top of page
Pg. 4
HANNAH: You're wasting a perfectly good erotic conversation with my ex-husband in the other room and the operator probably listening.
In the early decades of the telephone, operators who manually connected calls could and sometimes did eavesdrop. By the 1970s, most connection work was automated, but the Beverly Hills Hotel would have had a private switchboard on-site with operators to connect different types of calls (in-house, local, long-distance). BHH operators probably weren't listening, but imagine having the awareness that some busybody might be listening to your calls at any time. It's also a bit sexist for Hannah to assume that the operator (most likely a woman) has nothing better to do at work than to watch real-life soap operas (1).
Pg. 5
HANNAh: You're not spending your summers at camp, are you?
Residential (sleep-away) summer camps were a way to expose city kids to the outdoors. With women's liberation, it became especially popular for kids with two working parents who needed childcare while school was out. Kids would spend weeks, months, or even the entire summer living in cabins, camping, canoeing, doing crafts, playing outdoor games, and learning skills (2).
Hannah is joking that Billy looks young and might need a babysitter.
HANNAH: Well, at this moment, nonplussed.
Billy: Still the only one who can use "nonplussed" in regular conversation.
nonplussed means surprised, shocked, unsure how to respond.
However, nonplussed also an informal second definition: unfazed, unimpressed
This definition evolved in the United States from a misuse of the word that became popular and widespread. This is why Billy comments on her correct usage.
Pronounce nonplussed (naan-pluhst):
NonplussedArtist Name
00:00 / 00:01
Hannah: I love your California clothes.
Billy: They're Bloomingdale's, in New York.
One of the major underlying tensions in the scene is about the difference between the east coast and the west coast, how much the west coast has changed Billy (in what Hannah sees as ridiculous ways, and which coast is better, especially for raising a daughter.
Hannah's comment about "California clothes" is passive aggressive. Ironically, Billy's clothes are from Bloomingdales, which is iconic as a New York department store. By the 1970s, Bloomingdales is known as a New York trendsetter and cultural phenomenon, and the signature "Big Brown Bag" is a status symbol (3).
Pg. 6
HANNAH: I love the way you're wearing your hair now. Where do you go, that boy who does Barbra Streisand?
In 1973, legendary singer/actress Barbra Streisand hired Jon Peters to be her personal stylist, a relationship that quickly evolved into a decade-long, tempestuous romance and creative partnership. By the mid-1970s, they were at the peak of their very publicly unhinged love affair/power struggle.
Hannah is making fun of west coast celebrity culture, of which Streisand is a deity, and mocking the idea of Billy becoming so ridiculous that he ends up wearing a Streisandesque hair style (4).
Pg. 7
HANNAH: You see, that's what i would miss if I left New York. The bantering.
The fast-paced witty banter that Hannah dishes out is a central part of the New Yorker stereotype. (See: Los Angeles vs. New York)
HANNAH: I never liked San Francisco. I was always afraid I'd fall out of bed and roll down one of those hills.
San Francisco is famous for its very steep hills, like the one in the photo on the right (5).
Hannah: You drive everywhere, do you?
Unlike New York, which is a compact city that is set up for walking and makes it unnecessary to own a car at all, Los Angeles is spread out and requires driving. LA is also very famous for its terrible traffic (see right).
Pg. 9
Billy [from pg 8]: Don't tell me you've given up P.J. Clarke's chili burgers?
P.J. Clarke's is an iconic New York restaurant.
Pg. 10
Billy: I climb. I climbed a ten-thousand-foot mountain in the Sierra Nevada Last Summer.
Hiking up a 10,000-foot mountain is about a day's climb.
HANNAH: Well that's no big deal. I climb three times a week visiting my
analyst.
"Analyst" is the 1970s word for therapist.
HANNAH: Oh, Yes. You're not in Hardy Canyon anymore.
Billy: Laurel. Laurel Canyon.
Laurel Canyon is a very famous neighborhood in LA. Laurel and Hardy are a very famous comic duo.
Pg. 11
Billy: Beverly Hills - a block north of Sunset Boulevard.
Sunset Boulevard is one of the most famous and iconic area in LA. It's an expensive place to live
Hannah: I passed something coming from the airport. I thought it was a Moroccan Villa - turned out to be a Texaco Station.
Hannah is referring to this popular landmark on the right, which was on Wilshire Blvd. and New Hampshire Ave. She's being sarcastic, since no one could mistake it for a real Moroccan Villa.
Hannah: A hysterectomy. I was out the same Day... And I believe you had Prostate trouble.
A hysterectomy (removal of the uterus and sometimes ovaries and fallopian tubes) and prostate trouble are both gendered medical issues that tend to come with age. Hannah is not having any more children, and even if she thinks Billy is acting young, his prostate gives him away.
Pg. 12
HANNAH: A newspaperman on the Washington Post.
Billy: Really? Not one of those two who-
Billy is referring to Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, the two Washington Post reporters who uncovered the Watergate scandal. In 1972, five men were arrested for breaking into the Democratic National Committee's office to photograph documents and plant bugs. Woodward and Bernstein kept investigating, and a confidential source, who used the name "Deep Throat," came forward to confirm that President Richard Nixon was behind the break-in. Nixon, who would have definitely been impeached and probably removed from office, resigned before that could happen. Woodward and Bernstein won a Pulitzer for what was arguably the most significant and impactful piece of journalism in the 20th century (6).
HANNAH: He also has the second-best mind I've met in this country since Adlai Stevenson.
Adlai Stevenson (1900-1965) was a democratic politician who served as the governor of Illinois (1949-1953) and the fifth United States Ambassador to the United Nations (1961-1965). He also ran for president of the United States twice, as the democratic candidate, in 1952 and 1956, but was unsuccessful. He was very well-known for his eloquence and wit (7).
Pronounce Adlai Stevenson (Addle-ay Stee-ven-sun):
012 - Adlai StevensonArtist Name
00:00 / 00:05
Archival audio of Stevenson's famous wit:
Pg. 13
Billy: My God, it's been a long time since I've been involved in a smart-ass conversation.
The "smartass conversation" is part of the New York stereotype. It's fast and biting, and it requires the wit and speed to keep up.
Hannah: I beg your pardon, but you were the one who said things like "I hear you have a boyfriend" and "I'm seeing a very nice girl." I am not the one with the Bobbsey Twin haircut and the Peter Pan Phraseology.
The Bobbsey Twins are characters in a 72-volume book series that first appeared in 1904 and was revived in the 50s/60s and again in the 80s/90s by multiple authors. The books are about two fraternal twins (a boy and a girl), Bert and Nan, and their younger siblings, Freddie and Flossie. The Bobbsey Twin haircut is probably a bowl cut (see below). Peter Pan is a character who never grows up, so he is often used to call someone a man-child. Hannah is playing off of Billy's boyish nickname, haircut, and language ("boy" and "girl" to describe adults.
Book covers for the Bobbsey Twins and the iconic 70s bowl cut. Mothers would often cut their kids' hair by placing literal bowls on their heads and cutting around it.
Pg. 15
Billy: A brown mercedes - 450 SEL.
Hannah: You have no class. You never had any class. A red pinto in Beverly Hills would be class.
In the mid-70s, the Mercedes-450 SEL was a quintessential symbol of wealth and prestige in the form of a powerful sedan. Golden brown was a very popular color. The Pinto is a small, economic car and the opposite of flashy, but red would make it more conspicuous. She's saying that flaunting his wealth isn't classy, and everyone in Beverly Hills knows that a brown Mercedes equals money (8).
HANNAH: Remarkable. And in New York, you couldn't tune in channel five.
Back in ancient times, when there were only about four TV channels, and channels were changed with a dial on the television (see right), turning the dial was "tuning in."
Pg. 16
Hannah [Pg 15]: Am I being too nosy?
Billy: Not For a newsweek editor...
Newsweek is a New York-based news magazine, and it's a Newsweek editor's job to be as nosy as possible.
HANNAH: [...] will you have to move to an Italian palazzo on Wilshire Boulevard?
Hannah is being sarcastic - an Italian Palazzo is enormous and ornate. Wilshire Blvd is large neighborhood filled with mansions of the elite and wealthy.
Pronounce Palazzo (pah-lahtz-oh):
016 - PalazzoArtist Name
00:00 / 00:01
HANNAH: it comes with age. When you don't have a fastball anymore, you go to change-ups and sliders.
Billy: Oh, please. Spare me your sports metaphors. You never knew a bunt from a double.
This one is for the artsy people who have never willingly watched a sport in their lives.
Fastball: exactly what it sounds like. It's a very fast pitch.
Change-Ups: a pitch that LOOKS like it's going to be a fastball based on the pitcher's stance but is actually much slower to throw the batter off.
Bunt: when the batter hits the ball lightly to aim it infield.
Double: when the batter hits the ball and manages to run through first base to second without being tagged out.
Pg. 17
Billy [from pg 16] God, I can just hear the quips flying [...] at the Washington Redskins game playing anagrams with the names of all the POlish players... [...] Your mind clicks off bric-a-bracs so goddamn fast, it never has a chance to let out an honest emotion or thought ever get through.
"Playing anagrams with the names of all the Polish players" is a joke about the spellings of Polish names, which, stereotypically, are long, complicated, and full of consonants. Playing anagrams means mixing up the letters in a word (or name) to make other words.
"Bric-a-brac" is a collection of small, miscellaneous items. Billy is using bric-a-brac to describe Hannah's language, and her ability to come out with small, quick quips.
Billy: Do you want me to discuss this problem sensibly and sincerely, or do you want to challenge me to the New York Times crossword puzzle for her?
The New York Times crossword puzzle is a symbol of intellectual prowess, particularly on the east coast, and particularly because it comes from a New York publication. It requires an ability to decode wordplay and be flexible with language.
Pg. 18
Billy: Forty square blocks bounded by lincoln center on the west and Cinema II on the east is not the center of the goddamn universe.
The area between Lincoln Center and Cinema II crosses from the upper west side to the upper east side. The stereotypical upper west sider is artsy, hipsterish, and intellectual. The stereotypical upper east sider is wealthy and highly cultured.
Pg. 19
Billy: It is not mecca... it just smells like it
Billy is being racist here, in a way that was common and accepted in the 1970s. Mecca, located in Saudi Arabia, is the Islamic holy city. In sort of a drive-by insult, he's saying that the people in Mecca aren't sanitary and smell bad.
Billy: I've been to Martha's Vineyard in July, Hannah. Heaven protect me from another intellectual Cape Cod summer... The political elite queuing up in old beach sandals to see Bogart pictures, standing there eating ice cream cones and reading the New Republic.
- Martha's Vineyard is an island south of Cape Cod, Massachusetts that has been a popular vacation spot for wealthy New Yorkers and celebrities, especially as an escape from the summer heat in the city.
- Jaws was filmed there in 1975, raising the profile even more.
- Billy is describing an (in his view) insufferable intellectual elite, having a quaint, leisurely summer:
- Playing at the beach
- Watching vintage Humphrey Bogart films (his career ran from the 1920s - 1950s)
- Reading The New Republic, a magazine about critical social issues.
Martha's Vineyard has been a destination for not just celebrities, but the A-listers - the true elite - from presidents/past presidents, to Oprah and the Kennedys.
Billy: I remember one hot Sunday afternoon in Hyannisport when our ambassador to some war-torn middle eastern country was in a state of despair because he couldn't get the hang of throwing a frisbee. MY god, the absurdity... I went to a charity luncheon in East Hampton to raise money for the California grape pickers. There was this teeming mob of women who must have spent a total of twelve thousand dollars on new Gucci pants in order to raise two thousand dollars for the grape pickers."
- Hyannis Port is the main spot where vacationers catch the ferry to Martha's Vineyard.
- The 1970s were a moment of intense conflict in the Middle East, which is a huge contrast to the beachy fun of Martha's Vineyard.
- "East Hampton" refers to the Hamptons on Long Island, another beachy getaway for the rich and famous.
- The California grape pickers went on strike in 1965 to protest the severe exploitation of the migrant workers who were picking grapes. Their strike lasted five years. The pickers unionized and agreed to go back to work when a collective bargaining agreement was reached.
- $2000 in about 1970 equals approximately $16,651.96 in 2025. This isn't a terrible donation, but $12,000 for pants is almost $100,000 (9).
Pg. 20
Hannah: I didn't see the last picture you wrote, but they tell me it grossed very well in backward areas.
Hannah is implying that Billy's last movie appeals to the lowest common denominator - it's the opposite of intellectual.
Pg. 21
Hannah: You wouldn't consider coming back east and entering into a ménage à trois?
"Ménage à trois" is a French phrase that is commonly used to describe either a three-person sexual encounter or a three-person romantic/domestic relationship.
Pronounce Ménage à Trois (meh-nah-jah twah):
021 - Ménage á TroisArtist Name
00:00 / 00:01
Pg. 22
Hannah: I will call my friend, the Attorney General of the United States, if she is not on that three o'clock plane.
In 1976, the US Attorney General was Republican Edward H. Levi (left).
Pg. 23
Billy: The girl is growing up lonely, Hannah, and if you tell me she's got a cat and a canary, I'll belt you right in the choppers.
Hannah: [...] Despite her gothic reports, she is not living the life of Jane Eyre.
- A "cat and a canary" might refer to Sylvester (the cat) and Tweety (the canary), who are popular cartoon characters. There are also four films based on The Cat and the Canary, a 1922 play about a group of descendants of wealthy man who died, and they gather in his mansion to try to claim his fortune like cats going after a canary. Either way, it seems to refer to "friends" who are there for their own potential gain.
- Yeah, "I'll belt you right in the choppers" is a threat to punch Hannah in the mouth. It's definitely a 1970s relic.
- Jane Eyre is the title character of an 1847 novel by Charlotte Brönte. She is a poor orphan who must rely on the charity of others to survive.
Pg. 24
Billy: And I have made love to women with the television on before, but never watching Eric Sevareid.
- Eric Sevareid (1912-1992) (right) was an American broadcast journalist, author, and scholarly writer who is credited with starting the practice of introducing subjectivity and opinion in the discussion of news items (10).
Pronounce Eric Sevareid (Err-ick Seh-vah-reed):
024 - Eric SevareidArtist Name
00:00 / 00:01
Pg. 25
Billy: Where did that non sequitur come from?
A "non sequitur" is a comment or statement that doesn't connect to the conversation.
Pronounce non sequitur (non-seck-wih-tur):
025 - Non-SequiturArtist Name
00:00 / 00:01
Pg. 28
Billy: Happiness is so banal, isn't it?
"Banal" means boring and unoriginal. Often, those who pride themselves on being the intellectual elite make a point to look down on anything popular or pleasurable. Happiness is trite.
Pronounce banal (bah-nahl):
028 - BanalArtist Name
00:00 / 00:01
Pg. 29
Hannah: Jesus, no wonder there are so many used car salesmen out here.
Billy gives Hannah the deciding power for their daughter's custody arrangement, but Jenny is waiting downstairs and the decision must be made on the spot. Used car salesmen operate in the same way - offering a deal, but only if the person buys right now.
Pg. 38
Marvin: I need some Compazine spanules.
"Compazine" is the brand name of a drug used to treat severe nausea and anxiety (it's also an anti-psychotic). "Spansules" are time-release capsules.
Pronounce Compazine (Comp-uh-zeen):
Pronounce spansules (span-sewls):
038 - CompazineArtist Name
00:00 / 00:01
038 - SpansulesArtist Name
00:00 / 00:01
Pg. 39
Marvin [from Pg 38]: it has codeine in it.
In 1976 in California, codeine was in fact controlled and only available by prescription.
Millie: What are you going to do about the bar mitzvah?
Marvin: [...] He wants us to get over to the temple as soon as possible [...].
A bar mitzvah (for a boy, or bat mitzvah for a girl) is a Jewish rite of passage. When a Jewish child reaches the age of thirteen, a bar/bat mitzvah ceremony marks a transition to manhood/womanhood. The bar/bat mitzvah boy/girl often spends a year on intense studying and preparing. During the ceremony, they must read from the torah (which is written in Hebrew with the vowels left out), give a speech (in English), and read a Haftarah portion, which is in Hebrew. It's a big deal and is often paired with a huge party. These parties are often so large in scale that they are comparable to weddings. If you want to know more, I (your dramaturg) had a bat mitzvah and can tell you all about it! I also took the additional step of deciding to sing my torah and Haftarah portion!
Pg. 41
Marvin: We'll go shopping in Beverly Hills.
Shopping in Beverly Hills means high-end shops and designer clothes. He's offering a huge incentive to get Millie to leave the room.
Pg. 45
Millie: I love the telephone in the john.
Back in the day of landlines everywhere, the telephone in the bathroom was a weird symbol of luxury, and fancy hotels had them.
Pg. 51
Millie: If you tell me you have been carrying on with a helpless paralytic, I won't buy it, Marvin. DON'T PLAY ON MY SYMPATHY!
In this case, a "paralytic" is a paralyzed person.
Pg. 53
Millie: Operator, get me the bell captain please.
The Bell Captain is the head of the bellhops (or bellboys). They're the hotel workers who will come up and carry Millie's luggage downstairs. Of course, Millie has no luggage, since the airline lost her suitcase.
Pg. 55
Millie: What would you say she cost, Marvin? Fifty? Does she look like a fifty-dollar hooker to you?
In 1976, $50 is equal to about $416.30 (9). This is on the lower end of sex worker prices in the 1970s, although it's doubtful that Millie or Martin know anything about sex work going rates. Millie is suggesting that she's cheap.
Pg. 57
Millie: Should we leave her a note or something?
Marvin: I don't think so. She's probably used to these things.
Throughout the scene, Bunny is basically a prop. Marvin has tossed her around and tried to hide her inert form and leave her in the hallway like a room service tray. Millie is a woman and sees her as a woman.
Millie: On the plane? Oh, some movie with Charles Bronson
Charles Bronson (1921-2003) (right) was an American actor who specialized in action films. He was especially known for his chiseled, masculine physique.
Pg. 61
Diana: [...] I'm listing to the left, Sidney. God, I hope it's the floor.
Listing means leaning. There's a ton of chiffon on one side that makes her feel uneven, but not literally listing. This is dry British sarcasm. Most of the jokes in this scene are dry British sarcasm, which means that they are said with a straight, deadpan face and the listener has to be smart/witty enough to catch the joke in the words.
Pg. 62
Diana: Nothing. Joe Levine paid for it.
Joseph E. Levine (1905-1987) was the most successful independent film producer in the United States. In the 1960s and '70s, he was at the height of his career.
Diana: [...] I have a definite hump in my left shoulder. I mean, it's got to be seven hundred dollars, if it's a penny, and I look like Richard the Third.
In Shakespeare's Richard the Third, he depicts the title character as grotesque, monstrous, and with a hump that is only sort of historically accurate.
Pg. 63
Diana: Glenda Jackson never comes, and she's nominated every goddamned year. We could have stayed in London and waited for a phone call. Michael Caine could have accepted for me.
- Glenda Jackson (1936-2023) was an English actor who won the Oscar for Best Actress twice but was unable to attend either ceremony in person.
- Michael Caine (1933- ) is an English actor who has been frequently nominated for Oscars (he finally won his first in 1986. (Perhaps) coincidentally, Michael Caine would play Sidney in the 1978 movie adaptation of California Suite.
Pg. 65
Diana: We could stay in bed, have champagne, make love and switch the dial if Faye Dunaway wins.
Faye Dunaway (right) is an American actress and A-lister. By 1976, she has been nominated twice for the Best Actress Academy Award (in 1968 and 1975), and she won the Oscar in 1977. She was definitely on the rise in 1976, when California Suite opened on Broadway.
Diana: No woman can look good at five o'clock in the afternoon, except possibly Tatum O'Neal.
In 1975, Tatum O'Neal (left) was ten years old and became the youngest person to win the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for the film Paper Moon (1973). At the time of California Suite's premiere, she was about twelve. Diana is joking (in a dry, British, sarcastic way), because O'Neal is very young and has no signs of aging that are hard to hid in the 5:00 sun.
Pg. 66
Diana: Eight years with the National Theatre, two Pinter Plays, two Becketts, nine Shakespeare, three Shaws, and I finally get nominated for a nauseating little comedy.
- In London, the National Theatre, or the Royal National Theatre is England's government-funded arts center. It is a very prestigious theatre to act in.
- Harold Pinter was a British playwright who was extremely influential. He wrote experimental plays with elements of absurdism.
- Samuel Beckett was a key figure in absurdist playwriting. He was also very experimental in his writing.
- George Bernard Shaw was an Irish playwright who wrote witty, biting comedies and was deemed one of the greatest English-language playwrights in the world during his time.
- The works of all three of these playwrights are very challenging for actors and audiences.
Pg. 67
Diana: Can I have another drink, darling? And stop worrying. I won't get pissed until after I lose.
"Pissed" is British for drunk.
Pg. 68
Sidney: You should have told me sooner. I could have come over on the Hindenburg.
The Hindenburg, a German zeppelin (like a blimp), was one of the largest aircrafts every built. Most famously, it burst into flame and crashed in 1937 while landing at the end of a transatlantic flight. 36 people died as a result.
Pg. 69
Sidney: I don't think they allow nominees to come alone. They give you Burt Reynolds or something.
Burt Reynolds (1936-2018) was an American actor whose career - especially in action films - was rising quickly in the 1970s. He's known for his manly good looks and robust mustache.
Pg. 70
Sidney: I should have waited for you in front of the hotel. I could have gotten a nice tan.
Much like St. George, Hollywood is pretty much always sunny, unlike London which tends to be overcast and rainy.
Pg. 72
Sidney: You're blotto darling. Go to bed.
"Blotto" is another British word for drunk!
Pg. 73
Sidney: You are stinking, aren't you?
"Stinking" is yet another British word for "drunk"!
Sidney: I was asking who that attractive young girl in the Pucci muu-muu that you threw up on was!
Emilio Pucci (1914-1992) was an Italian fashion designer who became known for his bold, brightly colored prints on silk. Marilyn Monroe was a fan of Pucci's designs and was buried in a Pucci dress. Also in the 70s, muu-muus - long dresses made from straight-flowing fabric, usually with no cinching at the waist (or anywhere else) became a popular style. On the right is a Pucci muu-muu.
- Pronounce Pucci (Poo-chi)
- Pronounce muu-muu (moo-moo)
073 - PucciArtist Name
00:00 / 00:01
073 - Muu-MuuArtist Name
00:00 / 00:01
Pg. 74
Sidney: I hate to be clinical about this, but since you had neither lunch nor dinner, nor even a single canapé at the ball, how could you possibly find anything to throw up?
Canapés are hors d'oeuvres (or snacks, appetizers) that are served at a party or event, often circulated by waiters with trays.
Pronounce canapé (can-ah-pay)
074 - CanapéArtist Name
00:00 / 00:01
Pg. 75-76
Sidney: The midgets of Leipzig... a Czech-Polish Production... Sigmund Wednetzki, Producer, directed by Litweil Zumbredowicz and Stefan Vlech.
All of these names (including the film title) are fake. Neil Simon is taking another potshot at complicated Polish names. The word "midget" is outdated, and the preferred term is "little person" or "dwarf."
Here are some pronunciations that might be helpful:
- Leipzig:
Other than Leipzig, which is a real city in Germany, the none of the complex names seem to be actual Polish names. Here are some likely pronunciations based on real Polish words/names:
- Wednetzki: Wed-net-ski
- Litweil: Leet-vile
- Zumbredowicz: Zoom-bred-oh-vich
- Vlech: V-leh-ch all one syllable, and the "ch" is a throat sound, as in:
075 - LeipzigArtist Name
00:00 / 00:01
076 - (V)lechArtist Name
00:00 / 00:01
Pg. 79-80
Diana: I look like a brand new steel-belted radial tire.
A steel-belted radial tire has a complicated pattern of thin lines, which Diana is comparing to her face.
Sidney: The must have snapped fifty photos of us going in. Coming out, a little Mexican boy with a Brownie asked me where Liza Minelli was.
- A Brownie is a type of camera that was very popular with amateur photographers.
- Liza Minelli is Judy Garland's daughter and a star in her own right.
Pg. 81
Sidney: Did you notice Jack Nicholson sitting there in tennis shoes? Black patent leather tennis shoes.
In the 1970s, actor Jack Nicholson famously attended the Academy Awards in black patent leather sneakers, sunglasses, and a beret with his tux. He was a big movie star at this point, and his career was on the rise. His casual/formal look became part of his rebellious, cool-guy image (11). On the right: Jack Nicholson in 1975 and 2000.
Pg. 83
Diana: Wit and parry, wit and parry, that's your style.
In sword-fighting or fencing, "thrust and parry" is a phrase that describes the basic moves of thrusting the sword/epee/etc offensively and parrying, or blocking and acting defensively. Diana is saying that Sidney is alternating between biting wit and defensiveness with the agility and skill of a fencer.
Diana: He did look very Californian, I thought. Sort of a ballsy Doris Day.
Doris Day (right) was an American actress/singer hit the peak of her career in the 1960s until, with the death of her third husband, she discovered that she was broke and in debt. She also found out that her husband had committed her to a television series called The Doris Day Show, which she didn't want to do but did out of obligation. Doris Day was known for playing the "girl next door" type, which is more naive than "ballsy."
Pg. 84
Sidney: I'm going to take some Librium.
Librium is the brand name for a benzodiazepine prescribed for anxiety, insomnia, and managing alcohol withdrawal.
Pg. 86
Diana: Hell of a night to feel sexy... You didn't happen to notice anything in my line down at the Polo Lounge?
- "in my line" means "my type," or "someone I'd be interested in."
- The Polo Lounge is a restaurant/bar/lounge in the Beverly Hills Hotel. It's especially famous for the celebrities who lounged there, such as Charlie Chaplin, Marlene Dietrich, Fred Astaire, Elizabeth Taylor, Marilyn Monroe, and Frank Sinatra, to name a few. The celebrities who rented bungalows would also frequent the Polo Club, usually at their favorite tables. It would definitely be hopping after the Academy Awards (12).
Pg. 88
Diana: Why haven't I ever left you for a hairier person?
"Hairier" implies more masculine (less - implied - gay).
Pg. 91
Mort: The thing that kills me is that they saw your shoelaces were untied. That's why they kept lobbing over your head.
In tennis, lobbing is hitting the ball in a high arc, often over one's opponent's head, usually when the opponent is at the net. It keeps the opponent running, and repeated lobbing is an aggressive technique (13).
Pg. 92
Mort: You expect a doctor to make a house call on Sunday July Fourth?
Beth: [...] If you can't get a doctor, call a druggist.
- In the 1970s, some doctors still made house calls, but the practice was declining and becoming less common.
- A druggist is a pharmacist.
Pg. 94
Beth: This is Beverly Hills. They'll probably send a psychiatrist.
Beth is joking about the Los Angeles/Beverly Hills stereotype that everyone is in therapy and thinks that most things can be solved by analyzing and talking about feelings. This is opposite to the stereotype of Chicagoans as rough, tough, and brash.
Pg. 95
Beth: Every new perfume that comes out, she's got it - "Babe," "Charlie," "Harold," "Milton," whatever...
Beth is listing perfumes:
- Babe by Faberge, released in 1976, so brand new
- Charlie by Revlon
- Harold, which is a line of expensive perfumes
- Milton-Lloyd, another line of expensive perfumes (14)
Pg. 97
Mort: You touch her foot, and they ship you back to Chicago on Air Freight.
"Air Freight" implies that he will be dead and fly back in a pine box.
Pg. 98
Gert: It's called "After Tennis."
There is no perfume called "After Tennis."
Pg. 99
Beth: [...] My duty-free ninety-dollar "Bal de Versailles"?
- "Duty-Free" refers to goods purchased in airports, on cruise ships, and at international borders, which makes them cheaper because they are exempt from local or national taxes.
- Ninety dollars in 1976 is equal to about $510.97 today, which is a LOT.
- Bal de Versailles probably refers to Bal à Versailles, a popular perfume launched in 1962.
Pg. 104
Mort: Jesus, it's like Guadalcanal in here.
Guadalcanal refers to a campaign during World War II in which Americans invaded the Solomon Islands. Casualties were very high for Americans (approximately 7,100 lost) and astronomical for the Japanese (31,000). Mort is making a joke about the increasing casualties in their hotel room (15).
Pronounce Guadalcanal (Gwah-dal-cuh-nal):
104 - GuadalcanalArtist Name
00:00 / 00:01
Pg. 105-106
Stu: [...] A year I planned for this vacation. You know what I got to show for it? Two purple Hawaiian shirts [...]. One entire morning wasted in Honolulu while five Chinese tailors measured you for a thirty-nine-dollar Hong Kong suit that fell apart in the box. I spent half an afternoon on Fisherman's Wharf watching a near-sighted eighty-four-year-old artist sketching a charcoal portrait of you that looks like Charles Laughton. [...]
Mort: [...] How about a nice Planter's Punch?
- The Hong Kong suit, also called a "24-hour suit" is the product of a culture of Chinese tailors who made suits to order quickly, inexpensively, and with high quality. If Stu is telling the truth, it sounds like Mort found a low-quality shop and paid ($39 in 1976 is about $221.42 today) for shoddy work (16).
- Fisherman's Wharf (right top) is a seaside neighborhood in San Francisco that is popular with tourists.
- Charles Laughton (1899-1962) (right bottom) was a British actor and director who was know for his versatility.
- Planter's Punch is a cocktail made from Jamaican rum, fresh lime juice, and sugar cane juice.
- Hawaiian shirts, brightly-colored button-downs with a tropical pattern - extra points for tackiness - were very popular in the 70s.
Pg. 109
Gert: I don't believe what's going on here... it's like a John Wayne Movie.
John Wayne was an A-list film actor who is well-known for playing cowboys in Westerns. Gert is referring to the way the men are squaring up to fight as if they're going to have an old-fashioned Western shoot-out.
Works Cited​
-
Singh, Akanksha, JSTOR Daily, "Hold the Line."
-
American Camp Association, "Timeline of ACA and Summer Camp."
-
Bloomingdales, "Our History."
-
InStyle, "Jon Peters Said Barbra Streisand..."
-
Urban Geographies, "San Francisco."
-
Harry Ransom Center, "Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein."
-
New York Times, "Obituary: Adlai Ewing Stevenson."
-
Car and Driver, "Traveling in the American Southwest."
-
US Inflation Calculator, "Inflations Calculator."
-
New York Times, "Obituary for Eric Severeid."​​
-
Mr. Porter, "One Memorable Look."
-
Luxury, "The Polo Lounge at the Beverly Hills Hotel."
-
TopSpinPro, "The Tennis Lob."
-
Parfumo, "Search."
-
National World War II Museum, "The Solomon Islands."
-
The Mills, "Foreign Fabric Local Looks."
bottom of page