MovieChat Forums > The Apartment (1960) Discussion > Just don't understand..?

Just don't understand..?

posted 10 years ago by nikkilynn1982
8 replies | jump to latest

I don't understand the whole premise of this plot. Why are these old well-paid executives too cheap to spring for a motel when they pick up women?? They are old looking, plain, middle-aged guys, so how often do they get 'lucky' anyway? The women they are with are quite a bit better looking than they are, so how do they score so much that they need this 'arrangement' where they are needing his apartment all the time? Are they trying to imply that these women are hookers? (Except for Miss Kubelik.) Fred MacMurray was the probably the best looking guy in the group, so I can kind of understand that he could be having an affair. But...Ray Walston and those other guys.....no.

[–] bartgirls 10 years ago

A motel or a hotel must be paid with a Credit Card that later would be billed by mail to their homes. They were discreet and at the same time cheap to avoid been caught. All these executives used the poor "schmuck" and his apartment in exchange of easy promotions. The movie is a harsh criticism to Corporate America and the way of doing business.

[–] mdonln 10 years ago

At the time The Apartment was made, credit cards, especially as we use them today, were a fairly new concept and still not widely used. Therefore, I doubt they were required for hotel registrations. The guys would likely have had to pay using cash or maybe checks (assuming they were accepted.) Either way, this would have been more obvious to the men's wives as the money would be coming out of their bank accounts.

Besides, think about it, there are many reasons the men would prefer to use Baxter's place instead of a hotel.

- The apartment is conveniently located. According to Baxter, it's near the office. The men can get there easily (not hard to find; no traffic issues); cheaply (if they take a cab, the fare would be low; and, as we see in the end, Fran's able to walk there from Shelgrave's usual spot, the Chinese restaurant; and quickly (this would leave more time to spend at the apartment; in Shelgrave's case, he had a 7:15PM train to catch to get home on time without raising suspicion.

- Using the apartment cost them nothing; it's free of charge. If the men were going to a hotel on such a regular basis, it would get costly; or they'd have to restrict their philandering lifestyles.

- The men had free reign. They could schedule a day or recurring days in advance or show up on a whim in the middle of the night, on holidays, in the middle of a storm, whatever. The only time Baxter said no was when Fran was there and he couldn't get her out.

- Baxter provides snacks and booze, again, free of charge.

- Baxter cleans up after them. Usually he just picks up their trash and returns items the women leave behind. In the case of Fran, his biggest clean-up, he provides ongoing nursing and rehab care as well. Had that happened in a hotel room, the outcome would have been very different for all involved.

- The place is discreet. At a hotel, there are usually lots of people around who could potentially spot the men with their 'lady' friends. Hotels have employees, guests and others who may be there for a conference, banquet or meeting. Though Baxter has been letting these guys use his apartment for well over a year, somehow none of his neighbors have noticed. Sure, they've heard noises and have seen the women but never the men and the women as they come and go? Odd!

- Location, location, location: Baxter’s apartment is in Manhattan near Central Park; a fairly nice area. If they exist, hotels and motels that charge by the hour would likely be located in the seedier parts of town. Even the types of women these guys are ‘dating’ might have a problem being taken to those areas. It would make it very obvious what their ‘boyfriends’ thought of them.

[–] michaeljcummings 10 years ago

Good post, thanks. The Apartment is also less seedy (almost quasi-respectable) compared to a hot sheets hotel.

[–] bmovies 10 years ago

"Baxter provides snacks and booze, again, free of charge."

Doubtful that the booze (or snacks) was free of charge. I recall baxter reminding one of them that he still owed baxter for a couple bottles to which the executive replied to see him on payday. Kind of doubt baxter could afford to provide free booze to ALL the executives who used his apartment.

[–] boxerrebellion 9 years ago

Logical laying out of the ideas.... great post!

[–] Kent_Kainer 10 years ago

You cant pay cash when you dont want to use a cc?

---
Lincoln Lee: I lost a partner.
Peter Bishop: I lost a universe!

[–] johndeckbose 9 years ago

The question posed at the top of this thread is natural but ignores the basic premise that films create their own reality. No one is about to ask why a well-paid executive like Mr. Sheldrake would use an employee's apartment for sexual trysts (and leave himself wide open to the potential for extortion and revenge) any more than they would ask why Baxter wouldn't simply spend 98 cents (in 1960 prices) on a colander to strain his spaghetti rather than using a tennis racket. Billy Wilder has created a world that exists only within itself, and, while being familiar on many levels, doesn't play by the same rules that most of us live by. This is true of all Billy Wilder films -- think about Some Like It Hot, Double Indemnity, Sunset Boulevard, Lost Weekend or Ace in the Hole. They are all filled with moments that confound our regular understanding of the world, but are done so only for the purposes of story-telling and entertainment.

On another point, the attitude toward credit cards at this time in American society is nicely articulated by Dr. Dreyfuss, the next-door neighbor good samaritan who saves Miss Kubelik after her OD: "Live now, pay later, Diner's Club!" he rails at Baxter.

It's interesting how living on credit -- an essential part of American life for the last 30-35 years -- is so reviled here. People don't think twice about it now, and certainly don't attach any stigma to such a life, as long as you manage to pay off your credit card bills, even if it takes a bit longer than expected. But in 1960, Americans still largely believed you shouldn't accumulate debt nor buy things you couldn't afford. This film offers many interesting counterpoints to modern American life, one of the many reasons it's a masterpiece.

[–] lavender1905 8 years ago

As someone who worked with men for years, I think I can answer your question.

They wanted other men to know, and talk about, what they were doing. In these men's minds, their reputation with other men was more important than any actual interaction with women.