On the Waterfront
On the Waterfront, motion picture about a down-and-out boxer who finds courage to stand up to a corrupt labor union through the friendship of a woman and a priest. The film was based on a series of articles published in the New York Post by Malcolm Johnson and shot on location in Hoboken, New Jersey, where the stories took place. Released in 1954, this film won eight Academy Awards and marked the film debut for actors Eva Marie Saint, Martin Balsam, Fred Gwynne, and Pat Hingle. Marlon Brando stars as Terry Malloy, a former boxer and sometime strong arm for the union-affiliated mob. After he is involved in the death of a dissident worker, Malloy meets the dead man's sister and priest Father Barry, who engage his feelings of remorse and encourage him to turn state's evidence on the corrupt union. However, the union is very powerful, and Malloy's brother, the union's lawyer, encourages him to side with the winning team.
Director
Elia Kazan
Cast
Marlon Brando (Terry Malloy)
Karl Malden (Father Barry)
Lee J. Cobb (Johnny Friendly)
Rod Steiger (Charley Malloy)
Pat Henning ("Kayo" Dugan)
Eva Marie Saint (Edie Doyle)
Leif Erickson (Glover)
James Westerfield (Big Mac)
Tony Galento (Truck)
Tami Mauriello (Tillio)
John Hamilton ("Pop" Doyle)
John Heldabrand (Mott)
Rudy Bond (Moose)
Don Blackman (Luke)
Arthur Keegan (Jimmy)
Abe Simon (Barney)
Barry Macollum (J. P.)
Mike O'Dowd (Specs)
Martin Balsam (Gillette)
Fred Gwynne (Slim)
Thomas Handley (Tommy)
Ann Hegira (Mrs. Collins)
Pat Hingle (Bartender)
Nehemiah Persoff (Cab driver)
Awards
Academy Award for Best Actor (1954): Marlon Brando
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress (1954): Eva Marie Saint
Academy Award for Best Director (1954): Elia Kazan
Academy Award for Best Writing—Story and Screenplay (1954): Budd Schulberg
Academy Award for Best Art Direction/Set Decoration—Black and White (1954): Richard Day
Academy Award for Best Cinematography—Black and White (1954): Boris Kaufman
Academy Award for Best Film Editing (1954): Gene Milford
Academy Award for Best Picture (1954): Sam Spiegel—Producer
Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures (1954): Elia Kazan
Golden Globe Award for Best Cinematography—Black and White (1954): Boris Kaufman
Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture Director (1954): Elia Kazan
Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture Actor (1954): Marlon Brando
Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture—Drama (1954)
Selected for Registry by the National Film Preservation Board (1989)
Trivia
Director Kazan approached playwright Arthur Miller to write the screenplay for the film, but Miller declined. He suspected Kazan of naming him two years earlier as a Communist during Kazan's testimony before the House of Un-American Activities Committee, which subsequently put the writer on the entertainment industry blacklist.
Quotes
Charlie (regarding Terry's former boxing career): “Look, kid—how much you weigh, Slim? When you weighed one hundred and sixty-eight pounds you were beautiful. You coulda been another Billy Cahn, and that skunk we got you for a manager, he brought you along too fast.”
Terry: “It wasn't him, Charlie, it was you. Remember that night at the Garden? You came down to my dressing room and you said, `Kid, this ain't your night. We're going for the price on Wilson.' You remember that? This ain't your night! My night! I coulda taken Wilson apart! So what happens? He gets the title shot outdoors on the ballpark, and what do I get? A one-way ticket to Palooka-ville! You was my brother, Charlie, you shoulda looked out for me a little bit. You shoulda taken care of me just a little bit so I wouldn't have to take them dives for the short-end money.”
Charlie: “Oh I had some bets down for you. You saw some money.”
Terry: “You don't understand. I coulda had class. I coulda been a contender. I coulda been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what I am, let's face it. It was you, Charlie.”