Speed-the-Plow: Analysis of Major Characters
"Speed-the-Plow" is a play that delves into the complexities of Hollywood's film industry through its major characters: Bobby Gould, Charlie Fox, and Karen. Bobby Gould, a middle-aged executive, epitomizes the struggle between ambition and genuine connection. He is driven by self-image and financial success but seeks affection, leading him to momentarily abandon his cutthroat principles for a seemingly sincere relationship with his secretary, Karen. However, his misogynistic tendencies ultimately surface, revealing his self-serving nature.
Charlie Fox, Gould's longtime friend, is portrayed as a desperate hanger-on in Hollywood, driven by his desire for success at any cost. His reliance on clichés and coarse behavior highlights his lack of depth and authenticity, illustrating how ambition can corrupt personal relationships. Lastly, Karen, a young and attractive secretary, embodies opportunism, using her charm and sexuality to navigate the industry. Despite her facade of innocence, she reveals a calculating side, aiming to leverage her relationships for career advancement. Together, these characters illustrate the moral ambiguities and harsh realities of the entertainment world, emphasizing the often exploitative dynamics within it.
Speed-the-Plow: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: David Mamet
First published: 1988
Genre: Play
Locale: A Hollywood film studio office
Plot: Comedy
Time: The 1980's
Bobby Gould, the number two man in a Hollywood production office. At almost forty years of age, he is still immature, guided by the “street smarts” learned in his youth. Gould has earned his position by honoring the principle that a film is good only if it makes money. By following this standard, he has been rewarded with an office redolent of success. Gould is concerned primarily with his own self-image, his maleness, and the appearance of success. He dresses expensively and uses special, irreverent, and vulgar insiders' language with ease and fluidity. For a brief period, because he is starving for love and affection, he tries to impress a good-looking girl, his temporary secretary, Karen. He allows himself to pretend that scruples were always important to him. He almost produces an “art for art's sake” film, seemingly abandoning Hollywood's “money rules” credo. His lack of faith in his ability to sustain a caring relationship proves justified when Karen is found to have been interested in him only for what he could do for her career. A misogynist from the start, Gould has no qualms or thoughts about what will happen to her when he dumps her.
Charlie Fox, who is about Gould's age and is an old pal of his. Fox is a hanger-on in the film industry, continually flattering all those in a position to help him while waiting for his big break to come along, which occurs when a hot property (film star or director) agrees to sign on his team, thereby making him a producer. Using friendship as motivation, he presents his new deal to his old buddy, knowing that his friend will remain faithful to him. Fox uses language riddled with clichés. He has no pretensions to intelligence, charm, or wit, and he seems proud of his coarseness. He will stop at nothing and let nothing get in the way of his success, which is defined by Hollywood's rules. He will even use the street behavior learned as a child, physically bullying others to get his way. Fox probably lacks a family, as indicated by his own sense of mistrust, impotence, and misogyny. Suspecting that everyone is, like himself, motivated by self-interest, Fox will use and abuse, all the time pretending long-term affection and trust for those who have been more monetarily successful than he.
Karen, a good-looking, seemingly sweet, temporary secretary in her twenties who has the makings of an opportunist. While working for Gould, Karen sees a chance to make a difference in the type of film produced while furthering her career. Using earnestness as a cover, she is unfortunately honest enough to admit that she had sex with her boss only to get ahead; she did not care for him as a person. Although she pretends a certain amount of naïveté, she nevertheless relies on the stereotype that a man will take care of her, ironically proving herself to be actually naïve as well as stupid, manipulative, plotting, power-hungry, and whorish.