Figure 1.--Here Eugene wears his New York Yankees cap, his grey patterned knee socks, his buckled knickers, and his canvas sneakers--all popular 1930s styles. Very accurately done.

This is one of the better American coming of age films. A 15-year old tries to discover life's mysteries while his family keeps hiding all the clues. He finds his truth in baseball, ice cream, and girls. Matthew Broderick played the part of Eugene on the Broadway stage, but the movie featured Jonathan Silverman as Eugene. He is supposed to be about 14 years old. Eugene is a rather high-strung boy who is constantly peeking through windows, looking under the table at his cousin's legs, and talking about things he shouldn't. Once his mother keeps calling him to dinner while he was misbehaving. "Coming maw," he keeps shouting down to her. He wears knickers throughout. Rather well done movie, but Silverman was really to old for the part. The costuming was very accuate. In one scene Eugene is wearing his school knickers. You can see his New York Yankees cap, his grey patterned knee socks, his buckled knickers, and his canvas sneakers--all popular 1930s styles.

Filmography

Two shots from Neil Simon's comedy, "Brighton Beach Memoirs," made into a film version (1986) and directed by Gene Saks. This constitutes the first part of Neil Simon's autobiographical trilogy.

Cast

Matthew Broderick played the part of Eugene on the Broadway stage, but the movie featured Jonathan Silverman as Eugene. He is supposed to be about 14 years old. Eugene, who is about 13 or 14, is a schoolboy living at home with his younger sister and sharing a bedroom with his older brother Stanley (about 18 years old). Jonathan Silverman plays Eugene with a kind of wry but delightful irony. The older brother Stanley, who at one point signs up for military duty, is played by Brian Drillinger. The film is an attempt at a slice of teenage life in 1937 and is quite entertaining.

Setting

The film is set in Brighton Beach, New York, in 1937 just before World War II.

Plot

Eugene Jerome, a teen-age Jewish adolescent who hopes to become a writer, keeps a journal in which he records his mostly comic coming-of-age experiences. The family lives in somewhat straigthtened circumstances though they are not poor. They are lower middle-class. Eugene is going through puberty and having various fantasies, playing baseball (he wears a New York Yankees baseball cap) playing hockey in the street on roller skates, and ogling young women through their bedroom windows. This is one of the better American coming of age films. A 15-year old tries to discover life's mysteries while his family keeps hiding all the clues. He finds his truth in baseball, ice cream, and girls. Eugene is a rather high-strung boy who is constantly peeking through windows, looking under the table at his cousin's legs, and talking about things he shouldn't. Once his mother keeps calling him to dinner while he was misbehaving. "Coming maw," he keeps shouting down to her.

Figure 2.--Here Eugene dressed up for a funeral and wears a dark blue knicker suit with a white shirt, a carefully tied necktie, black stockings and black shoes.

Costuming

The clothes, cars, house furnishings, etc. are carefully reproduced with much attention to historical detail. Eugene wears knickers throughout. Rather well done movie, but Silverman was really to old for the part. The costuming was very accuate. In one scene Eugene is wearing his school knickers. You can see his New York Yankees cap, his grey patterned knee socks, his buckled knickers, and his canvas sneakers--all popular 1930s styles. His ordinary school clothes consist of a blue shirt with loosely tied necktie, a sleeveless grey V-neck sweater, grey knickers which buckle below the knee (you can see the buckles clearly in several scenes), patterned grey knee socks, and canvas hightop sneakers. At one point he has to get dressed up for a funeral and wears a dark blue knicker suit with a white shirt, a carefully tied necktie, black stockings and black shoes.

Created: December 16, 2003
Last updated: 8:54 PM 6/6/2015