Watch this: Marty

It’s been a virtual movie marathon this week here in South Boston. I think all the snow has made it much too easy and comfortable to pop in a film just about every night. Not that I’m complaining, mind you. We’ve seen some great stuff: “Up the Air” with George Clooney (MUCH better than I expected; both female leads were phenomenal), “Toy Story 3” (hadn’t seen installments 1 or 2, but yup, this sequel brought tears to my eyes), “Ryan’s Daughter” (a classic, beautifully filmed in Western Ireland), and “Revolutionary Road” (like “Up In the Air”, much more than I had expected; surprisingly good performance be Leonardo DiCaprio).

We also got a chance to watch one of my favorite all-time movies, “Marty”. Haven’t seen it? It won “Best Picture” at the 1954 Academy Awards, and earned Ernest Borgnine a “Best Actor” Oscar, too. It’s the tale of a lonely butcher who lives in the Bronx with his mother. Everyone’s after the 34-year-old, kind-hearted bachelor to find a girl and settle down. But Marty’s been burned too many times before and has all but given up on trying to meet that special someone. In one heartbreaking scene, Marty calls a girl he had met recently at a movie theater.


...Oh, hello there. Is this Mary Feeney? Hello, there. This is Marty Pilletti. I-I wonder if you recall me. Well, I'm kind of a stocky guy. The last time we met was in the RKO Chester. You was with a friend of yours, and I-I was with a friend of mine, name of Angie. This was about a month ago - The RKO Chester on West Farms Square. Yeah, you was sitting in front of us, and we was annoying you, and - you got mad and - I'm the fella who works in a butcher shop. Oh, come on, you - you know who I am! That's right, and then - then we went to Howard Johnson's. We had hamburgers. You hadda milkshake. Yeah, that's right. Yeah, well, I'm the stocky one, the heavy-set fella. Yeah, well, I'm - I'm glad you recall me because I hadda pretty nice time that night, and I was wondering how everything was with you. How's everything? That's swell. Yeah, well, I tell you why I called. I was figuring on taking in a movie tonight, and I was wondering if you and your friend would care to see a movie tonight with me and my friend. Yeah, tonight. Why, I know it's a little late to call for a date, but I didn't know myself till - yeah, I know. Yeah, well, what about - well, how about next Saturday night? Are - are you free next Saturday night? Well, what about the Saturday after that? Yeah. Yeah, I know. Well, I mean, I understand that. Yeah. Yeah.

In this scene, Marty’s widowed mother, played by Esther Minciotti, urges her son to go to the Stardust Ballroom, a local dance hall, where he eventually meets lonely-heart Clara, a 29-year-old teacher. 

The movie’s beauty is in its simplicity: two ordinary people, both a bit beaten down society’s expectations, finding common ground and perhaps love.