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Salesmen
Levene
Shelley "The Machine" Levene
- Played by: Robert Prosky (1984 production); Jack Lemmon (film); Alan Alda (2005 revival); Al Pacino (2012 revival)
A once-great salesman who has fallen upon a streak of "bad luck".
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: While Levene has an air of pathetic sadness around him, like the rest of the salesmen he is not above using deceit and manipulation to further his aims. He also becomes more of a smug Jerkass once he thinks he's gotten his lucky streak back. He is also the one who conspires with Moss to steal the Glengarry leads.
- Butt-Monkey: Levene has humiliation and misfortune heaped on him throughout the story, and he comes out by far the worst in the end. His big sale turns out to be a dud, his unlucky streak continues in spite of his best efforts, and all of his verbal barbs don't find their mark.
- Establishing Character Moment: Levene's very first line is "John... John... John. Okay. John. John. Look..." He may have been a fast-talking salesman at his peak, but it takes him seven words just to get started in this scene, showing that he has long since lost the gift of the gab that closed so many deals in the past and doesn't know how to adjust.
- Failed a Spot Check: Levene was so eager to make his big $82,000 sale to the Nyborgs that he didn't pay any attention to their shabby living conditions, which should have tipped him off that they couldn't afford to buy real estate. He also didn't check the company memos about them or call their bank to verify their financial situation. Williamson even Lampshades this near the end of the movie.
- How the Mighty Have Fallen: Levene is said to actually be a pretty good salesman who's currently stuck on a bad streak. You can see how he actually is a Jerkass under that sorry exterior as soon as he thinks he's back on a roll.
- I Have a Family: Begs Williamson not to rat him out and mentions his daughter, but it doesn't help.
- I Never Said It Was Poison: Levene slips up and reveals he was the robber after Williamson said he cashed Lingk's check. Levene calls Williamson out on lying about it. But last night was the one night in a year that Williamson went home to his kids instead of cashing the checks at the bank. So the only time Levene could have seen the check was last night, and thus only could have known Williamson was lying about cashing the check if Levene was the one robbed the office.
- Informed Ability: Levene was once apparently a highly successful salesman but it's difficult to take that claim seriously from what we see in the movie. His hard-sell tactics completely fall flat with Spannell and he completely fails to recognize that both the Spannells and Nyborgs clearly don't have money to invest in real estate even though Levene himself pointed out multiple times that the leads were weak. Then in another high-pressure situation when he accidentally outs himself as the one who robbed the office he promptly falls apart, letting slip more information such as the fact that he had an accomplice. Then his attempt to negotiate with Williamson so he doesn't get reported to the police is almost painful to watch. Maybe at one point in the past he had the skills of a successful salesman but they're long gone.
- Justified Criminal: How Shelley probably sees himself due to his sick daughter.
- Laser-Guided Karma: Riding high on his recent sale, Shelley decides to kick Williamson while he's down by delivering a completely redundant tongue-lashing. In his arrogance, however, he lets slip an incriminating bit of knowledge proving that he robbed the office.
- The Mentor: Levene is said to have been one to Roma, which is part of why Roma still respects him even as others see him as past his prime.
- Oh, Crap!: Levene's realization that he cooked his own goose with his gloating. And again when he realizes that sale that got his confidence back was no good anyway. And a final time when Baylen summons him into the office... knowing what's about to happen.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Having spent the entire play being the office Butt-Monkey, Levene eagerly takes the opportunity to take up where Roma left off with regards to Williamson. Unfortunately for him, he gets carried away and makes a slip he shouldn't have, thus enabling Williamson to destroy him utterly.
- Red Baron: His nickname, "The Machine", refers to him being just that good of a salesman… once.
- Selective Obliviousness: Levene is guilty of this twice:
- When he visits the Spannells, he slides right into his pitch without noticing either Mr. Spannell's obvious annoyance at his very presence and unwillingness to engage him, or the solidly middle-class home with the run-down furnishings (meaning the family likely does not have money to spend on real estate). Shelley only gets the message when Mr. Spannell drops any pretense of politeness and just orders him to get out.
- Shelley's description of his sale to the Nyborgs. After finishing his pitch, he sat at their kitchen table and stared them down for over 20 minutes before they signed the sales documents. He thinks they finally signed because he mentally forced his will upon them. In hindsight, we realize they only signed so this obnoxious salesman would leave their home. Williamson later points out that Levene should have known the Nyborgs didn't have $82,000 to spend on real estate based on their modest home and equally modest furnishings.
Roma
Richard "Ricky" Roma
- Played by: Joe Mantegna (1984 production); Al Pacino (film); Liev Schreiber (2005 revival); Bobby Cannavale (2012 revival)
A hotshot and the current highest-selling salesman.
- The Ace: Roma is easily the most successful salesman of the core group, able to bring in a sale of six thousand dollars during the course of the play. Levene was one in his day, known as Shelly "The Machine" Levene among real estate agents in the area, and he shows he still has considerable skill by talking to clients who are interested in buying eight units from him.
- Adaptational Nice Guy: Roma. In the play he badgers Williamson into giving him 50% of Shelly's commissions. But in the movie he never shows anything but genuine respect and admiration for Shelly.
- Batman Gambit: Roma pulls one when Lingk comes to the office to cancel the deal, telling Levene to pretend to be a client and asking him to mention "Kenilworth" when Roma rubs his head. The gamble is that Lingk will do the polite thing, concede that Roma is busy and let him leave with his "client." Lingk doesn't do it, but Roma nevertheless gets Lingk back in the deal (despite having to smooth things over when Levene struggles to keep up with his improvisation, especially after being knocked off balance when the detective addresses him as "Levene") — and then Williamson messes it all up.
- Country Matters: Lays one on Williamson after his bumbling costs Roma six thousand dollars. It's the only place in the entire script where this word is used, despite being full of profanities elsewhere.Ricky: You stupid fucking cunt. I'm talking to you, shithead!... Where did you learn your trade, you stupid fucking cunt? You idiot!
- Indy Ploy: When Roma's Batman Gambit with Lingk doesn't work, he resorts to one of these to get Lingk to trust him again, stalling out his request with assurances and faux-philosophical rambling. Such is his skill that it seems to be working, until Williamson screws up by telling Lingk what Roma has already flatly denied is the case.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Roma's jerkiness is related mostly to his manipulations of Lingk and his intolerance for Williamson's and Moss' jerk tendencies. When he isn't actively being a salesman, he goes out of his way to be optimistic towards Aaronow and is the only one to actively respect Shelly's skills as a salesman, even admitting his streak doesn't mean much compared to the long career of the Machine. In the original play, Roma turns out to be a Jerk with a Heart of Jerk: once Levene is out of earshot, Roma reveals he plans to horn in on what he thinks is the start of Levene's hot streak. Since he doesn't need to glom onto anyone else's sales, Roma seems to be doing this purely For the Evulz. In the film, it's clear it's borne out of genuine respect for Levene who he regards as a mentor.
- Large Ham: Roma, especially after the leads are stolen. It's Al Pacino, so it's a given.
- Obfuscating Stupidity: Roma makes a valiant attempt to stall out Lingk's request for a refund by repeatedly pretending to not understand what he's saying, but it's all in vain.
- Oblivious Guilt Slinging: Roma praising Shelley as a great salesman and teacher and inviting him for lunch, right before the latter is called in by the detective to be interrogated about his crime. We can assume Shelley to become a Broken Pedestal to Roma afterwards.
- Oh, Crap!: Ricky, after very carefully talking Lingk out of backing out of his contract, sees Williamson is going to blow the whole thing.
- Pet the Dog: At the end of the story, Roma gives some support to the obviously rattled Aaronow and shows Levene a lot of respect. He's a decent guy when he's not fleecing suckers or screaming at people who lost him money.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Roma delivers a spectacular one to Williamson when the latter accidentally sabotages the Lingk contract by telling him his check was taken to the bank the previous evening, starting off by calling him a "stupid fucking cunt" and then going from there.Roma: You stupid fucking cunt. You, Williamson... I'm talking to you, shithead! You just cost me six thousand dollars. Six thousand dollars. And one Cadillac. That's right. What are you going to do about it!? What are you going to do about it, asshole?! You fucking shit! Where did you learn your trade!? You stupid fucking cunt! You idiot! Whoever told you you could work with men?
Moss
Dave Moss
- Played by: James Tolkan (1984 production); Ed Harris (film); Gordon Clapp (2005 revival); John C. McGinley (2012 revival)
A frequent complainer. Not as good a salesman as Roma, whom he resents.
- Bait the Dog: Moss invites Aaronow out with him in what appears to be a Pet the Dog moment. At first it looks like an attempt to lift the struggling Aaronow's spirits, but it later becomes clear that it's actually a premeditated attempt to manipulate him to steal the new leads so that Moss can sell them to a competitor. As their conversation goes on, Moss eventually resorts to blackmail to coerce Aaronow into becoming an accomplice. It doesn't work and Moss has to settle for Shelley instead.
- Establishing Character Moment: Moss's first scene, which he shares with Aaronow, establishes him as having an angry and resentful attitude, as well as an unscrupulous leader.
Aaronow
George Aaronow
- Played by: Mike Nussbaum (1984 production); Alan Arkin (film); Jeffrey Tambor (2005 revival); Richard Schiff (2012 revival)
A poor salesman and follower who cannot stand up for himself.
- Angrish: Aaronow has such a bad case of this in his first scene that half his dialogue is in Angrish. Later on, after he's been talking to the detective, he has another serious attack of it:Aaronow: I mean Gestapo tactics... I mean Gestapo tactics... That's not right... No man has the right to... "Call an attorney," that means you're guilt... you're under sus... "Co...," he says, "cooperate" or we'll go downtown. That's not... as long as I've...
- Establishing Character Moment: His first scene has him already panicking over the possibility that he will be fired at the end of the month and rhetorically asking Moss what he's going to do, establishing him as a weak-willed follower.
Management
Blake
Blake
- Played by: Alec Baldwin (film)
A representative sent by Mitch and Murray to "motivate" the sales office.
- Billionaire Wristband: Blake, as part of his blistering monologue to the team at Premiere Properties, boasts of his Rolex to Dave Moss:Blake: This watch costs more than your car. I made $970,000 last year, how much did you make? You see, pal, that's who I am, and you're nothing.
- Brass Balls: The centerpiece of Blake's epic speech is his use of a "visual aid" to demonstrate what a real estate salesman needs.
- Canon Immigrant: Blake didn't appear in the play. David Mamet created him especially for the film. Some revivals of the play have added the scene with Blake, usually at the very beginning.
- Dare to Be Badass: Blake's speech is this, when he isn't actively insulting the salesman. Blake flaunts his wealth, tells the salesmen that the world is theirs for the taking, and that they can sell if they try hard enough. However, it's undercut by the fact that the leads the salesmen are given are all weak, and that Blake spends as much time (if not more so) knocking the salesmen down and threatening their jobs as he does trying to build them up. David Mamet has said that Blake was intended to represent everything wrong with cutthroat corporate culture.
- Informed Ability: We have nothing but Blake's word to go on that he's a real estate shark, and he never does anything to actually prove he could earn $15,000 a night with the Rio Rancho leads. Notably, the salesmen have never heard of him despite his supposedly being a big shot.
- No Name Given: When Moss asks Blake what his name is, Blake responds "fuck you, that's my name", adding that he drove here in an eighty-thousand dollar BMW, and that is his name. In fact, the name "Blake" is never uttered in the film, it only appears in the end credits (and we never find out if it's his first or last name).
- No, You: After Levene protests that "The leads are weak," Blake fires back with, "The leads are weak? Fucking leads are weak?! You're weak!"
- Punctuated! For! Emphasis!: "Put! The coffee! Down!"
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Blake's opening monologue is a famous one that lasts for seven minutes in the movie version, where he lays into all of the salesmen in the office except for Roma, telling them that they either sell, or they're fired. Blake also calls them all manner of names, insults their home lives, and says that no one cares about them except for how much money they make. One review describes his purpose in the film as "[to] light fires and shoot the wounded".
Williamson
John Williamson
- Played by: J. T. Walsh (1984 production); Kevin Spacey (film); Fred Weller (2005 revival); David Harbour (2012 revival)
A subordinate of Mitch and Murray assigned to manage the sales office.
- The Antagonist: Ostensibly Williamson, since he holds the coveted Glengarry leads but won't let his salesmen have them unless they close on the Rio Rancho leads first (which are worthless). But he's not evil, he's just doing his job and following orders from corporate.
- Armor-Piercing Question: Williamson to Levene, when he unwittingly lets slip that he knows something he could only have known if he had been the one to break into the office.Williamson: How did you know I made it up?
- Establishing Character Moment: Williamson's statements to Levene that, "My job is to marshal those leads" and, "I do what I'm hired to do" establish him as a salaried manager who doesn't depend on commissions like the salesmen, and who does not sympathise with their plights of being punished for failure by being given the names of people even more unlikely to be interested in buying land from them.
- Four Eyes, Zero Soul: He wears glasses which nicely fits his cold-hearted nature. Although it's worth noting that his cruelest moments come after he's taken them off.
- Inhuman Resources: Williamson is the Punch-Clock Villain who enforces the cutthroat tactics of the sales firm. While not a salesman, he's open to taking bribes and lying to customers.
- Jerkass Has a Point: He's not a pleasant person in general but Williamson is absolutely in the right to be pissed off at Shelley for stealing from the office he manages and putting his job at risk.
- Nepotism: Ricky guesses that Williamson got his position by being "someone's cousin."
- Precision F-Strike: Though the movie drops F-bombs frequently, Williamson has a particularly powerful one. Levene is begging Williamson not to tell the police he robbed the office, with Levene bringing up his daughter as a final plea. Williamson's response? "Fuck you."
- Punch-Clock Villain: Williamson isn't a nice guy by any stretch, but he continually insists that he's just doing his job, and he'd get in trouble if he did anything except follow his specific instructions. He also states a number of times that he'd rather be home with his kids.
- Tranquil Fury: He's positively livid upon learning that Levene broke into the office and becomes eerily calm as he tears apart his confidence about the huge sale he just made.
Mitch and Murray
Mitch and Murray
The unseen higher-ups of the sales office.- The Ghost
- Incompetence, Inc.: Mitch and Murray allow the Glengarry leads to go stale while forcing their sales staff to waste time on the crappy Rio Rancho leads. Levene even Lampshades this to Williamson when the latter says that Mitch and Murray have ordered him to only give the good leads to the best salesmen. Levene asks how the salesmen are expected to improve when their leads are dogshit. In one of the most memorable scenes in the movie, Roma gives Williamson a devastating "The Reason You Suck" Speech for ruining a big sale, implying that he only got his job due to Nepotism.
Others
Lingk
James Lingk
- Played by: William Petersen (1984 production, Chicago); Lane Smith (1984 production, Broadway); Jonathan Pryce (film); Tom Wopat (2005 revival); Creator/Jeremy Shamos (2012 production)
An insecure man who becomes a target for Roma's sales pitch.
- Ambiguously Gay: He's clearly in a miserable marriage, with a dominating wife, and carrying a number of unfilled desires. Roma zeroes in this, and his pitch is a kind of seduction for Lingk to release his inhabitations.
- Extreme Doormat: Lingk simply listens to Ricky's monologue for an entire night and seems to think that they've had a heart-to-heart, then gets browbeaten by his wife to cancel the sale of land, then apologizes to Ricky for canceling even after learning that Ricky lied to him.
- Henpecked Husband: From his description, we can deduce Lingk's wife to be wearing the pants in their relationship.
- Nervous Wreck: Lingk is on the edge after his wife disapproved of his acquisition plans.
Graff
