On the Waterfront Mystery Cache

THE CACHE IS NOT AT THE POSTED COORDINATES!  You will need to solve the puzzle below to find the cache.  The posted coordinates are about a mile from the final cache, and simply represent a place where one would have gone to experience ‘On the Waterfront’ in 1954:

The 1937 Liberty Theatre in downtown Libertyville was designed by architects E.P. Rupert and William L. Pereira in the Art Moderne style including a stunning tall vertical sign. The facade was of cream-colored terra-cotta, trimmed in dark blue. It either replaced or was a total remodeling of an earlier Liberty Theatre, dating from before the 1920’s. At some point, the Liberty Theatre lost its Moderne facade, including the vertical sign, and compared to the original, the current one is rather plain. The Liberty Theatre was converted at some point into a twin.

The Cache - On the Waterfront*

The cache shares its title with one of my favorite movies of all time.  This 1954 American classic about union violence and corruption among longshoremen won 8 academy awards.  On the Waterfront is a marvelous film and, it can be argued, the best American motion picture of the 20th century. The film was based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning series by New York Sun investigative reporter Malcolm Johnson which exposed the control of organized crime over New York’s waterfront. On the Waterfront tells the story of an average man, an ex-boxer and longshoreman who slowly realizes that he must stand up to the corrupt and brutal union bosses who rule the docks through fear, intimidation and violence. It captures his struggle of conscience, and loyalty, following his difficult path to redemption; he knows that telling the truth means not only being branded a “snitch,” but also putting his own life and future at risk. While the movie closes with him publicly defying the mobsters, despite a savage beating, and gaining the support of his fellow dockworkers, there is nothing triumphal about the ending, no sense that he has won a permanent victory.  It’s a modern tragedy at its best. One reason On the Waterfront remains so vital today, almost 60 years later, is because it is just great film-making – great acting, cinematography and score.  Doubts?  Watch it yourself – hopefully this cache description has perked your interest.  

In the meantime, to find the cache:

1. Review the following table of characters from renowned film and television:

Based on relationships of these characters to one another, determine the following names:

a.    _ _ _ _ _   _ _ _ _ _ _
b.    _ _ _ _    _ _ _ _ _
c.    _ _ _ _ _ _   _ _ _ _ _
d.    _ _ _ _ _ _   _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

 

2. 'On the Waterfront' has some classic lines and scenes – the most famous of all is this tragic exchange between brothers Charley and Terry: 

Watch this clip - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBiewQrpBBA  - and answer the following:

If not for a fateful night in his life, what could Terry have had?  

e. _ _ _ _ _

What could Terry have been?

f. _   _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Once you have the solutions, use an alpha-numeric key where A=1, B=2….Z=26 to create a numeric value for each of the answers above (spaces have no value).

Finally, based on the values you have determined, solve for the final cache coordinates as follows:

N 42  17.(a+b+c–262)
W 087 56.(d+e+f+165)

The waterfront location of the final cache, while in a commercial/light industrial area, is far different from that of the Hoboken docks that were the setting of the film. You are looking for a well-camo'd preform tube. Enjoy!

**Cache description includes commentary courtesy Jefferson Flanders.  http://jeffersonflanders.wordpress.com/2006/08/27/reconsidering-on-the-waterfront/

You can check your answers for this puzzle on Geochecker.com.