Next in my Daily Book Excerpt:
Another Clifford Odets play – and this one is considered to be his best – Paradise Lost
So far – the other plays I’ve mentioned have some kind of pretty heavy theme or plot. Odets was an idea man. He was an ideal-ist. He wrote about what mattered to him. But with Paradise Lost … It’s a play about a family named the Bergers … there’s only one set … it’s a family, sitting around the table, arguing, making up, chatting. It’s CLASSIC Odets. Sure, stuff happens – there are tensions, and – like with most of Odets’ earliest plays – you can FEEL the wolf of the Great Depression breathing at the door throughout. But unlike many of his other plays, Paradise Lost goes right into the personal. Politics may be implied … but they are not overt.
As ever, the language is good enough to eat. The language has a way of DYING in the mouths of later 20th century actors. If you don’t speak it like rat-a-tat-tat with next to no pauses then you are already dead in the water. Odets’ dialogue has to MOVE.
Let’s see – brief background to the scene below:
Leo and Clara Berger have 3 kids – Ben, Julie, and Pearl. Libby (the daughter of a family friend) just married Ben in a quick and secret wedding down at City Hall, blowing everyone away. Kewpie (a taxi driver) is a good friend of Ben’s. Kewpie is an awesome part. He was played in the original production by Elia Kazan. He is cynical, unsentimental, he sees EVERYthing and has a way of cutting through the bullshit. The following scene is mainly between Libby and Kewpie – who had a love affair while Ben was away.
It is 1935.
EXCERPT FROM Paradise Lost
LIBBY. I married a man with a big future.
KEWPIE. Good in the receiving department, but lousy in the shipping.
LIBBY. Don’t pick on me!
KEWPIE. You and that soft juicy body, like a mushmelon.
LIBBY. You’re a hundred miles away.
KEWPIE. Suppose I tell him what happened when he went to Europe?
LIBBY. He don’t believe such things about me. He’d throw you around for saying it.
KEWPIE. Don’t you know he’s yellow in his heart? Get wise to that skyrocket: starts with a bang!
LIBBY. Ben’s the most handsome man I know.
KEWPIE. A burnt out spark plug?
LIBBY. Stop pickin’ on me!
KEWPIE. You’re a little squab, and you laid right down in the sand with me, under the boardwalk.
LIBBY. So what?
KEWPIE. Purely horizontal.
LIBBY. Did I say I was ice, with Ben running races the whole summer in Europe? It happened like that — down “the island,” the summer, the night and all that. I’m not sorry for a thing I done! Telling me — a cheap cab driver with a dozen phony side lines. You don’t drive no gold chariot, Kewpie.
KEWPIE. I do, only you don’t see it, Mabel!
LIBBY. Dont’ call me Mabel. You’re sore because he tells me poems. You act like his best friend, but you’re the worst enemy —
KEWPIE. Who said —?
LIBBY. You’ll knife him in the back!
KEWPIE. Who said —?
LIBBY. Well, I’m telling you so you won’t start up again. For me Ben’s a home run with the bases full.
KEWPIE. He got everything I laid my hands on first.
LIBBY. Don’t tell me!
KEWPIE. [holding her] A sleeping clam at the bottom of the ocean, but I’ll wake you up. I’m through with the little wars: no more hacking, making a pound in a good day. Like old man Pike says, every man for himself nowadays, and when you’re in a jungle you look out for the wild life. I put on my Chinese good luck ring and I’m out to get mine. You’re the first stop!
LIBBY. Goof!
KEWPIE. I start with Joe the Shark next week. You could string along with me. You —
LIBBY. Stop foaming at the mouth.
KEWPIE. [out of control] You know I had a fever for you. You did it to spite me. [Leo enters. Sees them together this way]
LEO. What’s wrong?
LIBBY. [breaking away] Kewpie’s telling my fortune.
LEO. Libby … I love my sons better than life. I know … I know you’re inclined to be a little bit wild …
LIBBY. Where do you get that stuff?
LEO. [painfully] I know you’ll make a good wife, but married life brings new responsibilities and …
LIBBY. You got your nerve!
LEO. Excuse me for … [He exits]
KEWPIE. Your shell’s lined with pearls.
LIBBY. Shut your face!
BEN. [as he enters] Hey, you look swell in that new coat. [embracing her] Who loves Ben?
LIBBY. [throughout aware of the effect on Kewpie] Libby. Who loves Libby?
BEN. [jokingly] Kewpie! Hey, I love your rocks and rills, darling. How your shoulders move when you walk — I love that too.
LIBBY. Hon, you’re mussing me up again.
BEN. Happy?
LIBBY. Sure, every day’s Saturday.
BEN. [to Kewpie] What do you think of her?
KEWPIE. [in a low controlled voice] She’s a juicy baby, all right.
BEN. [laughing] Four stars!
KEWPIE. [suddenly] But dumb — nothing between the acts!
LIBBY. I’ll smack his face in a minute! He’s always making a pass for me, Ben. You shoulda heard him just now.
BEN. What did he say? [She won’t answer]
KEWPIE. Tell him …
LIBBY. That’s your worst enemy!
BEN. [amused] Kewpie?
LIBBY. Yeah, a carbon copy who hates your guts.
BEN. I wish … I could make you out, Kewpie … you’re changing.
KEWPIE. Don’t talk soda water. Only take my word — I’m a better friend than she is.
LIBBY. How do you get this way?
KEWPIE. All my life you got a square deal. Always in front smackin’ them down left and right when they got in your way. Now she says ten words — you’re ready to throw me over!
BEN. Christ, life goes like the river; why get excited?
KEWPIE. What did she ever do for you? Did she tell you about Bill Crawford? Eddie Meyers?
LIBBY. If you listen to him I’ll walk right out!
BEN. Listen, Kewpie, we intend to stay married! Sore ’cause I took Libby away from you?
KEWPIE. In case you’d like to know, I’m sore on my whole life.
BEN. Why take it out on us?
LIBBY. He even said you couldn’t make a living for me!
BEN. [to Kewpie] I never expected to hear that from you. A — the future’s all mapped out. B — Anything I owe you you get back. And about Libby – X Y Z – if I stepped on your toes, I’m sorry. We fell in love. The best man won.
KEWPIE. [finally] Okay …
LIBBY. I notice you’re not so wise when Ben’s around.
KEWPIE. Shut up or I’ll poke you one!
BEN. [laughing it off] Coast to coast …
LIBBY. You think he don’t mean it? I’ll ride downtown in his cab?!
KEWPIE. Crawl for all I care.
BEN. Say … what the hell is this?
KEWPIE. I’m outa control, Ben. Take your hand away. You know I got a temper. Whata you let her kid me for? You know you’re aces with me. Only don’t let her give me the needles. [Ben turns and looks at Libby]
LIBBY. Now it’s my fault!
BEN. You know he’s got a quick temper.
LIBBY. Sure, little Barney Google! [Kewpie quickly walks over to Libby and slaps her smartly across the mouth. As quickly Ben gets between them and swings a punch to Kewpie who in turn swings over two, the second of which knocks Ben down and out for a few seconds.]
KEWPIE. I’ll take on a regiment!
I went through a period where I believed that movies weren’t “written,” but “assembled,” like tinkertoys…then I saw Sweet Smell of Success (written by Lehman and Odets) and said…ok…I’m wrong.
Great sample here Red! Your shell is lined with pearls…