What Makes Sammy Run?

Al, Kit, and Sammy attend the premiere of Girl Steals Boy. Kit describes the audience for the preview as a tough crowd who will focus on the technical qualities of the movie. Sammy has calculated the number of “laughs” in the script, and is determined that the audience will find it funny. At the premiere, Al sees Sidney Fineman, Sammy’s producer, whom Kit describes as someone who really loves Hollywood and storytelling, but who is going to be forced out for playing it safe due to the Depression.

The movie starts, and Al notices that Sammy is the only person credited for the screenplay. Al asks him about it, and Sammy demurs, saying, “[I]t’s a tough break for the kid, but that’s Hollywood” (99). The movie begins, and Al notices Sammy keeping count of every time the audience laughs and where there is dead space. He sees that Sammy is learning the movie business after the fact and thinks that Sammy simply treats real work and stealing with the same drive and focus.

When the movie ends, Kit sneaks out the side door with Al to avoid being asked if she liked the film. She says it isn’t because she didn’t like the movie, but because she doesn’t want to express an opinion out of obligation. As Sammy engages in discussions with the director and producer outside the theater, Kit and Al begin to head off to get a drink. Before they can leave however, Al is stopped by Julian Blumberg, who begs to meet with him. Wanting to spend more time with Kit, Al agrees to meet with Blumberg the next day for lunch.

While Kit and Al have drinks, they share their stories of meeting Sammy Glick. After Al tells his story, Kit tells him that when Sammy first showed up at the studio, there was a political crisis in Hollywood. Her studio wanted everyone to donate a day’s wages to the Republican candidate for Governor of California. Kit refused, and Sammy, new to the studio, harassed her about it continually. Finally Kit complained to the studio heads, which was exactly what Sammy wanted. By complaining about him, Kit made Sammy known to the studio heads as someone who supported their interests. Sammy then thanked Kit for the help.

Kit finds Sammy exciting, which upsets Al even though it reflects his own feelings toward Sammy. Kit also admits to feeling sorry for Sammy, as she doesn’t think he can help being the way he is. Sammy then arrives with Fineman. Sammy talks excitedly about his success and insists on waiting until the reviews are out. When the paper arrives, Girl Steals Boy has a rave review, which Sammy admits to purchasing by agreeing to buy a $200 ad in the newspaper as a bribe. They head out to a club, and Al gets drunk as he once again ponders the question of what makes Sammy run.

The next day, Al goes to meet with Julian Blumberg. Blumberg appears desperate and upset. He says he wants to talk to Al because he’s a friend of Sammy’s. Al thinks about how Julian and Sammy are so different, though they come from the same impoverished background. At lunch, Julian tells the story of what happened between him and Sammy. Sammy took Julian’s script for Girl Steals Boy, promising that he would send for Julian after laying the groundwork in Hollywood for him. After weeks of waiting, Julian’s wife Blanche insisted that they drive out to Hollywood themselves.

Using their savings, they drove across the country to meet with Sammy. However, Sammy dodged their calls. When Julian managed to get a hold of him, Sammy berated him for having gone out to California and told him he had nothing for him. Julian was too ashamed to tell Blanche that he talked to Sammy. Though Julian desperately tried to get a job, he ended up having to tell Blanche. Out of money, they drove back to New York.

When they got there, they found a telegram waiting for them from Sammy with two tickets back to Los Angeles. When they arrived back in Los Angeles, Sammy greeted them overjoyed. He brought them to his apartment and invited them to stay. He said that Julian wasn’t technically on payroll yet, but that he would hire him to help finish up some scripts. As Julian edited the half-baked scripts Sammy gave him, he noticed that Sammy never offered much praise but did rush very quickly to bring the scripts to the studio.

Sammy told Julian that the studio wasn’t going to hire him but that Sammy would continue to pay him $35 a week. Julian and Blanche got their own apartment, and Julian continued to fix Sammy’s scripts while still working on his own original piece, Country Doctor. After a few months of this arrangement, having shown Sammy the script for Country Doctor in the hopes that it would help him get a job, Julian found out that Sammy has stolen that script too.

After relating this saga, Julian tells Al that at the screening of Girl Steals Boy the previous evening, he realized all the practice writing he had done for Sammy had been stolen and put into the movie, without Julian getting any credit. When he tried to confront Sammy, he was brushed off, which is why he approached Al. That morning, Sammy came by and offered Julian $50 a week to continue ghostwriting for him. Blanche was very upset by this offer, as she could see the detrimental effect the relationship was having on Julian’s confidence and happiness. She’s threatened to leave him if he doesn’t reject Sammy’s offer.

Al is horrified by how Julian has been taken advantage of, and he agrees to help him get a fair offer from Sammy. Knowing that Sammy is waiting for Julian, Al identifies himself as Julian to get past Sammy’s secretary. He then confronts Sammy, insisting that he give Julian credit and help him get on payroll. Al first appeals to Sammy’s sense of justice, urging him to do the right thing. When this approach fails, he argues that Jewish people should help each other. Sammy angrily rejects this second appeal as well, and he kicks Al out of his office.

In desperation, Al goes to Kit for help. He tells Kit Julian’s story, and Kit agrees to do what she can. A week and a half later, Kit calls to say she’s gotten Julian a weekly contract for $100, but as she knows Sammy won’t want to let him go, he’s practically got a set job for a year. Kit then attempts to get Al to agree to join the Writers Guild, but Al is noncommittal. Al then calls Julian and Blanche and gives them the good news, but it is Sammy who picks up. Sammy has taken credit for getting Julian a job.