Gentlemen's Agreement

Gentlemen's Agreement.

a post-World War II American novel
then a movie

About a writer who is doing a series of articles for his magazine about anti-Semitism in America. To research the topic, he pretends that he is Jewish. Finds out all kinds of stuff.

The phrase "gentlemen's agreement" refers to -- assumptions which some folks make about the attitudes of others -- for example, one guy might make a prejudiced remark to another guy, assuming the other guy holds the same beliefs as himself; he's assuming the other guy will -- think the joke is funny; or -- agree with his own opinion; or -- at any rate, not be offended.

The novel was written by Laura Z. Hobson, 1947.
Book was a hit.

Daryl Zanuck purchased rights & produced movie.
(Many assume "Zanuck" is a Jewish name, but not -- it's Dutch. He was from the midwest, and was about the only movie studio chief in those days who was not Jewish. Story is, the other studio heads got together and tried to talk Zanuck out of making the film -- don't stir up trouble, was their admonition.)

Played the movie on my DVD player in my bedroom this a.m., while showering / dressing / getting ready to go to work: could say I "watched" it; more like, I listened to it.

Which is kind of OK because the film is basically a debate -- a lot of dialogue.

It is in black-and-white. Has beautiful shots of New York City. And I loved the interiors -- the apartments the people are in ... the little tables; the lamps; the open doorways offering a view of the next room, and then that room's doorway on the other side, opening onto another room beyond....

Prejudice is a topic people keep coming back to, in my lifetime. I keep thinking the problem's solved, on to the next, and then someone will say something very weird, and I will think ...ppffffff...?!

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A few years ago I was working hard at tennis -- one day at the gym I made a little joke, said to some women who work there that I was going to become like Venus or Serena Williams ... one of the women there made a big exaggerated face (like she was -- astounded, or as if she had been electrocuted or something), and said in hugely dramatic and exaggerated tones,

"Well -- I think yer the Wrong COLOR !!!"

What - ever, dude.
Geez.

I mean -- I had wanted to (jokingly of course) compare myself to Venus and Serena was because they are so fit and strong, and that's what I was working on...THAT was the point. ...but then, probably not necessary to explain this to normal people, right?

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