Cash McCall 1960
Directed by
Joseph Pevney
Made by
Warner Bros. Pictures
Cash McCall Plot Summary
Read the complete plot summary and ending explained for Cash McCall (1960). From turning points to emotional moments, uncover what really happened and why it matters.
Grant Austen Dean Jagger, the aging head of Austen Plastics, yearns for retirement. When Schofield Industries, his largest customer, threatens to pull its business elsewhere, Austen hires a consulting firm that identifies a potential buyer in Cash McCall James Garner, a sharp and persuasive entrepreneur. Cash meets with Austen and his daughter Lory Austen Natalie Wood, who owns a stake in the company. The two had met the previous summer and were drawn to one another, a memory that lingers after a rainstorm night when Cash briefly pushed away a serious relationship. In a bid to reconnect and seal the deal, Cash overpays for Austen Plastics, hoping the gesture will win Lory’s trust and secure his hold on the future.
Before the deal is finalized, Gil Clark Henry Jones, Cash’s new assistant, uncovers a critical fact: Austen Plastics holds patents essential to Schofield Industries. Alarmed by this leverage, Gen. Andrew Danvers Roland Winters, the retired Army general who heads Danvers’s venture, attempts to buy Austen Plastics himself. Cash recalibrates his strategy, believing he could run Schofield more profitably, and quietly begins acquiring a controlling interest in the other company, aiming to consolidate power from behind the scenes.
Amid the high-stakes negotiations, Cash proposes marriage to Lory, and she accepts, brightening the prospect of a shared future. Yet Maude Kennard Nina Foch, the hotel’s assistant manager who views Cash as a prize, schemes to undermine Lory by insinuating that she is the man’s girlfriend. At the same time, Austen’s associate Harvey Bannon Parley Baer convinces Austen that Cash swindled him, prompting a lawsuit that threatens to derail the entire deal. The complex web of trust, deception, and ambition tests every party involved, escalating tensions and shifting loyalties as the legal and personal stakes rise.
As the pieces move on the board, misunderstandings begin to untangle. The conflicts between business rivals soften, and personal bonds start to realign. In the end, Cash and Lory reconcile, and Grant Austen is urged to return to the helm, bringing Austen Plastics back into a steady, forward-looking course. The story weaves together boardroom maneuvering, romantic rekindling, and a renewed sense of purpose, showing how perseverance, timing, and honest communication can steer a family-owned business through a crucible of pressure and ambition.
Cash McCall Timeline
Follow the complete movie timeline of Cash McCall (1960) with every major event in chronological order. Great for understanding complex plots and story progression.
Threat to Austen Plastics from Schofield Industries
Schofield Industries threatens to take Austen Plastics' business, forcing Grant Austen to act. He hires a consulting firm to explore options and potential buyers. The consultants identify Cash McCall as a serious candidate who could acquire Austen Plastics.
Consulting firm flags Cash McCall as buyer
The consulting firm presents Cash McCall as a viable buyer capable of restructuring Austen Plastics for profit. Austen and his daughter Lory begin to consider the implications of selling. The prospect of Cash's takeover sets negotiations in motion.
Cash meets Austen and Lory
Cash meets with Austen and Lory to discuss the looming deal. Lory owns part of the company, which adds a personal stake to the negotiations. Tension rises as the parties size up each other.
Private talk reveals a past connection
Cash speaks with Lory privately and learns they had met the previous summer. They were attracted to each other, adding a personal dimension to the business discussions. The private conversation hints at a history that could affect the deal.
Lory's rain-soaked night at Cash's cabin
That night at Cash's cabin, Lory arrives soaked from a summer rainstorm. Cash, not ready for a serious relationship, gently turns her away. The moment leaves Lory mortified and unsettled, raising emotional stakes for the future.
Cash overpays to win Lory back
To reconnect with Lory, Cash overpays for Austen Plastics as part of the deal. The financial move serves both business leverage and a personal gesture. The high price signals his commitment to the relationship as well as the company.
Patents come to light; Danvers acts
Gil Clark discovers that Austen Plastics holds patents essential to Schofield. Danvers, the retired Army General who runs Austen Plastics, tries to buy the company himself. The discovery and counter moves raise the stakes of the deal.
Cash secretly buys controlling interest
Cash quietly buys a controlling stake in Austen Plastics to influence the ongoing deal. He reasons that controlling the second company will help him run Schofield more profitably. The covert move deepens the intertwining of business strategy and personal ambition.
Marriage proposal amid deal tensions
During the deal negotiations, Cash proposes marriage to Lory and she accepts. The engagement adds emotional pressure to the business arrangements. Personal and professional futures become more tightly linked than before.
Maude's scheme to steal Cash
Maude Kennard, the hotel’s assistant manager, schemes to win Cash for herself. She tricks Lory into believing that she is Cash's girlfriend. The deception creates confusion and tests Lory's trust.
Austen sues after feeling swindled
Harvey Bannon convinces Austen that Cash swindled him and paid far less than the company is worth. Austen files a lawsuit against Cash. The legal confrontation heightens the tension around the deal and personal loyalties.
Resolution: reconciliation and return to work
The misunderstandings are cleared and Cash and Lory reconcile. Gil talks Grant Austen into going back to work. The deal resolves with both personal and business relationships restored.
Cash McCall Characters
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Cash McCall (James Garner)
A charismatic, shrewd dealmaker who uses bold moves to gain control of companies. He pursues wealth as a means to win back Lory, showing a willingness to bend ethics for the right outcome. His confidence masks a readiness to risk reputations in both business and romance.
Lory Austen (Natalie Wood)
A key figure in Austen Plastics who becomes Cash's romantic interest. She stands at the crossroads of family loyalty and personal affection, challenging Cash's single-minded pursuit of profit. Her perspective keeps the stakes human amid the corporate gambits.
Grant Austen (Dean Jagger)
Head of Austen Plastics and a cautious patriarch who yearns for retirement. He represents the traditional corporate world and acts as a gatekeeper to the deal, weighing family interests against the buyer’s ambitions. His stance anchors the film’s moral center about responsibility to others.
Maude Kennard (Nina Foch)
The hotel assistant manager who schemes to win Cash for herself, setting traps that mislead Lory. She embodies a foil to Cash and Lory, using manipulation to distort trust. Her actions inject tension and plot twists that complicate the deal.
Gil Clark (Henry Jones)
Cash’s sharp and efficient assistant who uncovers the patent issue that could derail the deal. He drives the investigation forward and acts as a catalyst for the plot’s revelations. Loyal and perceptive, he keeps the strategic wheels turning.
Harvey Bannon (Parley Baer)
A business acquaintance whose skepticism about the deal prompts a lawsuit that presses Austen to respond. He embodies the external pressure and legal dimensions of corporate negotiation. His role heightens the stakes and conflict.
Gen. Andrew Danvers (Roland Winters)
A retired Army General who oversees the protection of essential patents and tries to buy Austen Plastics himself. He represents risk-averse, security-minded corporate power with a military-flavored caution. His involvement underscores access to strategic assets in business.
Cash McCall Settings
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Time period
1960s
Set in the early 1960s, the film captures a period of brisk corporate dealmaking and bold acquisitions. Business culture centers on personal trust, prestige, and strategic negotiations rather than complex financial instruments. The atmosphere blends formal offices, cigars, and rapid decision-making typical of mid-century commerce.
Location
Austen Plastics, Schofield Industries, Cash's hotel, Cash's cabin
The story centers on Austen Plastics, the family business at the heart of the deal, and the rival Schofield Industries. Key scenes unfold at a luxury hotel where Cash stays and at a remote cabin that rekindles his romance with Lory. Corporate offices and confidential boardroom negotiations shape the tension as the plot moves toward the takeover.
Cash McCall Themes
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Power
Money and control drive the plot as Cash seeks leverage over Austen Plastics and Schofield Industries. The characters maneuver through boardroom politics, using stock purchases and strategic alliances to tilt the balance of power. The film portrays power as fragile and closely tied to reputation and influence.
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Romance
The romance between Cash and Lory anchors the personal stakes behind the corporate gambits. Love complicates decisions about mergers, values, and futures, forcing characters to balance emotion with ambition. Trust is tested as misunderstandings and schemes threaten the relationship.
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Strategy
Dealmaking hinges on careful, sometimes underhanded strategy: overpaying for influence, covert acquisitions, and patent leverage. Characters scheme behind closed doors, shaping outcomes with timing and information control. The narrative emphasizes calculated risk and the cost of trust in high-stakes business.
Cash McCall Spoiler-Free Summary
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In the bustling arena of post‑war American industry, the film opens on a world where corporate fortunes rise and fall with the speed of a board‑room handshake. Factories and financiers clash in sleek offices and noisy shop floors, and the pressure to turn failing enterprises into profitable ventures is felt in every whispered conference call. The tone is polished yet tinged with the restless optimism of a era convinced that clever strategy can reshape any destiny.
At the center of this high‑stakes environment is Cash McCall, a charismatic entrepreneur known for his uncanny ability to revive struggling businesses. His reputation rests on a blend of sharp negotiation, bold risk‑taking, and a personal charm that makes him both a formidable deal‑maker and an engaging companion. When he learns of Austen Plastics—a once‑prominent manufacturer now teetering on the brink—he recognizes a tantalizing opportunity. The company’s owner, Grant Austen, is an aging patriarch ready to step away, and his daughter, Lory Austen, holds a small but pivotal stake. Cash and Lory share a lingering connection from a brief summer encounter, and the prospect of rekindling that romance adds a personal stake to the business proposition.
The story unfolds with a graceful mix of corporate intrigue and tender longing, where numbers on a ledger sit alongside glances across a conference table. The atmosphere balances the crisp efficiency of high finance with the warm, hopeful undertones of a second‑chance romance. As negotiations begin, the audience is invited to watch the delicate dance between ambition and affection, sensing that the true challenge may lie not just in saving a company, but in navigating the complexities of love that resurfaced after years apart.
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