Cover design by Jennifer Merrick.
During the unofficial first year of the millennium (a.k.a. the year 2000) the Current has interviewed a variety of characters. We’ve spoken to swing dancers and screenwriters, feng shui practitioners and heirloom tomato producers, local bartenders and sassy barbers. And thanks to the patience and perseverance of our very own Louise Thach, we’ve also featured a veritable cornucopia of celebrated musicians like Alex Chilton, Yo La Tengo, Luna and Evan Dando. As we approach the dawn of the actual millennium, we decided to reflect on some of our favorite characters from the year 2000. Thanks for the memories.The contender
In August, when the City of Hoboken presented a theatrical staged reading of On The Waterfront at the Frank Sinatra Park Amphitheater, the Current caught up with the film’s 87-year-old award-winning screenwriter Budd Schulberg to discuss Hollywood, Hoboken and his award-winning film.
Budd Schulberg was born in 1914 in Hollywood. The son of B. P. Schulberg, a pioneer film producer who received the first Oscar for his film Wings and ran Paramount’s West Coast studios from 1928 to 1932, Schulberg was raised on a diet of Hollywood dogma. With a movie mogul for a dad, he had his pick of Hollywood professions: actor, director, producer. But instead he decided to write.
Before he was 30, Schulberg was exposed to the dark side of Hollywood. His controversial novel What Makes Sammy Run, the story of a ruthless and conniving man willing to do anything to make it in Hollywood, was seen as a bitter indictment of the film industry. He left Los Angeles and finally settled in Long Island, where he has lived for the past 30 years.
“When [Elia] Kazan first approached me about making On The Waterfront, I told him that I didn’t like Hollywood,” said Schulberg. “I didn’t like the way that writers were treated. And Kazan told me, ‘If you do this project, I’ll respect the screenplay. I won’t change anything without your approval. You’ll have the final word.'” After topping box office sales and receiving much critical acclaim, in 1955 On the Waterfront – which was filmed entirely in Hoboken – won eight Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Editing, Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction and Best Story and Screenplay. – JS
Tales from the kitchen
Ever since the original executive chef, Joseph Labita, left Ristra (formerly Rodeo) on Hoboken’s Washington Street to open his own restaurant in Staten Island two months ago, Richard Barnes, a soft-spoken 22-year-old, has been manning the kitchen of the swanky, candle-lit, Latin-influenced grill and lounge.
Patchy facial hair and pudgy cheeks may mark his youth, but Barnes is not living the carefree life of a typical 22-year-old. Not only does he work 12-hour days, six days a week, but he also endures a 90-minute commute from Hopatcong. With genuine humility, Barnes acknowledged the fortune of his early success. “I don’t know what else to ask for,” he said. “I havecarte blanche here. The owners let me make anything I want.”
Among Barnes’ signature dishes are grilled tuna with fava bean corn salsa ($19), plantain crusted red snapper with chickpea saut