When The Dumb Jock Proves You Wrong | The Way We Were (Barbra Streisand, Robert Redford)
13 Video Views·Aug 1, 2026
In a college creative writing class, the fiery, politically-driven Katie Morosky (Barbra Streisand) listens as the professor reads a short story aloud, its beautiful, evocative prose silencing the room. She is stunned to discover the author is none other than Hubbell Gardiner (Robert Redford), the popular, seemingly effortless golden-boy. This is the moment K …
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Video Summary
AI GeneratedThis transcript consists of two distinct scenes: a tense, cynical argument between individuals regarding politics, decadence, and historical figures, followed by a classroom setting where a teacher introduces and begins reading a story titled \"The All-American Smile\" by Hubble Gardner, reflecting on the author's privileged and complacent nature.
What do you want?
Coke.
Coca-Cola.
Excuse me.
You're all decadent and disgusting.
Come on.
We weren't making fun of you.
Yes, you were.
You make fun of everything.
You think politics is a joke.
Well, you make fun of politicians.
What else can you do, though?
You think Franco is so funny?
Franco? Is he here?
Yeah, Franco.
He's a politician. You think he's funny?
Well, so is Hitler. He even has a funny mustache.
Why don't you have a Nazi prom?
Well, we thought of that.
But the uniform's itch.
All right. Comes the revolution, maybe we'll all have a sense of humor.
Two hamburgers, two cheeseburgers, and four Coke.
Onion?
Yeah. And the Cokes.
If I read comparatively few of your stories aloud in class,
it's because I think we learn best from what's good, or at least talented.
Today, I'm going to read, with a great deal of pleasure,
a remarkably good story from a surprising new source.
The name of the story is The All-American Smile,
and it's by Hubble Gardner.
In a way, he was like the country he lived in.
Everything came too easily to him, but at least he knew it.
About once a month, he worried that he was a fraud,
but then most everyone he knew was more fraudulent.
Sometimes he felt he was wrong, and he said,
there's really no reason for us to change.
But of course, by then, they were too lost or too lazy.
It had always been too easy.