How Can a Man Be Rightly Sure of Himself?

"The Apartment" Can Teach Us about Sureness

The 1960 movie "The Apartment" by Billy Wilder and I.A.L. Diamond shows the fight in a man between going after what he thinks will make him confident—a big promotion at work—and having a purpose that makes him truly sure of himself: to know and strengthen other people.

Jack Lemmon plays C.C. "Bud" Baxter, an accountant in an insurance firm who, though seemingly compliant and mild, is ambitious and calculating. Like me of once, Baxter looks at people in terms of how he can use them to get ahead. In a lecture, Mr. Siegel explained:

The economics of the moment says: get yours. It is hard to see how a deeply tranquil attitude towards other people can arise and be maintained while a person is driven to be in constant economic combat with those people.

Baxter is anything but "tranquil." Jack Lemmon, the late, very fine actor, plays him wonderfully as a mingling of nervous agitation and a pervasive flat, dull ache. He is cocky and arrogant one moment, wobbly and unsure the next.

When we first meet Baxter he's working in the towering home office of Consolidated Life of New York, desk #861. He often stays late because, as he says, "I have this little problem with my apartment." The problem? Four of Baxter's supervisors are using the apartment to have rendezvous with lady friends, stringing him along with promises of a promotion.

For instance, Mr. Kirkeby uses the apartment one night, leaves, and Bud finally goes home. But Kirkeby returns for something he forgot, and there is this dialogue:

Bud.  Mr. Kirkeby, I don't like to complain—but you were supposed to be out of here by eight.

Kirkeby.  I know, Buddy-boy, I know. But those things don't always run on schedule—like a Greyhound bus.

Bud.  I don't mind in the summer, but on a rainy night...

Kirkeby.  Sure, sure. Look, kid—I put in a good word for you with Sheldrake, in Personnel.

Bud.  (perking up) Mr. Sheldrake?

Kirkeby.  That's right. We were discussing our department — manpower-wise—and promotion-wise—and I told him what a bright boy you were. They're always on the lookout for young executives.

Bud.  Thank you, Mr. Kirkeby.

Kirkeby.  You're on your way up, Buddy-boy. And you're practically out of liquor.

Bud.  Yes, Mr. Kirkeby. You still owe me for...two bottles.

Kirkeby.  I'll pay you on Friday. And what ever happened to those little cheese crackers you used to have around?

Here we see Baxter alternately inflated as Kirkeby talks of his being an executive on the rise, and then yanked down with the request for "those little cheese crackers." But Baxter puts up with it from Kirkeby and the other supervisors, in fact he thinks it's smart. He says later about one of them, "[He] wasn't using me—I was using him."

Also working at Consolidated Life is Fran Kubelik, the elevator operator, played by Shirley MacLaine. Fran is lively, pretty and smart, and Bud likes her. One day he gets a call to go up to the office of Mr. Sheldrake, Director of Personnel, and Bud thinks it's his big day—he's going to be promoted. As he gets on the elevator he says boastingly to Fran:

Bud.  Drive carefully. You're carrying precious cargo — I mean, manpower-wise...I'm in the top ten—efficiency-wise—and this may be the day—promotion-wise.

Fran.  You're beginning to sound like Mr. Kirkeby already.

In the meeting, Mr. Sheldrake makes it clear he wants to use Bud's apartment, too, and Bud hands over his key. Little does he know that Sheldrake, who is married, plans to use the apartment to be with Fran Kubelik.

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