The Rat Race
Encyclopedia
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
.
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.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
directed by Robert Mulligan
Robert Mulligan
Robert Mulligan was an American film and television director best known as the director of humanistic American dramas, including To Kill A Mockingbird , Summer of '42 , The Other , Same Time, Next Year and The Man in the Moon...
and starring Tony Curtis
Tony Curtis
Tony Curtis was an American film actor whose career spanned six decades, but had his greatest popularity during the 1950s and early 1960s. He acted in over 100 films in roles covering a wide range of genres, from light comedy to serious drama...
and Debbie Reynolds
Debbie Reynolds
Debbie Reynolds is an American actress, singer, and dancer.She was initially signed at age 16 by Warner Bros., but her career got off to a slow start. When her contract was not renewed, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer gave her a small, but significant part in the film Three Little Words , then signed her to...
as struggling young entertainment professionals in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. Filming took place in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
.
Plot
Wishing to pursue a career as a jazzJazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
saxophonist, Pete Hammond Jr. (Curtis
Tony Curtis
Tony Curtis was an American film actor whose career spanned six decades, but had his greatest popularity during the 1950s and early 1960s. He acted in over 100 films in roles covering a wide range of genres, from light comedy to serious drama...
) takes a bus from his home in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
, 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
Debbie Reynolds
Debbie Reynolds is an American actress, singer, and dancer.She was initially signed at age 16 by Warner Bros., but her career got off to a slow start. When her contract was not renewed, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer gave her a small, but significant part in the film Three Little Words , then signed her to...
), 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.