Her Smile Ineffably is Sweet / Divinely She is Slim: On the Sexual Politics of Waitressing

 

 

I.

 

Waitressing isn't perhaps the most glamorous job in the world, but, as Mr White recognises, it's a major occupation amongst non-college graduates and the one honest job that almost any woman can fall back on when times are tough and (just about) earn a living from.

 

And, like Mr White, I agree that women serving table work hard for very little pay and fully deserve their tips (despite the fact that Mr Pink does make some valid points) [1].

 

II. 

 

What they probably don't deserve, however, is to be sexually objectified and leered at by their male customers; either in real life, or, indeed, in the world of the TV sitcom, as Moira the waitress is objectified and leered at by Bob and Terry in a second season episode of Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads? 

Watching as she bends over a table in order to collect the tea cups and wipe the surface, Bob claims that whilst he could never actually cheat on his wife, Thelma, he can't help noticing other girls - including Moira and "her provocative body". 

 

Terry agrees that she does possess fantastic legs - "right up to her throat" - and have a "naughty little bum". However, later, when he gives her a suggestive wink, she tuts and looks away in disgust [2]. 

 

 

III.

 

Scenes like this - perfectly acceptable at the time, but less so now - remind one of why there was probably a need for feminist groups like the Waitresses, formed in 1977, and consisting of female artists who also worked in the service sector in Los Angeles.     

The group, active until 1985 and which eventually had over a dozen members, was co-founded by Jerri Allyn and Anne Gauldin, after Allyn, who had been working as a waitress for seven years, watched Gauldin perform a piece at the Feminist Studio Workshop in which she attempted to expose the dark side of the profession (i.e., the everyday sexism, the physical abuse, the poor working conditions and low pay, etc.).

 

The Waitresses also explored the sexualisation of women working in the service industry; how they were not just seen as common and available for exploitation, but encouraged to prostitute themselves by dressing in a sexy manner and acting flirtatiously in order to secure bigger tips from male customers [3].      

For their guerilla performances, the group created playful and provocative characters such as 'Wonder Waitress', who had come to help the harried and hassled waitresses of the world and advise them on how to unionise.

 

In 1979, the Waitresses and their supporters marched wearing waitressing uniforms in the Pasedena Doo Dah Parade, playing pots and pans instead of traditional instruments; they repeated this in 2007 to mark the 30th anniversary of the group's formation, marching in support of equal pay.   

 

 

The Waitresses marching in 1979 

Photo by Jerri Allyn

 

  

Notes

 

The title of this post is taken from a poem entitled 'Weary Waitress' by the English-born Canadian poet Robert W. Service (1874-1958): click here.  

The image by Stephen Alexander is based on a screen shot of Nova Llewellyn, as Moira, in Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads? (see note 2 below).

 

[1] I'm referencing characters in Quentin Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs (1992); Mr White is played by Harvey Keitel and Mr Pink is played by Steve Buscemi. See the opening scene set in a diner: click here.

 

[2] See the series 2 episode of Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads? entitled 'Between Ourselves', directed Bernard Thompson, written by Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais, starring Rodney Bewes as Bob Ferris and James Bolam as Terry Collier. Moira the waitress was played by Nova Llewellyn. 

      The episode, first broadcast on BBC1 on 19 March, 1974, can be watched in full on YouTube by clicking here. The relevant scenes takes place between 20:25 and 21:44.

 

[3] Some who study human sexual behaviour argue that men like to give gifts - including tips in restaurants - to attractive women for much the same reason that male birds like to share food or nesting material with potential mates. So maybe what some regard as sleazy behaviour is rooted deep in the male psyche and has a long and complex instinctual history. 

     Of course, there's always the possibility that a male customer isn't tipping in an attempt to put the waitress under an obligation that might be repaid sexually, but is simply being generous; although, as researches have also pointed out, good deeds among men tend to increase when there's even a remote chance they may get to copulate. 

When Jerry Seinfeld and Quentin Tarantino Met Lawrence Tierney ...

Lawrence Tierney as Elaine's father Alton Benes 

Seinfeld (S2/E3, 1991)

 

 

I. 

 

Twice recently, I have encountered a Lawrence Tierney look-alike on the 174 bus to Romford and have been tempted to start humming 'Master of the House' [1].

Of course, that would be silly, as he isn't the real Lawrence Tierney - i.e., the American actor best known for his portrayal of mobsters and tough guys in a career that spanned over fifty years and who died in 2002.

 

And even if it were the real Lawrence Tierney, miraculously resurrected and living in Essex, I doubt he'd appreciate me reminding him of his one-off appearance on Seinfeld which didn't end well ...

 

 

II. 

 

'The Jacket' is a very early episode of Seinfeld [2], but contains one of my favourite scenes, in which Jerry and George meet Elaine's father, played by Lawrence Tierney, in the lobby of his hotel and are made to squirm by the latter's gruff, no-nonsense manner while waiting for Elaine - who's late - to arrive.   

 

Tierney's magnificent performance as Alton Benes was praised by cast and crew alike. However, they were ill-prepared for his rather eccentric and intimidating on-set behavior, particularly when, during filming, it was discovered that Tierney had attempted to steal a butcher knife from the knife block in Jerry's apartment set.

 

Seinfeld decided to confront Tierney and, in a lighthearted manner, asked him what he had in his jacket pocket. Rather than try to lie or bluff his way out of the situation, Tierney pulled out the knife and jokingly re-enacted a scene from Psycho, holding the knife above his head and advancing towards Seinfeld with mock murderous intent.

 

Understandably, everyone was a little freaked out by this and so there were no further appearances on the show for Tierney, even though Alton Benes was intended to be a recurring character. Later, Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Elaine) would express her regret about this, but conceded that whilst Tierney was a wonderful actor, he was also a total nutjob [3].   

 

I don't know if the latter description was fair, but it's certainly true that Tierney had a long history of violent and often drunken behaviour [4] and even managed to get himself fired from the set of Quentin Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs (1992) the following year, after he and the director came to blows [5].

 

 

Notes

 

[1] My reason for this is not because Tierney appeared in the musical Les Misérables, but because he appeared in an episode of Seinfeld in which George (Jason Alexander) repeatedly sings this song. It certainly is catchy: click here. 

 

[2] 'The Jacket' is the third episode of the second season and only the show's eighth episode overall. Directed by Tom Cherones, written by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld, it aired on 6 Feb 1991. To watch a clip from the episode featuring the meeting between Jerry, George, and Lawrence Tierney as Alton Benes, click here. 

 

[3] See Inside Look: 'The Jacket' (Seinfeld season two DVD extra): click here.

 

[4] Tierney's numerous arrests for being drunk and disorderly and jail terms for assaults on civilians and police officers cast a dark shadow over his career as an actor. Between 1944 and 1951, for example, he was arrested over twelve times in Los Angeles and served several months behind bars.

 

[5] Tierney played crime boss Joe Cabbot in Tarantino's debut movie. During filming of Reservoir Dogs in July 1991, Tierney was arrested and jailed for firing a gun at his nephew in a drunken rage and had to be given special day release so that he could complete his scene. 

      After firing him, Tarantino described Tierney as a complete lunatic, thereby lending support to Julia Louis-Dreyfus's character assessment. Click here for a clip from the movie featuring Tierney in his role as Joe Cabbot assigning aliases to the members of his gang. Click here for a short video in which Tarantino reminisces about his experience of working with Tierney. Thanks to Thomas Bonneville for sending me the latter link.