Studs’ Place: Shakespeare

"Shakespeare," an episode of "Studs' Place," revolves around an old theatre actor named Mr. Lord who is planning to have dinner with an ex-pupil at the restaurant. The ex-pupil, David Frome, is now a famous movie actor, and is now too important to see his old mentor. Meanwhile Nancy, a high school student with dreams of becoming an actress, hopes to meet Frome, but is disheartened by his disregard for others, and ends up connecting with Lord instead. Also features musical performances by Chet and Win.

0:19Copy video clip URL Opening credits. Video stutters.

0:36Copy video clip URL Audio is difficult to hear. Announcer: “It’s just a little place in the neighborhood where the food is good, the prices are reasonable, and the people you meet there are—well, let’s drop in and see what sort of people are around tonight. See what’s happening in Studs’s place.”

1:01Copy video clip URL A young girl, Nancy, enters the dining room and inspects a place setting for a fancy dinner: “Anybody home?” She tries a bite of food and plays the piano. Grace comes enters the dining room with a candlestick. Nancy asks her if the famous movie actor David Frome is coming for dinner, and Grace confirms that he will be having dinner with his mentor, Mr. Lord. Studs enters asking about the kind of pie Lord suggested for dinner.

2:19Copy video clip URL Grace introduces Nancy to Studs. Nancy is wondering if she can stay and watch the dinner with Frome. Studs takes offense when she says she wouldn’t ask for an autograph. “If Bernard Shaw were to walk in here right now, I’d ask for an autograph,” he says. He talks about collecting and trading autographs as a kid before telling Nancy that it’s up to Mr. Lord if she can stay. Nancy says she called Lord earlier and he said no. Grace tries to persuade her not to give up, but Nancy tells a story about how gruff and rude he was to her in a class and leaves.

4:43Copy video clip URL Studs shows Grace a book of the Complete Works of William Shakespeare. He says he might try to get Frome’s autograph in the book, and Grace chides him. “Nancy gave that up in the 8th grade.”

5:17Copy video clip URL Mr. Lord enters. Everyone is concerned about appearances, wanting to look their best when Frome comes, but Lord assures them that he wants to maintain the down home charm: “That’s why I picked this place.” Studs goes over the menu with Lord.

7:15Copy video clip URL Someone arrives, but it’s Chet, not Frome. Chet went to a friend and got an arrangement to play on piano instead of his usual jazz, “with one of those sissy creampuff introductions.” He performs the song to much delight. Lord goes back into the kitchen to check on the meal. While Lord is gone, Chet tells Studs, Grace, and Win about how, when he was at the Pump Room just then getting the arrangement, they told him to clear out because Frome would be eating there soon. They don’t believe Chet, and think it must be a rumor, but we he calls to double check, it’s confirmed that Frome has just arrived at the Pump Room.

10:38Copy video clip URL They talk about how to break the news to Lord, and Studs says that they shouldn’t jump to conclusions about Frome’s motives. Studs thinks Frome will call to cancel himself and ease the blow that way. Grace comes back from the kitchen and they break the news to her. She agrees with Studs, “It shouldn’t have to come from us to begin with.”

12:11Copy video clip URL Mr. Lord returns to the dining room and talks excitedly about getting to see Frome again while Studs and the rest struggle with the dramatic irony. Studs tries to distract him by encouraging Win to play him a tune. Win performs a verse of “Believe Me, if All Those Endearing Young Charms.”

15:11Copy video clip URL Lord goes to call the station to see what’s causing the holdup, and Studs and Chet finally break the news to him that Frome is eating at the Pump Room instead. Lord calls the ambassador of the Pump Room and speaks to Frome, who finally officially declines to join Lord at Studs’ Place.

18:45Copy video clip URL Studs, Win, Chet, and Grace move to the dining table they had prepared, disheartened, and begin to take it down when Nancy returns. She overheard Frome catching a taxi to the Pump Room. “Boy, if that’s what acting does to, I’m not going to be a burn-heart.”

20:11Copy video clip URL Studs gives the Complete Works of William Shakespeare to Nancy, and tells her to keep it, but also to go up to Mr. Lord when he comes out of the kitchen and ask him to autograph it. Nancy resists, “You know how I feel about autographs.” However, when she sees how dejected Lord is, Nancy takes the book and approaches him, asking for an autograph and for help with her diction, as she’d like to be an actress. Studs suggests that they proceed with the feast, to which Lord excitedly proclaims, “I think that’s a capital idea, Studs!” The camera pans to the books being signed, then over to a menu. Announcer: “Studs will be back in a minute!”

25:05Copy video clip URL End credits. In the final scene, Nancy also asks Studs for his autograph, which Studs similarly calls “a capital idea.”