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Anna-Maria Purpura
Professor: Luke Vasileiou
ENG 103
May 24, 2011
There are many aspects between real-life in New York City in the 1950s and a movie called Rear Window. One of the ways you can tell this movie is filmed in New York City is because of the apartments. The apartments are very close in distance, because the man in the movie can see into the apartment a crossed from his. Not only because of the distance between the two buildings but also because of the distance between the windows. You can even see multiple apartments at once. Another reason is the skyscrapers in the beginning of the movie when they scan down to show you the main characters apartment. Not just that but there’s also taxi’s driving passed the rear apartment. Also the same street being crowded which you can tell from the alleyway on the side of the buildings.
With all the information I have gathered, I have come to find out this movie does depict how it really was in the 1950s in New York City, except for a minor difference. The people in the movie and in real-life both share similar attributes of lifestyles. There were many similarities that I will provide the information for, between the things in the movie and the things in reality. Although, there was one difference but nothing big
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enough to say the majority of the movie does not depict how reality was in the 1950s. This movie was filmed in California, but the director Alfred Hitchcock had to make the town somewhere in New York City because of the way the apartments were. So that the viewers can assume the movie was really filmed in New York City. Even though other states had started to get apartment buildings, the windows and buildings weren’t as close as they were in the movie.
When it comes to employment there were many help wanted ads. There are many different wages for the various job listings. They list it by week, month, year, and hour. Hourly wages listed range from $1.10 to $3 an hour. Weekly listings were ranged from $20 dollars a week to $200. There weren’t many jobs that listed wages per month but with the listings it would range around $250 per month. Salesmen made between $6,000 to $10,000 dollars a year (“Classified Ad 7”), and photographers made about $10,000 to $15,000 a year (which is roughly $5.00 - $7.50 an hour).(” Classified Ad 40”)
In Greenwich Village during the 1950s the apartments that were a close match to the main characters apartment in the movie costs $124 for three rooms, which included a fireplace, and an overlooking garden (“Classified Ad 3”). The apartments that are similar to the ones in the movie vary in price anywhere from $110 a month to $145 dollars a month (“Classified Ad 20”). The apartments had lower ceilings and the sizes were smaller because it lacked closets and extra rooms. The encyclopedia of New York City states that the apartments in the 1950s were for the people who were considered middle-class ("Apartments" 39-40). In the movie by the wages they were making and
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the items they really could afford in their house, I would presume that they were either high-class or in between middle and high class. This was really the only difference I was able to find when it came to reality in the movie versus the 1950s.
When it came to women of the 1950’s they were still at the point of being housewives. Around this time the women were marrying younger, they started to date at a younger age as well. If the women were married, they would clean and cook for their husbands. The way they dressed was silk blouses and slim skirts that stopped at the knee with pearl jewelry, for when they just walked around the house. When they were to go out at night they would wear more flowing skirts that went down to their ankles. One key point to their style of dress was to wear any type of clothing that emphasized their curves, belts included. Fashions for men were just a simple suit and dress shoes and a simple wristwatch.
The popular music they played on radios at this time was pop, country and r&b. Although television watching was taking over radio listening. Television became a big hit in the 1950s where it became more popular and was selling more commonly. They had television programs that were broadcasting different kinds of shows especially stories that were based off of radio programs. Toys for children that were getting popular were hula hoops, toy guns, holsters, silly putty, and slinkies. In the movie you see a little girl playing hopscotch.
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In the Encyclopedia of New York City it states that between 1952 and 1955 the homicides that occurred were 4.3 percent out of 100,000 residents ("Crime" 297-298). Rather low then the past and upcoming years. It later states that most of the crime was formed in Harlem anyways. So since the crime was not around that bad around Greenwich Village that could explain how the people in most of the apartments had their windows open. Everyone in the apartment building had no shame and didn’t mind having the shades open at all times. There isn’t a “perfect town anywhere in the world, so even if Lars did kill his wife (which you’ll have to watch the movie for) it wouldn’t be out of the ordinary.
In the movie Rear Window they don’t really scan the city for you, it is a simple movie where you see only Jeff’s apartment, the apartments a crossed from his and the little alley way on the side of both buildings. In this movie, other than the main characters you can see the inside of about seven apartments. In this movie we are taken into an apartment in Greenwich Village in New York City in a movie called Rear Window. A man that lives in this apartment is named L.B. Jeffries, ‘Jeff’ for short. He is a photographer yet had to take some time off because he had broken his left leg. The magazine photographer confined to his mediocre apartment, which consisted of about three rooms. It overlooked a garden, along with all of the apartments to his rear.
He became bored in his home and couldn’t help but look out his window, he couldn’t take his eyes off of “Miss Torso”, the woman exercising in shorts (sometimes topless) with the windows and shades wide open. There is where he starts watching all
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the people in their apartments, in the building behind his. A musician with a huge piano in his living room, a lonely woman who pretends to have dinner with other people, a woman who you don’t see often other than to sunbathe in the backyard, newlyweds in the apartment to the side of his, a man who tends to the garden, and the salesman/murderer along with the bedridden wife.
While obsessively watching the building next door he spots a couple (Lars Thorwald – The wife’s name is unknown) and some weird things occur in the process. He sees that the wife may be faking her sickness and that the husband is hiding something from her. You see them argue. A few days later Jeff starts to analyze the actions of this man, Jeff has become convinced that this man has killed his wife. Because one day Jeff notices the wife is not in the house anymore. She could have gone away but then he observes more closely at this apartment giving it more of his attention. A freight truck comes to pick up a large trunk from his house. The shades get closed every so often. Jeff’s girlfriend whose name is Lisa suggests that maybe the woman went away but then Jeff and Lisa notice the husband with his wife’s purse and he is pulling the contents out of it. The contents in her alligator purse were a gold bracelet watch, her pearl necklace and her wedding ring. Lisa than states a woman would never leave without their wedding ring. When the next day comes Jeff sees that he has a suitcase, newspaper covered knives, and rope. Now he is completely convinced he has murdered his wife and tries to get the police to catch him.
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When it comes to Jeff, his career is a photographer. In the 1950s he would be making at least $200 a week (if he worked 40 hours). That would mean he got $800 dollars a month. His apartment type costs around $124 a month (“Classified Ad 3”). From what we see in his apartment he doesn’t have many things. When looking through other peoples apartments he looks at them from binoculars which cost $3.95 to $32.50 (“Display Ad 167” & “Display Ad 153”). One of the main things he owns is a 35mm camera, in which he uses to keep Lars away from attacking him. In the 1950s 35mm cameras cost anywhere from $19.50 to $199.00 depending on what features you wanted the camera to do (“Display Ad 24”).
Now if the man got $800 dollars and paid his rent he would have $676.00 dollars to spend. He would definitely be able to afford the camera and many other things. Along with eating exquisite candle lit dinners with wine and lobster tails. To go along with the exquisite dinner he had fancy dinner clothes which would cost about $5.49. (“Display Ad 22”) In the beginning of the movie you see his camera is broken, at this price and at the wages he makes like in my statistics above he would be able to buy another one.
The murderer Lars Thorwald is a salesman. As a salesman he would make around $1,200 a month. He lives in a studio apartment, which would be cheaper than the apartment that Jeff lived in. He doesn’t have much in his house so you can tell he seems to be a pretty simple man. He just has a lot of paintings around his house which would cost him anywhere from $5.00 to $100 (“Display Ad 22”). Lars also had numerous amounts of house lamps in his house, which could cost him $6.95 but only $4.95 on
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sale (“Display Ad 60”). For his line of work as a salesman he used what looked like a stainless steel briefcase to hold his products and that would cost him about
He is seen with suitcases when packing to leave, the ones similar to the one he has is either $27.50 or $32.50 (“Display Ad 35”). When Jeff was putting together the pieces that Lars had killed his wife there were partly from Lars getting having a number of items. A trunk, rope, big knives, and he had her purse and the contents in the purse were a gold bracelet watch, pearls and her wedding ring. For the knives they were $1.00 post-paid, so he might not have had to pay until after he uses it (to make sure it did the job) - (“Display Ad 264”). The rope was sold at a store called Johnsons fair for 1¢ per foot. At J. Jacobs rope cost $3.00 for 100 feet or $8.25 for 300 feet (Display Ad 153”). The other items costs were pearls anywhere from $14.95 to $150 dollars (“Display Ad 82”). Her alligator purse costing $200 more or less and her bracelet watch for $1105 which you could catch on sale and her wedding ring which may have been a diamond ring would have cost her (or the husband) 6,000 dollars (“Display Ad 76”). The husband did make what Jeff expressed to be a rather large amount of long distance phone calls which costs him about $2.00 at most (depends where he calls) for 3 minutes, which he didn’t ever call for much time anyways (“Display Ad 178”). So even if Lars did pay $120 dollars for rent, almost as much as Jeff makes, he would have 1,080 dollars left to spend. Which is a lot more money than Jeff has left over and Lars lives less elegantly as him. He would definitely be able to afford and financially take care of his sick wife.
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The women in the movie all had similar fashions, which were like Miss Torso, dresses, heels and pearls. In the 1950s they were known to be housewives, tending to their husbands; cooking, cleaning, always in dresses. Whether it’s daytime, cocktail, or evening dresses. When it comes to the clothing the women wear, the dresses would be anywhere between $35 to $155 dollars. (“Display Ad 5”) The pearl jewelry was just as expensive costing from $14.95 to $150 dollars (“Display Ad 82”). The shoes would be $23.95 if not a little more expensive for fancier shoes, for the less fancier the cheaper they would be (“Display Ad 93“).Also the women would often go to the salon and get a fancy hair-dos, depending on what you wanted it would cost roughly from $3.00 to $25.00 (“Display Ad 22”). The men always dressed up as well, in their suits, which would be around $90 to $175 depending on the design and brand (“Display Ad 5”). Their ties weren’t much, they only cost $1.50 but when they were on sale it would usually cost 69¢. (”Display Ad 13”)
Most of the apartments in the movie had alcohol in them, if not numerous bottles. Alcohol in the 1950s cost $3.44 - $5.59 if not more expensive (“Display Ad 13”). This is one of the main items almost every character had, and the ones that did have it, had a lot! One of the items is a piano which is in the musician’s apartment, he plays on it often but from the distance I am unable to tell what the brand is but I have found an article where it says you can buy one for $475 or rent it at $8.00 a month (“Display Ad 82”). There are other items seen in the movie. A woman was sitting on her lawn chair in her backyard. That would cost her about $14.88 for the chair. (“Display Ad 167”) A man was listening to his phonograph which would cost him $98.95 (“Display Ad “). On a rainy day
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you see people pass through the street seen by the alleyway, in the 1950s raincoats cost somewhere between $5.75 - $16.50 depending on which brand or kind of coat (“Display Ad 82” & “Display Ad 153”). There were many sales that went on daily. With all the sales there was and with the careers these tenants had, I do believe they were able to afford all of the above and more.
Out of all of this information it shows that New York City portrayed in the movie was more than less how life and peoples lifestyles were in the 1950s. The way people lived having windows open when there wasn’t much crime. It shows us how many different people could be living giving a few good view points, whether it a married couple or single people living. It even matched how they could afford their apartments and the items in their apartments on the wages they received along with the rent they had to pay. I can tell you this much, I was I was living like they were back then…having that much allowance to spend on anything I wanted – whether it be for alcohol and elegant dinners like Jeff, or simple paintings and lamps around the house like Lars.
Cited Works:
"Apartments." Encyclopedia of New York City. Yale University, United States: R. R. Donnelley & Sons Company, 1995. Print.
"Classified Ad 3 -- No Title." New York Times 24 Aug. 1953, Print.
"Classified Ad 7 -- No Title." New York Times 20 Jul. 1954, Print.
"Classified Ad 20 -- No Title." New York Times 17 Oct. 1954, Print.
"Classified Ad 40 -- No Title." New York Times 14 Nov. 1954, Print.
"Crime." Encyclopedia of New York City. Yale University, United States: R. R. Donnelley & Sons Company, 1995. Print.
"Display Ad 5 -- No Title." New York Times 30 Dec. 1954, Print.
"Display Ad 13 -- No Title." New York Times 27 Dec. 1954, Print.
"Display Ad 22 -- No Title." New York Times 29 Dec. 1954, Print.
"Display Ad 24 -- No Title." New York Times 30 Dec. 1954, Print.
"Display Ad 35 -- No Title." New York Times 8 Dec. 1954, Print.
"Display Ad 60 -- No Title." New York Times 24 Jan. 1954, Print.
“Display Ad 76 -- No Title.” New York Times 3 Jan. 1954, Print.
"Display Ad 82 -- No Title." New York Times 8 Jun. 1952, Print.
"Display Ad 93 -- No Title." New York Times 21 Mar. 1954, Print.
"Display Ad 153 -- No Title." New York Times 23 Mar. 1952, Print.
"Display Ad 167 -- No Title." New York Times 18 May. 1952, Print.
“Display Ad 178 -- No Title.” New York Times 15 Aug. 1954, Print.
"Display Ad 264 -- No Title." New York Times 10 Oct. 1954, Print.
Pendergast. U X L American decades. 6. Detroit: Detroit : UXL, c2003, 1995. Print.
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