
“Daily Grind” | Season 4, Episode 4
Season 4 Episode 29 | 26m 21sVideo has Closed Captions
Keeping up appearances proves difficult when the stresses of work, love, and life collide.
Stephen Singer plays a sock merchant in Socks & Bonds. Directed by Daniel Zimbler. Then, an animation directed by Sean Buckelew of life in the law offices of Hopkins & Delaney, LLP. In Butterfingers, every marriage has its moments, and this wife can’t listen to another word from her husband about work. Directed by Milan Roganovic.
Problems with Closed Captions? Closed Captioning Feedback
Problems with Closed Captions? Closed Captioning Feedback
Film School Shorts is made possible by a grant from Maurice Kanbar, celebrating the vitality and power of the moving image, and by the members of KQED.

“Daily Grind” | Season 4, Episode 4
Season 4 Episode 29 | 26m 21sVideo has Closed Captions
Stephen Singer plays a sock merchant in Socks & Bonds. Directed by Daniel Zimbler. Then, an animation directed by Sean Buckelew of life in the law offices of Hopkins & Delaney, LLP. In Butterfingers, every marriage has its moments, and this wife can’t listen to another word from her husband about work. Directed by Milan Roganovic.
Problems with Closed Captions? Closed Captioning Feedback
How to Watch Film School Shorts
Film School Shorts is available to stream on pbs.org and the free PBS App, available on iPhone, Apple TV, Android TV, Android smartphones, Amazon Fire TV, Amazon Fire Tablet, Roku, Samsung Smart TV, and Vizio.
Providing Support for PBS.org
Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorshipMax: Yeah.
Thank you.
I'm sorry about the other car.
Yeah.
No, no, no, no, no.
I'm all aboard, Christoph.
Christoph: We don't have a lot of time.
Max: Yeah.
Oh, no.
This is the best thing to come out of Germany in a very long time.
That's why I'm trying to push this thing, so trust me.
Oh, yeah.
Oh, no.
He's big money, this guy.
Yeah.
Yeah, oh, he's crazy about this.
Yeah.
No, no, no.
I-I-I'm serious.
He can't stop calling me.
Christoph: Yeah, well, we've got to close the deal.
Max: No, no, no.
I assure you that I am invested in this more than anyone.
No, it's just a matter of signing on the dotted line.
Christoph: Okay.
Max: Then it's a go.
It is a go.
Christoph: So, stay in touch with me -- [ Beep ] Max: Christoph?
Hello?
Chr-- [ Sighs ] Jesus.
[ Sighs ] -Thank you.
-Marcy: It's fine.
I'm gonna call the credit card company tomorrow.
We'll straighten this out.
Marcy: Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Max: When is this getting off the pits?
What is this, the Miss America pageant or something?
No, no.
I'm serious.
What does he care what you look like?
Marcy: Max, he's like family.
I want to look presentable.
Max: Yeah, well, I hope he's so much like family that he gives us his money.
Marcy: Mm, so what if he does?
Max: How did you say you knew this guy again?
Marcy: You remember Eddie Lazarus.
He's Eddie Lazarus' best friend.
-Max: I don't know who that is.
-Marcy: Yeah, you do.
Max: Is this East Hampton or West Hampton?
Marcy: What do you care, Maxie?
A Hampton is a Hampton.
Max: Okay.
Here we go.
Let's do it.
Max: What, are you moving in or what?
Marcy: Just changing for dinner.
Come on.
Hank: Oh, my.
Ma-Ma-Ma-Ma-Marcy!
Marcy: Hanky Pie.
Hank: Oh, and you must be the famous Max.
Max: Yep, yep.
Marcy's one and only.
Hank: Well, come on in, you two.
Make yourselves at home.
Max: Great.
Thank you.
Marcy: [ Gasps ] Look at this place.
Hank: Oh, boy.
Do you look great or what?
-Marcy: Oh, come on.
-[ Both chuckle ] Oh, wow!
Oh, this is amazing.
-Hank: Uh-huh?
-Marcy: It's amazing.
It's gorgeous.
Hank: It's nice.
It is.
-It's... -Marcy: Look at the birds.
-Hank: Yeah, yeah.
-Marcy: Wow.
Hank: And...we can kayak.
-Marcy: We can kayak?
-Hank: We could.
-Marcy: Oh, thank you.
-Max: Thanks, Hank.
Hank: Gosh, how long has it been?
10, 15 years?
Marcy: 16, actually.
Max and I got together about 16 years ago, so... Hank: So, you've been married for 16 years.
Wow.
Max: Not all but, Hank, uh, I still have a legal marriage to my wife, but that's really because we're business partners.
Marcy: Come on, Maxie, you work for her.
Hank: [ Chuckles ] Tough break, my friend.
Max: Oh, I don't know about that, Hank.
We're all working for the women, right?
-Hank: Sure, sure.
-[ Marcy and Max chuckle ] What, uh, line of work are you in, Max?
Max: Hosiery.
Socks.
Hank: Really?
Max: Mm-hmm.
Oh, yeah.
I'm a sock man.
Yeah, I manage two factories in China, and we sell to a lot of stores in the States.
-Marcy: J.C. Penney.
-Max: Mm-hmm.
WalMart.
Marcy: Babies "R" Us.
Max: Babies "R" Us -- huge client.
Think about it.
Babies wear a lot of socks, right?
And we retail at adult price, save a lot on fabric.
Hank: Well, that's...great.
Marcy: So, is Barbara coming right from work?
Hank: Oh you -- No, we're divorced.
We...
Seven years ago.
Marcy: I'm sorry.
I didn't know.
Hank: I fell in love with another woman, and it just seemed like the right thing to do, so... Max: So, you got a new lucky lady, right?
Marcy: Yeah.
Hank: No, that's come and gone.
[ Chuckles ] Max: Beautiful handiwork.
Hank: I salvaged all the wood from a community clean-up project.
-Very rewarding.
-Marcy: That is amazing.
It's really, really -- It's amazing.
Hank: Well, come on down.
I'll show you the water.
-Marcy: Okay.
-Hank: Coming, Max?
Max: Oh, geez, I got to take this phone call.
Um, it's work related.
Go ahead.
I'll be down soon.
Yeah.
Enjoy.
Marcy: Thank you.
Whoa!
Max: Oh, hi, Christoph.
Mm-hmm.
Listen, um, I'm right in the middle of the deal now.
Can I call you back in a couple hours?
It's going great.
Yeah.
Yeah, so you can expect a call from me as soon as you wake up.
Okay?
Looking forward to it.
Uh-huh.
Okay.
Bye-bye.
Hank: Not like Marina del Rey and all that.
Marcy: Oh, good God, is that place gorgeous.
Hank: The nautical traffic jam that we used to have.
Remember that back in the day?
-Marcy: Back in the day.
-Hank: Oh, my God.
You must be very, very hungry.
-Marcy: Mm, peckish.
-Hank: Huh?
-Marcy: A little bit.
-Hank: How's your drink, Max?
Max: Um... -Hank: I think we need to... -Max: Yeah.
-Hank: You're good.
-Max: No, I'm good.
Yeah.
Hank: Okay, good.
Marcy: You know, you could, uh, top me off, but before that, I would love to freshen up a little bit.
Hank: Little girls room up the stairs.
-Marcy: Thank you, Hanky.
-Hank: Don't get lost.
Marcy: Ooh, you know me too well.
[ Hank laughs ] Max, now.
It's your job, now.
Now.
Max: What, now that you warmed him up a little?
Marcy: [ Scoffs ] Just get in there.
Max: What are you doing?
Just tone it down, okay?
I know what I'm doing.
[ Sighs ] Hey, Hank.
Anything I can help you with...buddy?
Hank: Nah.
I got it, uh, handled.
Max: You know, it's unbelievably generous of you to have us, uh, over like this.
Hank: Oh, I'm happy to throw together a little something for old friends.
Max: I mean, it's just great to take a few hours off of from work, you know?
My...my new big project at the moment, it's incredible, [Chuckling] but it's a lot of work.
-Hank: Oh yeah?
-Max: Yeah.
You were in textiles, right?
Hank: Oh, I dabbled in the '70s.
Max: Oh, yeah, like you dabbled on that deck, right?
[ Chuckles ] No, you're a textile man at heart.
I can tell.
Well, I've got to tell you, there's this new technology -- very exciting -- that they're coming up with in the business.
Rapid progress.
Hank: Oh, that sounds great.
Could you grab me a couple of eggs in the fridge, please?
Max: Oh, yeah.
Sure.
Well, this new technology is such that they have this thread that can kill 99.9% of bacteria, so what's revolutionary is that they can now put this thread into socks.
So, all of a sudden, feet don't stink anymore.
Hank: [ Chuckles ] Unbelievable.
-Max: Right?
-Hank: Yeah.
Max: I mean, you could put it in hospital sheets, hospital gowns.
It could save lives!
[ Chuckles ] But, for now, socks.
Maybe even shoes.
Hank: It's always good to have something to be excited about.
Max: Yeah, and these guys that invented it, these German guys, they've given me official distribution rights in North America.
I mean, this is huge.
Hank: It sounds like it.
Max: Yeah, well, you know, and, uh, I just wanted to... share the wealth, you know?
Give the investors a little piece of the action, a little piece of the pie.
You know, this is too good to share with anybody but our closest people.
You know, friends and family.
So what do you think?
Hank: I think it sounds great.
But I really don't think I can help you out on this one.
Max: Really?
I mean -- I mean, it's peanuts, you know, the money that it'll take to have a piece of this.
Hank: Yeah, well, Max, 2008 really took the wind out of my sails.
Max: Sure, sure.
I mean, it knocked the hell out of a lot of us, but trust me.
You'll regret this for the rest of your life.
Hank: Max.
I'm not kidding.
[ Clears throat ] Max: Hey.
Here.
Smell this.
Would you just smell the sock?
I mean, I've literally worn this sock for three days.
Fresh as linen.
Hank: Put the sock away, man.
Max: No, I'm serious.
Just smell the sock.
-Hank: Max, stop.
-Max: J-Just smell the sock.
-Hank: Jesus Christ.
-Max: Just smell the sock!
Hank: You know -- [ Sighs ] It's bad enough you come all the way out here to beg your mistress' ex-boyfriend for money.
Look, have some self-respect, man.
So where'd the old girl get to?
Max: You might have mentioned he was your ex.
So now it comes out, hmm?
Marcy: Oh, Max.
Stop it.
He's like family.
[ Chuckles ] And besides, it was -- it was almost 20 years ago.
Max: Almost 20 years?
I wouldn't do that to you.
Marcy: Do what?
I haven't touched him.
Max: What, two men you've slept with, playing them like this against each other like this?
-Marcy: P-Playing against?
-Max: It's disgusting.
You do not do this.
Marcy: Max.
[ Scoffs ] You know, Max, I'm here for you and your socks.
That's why I am here.
-Max: Guess what, Marcy?
-Marcy: Yeah?
What?
Max: He's broke, and I am finished.
-Marcy: What?
-Max: He's broke, Marcy.
Marcy: Yeah, well... we're all broke.
Now we're all in good company, right?
Max: Now, come on.
Let's go.
We're getting out of here.
Marcy: No, we're not.
Max: What do you mean, "No, we're not"?
Marcy: Because it would be rude and inconsiderate.
The man has made us dinner.
Max: Inconsiderate?
Inconsiderate?
I'll tell you what's inconsiderate.
Prancing around here like you you have money when you don't.
That's inconsiderate.
Marcy: Um, Hank is a gentleman, money or no money.
-Max: A gentleman.
-Marcy: He is a gentleman, and that is something you will never understand.
Max: Oh, so what are you, all of a sudden?
The lady of the... manor?
-Marcy: Oh, my God.
-Max: And what is this get-up?
What are you doing?
W-What is this?
Marcy: Yeah, why don't you get yourself together, Max, okay?
-Hank: Zittler.
-Marcy: Zittler's house!
Hank: [ Chuckling ] Zittler.
Marcy: What a name, huh?
Barry Zittler's house.
It was that 4th of July party, remember?
Hank: Yes, and, uh, you with that bikini of yours, the one you kept popping out of in the pool!
Marcy: No, no, no, do not even start, my friend.
Do not even start.
Stop it!
-Hank: Are you kidding me?
-Marcy: Stop it!
Hank: Barry's wife nearly called 911!
Marcy: I thought she did!
[ Both laugh ] Marcy: Oh, wait, wait.
Do you remember this?
Do you remember this?
[ Clears throat ] ♪ And when the morning comes, you got to hum a little ♪ ♪ Hop-hop hula [ Both laughing ] Hank: Give me this hand.
Marcy: Oh, thank you, dear.
[ Both laughing ] [ Cellphone ringing ] [ Max sighs ] Christoph.
No, I-I said I would call you.
No, great, great, great.
Just great.
Yeah.
Well, we still have a few little details to work out, but, uh, but it's a done deal, my friend.
What?
Marcy: Oh, dear, dear, dear, dear.
[ Both laugh ] Hank: You want to eat something?
Marcy: Uh, yeah.
Mm.
You know, I could -- I could eat a little somethin' somethin'.
-Hank: Yeah.
-Marcy: Yeah.
-Hank: You sure?
-Marcy: Absolutely.
Uh-huh.
Hank: Oh, is Max okay up there?
Marcy: Yeah, I think he's, uh, talking on the phone with his wife.
-Hank: Oh.
-Marcy: Oh, my God.
You know she's his... boss, right?
Hank: Mm.
Marcy: Um, two weeks ago, his father-in-law died, and, uh...she demoted him.
25 years, and she demoted him.
[ Hank sighs ] Marcy.
What are you doing?
Marcy: I don't know.
I don't know what I'm doing.
Hank: No, no, no, no, no.
You deserve so much more than this.
Marcy: You know, I think you're right.
Hank: Mm-hmm.
Marcy: Maybe I deserve a guy more like you, huh?
[ Chuckles ] Hank: Aww, Marcy.
Marcy: You know, Max... Max is great, but... he's gotten really sort of materialistic.
He's always talking about money and socks and inventions, and... here you are, you're living in this... just beautiful, wholesome life.
These are the kind of values that I have.
Hank: Yeah, it's a good life.
Life is good.
Marcy: Yeah.
Hank: And life is never what we think it's going to be.
-Marcy: No, it isn't.
-Hank: So... What you gonna do?
Max: I totally know what I'm doing.
It's him.
It's not -- No.
No, what I'm trying to tell you is that I have no problem calling other people.
Here.
I'll tell you what.
You got a pencil?
Go ahead.
Here.
-I got some names right now.
-Christoph: Max... Max: I will.
As soon as I get my book.
It's in the glove compartment of my car.
I will give you a call, and I will let you know who these other people are and I will be on their... You don't trust me?
Well... Marcy: It is amazing, though.
It is amazing that, you know, after, what, 16 years, we get together again and, you know, really, really, really reconnect.
It's kind of magical.
Hank: Oh, my Marcy.
[ Chuckles ] What a special gal you are.
Marcy: Oh, Hank.
[ Sighs ] What are we gonna do with ourselves, hmm?
Hank: Well, we are going to do what we've always done.
We're gonna keep on keeping on.
You know?
Marcy: I know.
Hank: Oh, it'd mean so much to me if you could meet Denise.
You would be such a role model for her.
Your free spirit.
Marcy: Denise?
Hank: Yeah, the gal I'm dating.
She's, uh... she's a firecracker.
36 and, God.
I swear to God, she's the spitting image of you when you were that age.
She wanted to meet you tonight.
She's still married and she's got a seven-year-old kid, so she's has to plan her time around all of that stuff.
-Marcy: All that stuff.
-Hank: All that stuff.
You just be glad you don't have to put up with that.
Marcy: [ Scoffs ] Oh, yeah.
[ Hank chuckles ] [ Footsteps approaching ] Max: Sorry about that.
Hank: How's it shaping up with the boss?
Max: Uh -- oh, the boss.
Right.
You didn't get the memo.
This is the new boss.
Hank: Absolutely.
Hey, Max, I am sorry about the whole sock thing.
Uh, really wish I could help you out there.
Marcy: It's okay.
Max: I've got you, Marcy.
Let's hit the road.
Hank: Oh, well, come on.
Can't we sit down and have a -- have a bite?
Marcy: You know, I-I think it is time to go.
Yeah.
Hank: It's ready to go.
I can get it out in a second.
No, um, I think we're gonna call it a night.
This is wonderful.
Thank you so much for having us.
It was a really lovely evening.
-Max: Really terrific.
-Marcy: Buh-bye.
-Max: Take care, Hank.
-Hank: Stay in touch, Marce.
Marcy: Yeah, you take care, Hank.
Max: See ya, Hank.
♪ And when the morning comes, you got to hum a little ♪ ♪ Hop-hop hula ♪ The night is filled with bliss ♪ ♪ That sweet first kiss, and then the ♪ ♪ Hop-hop hula ♪ And when the moon goes low, the sun... ♪ [ Telephone ringing ] Man: Could you book me a flight to Texas from the 1st to the 14th?
[ Telephone ringing, indistinct conversation ] Woman: Thank you for calling Hopkins & Delaney.
How may I help you?
Man: Hi.
Could I talk to Mr. Smith, please?
Woman: Hold on one second.
Let me check and see if he's available.
-James: How you doing?
-Man: Okay.
Woman: Sir, Mr. Pinto's ready for you in 1.
I'm afraid he's in a meeting... Pinto: Strangely enough, strangely enough.
If your kid gets in a bad accident, you don't want his backpack strewn about.
You want the backpack to stay on your child so that you can locate his objects, his books, and perhaps his identification if there's a death.
Man: James.
Hi.
We're -- We're just started on 97.
-Pinto: James.
-Man: Uh... Could you guys excuse me for a moment?
Uh, thanks, guys.
Woman: ...Suit being filed for harassment and a formal complaint lodged with the bar of your... Pinto: Vesuvius is a market head-hunting software that connects investment opportunities, uh, based on, um, natural and man-made catastrophic events.
Uh, you've probably seen me around the firm, uh, the last few days.
[ Cellphone chimes ] Yeah, Sport, you're probably like, "Who's that?
You mean Ed Pinto of Vesuvius?
Oh, my God.
The Ed Pinto?"
It'd be like that episode of "Friends," you know, with the computer guy.
James: You were just working a little bit on your -- on the appearance of it.
Pinto: That's gonna have specific impact on specific products related to that.
Vesuvius knows that.
Vesuvius sees that.
Vesuvius sees how many hits are on that.
What products, what objects are connected to particular screams?
These are the kinds of things that Vesuvius can track.
Man: And when you -- when you added the streaming videos to the side bar, there wasn't any other trading programs out there with similar functionality.
Pinto: They're pulling it with a-a, uh, um, a Subaru Outback.
Subaru Outbacks are gonna -- are gonna sell from that image -- from that image, because it becomes a savior vehicle.
Man: Come October, we're gonna move a team down to Texas to be on-site.
And by that second hearing -- Pinto: I'm sorry, but this feels like this is going on, uh, forever.
[ Chuckles ] [ Telephone ringing ] Um, who's -- who's up for, um, going and getting a drink?
I am.
[ Telephone ringing ] Woman: Thank you for calling Hopkins & Delaney.
Our offices are currently closed.
If you'd like to reach !an attorney, please dial the -- Pinto: Well, guess what.
That means something.
In Japan, people are gonna want to buy heavier cars.
They would rather their car fill with water and stay where it is than float around like a little -- like a little fisherman's bobber.
Man: You see, it's just that my shifts keep switching around.
I-I've been having to do a lot of work at -- at night.
See, let me tell you.
A friend of mine had a lot of success with this Modafinil.
Man #2: Well, how about this?
I can give you a little bit of something, and we can figure it out from there.
Man #1: Yeah?
Okay.
Thank you.
Great.
[ Elevator bell dings ] !Man: Texas judges are extremely patent-holder friendly, so if this thing does go to trial, that's where we're gonna go.
But, nine times out of ten... Pinto: I have to -- I have to use the bathroom, so... [ Toilet flushes ] [ Copier whirring ] Man: Um, I actually don't think we're gonna be able to make it tonight.
Yeah, we got a client who's, um, taking up pretty much everyone's night.
Um, but maybe Saturday?
[ Cellphone vibrates, quacks ] Man: Damn it.
Hello?
Hey, no.
Just finishing up lunch.
Pinto: ...On YouTube and saw the small, little cars floating down, um, the streets in the flow of river during that -- that terrible, terrible disaster, the Japanese tsunami.
Man: Hi, honey.
Oh!
You won't believe what a day I had.
First thing in the morning, I bump into Mrs. Lubavich, and she starts accosting me about our nameplate.
Something about it being too emphasized and that all the people in the building had agreed that all the nameplates would somehow match.
[ Chuckling ] I mean, do you find that strange?
Well, you know, she was gonna get a very unpleasant answer, but, you know, I was already upset because I was late for work given that, uh, somebody forgot to pick up my dry cleaning.
You know, I've told you a million times, a planner is a saver.
Well, I did get to the office, and you can imagine I wasn't in a very good mood after Lubavich.
And so I'm sitting in my office and in walks Mike with this kid, Oleg, a Russian from Alaska.
[ Laughing ] I mean, is that not a hoot?
Well, it really wasn't too humorous at all.
Back in the day, when you didn't know me, when I was his age, it was "Hush.
Listen and learn."
That was my motto.
[ Scoffs ] Not today.
These kids think that they can be traders the minute they buy an iPhone.
So this know-it-all from Alaska won't shut up about algorithmic trading and, uh, buy-and-hold philosophy and some other nonsense that he learned on the Internet.
I mean, 99%.
Sure, everything can be 99% in hindsight.
But let me tell you, I looked at Mike and Mike looked at me and he knew, but I -- well, you know, I can't really get mad at Mike.
His mother has Alzheimer's disease.
We could send a basket of fruit on some holiday.
Say, have you been down to the second floor?
Have you see that some of the people there still have Christmas wreaths on their door?
I-I went up the stairs because of Lubavich's complaint about our nameplate.
I told her I'd tell you about it, because, after all, you chose it.
Now, I don't pretend to be a nameplate expert or anything like that, if there is such a thing.
I mean, I do know, though -- I observed that the other nameplates there were -- [ Glass shatters ] Honey?
What happened?
Woman: Oh.
Butterfingers.
Man: Uh-huh.
Woman: Um, oh, sit.
You must be very hungry.
[ Man sighs ]
Support for PBS provided by:
Film School Shorts is made possible by a grant from Maurice Kanbar, celebrating the vitality and power of the moving image, and by the members of KQED.