Sky Masteron's Earful of Cider Speech - I don't get it! Explain!

[Musicaldudepeter]

Posted: 6/29/11 at 11:28am

Can someone explain Sky's speech in Guys and Dolls to Nathan about his father's advice with the whole earful of cider? And then the preceding "necktie" bet... I'm trying to do an abridged script for an elementary school production and I'm wondering is this speech necessary...

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 6/29/11 at 11:35am

I'm trying to do an abridged script

This will not end well.

[daredevil]

Posted: 6/29/11 at 11:41am

Since I don't have the script in front of me, I can't be sure, but my memory from hearing the script many times, is that the "earful of cider" means that someone has been taken by a phony, or been "gamed"(set up for something that doesn't happen, or asked to borrow money for a phony project; money that is never returned).The necktie joke I believe is Sky's way of taking advantage of Nathan; Sky knows that with all that Nathan has on his mind, he can't remember the color of his necktie; he is showing Nathan (and the audience) that he is "cooler" then Nathan, and also showing Nathan how easily as a gambler, he can be taken. Since Nathan already considers Sky to be one of the smartest gamblers alive, it is a demonstration of how skillful Sky is.

[husk_charmer]

Posted: 6/29/11 at 12:16pm

Does this mean Sister Sarah won't get tipsy on Dulce de Leche?

[husk_charmer]

Posted: 6/29/11 at 12:16pm

Does this mean Sister Sarah won't get tipsy on Dulce de Leche?

[husk_charmer]

Posted: 6/29/11 at 12:17pm

Does this mean Sister Sarah won't get tipsy on Dulce de Leche?

Posted: 6/29/11 at 12:31pm

Yes, yes, yes- but only until Tams Witmark finds out.

[darquegk]

Posted: 6/29/11 at 12:48pm

Don't forget, the REAL purpose of the "cider in the ear" speech is to set up the joke that ends the scene- when Sky realizes he has been duped into a bet he probably cannot win, he screams "Cider!" or, in the film and I believe a few of the revivals, "Daddy- there's cider in my ear!"

[Patash]

Posted: 6/29/11 at 12:57pm

I pray my life ends before I see an abridged elementary school version of Guys and Dolls.

[themysteriousgrowl]

Posted: 6/29/11 at 1:05pm

"I pray I see an abridged elementary school version of Guys and Dolls before my life ends."

Fixed that for you.

[Eris0303]

Posted: 6/29/11 at 1:16pm

My sister's school did it her last year and not only was it abridged but they shoehorned "Lullaby of Broadway" into the show for the General to sing.

[Jon]

Posted: 6/29/11 at 1:18pm

A: It's not Tams-Witmark, it's MTI - the company founded by Frank Loesser.

B: MTI licenses "Guys & Dolls Jr." - a 1 hour adaptation designed for middle school kids.

C: - Employees of MTI regularly monitor this site. They don't care if you are doing it in your living room for an audience of your four grandparents. You have to get a licensing agreement.
Updated On: 6/29/11 at 01:18 PM

[dramamama611]

Posted: 6/29/11 at 1:20pm

Why not just do the LICENSED Guys & Dolls Jr version that is available and is pretty darn cheap? Then it's legal and already edited for you????

[Gothampc]

Posted: 6/29/11 at 1:21pm

An elementary school version? So will Take Back Your Mink be cut? Or will it be repurposed as Take Back Your Crazy Bands?

[Gothampc]

Posted: 6/29/11 at 1:24pm

"C: - Employees of MTI regularly monitor this site. They don't care if you are doing it in your living room for an audience of your four grandparents."

I tried to do a production in my living room for an audience of my grandparents. Then I found out the hard way that my grandmother worked for MTI. She called them up and had me hauled away while I was performing "I Love You A Bushel and a Peck"

[dramamama611]

Posted: 6/29/11 at 1:25pm

(and yes, the Jr version does have Mink cut.)


To the OP: your license states that you will do the show AS WRITTEN.

[newintown]

Posted: 6/29/11 at 1:42pm

I'd like to run with this ball even further - if you don't understand something as clear and simple as the cider speech or the necktie challenge, you've either not bothered to even read the script, or you're just plain stupid. In either case, you're not someone I'd trust to ever effectively direct anything, including a textless pageant of fairies and flowers.

Posted: 6/29/11 at 1:51pm

And here I felt like a moron for saying Tams Witmark when it's OBVIOUSLY an MTI show!

[newintown]

Posted: 6/29/11 at 2:01pm

As Ira Gershwin put it, "You say Tams and I say MTI..."

[dramamama611]

Posted: 6/29/11 at 2:02pm

We forgive you Joe -- I think we understood the meaning behind your post.

And Newintown....I had similar thoughts.

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 6/29/11 at 2:33pm

Why not just do GUYS AND DOLLS JR?

[dramamama611]

Posted: 6/29/11 at 2:47pm

(Pssst...already suggested.) But continuing that thought: the jr version is WAAAAAAAAAAY cheaper than whatever you are paying for Rights and Royalties for the actual script. (Of course, I suspect since the OP hasn't returned to the thread, that he hasn't actually PAID for permission to produce this at all -- but could be wrong.)

Last I produced a "Jr" (which I do really like for the middle grade kids) it was under 600 bucks which included unlimited performances and nothing to return -- which is great because the kids get to keep thier scripts which really has a lot of useful info for the begining performer. They also have lots of great information for the begining director.

[K8eeyore]

Posted: 6/29/11 at 4:46pm

The set-up to the speech is that Nathan has propositioned Sky with a bet where Nathan already knows the outcome (whether the restaurant sells more cheesecake or strudel) -- so it's a sucker bet. Sky's speech indicates he's aware Nathan's trying to set him up. The moral to his father's story is: if someone comes up to you and offers to bet you about something that seems impossible or too good to be true, don't ever take it, because that person is conning you.

Sky then offers to bet on the tie because he knows that's not something Nathan set up in advance, and, sure enough, Nathan has no clue what color his tie is.

I'd agree with the others -- just use the Jr. version.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 6/29/11 at 4:51pm

https://forum.broadwayworld.com/readmessage.php?boardid=1&boardname=bway&thread=1033461#4165595

You sure need a lot of things explained to you.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 6/29/11 at 5:20pm

Looks like we've run off another poster. (Hooray for us!)