On the Irish Waterfront: The Crusader, the Movie, and the Soul of the Port of New York Book Talk

November 1, 2009

As one of the world’s busiest harbors in the first half of the 20th century, the Port of New York, including Hoboken’s waterfront, attracted gangsters, politicians and union leaders, each fighting for a piece of the huge economic pie. The movie “On the Waterfront” depicted a longshoreman struggling with the decision to betray his neighborhood code by testifying before the organized crime commission, urged on by a priest who risked his own career to help improve the lives of his parishioners. The priest was based in large part on a real historic figure, John M. “Pete” Corridan, a crusading priest committed to winning union democracy and social justice for the port’s dockworkers and their families.

Historian James Terence Fisher visits the Museum on Sunday, November 1, at 4 p.m., to talk about his latest book, On the Irish Waterfront: The Crusader, the Movie, and the Soul of the Port of New York, which tells the story of Corridan’s ferocious advocacy and his role working with screenwriter Budd Schulberg in shaping the film.