Great Character: Dr. David Dreyfuss (“The Apartment”)

I doubt you can recall his name, but if you’re a fan of The Apartment, I’m sure you remember his face:

The character’s name is Dr. David Dreyfuss and even though his role is a secondary one, he provides a critical Mentor function to the Protagonist C.C. Baxter (Jack Lemmon). Dreyfuss was played by the actor Jack Kruschen whose IMDB page lists 203 acting credits including dozens of TV series.

How is Dreyfuss a Mentor character? Here are three examples:

The first time we see Dreyfuss, he is returning from an emergency call and happens to see Baxter as he’s setting out a trash can full of bottles of booze all the guys using his apartment for their trysts have consumed. Dreyfus assumes it’s Baxter who has been carrying on with all the booze and late night carousing with a variety of women. Here is an excerpt of their exchange:

DR. DREYFUSS
(indicating bottles)
Say, Baxter -- the way you're
belting that stuff, you must have a
pair of cast-iron kidneys.BUD
Oh, that's not me. It's just that
once in a while, I have some people
in for a drink.DR. DREYFUSS
As a matter of fact, you must be an
iron man all around. From what I
hear through the walls, you got
something going for you every night.BUD
I'm sorry if it gets noisy --DR. DREYFUSS
Sometimes, there's a twi-night
double-header.
(shaking his head)
A nebbish like you!BUD
(uncomfortable)
Yeah. Well -- see you, Doc.
(starts to back
through door)DR. DREYFUSS
You know, Baxter -- I'm doing some
research at the Columbia Medical
Center -- and I wonder if you could
do us a favor?BUD
Me?DR. DREYFUSS
When you make out your will -- and
the way you're going, you should --
would you mind leaving your body to
the University?BUD
My body? I'm afraid you guys would
be disappointed. Good night, Doc.DR. DREYFUSS
Slow down, kid."Slow down, kid."

Prudent advice befitting a Mentor.

Another instance is how Dreyfuss uses his medical knowledge to help save Fran (Shirley MacLaine) from dying due to her suicide attempt:

And the third instance? After this close call, Dreyfuss tells Baxter:

DR. DREYFUSS
(taking a big gulp of
the spiked coffee)
I don't know what you did to that
girl in there -- and don't tell
me -- but it was bound to happen,
the way you carry on. Live now, pay
later. Diner's Club!
(another swig)
Why don't you grow up, Baxter? Be a
mensch! You know what that means?BUD
I'm not sure.DR. DREYFUSS
A mensch -- a human being!

And why is that important? Because when Baxter quits his job — remember a promotion was his conscious goal at the beginning of the movie — he offers these words to his boss Sheldrake (Fred MacMurray), proof of his personal metamorphosis:

SHELDRAKE
What's gotten into you, Baxter?BUD
Just following doctor's orders.
I've decided to become a mensch.
You know what that means? A human
being.SHELDRAKE
Now hold on, Baxter --BUD
Save it. The old payola won't work
any more. Goodbye, Mr. Sheldrake.

Dr. David Dreyfuss is an excellent reminder that even the secondary characters we write should be great ones, too.

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