Franklin Hart, Jr

Franklin Hart, Jr was a fictional character in the movie "Nine to Five" as well as the subsequent short-lived television comedy sequel of the same name. In the movie, he was played by Dabney Coleman and in the television series, he was played by both Jeffrey Tambor and Peter Bonerz.

"The Sexist-egotistical-Lying-Hypocritical Bigot"

Franklin Hart was the conniving and very corrupt Vice President at Consolidated Companies, having begun his office career as a management trainee. His trainer, ironically, was Violet Newstead (Lily Tomlin) who later became his subordinate. He pushed and bullied his way to the top, walking on people in the process. His beliefs were considered to be very archaic. He thought he was superior to everyone, and was a raging male chauvinist.

Despite his marriage to the somewhat daffy, but very sweet Missy Hart (Marian Mercer, whom Coleman had worked with before on "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman" where she also played his wife), he seemed to be forever lusting after his secretary, Doralee Rhodes (Dolly Parton), who herself was married.

His temper, and seemingly endless capacity of making trouble earned him very few friends among his co-workers, except in the Vice Presidency, and higher echelon employees, including the company's president, Mr. Hinkle (Henry Jones). His only other friend (and that was highly debatable) was administrative assistant (and his own personal secret police), Rosalind "Roz" Keith (Elizabeth Wilson).

He terrorized newcomer Judy Bernly (Jane Fonda), yelling at her for not knowing how to properly work a Xerox machine; ordered Violet around to get his coffee, while he stole her ideas; and chased Doralee around the office, intent on bedding her. For these, and other assorted antics, he was often called "A Sexist, Egotistical, Lying, Hypocritical Bigot"

The straw broke for all three when Violet was once more passed over for a promotion; it being discovered that it was HE who had told everyone in the office that he was sleeping with Doralee and firing a friend of Judy's when she broke the unionization rules that he set up.

During a pot party at Doralee's house, the three new friends dreamed of ways to do him in. Judy thought of shooting him like a Big-Game hunter; Doralee giving him a dose of his own medicine plus tying him up like a bull; and Violet poisoning him. Irony of ironies, Violet inadvertently put rat poison in a cup of Hart's coffee, leading up to a real mess.

The three frantically tied up their despicable boss, upon discovering that he was embezzling money, equipment and supplies from the company. By using that knowledge (which could have lost him his job and could have sent him to prison as well) as blackmail, they forced him to make changes to the office that allowed for some warmth and personalization, but yet, maintained the strong office schedule that was required.

Hart managed to escape his prison and trumped his enemies, by returning all that he stole. By this time, he was so far gone that he sat calmly at his desk and said, smugly, "I'm gonna play my very last card and send you three bitches to jail!" It looked as if he had won, but it wasn't to be.

As it turned out, the changes came to the attention of the rarely seen Chairman of the Board, one Russel Tinsworthy (Sterling Hayden), who just loved it all. As such, Hart was transferred to Brazil to help him with the Jungle Clearance operations. Replacing him as Vice President, finally getting her due, was Violet.

The movie stated near the ending credits that Hart was abducted by a tribe of Amazons in the Brazilian Rainforest, and was never heard from again. In the TV series, Hart's hard edge was softened considerably, and was portrayed more as a bumbling and incompetent idiot than the despotic tyrant he was in the movie.

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