“Conscience... that stuff can drive you nuts.”
Arthur Miller had written the original screenplay for director Elia Kazan, but later withdrew it when the FBI asked studio heads to have him make the gangsters communists. Miller was openly critical of Kazan’s testifying at the McCarthy hearings. The idea for the film began with an exposé series written for The New York Sun by reporter Malcolm Johnson. The 24 articles won him a Pulitzer Prize revealing killings, graft and extortion that were endemic on the New York water front. Screenwriter Budd Schulberg spent years absorbing everything he could find about the water front, hanging out in west side Manhattan and Long Island bars, interviewing longshore union leaders and getting to know the priests in Hell’s Kitchen. The part of Terry Malloy was originally written for John Garfield but he died before they were ready to film. Producer Sam Spiegel sent the script to Marlon Brando but it came back unread. Frank Sinatra agreed to take the role until Spiegel finally convinced Brando. As part of his contract, Brando only worked until 4 pm so he could see his analyst. His mother had recently died and he was in therapy to resolve issues about his parents. For the classic scene between Rod Steiger and Brando in the back of the taxi, all of Steiger’s close-ups were filmed after Brando had left for the day, so his lines were read by a crew member. From a budget of just under $1 million, the film grossed ten times its production costs in its initial release. Brando was paid $100,000. Elia Kazan got $100,000 plus 25% of the box office.
