On the poster art for 1947’s The Hucksters, the studio promotes Deborah Kerr as “Gable’s new star”. While this implies Kerr and Clark Gable would become a regular on-screen couple, Hucksters wound up as their sole cinematic pairing.

Prior to World War II, Victor Norman (Gable) enjoyed a lucrative career in advertising. Now out of the service, the military veteran seeks to revive this livelihood.

Vic manages to get an account to sell “Beautee Soap”, a gig that comes with a mix of headaches. In the meantime, Vic also deals with romantic complications as he finds himself torn between war widow Kay Dorrance (Kerr) and sexy nightclub chanteuse Jean Ogilvie (Ava Gardner).

Does the nature of the movie poster I mentioned at the start reveal who Vic ends up with by the film’s finale? No spoilers but one shouldn’t anticipate surprises.

Actually, I will that I didn’t predict the film’s tone, as it seems more satirical and comedic than I thought it would. I figured that Hucksters would largely focus on the soap opera drama of the romantic triangle.

Instead, much of the flick concentrates on the shenanigans of the advertising business. These become fairly lively, a factor helped by a great supporting cast.

The film involves folks like Adolphe Menjou, Sydney Greenstreet, Frank Albertson, Edward Albert and Keenan Wynn. They give the movie added charm and verve and allow the scenes related to the ad game to prosper.

When it comes to the romance, Hucksters suffers due to a lack of chemistry between Gable and Kerr, partly because it feels like they exist in different films. Gable’s style seems to emphasize his burly 1930s persona, whereas Kerr’s naturalistic work comes across like a look toward the 1950s.

Both do fine given these choices, but it means to two don’t mesh. Gardner’s Jean comes across like a much more logical match for Gable’s Vic.

Despite the manner in which the Gable/Kerr absence of connection mars the proceedings, Hucksters offers enough punch to work. Its look at the advertising business becomes a deft little piece of satire.

The Hucksters appears in an aspect ratio of 1.37:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. This became a pleasing presentation.

Although some minor softness interfered with a few process shots, I thought that most of the film seemed well-defined. Despite a few slightly iffy elements, the movie usually came across with nice delineation.

Moiré effects and jagged edges remained absent, and I saw no edge haloes. Grain appeared appropriate and print flaws failed to materialize.

Black levels appeared deep and rich, with some fine contrast throughout the film. I also found shadow detail to seem nicely clear and not too heavy. I felt happy with this strong transfer.

Though not as impressive, the movie’s DTS-HD MA monaural audio held up well. Dialogue was mildly thin but appeared relatively clear and distinct, with no edginess or concerns related to intelligibility.

Effects were similarly crisp and accurate and they showed little distortion. The music sounded smooth and appropriately bright, so whole it lacked much dynamic range, it showed acceptable clarity. For a film from 1947, this seemed like a successful soundtrack.

Two vintage shorts appear. We find Give Us the Earth (21:11) and Salt Water Tabby (7:21).

Billed as a “fact-film from real life, Earth depicts a white American who tries to teach Mexicans how to farm efficiently. It seems dull and fairly racist.

A Tom and Jerry affair, Tabby shows how Jerry disrupts Tom’s attempts to woo a female feline at the beach. Tabby allows for some creativity due to the seaside location but I can’t say it stands out as memorable.

Along with the movie’s trailer, we get two jingles for “Beautee Soap” that we hear briefly in the film. “Beautee Soap” exists as the fictional cleanser our lead character must sell, so these clips become a minor but fun addition.

Although a lack of chemistry between its romantic leads creates a bit of a drag on the story, The Hucksters boasts enough other charms to overcome these issues. We find a witty view of the advertising world and a good cast. The Blu-ray brings solid visuals, positive audio and minor supplements. I wish the stars meshed better but even with that drawback, I like the film.