'I Was 24 and Working Illegally'

One Fifth is where I hired my future wife, watched Patti Smith reduce a waitress to tears, and realized that in America charm is more important than ability.

- KEITH MCNALLY

IT WAS OCTOBER 1975. Iwas 24 and had arrived in New York with a vague plan to make films. Running out of money in the second week, I ditched the film idea and found a job as a busboy at Serendipity, the ice-cream parlor on East 60th Street.

Like many immigrants, my desire to live in New York came from watching films. One film in particular: Klute. There’s a terrific scene in which the two leads, Jane Fonda and Donald Sutherland, are out past midnight buying fruit from a sidewalk produce stand. As Sutherland reaches for some luscious-looking peaches, Fonda’s sexual desire for him explodes onto the screen. This was the exact moment when I longed to live in New York. But it wasn’t the scene's eroticism that triggered the longing. It was the idea that you could buy fresh fruit in Manhattan after midnight.

The odd thing about experiencing New York for the first time was that it seemed more like the films than the films themselves. Places rarely live up to expectations, but New York did—particularly its element of availability. Unlike London in 1975, subways ran all night, bars served until 4 a.m., taxis were available 24/7, and diners never closed. Not that I needed to have an egg sandwich and a coffee at three in the morning, but knowing I could helped me sleep better. It still does.

Knowing I can do something, without necessarily doing it, is vital for me. There’s a scene in the film