Editor's Page

I caught a bit of a 1942 movie, Tales of Manhattan, on AMC last October. Not a movie serious film buffs clamor for, it's a pastiche of stories, centering on the passage of a single tailcoat from owner to owner, in the process changing their fortune for the better. (A tailcoat, for the fashion-challenged, is a now-near-extinct formal jacket that makes a standard suit seem as snappy as plaid at the prom.) It did boast a tremendous cast, including the likes of Charles Boyer, Edward G. Robinson, Ginger Rogers, Henry Fonda, Rita Hayworth, and many other major actors of the time.

What arrested my attention was a segment that starts with a dowdy Elsa Lanchester purchasing the tailcoat in a thrift store, for her husband, played by Charles Laughton. He's a decent schlep of a guy who plays rag piano in dive bars, but dreams of having music he's written played by a symphony orchestra. He gets his break when a friend, an oboist, gains him an introduction to the orchestra's tyro conductor. The conductor surveys the score, likes what he sees, and asks Laughton to conduct the piece at an upcoming performance. Big night comes, the orchestra's in fine tune, Lanchester helps Laughton into the tailcoat, which they discover is two sizes too small, just as Laughton is called onto the stage! Go he does, wearing the coat, and as he conducts the music, the coat proceeds to split at the shoulders. The audience breaks into laughter, but Laughton and the orchestra, unaware of what's happening, continue on. Laughton's arm movements continue rending the back of the jacket, the audience laughs harder, and the orchestra grinds to a halt. The first violinist tells Laughton about the coat, at which he snaps off the offending garment and throws it to the stage. The audience is howling. Weeping, Laughton sits on the dais, his back to the audience. Quite suddenly, the audience goes silent. Laughton turns to see the Maestro, standing in a box seat, removing his tailcoat. The Maestro tells Laughton "Continue." Renewed, Laughton reassumes the podium and brilliantly finishes the piece, while gentlemen in the audience are removing their tailcoats.

We've all seen a gamut of management concepts in the last fifteen years, from the "minute manager", to the team skills, "catch-me-as-I-fall" sessions. Experts exhort us to recognize accomplishments of individuals as we try to meld them into a cohesive group, diminishing their individuality. Consultants produce clever, catchy new ideas on a monthly schedule. What the above movie scenario serves to remind us of is the very novel and very old concept of placing honor and human dignity above all else, whether dealing with superiors, peers or underlings. A fine sentiment to all to keep in mind, for this new year.

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