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To indicate the slow, daily
grind of monotonous work, we see a clock surrounding the frame
with hands moving slowly as Mary works at her job as telephone
operator. |
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The scene switches back and
forth between Mary and Jim, each doing their rote, tedious tasks
as the hands of the clock move around the outside edge of the
frame. |
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It's Saturday, and everyone
is off at noon. Being the July 4th holiday, Mary's friends all
invite her to go to Coney Island with them. They have dates,
however, so she makes excuses about having other things to do
and declines - only to go home to her lonely apartment. We are
also shown Jim in his apartment, lonely and despressed, playing
the Victrola, then tiring of that. Both Mary and Jim see a truck
outside with a jazz band on the back advertising the excitement
at Coney Island - and, unknown to each other, they take the same
cue to get up, get out and join the festivities. |
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Once Jim spots Mary on the bus
going to Coney Island, he can't take his eyes off her. He follows
her through the park until he gets a chance to speak. |
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On the beach, the two lonely
people get to know each other. Jim pretends he's rich, but later
decides he can't deceive Mary and tells her what he really does
for a living. (This photo is from one of the talking sequences
in the movie.) |
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The two make the most of
each other's company during the day, riding rides, dancing, swimming,
playing games. Mary hugs a kewpie doll that Jim won her in one
of the games. |
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Because of the crowd, they
get split up riding two separate roller coasters that run side
by side. A wheel catches fire on Mary's car, and, although the
fire is put out when they stop, Mary has fainted. Jim tries his
best to get through the crowd to Mary, but ends up getting taken
to the police station for trying to force his way past a cop.
When Mary wakes up, she is distraught because Jim is nowhere
to be found. |
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The two search desperately
for one another, an impossible task in the milieu of bodies crammed
together on this holiday at the park. At one point they are on
either side of a wall from one another but do not realize they
are so close. Finally, the rains come, both being soaked in the
drenching downpour as they continue to search for one another
as long as they can, finally realizing they must give up and
go home. |
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Back in her apartment, clothes
wringing wet, Mary hugs the kewpie doll Jim won for her. |
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Jim, sad and distressed,
looks at the photo of Mary taken in the photo booth at Coney
Island, Both he and Mary realize they have no information by
which they can locate one another other than a first name. |
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Reunited! |