The story follows Jerry Ryan, a straight-laced lawyer from Nebraska who has fled his life—and his impending divorce—for the anonymity of New York. Living in a dingy tenement for $31 a month with a bathtub in the kitchen , Jerry is a man unmoored.
Jerry is weighed down by his reliance on his wealthy father-in-law in Nebraska, while Gittel is burdened by her physical ulcers and her habit of being "used" by men. Two for the Seesaw
While the 1958 Broadway production earned Anne Bancroft a Tony for Best Featured Actress and Arthur Penn a nod for Direction, the transition to film was more complex. The story follows Jerry Ryan, a straight-laced lawyer
Throughout the play, the balance shifts. Jerry tries to "save" Gittel, providing her with stability, while Gittel provides Jerry with the emotional pulse he lost in his sterile Midwestern life. From Stage to Screen While the 1958 Broadway production earned Anne Bancroft
It’s a story about the courage it takes to be alone, and the even greater courage it takes to let someone else see your "straightened circumstances" and love you anyway. Robert Mitchum's Sad Eyes: Two for the Seesaw (1962)