View source for The Big Street
From RoyalWeb
Jump to:
navigation
,
search
'''The Big Street''', 1942 film starring [[Henry Fonda]] and [[Lucille Ball]], one of her strongest performances This page written and copyright by Will Johnson, 2008. If you'd like to comment on it, you may email me at [mailto:wjhonson@aol.com wjhonson@aol.com]. ==Overview== To get the role of Tom Joad in ''The Grapes of Wrath'', Fonda had agreed to a seven-year contract which compelled him to play in several films that saw little commercial success. He was in the romantic-comedy ''The Lady Eve'' in 1941 with [[Barbara Stanwyck]]. In 1942 he was in ''The Male Animal'', and also that year co-starred opposite [[Lucille Ball]] in ''The Big Street''. The producer was Damon Runyan, and the director was Irving Reis. In this film, Lucille Ball plays a hard, snobby, gold-digging, nightclub singer. Henry Fonda plays a busboy deeply in love with her. When Lucy tries to leave the man she's been dating, he pushes her down the stairs and she is confined to a wheelchair for the rest of the picture. Now destitute, she must rely on Fonda who takes care of her. The singing of "Who Knows" is not Lucy, it was dubbed in by Martha Mears. As one of the supporting cast in this movie notice [[Agnes Moorehead]] as Violette "with two t's and an e". Also notice the first appearance of Ozzie Nelson and His Orchestra. You can watch the entire movie, in nine parts, on Youtube. Henry first appears at time 2:52. ==Part 1== Watch [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRlDpNAFDfI ''The Big Street'', Part 1] on YouTube Outside Mindy's restaurant on 50th and Broadway in New York City, in the midst of a group of horse-race gamblers, a pushing match has broken out between two men, the "Professor" and another man. The men are physically disagreeing about the eating contest that is about to begin inside. Among others Case Abels has wagered $20,000 on the Professor's man J. "Nicely Nicely" Johnson "the greatest eater alive", while the other unnamed man is the manager of the contender for the title, Joel Duffel of Boston. Henry Fonda then appears in his role of "Little Pinks", calling the Professor to come inside to see Case Abels. The Professor and his trusty side-kick "Horsethief" then go inside to find that Nicely Johnson has terrible indigestion and cannot go on. At this point Little Pinks, mentions that a woman in his boarding-house is a voracious eater. Her name is Violette Shumberger. "For supper last night she ate a whole Virginia Ham, three plates of soup and quite a lot of potatoes and strudel." We then learn that Joel Duffel of Boston weighs 337 pounds, while we get our first glimpse of Violette Shumberger "of this city, weight 100 pounds." And instantly we recognize Endora... I mean Agnes Moorehead. She is quite bashful of the large crowd, and tells Pinks that if he stays with her, she can win, "Just don't leave me." (I think you know what's coming.) Just as they commence eating, in walks Lucille Ball as "Miss Gloria Lyons", dressed all elegant-like and carrying a tiny yapper who she calls "Baby". Her tough exterior breaks through when the crowd won't clear a path for her, and she threatens to "start breakin' arms". Baby decides to take this moment to run out into traffic. Little Pinks goes out after the dog, rescuing it from certain death. Violette noticing that Pinks is not beside her gets all nervous and loses the eating contest. This makes Case Abels mighty pissed off and he slugs Pinks, knocking him to the floor. Lucy states "You've shoved around a lot of guys, mostly bigger than you and that's all right with me, but when you start picking on '''mice''' I don't like it!" To which he responds, "You'll like what I tell you to like." Lucy says "Thanks kid" to Fonda who still lying on the floor smiles his best innocent-boy-next-door grin, rubs his jaw and says "Thank you Miss Lyon!" ==Part 2== Watch [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwx9qP2MyTM ''The Big Street'', Part 2] on YouTube The next scene starts in Little Pink's (Fonda's) apartment where he is nailing up yet another picture of Miss Gloria Lyons (Lucy). "She's kinda like my ideal", he says. To which Violette (Agnes Moorehead) responds, "She's Case Able's sweet pea and I don't want any part of him." We learn that Little Pinks has lost his job over what happened. Coming knocking is Nicely Johnson who evidently knows Little Pinks, but has really come calling to see Violette because he's enamoured over her ability to eat as much as he does. Nicely has also come to tell Little Pink's to "see Miss Gloria Lyons on the double-quick in reference to the payroll." Little Pinks rushes out and now Nicely and Violette makes some small talk including, "Would you like to come upstairs and see my...kitchen?" Now we cut to the nightclub where Gloria Lyons (Lucy) is performing the song ''Who Knows?'' (dubbed by Martha Mears). We now are introduced to Mr Decatur Reed a wealthy playboy who fancies to meet Gloria. Case Abels noticing this eludes an air of jealousy. The waiter makes it clear to Mr Reed however that Lucy is a girl "strictly interested in a higher income bracket" and so sure to be interested. Now we cut backstage to Gloria's dressing room where she informs Little Pinks that she's now gotten him a job at that club. Then in walks another blonde very upset that Gloria was making eyes at Decatur Reed, "That's my special little pond so you keep your light out, or I'll scratch out your pretty little eyes." To which Gloria responds, "This is '''really''' absurd", in a very condescending tone. "Get her!", says the blonde, predating drag queens everywhere by a few decades, "making out like she's a duchess. Well listen your highness, I've got a left jab that will knock your royal teeth out!" The blonde now flounces out of the room. After she is gone Gloria says, "That dame is a lump of mud." Henry, taking a cue, now starts calling Gloria "Your Highness" but of course with awe not scorn. This scene alone is '''worth watching this movie to see'''. Now we cut to Little Pinks, paying to send flowers to Gloria, but he doesn't sign the card because "she would think I was silly sending her flowers." Violette (Agnes Moorehead) knows that Little Pinks is in love with Gloria and thinks he's being foolish, "You can't get near her without a million bucks". Gloria thinks the flowers came from Decatur Reed. Her black maid thinks she's leading Decatur on, "But you don't love him honey." To which Gloria replies, "Don't give me that love hooey, love is something that gives you one room, two chins and three kids." "A girl's best friend is a dollar." ==Part 3== Watch [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2mGtnErklo ''The Big Street'', Part 3] on YouTube ==Part 4== Watch [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-aCLeEwYE0 ''The Big Street'', Part 4] on YouTube ==Part 5== Watch [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJJtAJYMlvw ''The Big Street'', Part 5] on YouTube ==Part 6== Watch [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwZelh9rQv0 ''The Big Street'', Part 6] on YouTube ==Part 7== Watch [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzSZN9Ey2VM ''The Big Street'', Part 7] on YouTube ==Part 8== Watch [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIexCunpEyU ''The Big Street'', Part 8] on YouTube ==Part 9== Watch [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5Hy_Ip8eI8 ''The Big Street'', Part 9] on YouTube
Return to
The Big Street
.
Views
Page
Discussion
View source
History
Personal tools
Log in
Navigation
Main page
Community portal
Current events
Recent changes
Random page
Help
Search
Toolbox
What links here
Related changes
Special pages
MOOCOW
Google AdSense