Gentleman's Agreement

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This article is about the 1947 film. For the informal agreement between two parties, see Gentlemen's agreement.

Gentleman's Agreement
original movie poster
Directed by	Elia Kazan
Produced by	Darryl F. Zanuck
Written by	Laura Z. Hobson (novel) Moss Hart (screenplay)
Starring	Gregory Peck Dorothy McGuire John Garfield Celeste Holm Anne Revere
Music by	Alfred Newman
Cinematography	Arthur C. Miller
Distributed by	Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation
Release date(s)	November 11, 1947 (New York City premiere)
Running time	118 min.
Language	English
Budget	$2,000,000 (estimated)
IMDb profile

Gentleman's Agreement is a 1947 film about a journalist (played by Gregory Peck) who falsely represents himself as a Jew to research anti-semitism in New York City and the affluent community of Darien, Connecticut. The movie was controversial in its time, as was a similar film on the same subject, Crossfire, which was also released the same year and also nominated for an Oscar for best picture. Gentleman's Agreement was based on Laura Z. Hobson's 1947 novel of the same name.

The movie is available on DVD as part of the 20th Century Fox Studio Classics collection.

1 Plot
2 Cast
3 Awards
4 External link

[edit] Plot

Philip Schuyler Green (Gregory Peck) is a widowed journalist who has just moved to New York City with his son Tommy (Dean Stockwell) and mother Anne Revere. Green meets with magazine publisher John Minify (Albert Dekker) and Minify asks Green to write an article on anti-semitism. After initially struggling with how to approach the topic in a fresh way, Green is inspired to adopt a Jewish identity ("Phil Green" instead of "Schuyler Green," the name under which he has been writing) and write about his experiences. The key, Green and Minify agree, is to reveal to no one the truth that Phil isn't actually Jewish; since he and his family are new to New York and know almost no one, it should be easy to pull this off.

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

At a dinner party, Phil meets Minify's divorced niece Kathy Lacey (Dorothy McGuire), who is revealed to be the person who originally suggested the story idea. Phil and Kathy immediately begin dating, though Kathy is uncomfortable with Phil's research project. Though she suggested the story idea and seems to have liberal views, when he reveals that he intends to pass himself off as Jewish, she is taken aback and asks directly if he actually is Jewish. The strain on their relationship due to Kathy's subtle acquiescence to bigotry becomes a key theme in the film.

At the magazine, where the entire staff except for Minify understand him to be Jewish, Phil is assigned a secretary, Elaine Wales (June Havoc), who reveals to him that she too is Jewish but changed name in order to get this job (her application under a Jewish-sounding name was rejected). Later, after Phil reveals to Minify the prejudice Wales faced in getting her job, Minify orders the magazine to adopt hiring policies that are open to Jews. Wales privately expresses to Phil her reservations about the new policy, fearing that the "wrong Jews" will be hired and ruin things for the few Jews working there now. Phil also befriends fashion editor Anne Dettrey (Celeste Holm) who becomes a good friend and potential romantic partner, particularly as strains develop in Phil and Kathy's relationship.

As Phil's research project proceeds, Phil's childhood friend Dave Goldman (John Garfield), who is Jewish, moves to New York for a job and lives with the Greens while he attempts to find a home for his family. Housing is scarce in New York, but it is particularly difficult for the Goldmans, since not all landlords will rent to a Jewish family. When Phil tells Dave about his project, Dave is supportive but concerned.

As Phil proceeds to live his life as a "Jew," he experiences several incidents of bigotry. When his mother becomes ill with a heart condition, the doctor (not knowing that Phil is "Jewish") steers him away from consulting a specialist with an obviously Jewish name, suggesting he might be cheated by the Jewish doctor. When Phil reveals that he is himself Jewish, the doctor becomes uncomfortable and leaves. Also, when kids at school learn that Tommy is "Jewish," he becomes the target of bullies and Phil is troubled by the way Kathy consoles Tommy, telling him that their taunts of "dirty Jew" are wrong because they aren't true. Consoling the boy with reassurances about the fact that he is not Jewish isn't Phil's idea of fighting against prejudice.

Kathy's attitudes are revealed further when Phil and Kathy announce their engagement. Kathy's sister Jane (Jane Wyatt) invites them to a celebration in her home in Darien, Connecticut, which is known to be a "restricted" community where Jews aren't allowed to live. Fearing an awkward scene when people learn that Phil is "Jewish," Kathy wants to tell her family and friends that Phil is only pretending to be a Jew. In the end, Phil prevails on Kathy to reveal his secret only to Jane. At the actual party, everyone is very welcoming to Phil, though it's later mentioned that many people were "unable" to attend the party at the last minute (presumably unwilling to attend because of prejudice or encouraged not to attend by Jane).

The strains on Phil and Kathy's relationship finally reach the breaking point when Dave announces that he will have to move away from New York. Though he will have to quit his job, he simply cannot find a place for his family to live. Kathy owns a vacant cottage in Darien, but though Phil sees it as the obvious solution to Dave's housing problem, Kathy is unwilling to offend her neighbors by renting it to a Jewish family. They break their engagement and Phil announces that he will be moving away from New York when his article is published. When it is published, it is very well received by the magazine staff, all of whom did not know until reading the article that Phil wasn't actually Jewish.

Dave and Kathy finally meet and discuss her attitudes. Dave tells her that she's not anti-Semitic, but confronts her about times she's been offended by anti-Semitic slurs and has kept silent. That conversation seems to be the turning point for Kathy. The next day, Dave announces to Phil that he won't be moving away after all. Instead, his family will be moving to the cottage in Darien and Kathy will be moving in with her sister next door to make sure the Goldmans are treated well by their neighbors. Phil goes to Kathy's apartment and they reunite, presumably their differences now overcome.