The Rat Race

The Rat Race is a 1960 American drama film directed by Robert Mulligan and starring Tony Curtis and Debbie Reynolds as struggling young entertainment professionals in New York City. Filming took place in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Plot

Wishing to pursue a career as a jazz saxophonist, Pete Hammond Jr. (Curtis) takes a bus from his home in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to New York City and optimistically begins looking for work. However, jobs are extremely hard to find, and Pete's instruments are stolen by a group of obscure musicians who pretend to be a famous band and stage a fake audition for him. Meanwhile, he crosses paths with Peggy Brown (Reynolds), a model and dancer who has become jaded and cynical after years of struggling to survive in the city. When Pete discovers that she has just been evicted from his newly rented apartment, and that she is penniless and has no home to return to, he offers to let her stay with him until she finds a new home. Without a job, she is forced to rely on his generosity, and over time, as the two of them work at various low-paying jobs, they stay together in the apartment as friends. When Pete finds work on a cruise ship, he writes to Peggy every day, and when a loan shark threatens her with violence, Pete gives him his watch and saxophones. The film ends as Pete tells Peggy he loves her, she agrees to tentatively begin a romantic relationship, and they kiss affectionately.

External links

• The Rat Race at the Internet Movie Database
• The Rat Race at AllRovi
• The Rat Race at the TCM Movie Database