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Why did Clifford leave South Side Academy???

posted 20 years ago by paul_pooty
11 replies | jump to latest

It sounded like a great school, certainly better than the crap public joint he ended up in. Was it for financial reasons? His dad was a manager at an upscale hotel and most of their living comforts seemed to be included as a perk. Did South Side not have a complete secondary program? If so, there must have been other comparable places to continue. Did Clifford want to be with ordinary kids and not preppy Taylor George Somerset III? Only an idiot would choose this, but that's the movies for ya. I wish the script had been clearer about Cliff's reason for being where he was, seeing as it was vital to the story. When his pop complains to the principal about the mass exortion racket going on, the principal tells Cliff that he's not in his sheltered spoiled brat parlor anymore but the real world where the environment is harsher but "less narrow." Hey, why knock it? If I have a choice between rotted ham on white bread and a brown apple or tea and crumpets with Miffy and Tiffy in the drawing room, guess what's it gonna be!!!!!!!!!!!

[–] timmaninaz 20 years ago

They never really said and I watched this movie last night. It could be for a number of reasons and seems to be most likely due to financial reasons. I say that as when Clifford had trouble, there was no effort to transfer him back to the old school. It still doesn't make too much sense as there was the perks for his father running the hotel. Clifford was even picked up and dropped off at school by a driver.

[–] Catnip86 20 years ago

Maybe his father made the decision, wanting him to be in the real world. When Moody told him the "protection" would be a dollar a day, Clifford asked where hwe would get a dollar a day. So apparantly his father was not into spoling him, or he would have gotten the money easily.

[–] 20 years ago

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[–] al_bessemer 20 years ago

Clifford's Father had just recently started as the Manager of this hotel. He was putting in long hours as is cutomary when you start in a new position. This is the sub plot of the assistant manager undermine his authority/ability. essentially he was driven by bitterness because the job didn't go to him. Although, it was not explained why he transfered schools, it was indeed for financial reasons.

[–] jughead10m 19 years ago

My Opinion is Clifford had to leave the South Side Academy for many financial reasons that Larry Peache had. Remember how he tells his Mother, I am only Manager of this hotel not owner and Griffith the Assistant Manager watches me like a hawk. Plus managers starting out with an assistant on their back, don't make that much or have that much savings right away and one other reason is the tuition at South Side Academy went up too. Plus in two or three years Larry Peache's finances will be better.

As far as the limo bringing Clifford to public school, since Larry Peache is the manager of the hotel the limo driver does that favor which includes Clifford having the food thats served there for nothing also. Plus they have their home on the Penthouse Floor.

Plus Larry Peache was also in a scary sitution because of his mother that annoys other guests at the hotel and the Assistant Manager Griffith that is trying to take over Larrys job as the manager. Thats why Griffith wanted Larrys mother to flirt around with Mr. Dobbs and cause him to pass out however it backfired when Mr. Dobbs liked Larrys Mom, and Mr. Dobbs told Griffith to stop pawing that thing in his face. That made Larry Peache be able to fire Griffith and if Mr. Dobbs liked Larry later on, then in a few months from then his finances would be better.

[–] 19 years ago

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[–] MGV77 19 years ago

Well, 25 years ago the school (Lake View H.S I think) where the movie was filmed was in a bad neighborhood. That was the only public high school option for anyone living in the "Gold Coast" part of town. Now, Lake View H.S. is a pretty good place, and the surrounding neighborhood is full of yuppies and boutiques and all that...Gentrification ruins another bad neighborhood...Clifford was merely ahead of his time...

[–] disisdis 18 years ago

I guess I'm a few years late to this thread, but what the heck.

Living at the Ambassador East, Clifford would have attended high school in Lincoln Park. I'm not sure the name of the high school (maybe Lincoln Park High School?) but I know there is one. Of course, Clifford would not have been "bullied" at Lincoln Park HS, so they couldn't use it. I guess the closest "rough" high school would be Wells, at Ashland & Augusta. But if the poor kid was bullied at Lakeview, he would have been killed at Wells.

In real life, a smart kid like Clifford would have attended Lane Tech - where he still would have been bullied - and still would have met a kid like Linderman. But Lane's exterior is too nice to be a "rough" school, so Lane was out of the picture. I imagine they chose Lakeview because, visually, it fit everything they were trying to achieve.

This is a cute little movie. The kid who played Linderman gave a great pereformance, as did all the cast.

My only issue w/this movie is Matt Dillon as a Lakeview bully. Don't get me wrong, he did a fine job with the role, he just didn't look the part. Anyone who knew Lakeview back then knows it was a very rough school. If they wanted Dillon as their bully, they should have dressed him appropriately and roughed him up a little, so he looked more street, less studio. That would have made the movie more serious, but I think ultimately better.

Linderman, on the other hand, was perfect. There were a ton of kids at Lakeview just like him during that time period.

[–] rxfore 18 years ago

Sometimes wimpy kids with big hair need to get beat up.

[–] 18 years ago

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[–] somf 17 years ago

His mom died a year earlier. Probably explains it.