The Story Behind The Shot: Breaking down “I’m Walking Here!” in ‘Midnight Cowboy’
Recently celebrating its 55th anniversary, Midnight Cowboy is a film that boasts many memorable scenes and is surrounded, to this day, by a myriad of Hollywood myths and legends. Marred in controversy upon its release for its X-rating, which was given due to concerns over its “homosexual frame of reference”, and for being one of the first films to depict the seedy underbelly of New York, somehow the film went on to receive the Academy Award for ‘Best Picture’ in 1969.
The performances from Dustin Hoffman and, at the time, newcomer Jon Voight are equally memorable, and its key song, ‘Everybody’s Talkin’’, made Harry Nilsson famous. Plus, its harrowing ending is likely to be seared in the minds of all those who’ve watched the movie. However, none of these details, scenes, awards, or trivia have made their way into the zeitgeist quite like one simple line that’s shouted by Hoffman’s character.
“I’m walkin’ here”, pronounced in a thick New York accent, is a phrase we’ve all heard throughout life, quoted from friends, family and random acquaintances. It’s the go-to when someone or something bumps into you on the street. But most people, especially current generations, probably aren’t sure where they first heard it. Some might think it’s a misquote from Lieutenant Dan in Forrest Gump, when he proclaims, “Hey, hey, hey! Are you blind? I’m walking here!” as Forrest accompanies him across the street in his wheelchair, with Nilsson’s ‘Everybody’s Talkin’’ playing over the honks and hoots of New York nightlife.
But the song playing is a hint at the origins of the quote, which was actually first said by Dustin Hoffman in an early scene of Midnight Cowboy. The film follows a naive male prostitute from Texas who moves to NYC to make money and his unlikely friendship with an ailing con man. Early in the movie, Hoffman’s Rico ‘Ratso’ Rizzo convinces Voight’s Joe Buck to believe that he needs a middleman when dealing with the lonely, upper-class women of the city. The scene in question begins with Ratso relaying the idea to Joe as the two walk the crowded streets of Manhattan.
Joe Buck swaggers confidently with his hand on his belt, chewing gum, while Ratso limps along beside him with Hoffman’s greatly affected squirming quality. As he takes Joe’s arm to cross the busy road, a taxi comes honking and screeching towards them, stopping just in time for Ratso to bang the hood of the cab and shout, “Hey! I’m walkin’ here, I’m walking here!”. Joe Buck looks on helplessly while Ratso and the cab driver throw expletives at each other. Behind them, one of the aforementioned upper-class, social number types stops and looks on in disdain, the rest of the crowd barely noticing the issue.
Not only is the moment incredibly quotable, being ranked 27th on the American Film Institute’s top 100 movie quotes of all time, but it has a certain mythology surrounding it, too. Much of the film was shot with a hidden camera, using the real crowds and sounds of New York as its backdrop to create a more realistic portrayal. The Polish cinematographer, who made his debut in the film, also insisted on shooting everything in natural light to capture the city’s true dark and gritty quality. All of this included the iconic ‘I’m walking here’ scene, which was shot with a long-range camera from across the street. This has led to a debate over the origins of the iconic quote.
It doesn’t appear in the final screenplay, and both lead actors claim it was improvised. According to both, someone was in charge of holding back traffic while they attempted to cross the road, allowing their conversation to flow unhindered. But an impatient cab driver decided he’d had enough and drove on, nearly hitting Hoffman. Ready to shout, “Hey! I’m doing a movie here!” Hoffman decided at the last minute to stay in character instead of shouting the now-famous line. This would also mean his hilarious follow-up line, “Actually that ain’t a bad way to pick up insurance” was also improvised.
But producer Jerome Hellman challenges this idea, claiming that Ratso faking being hit by a taxi for insurance was originally written in the script. Though even if that was true, it still seems like a memorable improvised line by Hoffman. And, if you listen closely enough during the scene, you can hear Hoffman start to say, “I’m doing a movie here!” before swiftly changing his mind as a cigarette appropriately falls from his lips.
No matter what version of the scene you believe, it’s undoubtedly one of the most quoted scenes in film history, even if it’s frequently misattributed. Plus, it accurately captures the chaos of New York City, much like the rest of the gritty, heartbreaking film and unlike many of the NYC movies prior.
