Potash and Perlmutter Settle Things

Meet Morris Perlmutter and Abe Potash: two Jewish garment merchants whose partnership is built on decades of profitable disagreement. When the duo decides their business needs a jolt of European sophistication, they set their sights on Paris, schemes for passports ensue, and their legendary bickering reaches international waters. Montague Glass captures something miraculous in their exchanges: the way two old friends can argue about politics, rival Leon Sammet, and the price of silk all in a single breath, each insult delivered with the warmth of genuine affection. Set against the backdrop of the Paris Peace Conference, this comedy of errors finds its heroes utterly unconcerned with world events when there are business opportunities to pursue. The humor lands not because it's dated, but because the dynamics are eternal: the partner who takes too long to make a decision, the friend who criticizes while also offering to help, the merchant who believes success is just one good idea away. Glass writes dialogue the way jazz musicians play, with rhythm and call-and-response that makes you lean in, waiting for the next punchline.