Putney Swope

“Up Madison Ave.”

Putney Swope (Arnold Johnson) is the only black man on the board of a Madison Avenue ad agency, and he wants nothing more than to get through the meetings. Then the chairman dies mid-vote, the board casts its ballots for a name nobody else would think to choose, and Swope is in charge. Robert Downey Sr. shoots it in grainy black and white, with Swope behind the big desk, Nathan (Stan Gottlieb) and Elias, Jr. (Allen Garfield) at the table.