirk - Elias, Sr.
- Eddie Gordon - Mr. Victrola Cola
- Elzbieta Czyzewska - Putney's Maid
- Allen Garfield - Elias, Jr.
- Buddy Butler - Putney's Bodyguard
- Norman Schreiber - Messenger
- Laura Greene - Mrs. Swope
- Peter Benson - Mr. Jingle
- Vincent Hamill - Man in White Suit
- Tom Odachi - Wing Sobey
- Ruth Hermine - First Lady
- Franklin Scott
- Peter Maloney - Putney's Chauffeur
- Alan Abel - Mr. Lucky
- Robert Staats - Mr. War Toys
- Charles Green
- Lawrence Wolf - Mr. Borman Six
- Shelley Plimpton - Face-Off Girl
- Pepi Hermine - President of the United States
- Don George - Mr. Cards
- Joe Engler - Mr. Syllables
- Director(s):
- Robert Downey, Sr.
- Writer(s):
- Robert Downey, Sr.
- Producer(s):
- Ron Sullivan, Robert Downey, Sr.
- Theatrical MPAA Rating:
- R(Mild Violence, Adult Language, Profanity, Nudity, Adult Humor, Not For Children, Adult Situations)
- Looking for special editions of Putney Swope?
- See All Versions
- Subtitles:
- Check All Versions
- Closed Captioning:
- Check All Versions
