Trading places: How long was Valentine working for the Dukes?
The flip side of this is "How long was Winthorpe homeless and destitute?"
From looking at the movie it looks like a couple of days,but that's hardly enough time for Billy Ray to build a reputation and/or enough knowledge to be balancing the companies check book on Christmas Eve.
So, is there a known time period that the events of the movie took place over?
Best Answer
The very first date that can be ascertained from the movie is December 1st, 1982. This date is written on the paychecks that Winthorpe has the Duke brothers sign.
I'm not a Payroll guy, but I'm fairly certain that paychecks are dated on (or close to) the day they're issued. This means the checks were likely signed on November 30th.
Immediately following the paychecks being signed, the Duke brothers first bring up their bet. On Winthorpe's way out of the club, where the checks were signed, he encounters Valentine. Valentine takes Winthorpe's briefcase, which leads to his arrest. The Duke brothers then officially make the bet that leads to Winthorpe becoming homeless.
They bail Valentine out of jail the following day, which is assumed to be December 1st, and give him Winthorpe's house. Winthorpe gets arrested that same day and spends a night in jail. The following day, December 2nd, he meets Ophelia and begins rooming with her (thus, he is not truly homeless).
Backtracking for a sec, while in jail Valentine is harassed by two larger men, one of which says, "It ain't cool bein' no jive turkey so close to Thanksgiving", which lends weight to the December 1st date.
The next date officially brought up is Christmas Eve, when Winthorpe is sick in Ophelia's bed. In between, there isn't a single calendar or newspaper with a date that is legible, so no other dates can even be assumed.
Lastly, the whole deal with the USDA report takes place on New Years Day, and the report is set to be officially released on Jan 2nd (as stated earlier in the film). Therefore, Winthorpe is officially "homeless" almost exactly 1 month.
If anyone with a Payroll background can back up my assumption, I'd appreciate it.
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What did Winthorpe and Valentine do in Trading Places?
In other words, Winthorpe and Valentine have contracts allowing them to buy millions of pounds of orange juice in April for 29 cents a pound, and to sell it for $1.42 a pound. They sold high and bought low. They're rich. The Dukes made the opposite bet and went broke.How much money did Billy Ray and Louis make in Trading Places?
How much did Billy Ray and Louis make in their scheme? The actual amount isn't given but the Dukes had to pay $394 million ($1.011 BILLION in 2019 adjusted for inflation) In the movie, the Dukes "shorted" oranges in a "margin" trade, using leverage.How much did they make at the end of Trading Places?
Profits: (122 cents/pound - 38 cents/pound) * 15000 pounds/contract * 20000 contracts = $252,000,000.00. Cha-ching! Since the Dukes' agent flamed out, he's holding a bunch of contracts at the end of trading.What was the Duke and Duke Building in Trading Places?
Trading Places | 1983 Randolph and Mortimer's 'Duke and Duke' bank is the Fidelity Bank, 135 South Broad Street, just south of City Hall.Trading places (1983) Louis Winthrope and valentine they are going to sell.
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