Saturday, November 12, 2011
A Hidden 4th Ward Reference In Mr. Skeffington
The great screenwriters, Julius and Philip Epstein, lived at Market and Cherry.
Mr. Skeffington is a 1944 American drama film directed by Vincent Sherman, based on the novel of the same name by Elizabeth von Arnim. The film stars Bette Davis as a beautiful woman whose many suitors, and self-love, distract her from returning the affections of her husband, Job Skeffington. It also makes a point about Skeffington's status as a Jew in 1914 high society and, later, in relation to Nazi Germany.
Dialogue from the movie with time stamps
:35:00
Job, I was born right across
the river there, near Grant's Tomb.
:35:05
Of course, the tomb
hadn't quite been built.
:35:07
My governess used to
take me there every day.
:35:10
That's where she met her policeman.
:35:12
Job, where were you born?
:35:14
Right here in New York.
The corner of Market and Cherry Street.
:35:18
Market and Cherry? Where's that?
:35:21
Foot of the East River. It's about 10 miles,
I should say, from the nearest governess.
:35:27
Job, do you realize I've known you
only two months?
:35:30
And that I practically know
nothing about you at all.
:35:34
Were you poor?
:35:35
You have no idea how poor.
:35:37
You weren't actually hungry?
:35:40
My father sold chocolate bars
with almond nuts on a pushcart.
:35:43
When he had a good day, we ate meat.
:35:46
When he had a bad day,
we ate chocolate bars with almond nuts.
:35:49
The bad days had a slight edge.
:35:51
You remember a lot about
when you were a little boy, don't you?
:35:55
Especially the lack of plumbing.
:35:59
Skeffington, that's a strange name
for Market and Cherry.
:36:03
You mean, is that my real name?
:36:05
No. The immigration official on
Ellis Island wasn't a good speller...
:36:09
...and "Skeffington" was the closest
he could get to "Skevinzskaza."
:36:13
Well, then, how did you
become so successful?
:36:18
I don't wanna go on
with the story of my life.
:36:20
It's routine, rags to riches.
Of course, I sold newspapers.
:36:24
I was a messenger during the day
and went to school at night.
:36:27
You can fill in the rest.
:36:29
There's one difference.
:36:31
You didn't marry the boss's daughter.
:36:33
No.
:36:35
But I married the woman
everybody else wanted to.
:36:38
That makes up for it.
:36:51
Job, find out what's happening.
:36:57
Attendant?
:36:58
- Yes?
- What's going on?
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