The shopkeeper Rudy, is a minor character who’s characterization comes from exposition and the environment. Rudy does not speak. Rudy is only mentioned once during Sunset Boulevard’s (1950) runtime. Rudy is characterized as uninvolved in other’s affairs, and his actions may have launched a “butterfly effect” leading to Joe Gillis’ eventual demise.
With only a few seconds on screen, we see proof of characterization for Rudy. Even without a speaking role, he has a deeper inner-world than the speaking “telephone girls” at Artie Greens’ party. Rudy’s characterization contributes to making the diegesis feel like our world.Will Straw explains that extras do this in the article, “Scales of Presence: Bess Flowers and the Hollywood Extra” from the Small Players Small Parts Dossier. He mentions that extras are “almost invariably silent, and… outnumber speaking actors… [that] help to make cinema both an assemblage of gestures and an archive of their historical transformation” (126). From the environment and Gillis’ description, we can see that Rudy is a business owner who is loyal to his customer-base or at least his friends by allowing Gillis to park his car behind Rudy’s business. Gillis says, “Rudy never asked any questions. He’d just look at your shoes and know the score” (Wilder, 4:54-5:00). Judging by Rudy’s visible age, status as a shop-owner, and the films’ temporal setting, we know that Rudy lived through the great depression. If he is in or past his mid 30s, he may have had to “hustle” through the depression to survive. This could explain Rudy’s attitude of non-interference in others’ affairs. The civil rights act did not pass until 1964, meaning it would have been an uphill battle for Rudy, as a visible minority, to create a thriving business. The intersection of these challenges proves that Rudy would be a crafty, exceptional businessman who managed to not only survive a time of financial and civil hardship, but to carve out success from it.
Harbouring Gillis’ “hot” car may have created a chain reaction for the film’s events. Without Rudy’s help, Gillis’ vehicle may have been repossessed, preventing Gillis from parking in Norma Desmonds’ garage. It is also possible that Gillis would’ve found another place to hide his car; but it was a combination of Rudy not mentioning the car to anyone, the location of the parking lot, and the crowdedness of Rudy’s and nearby stores that contributed to the effectiveness of the hiding spot. Another shop keeper might’ve been inquisitive or reported Gillis. The parking spot was walking distance from Gillis’ home and also obscured behind the shop. By far, Rudy’s Shoeshine Parlour was the best option for hiding Gillis’ vehicle.
Works Cited:
Sunset Boulevard. Directed by Wilder, Performances by Gloria Swanson, and William Holden, Paramount Studios, 1950.
Straw, Will. “Scales of presence: Bess Flowers and the Hollywood extra”, Screen, Volume 52, Issue 1, Spring 2011, Pages 121–127, https://doi.org/10.1093/screen/hjq061
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