.....was his autobiographical character Eugene 15 in the play (taking place in 1937) and movie? If Neil Simon wanted Eugene to be 15 in the film, then why not set it in 1942, when Simon was actually 15?
shareThis was my first thought in watching the movie -- the year and his age are not correct.
In Biloxi Blues, it is 1945 and he has just graduated from high school, making him 18. So in 1937 he would have been 10!
Thank you! He could have just as easily made himself 15 in 1942 in Brighton Beach Memoirs and have the U.S. entering WWII as a backdrop. 1937 just seems like a random year. It makes even less sense if he's 18 in Biloxi.
shareSetting the film in 1937 did not make sense at all in light of the economic circumstances: that was the midst of the depression and NO ONE would have quit their job. the father loses one of his jobs but immediately gets another! The aunt casually talks about moving out and getting a job as if one could be gotten in any moment.
Plus, the older son was supposed to be 18 -- he would have been drafted!
You're so right---what an intelligent observation.
I still say 1942 would have made more sense. Oh well!
I think Eugene in Biloxi Blues was actually 20 years old (or at least the character was in the Broadway Production.) That would make him 12 years old in 1937 (obviously still off from the movie.)
I think 1937 was chosen because they wanted a pre-war America. Now we could say why not choose 1939, 1940, or even 1941...but by that point, Europe was already embroiled in WWII and there was already a debate raging in America about our future involvement. I think Neil Simon wanted that teenage feeling during the depression without the war fitting into the story (except the sub-plot of their relatives trying to get out of Poland. Which if it was any later than 1937, the relatives getting would be impossible, and the fear of Jewish Americans here in the U.S. for their relatives would be "all-consuming". I figure he didn't want the main plots being influenced.)
Also, once past 1937, factories began (slowly, but surely) doing war production in the U.S. and unemployment "started" to go down. 1937, with the Roosevelt Recession (double-dip) is probably the last year where people were feeling "oh my G*d, this depression may never end!"
It's just a movie so why would people care? Neal Simon is from the Bronx and went to high school there. Maybe it should have been called Bronx memoirs. Of course that would have not been as interesting.
Personally i like Woody's "radio days" a little better and as we all know the Brighton beach area of Brooklyn has changed a great deal over the years.
When did they start calling the neighborhood "little Odessa"?
I don't think this is totally based on his family, okay? It is partially based on growing up during those years.
shareThe three movies (Brighton Beach Memoirs, Biloxi Blues, & Broadway Bound) do not really conform to an "age" for the characters. Also, there are a lot of things in the movies that aren't chronologically correct. There are post on all three movie's message boards about this; including this post.
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If I've never seen it before, it's a new release to me!