Summary
A biting, farcical critique of wartime austerity and the human craving for simple pleasures, "Meatless Days and Sleepless Nights" plunges into the chaotic world of Vic, a restaurateur zealously upholding the Food Administration's mandates for "meatless" Tuesdays and "wheatless" Wednesdays. His rigid adherence, however, clashes spectacularly with the primal hunger of a long-suffering janitor, who, after purchasing a costly meal ticket, repeatedly finds his carnivorous and carbohydrate-rich dreams thwarted by Vic's bureaucratic pronouncements. This escalating culinary frustration ignites a series of increasingly violent confrontations, culminating in the janitor's temporary confinement and Vic's disheveled return home. There, his wife, a domestic economist of questionable taste, outfits him in an outlandish attic ensemble, unwittingly transforming him into a caricature of his former self. The narrative reaches its absurd crescendo when the janitor, now emboldened by a cohort of "Weed-etarians," demands recompense. Vic's misguided attempt at appeasement—a "banquet" that ironically features meat served to the very vegetarians who sought justice—ignites a final, explosive melee, leaving Vic thoroughly thrashed in a darkly comedic commentary on the futility of appeasement and the enduring power of a frustrated appetite.
Synopsis
Vic is running a " lunch-urant " according to the Food Administration idea, by having a meatless day on Tuesday and a wheatless day on Wednesday. A janitor, longing for a real taste of meat on pay day, gets out and makes straight for Vic's, who is advertising a meal ticket for $5.00. The janitor buys one, figuring that every Tuesday he is off he will get a real feed of meat, but Vic informs him that it is Tuesday and a meatless day in all restaurants. The janitor departs, swearing revenge for the meatless meal ticket he purchased. In the meantime, Vic's wife gets the " saving idea," and digs up all the old family clothes out of the attic to be worn out before purchasing any new ones. The janitor goes back to Vic's the next day, which is Wednesday, and orders a " herd " of wheat cakes. Vic informs him that it is a wheatless day. A " free for all " follows, in which Vic is badly handled, and the janitor goes back to the asylum threatening to do all sorts of things. Vic rushes home to get some other clothing to replace his torn ones. His wife makes him put on a suit which she has found in the attic. He goes back to the restaurant in what looks like a disguise. The janitor is back with all the " Weed-etarians." They demand the janitor's money back, but Vic compromises by offering to give them all a banquet for it. Everything is all right until Vic serves meat to the " Weed-etarians," and then the trouble starts. Vic is given some handling, and a tremendous "wallop" at the finish.
Review Excerpt
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A Culinary Anarchy: Unpacking 'Meatless Days and Sleepless Nights'
In the annals of early cinema, few films capture the absurdities of wartime rationing with such boisterous comedic energy as Thomas J. Gray's "Meatless Days and Sleepless Nights." This seemingly simple narrative, a relic from an era grappling with unprecedented global conflict, transcends its humble origins to deliver a surprisingly potent, albeit farcical, commentary on bureaucratic overreach, individual desire..."
