The Movies

The Acadamey Awards have just been awarded and I can't say much about them, because I don't attend the movies they make today. I am not into what they think is entertainment. That is what happens when my whole life was built around the Movie Industry that was made up of the Studio developed Stars. We lived on the Movie Magazines. None of this Tabloid junk they pump out in volumes today. Those were the days when the Stars had real pazazz. The men were well dressed and clean cut, the women were either beautiful, or so talented, who cared? When you picked up a Movie Magazine it was to read about your favoite Star and what they were doing, or how their "real life" was going. The Studio had a way of keeping any unsightly stuff out of print. We weren't into all the back page junk the tabloids pump out regularly today. After all - Movies were a way to step out of your hum-drum lives and into the sleak and lovely settings that were flashed on the big "silver screens" in those handsomely decorated Theaters. One could be dazzled with a "sneak preview" in town once in awhile. This was when the Stars actually showed up with their fancy cars and beautiful clothes and furs. Yes! In those days they "dared" to wear a fur coat or stoal. Well back then, anyone who had the money could have a fur coat if they wanted and there weren't any rude person telling them they were doing anything wrong wearing it. Our society has fallen to the state that we can't eat, drink, wear, or enjoy most of what was very common place back there when there wasn't all that much to enjoy. Today with so much to make our lives great, those "nuts" are out there telling us we are "heartless" or ill informed by doing one thing or another that they deem wrong. Tough!
Today you couldn't find a Star if you tried. Most of what they use in the Movies today are just actors moving through or being used to depict something that is very likely not at all natural or normal to the "real lives" people live. How many cars has any normal person, or police person smashed up this week. Why if it was like they portray on the screens today, the entire world would be littered with junk yards just to take care of all the smashed up cars, broken buildings not to mention how busy the hospitals would be with caring for all the shot, cut up or beaten folks produced daily. Movies were ment to entertain, not destroy. They were ment to give us a lift up, not a show of how not to live. They were to give romance a great lift not depict how mean or lack of caring can effect us. We don't need to be put into areas that could no more happen on any given day in our lives than we need to be frightened by unforseen tragedy. Life has enough hard things to deal with than to add to it those things that are neither good for us or could possibly happen.
I have wondered how it is that movie makers today haven't figured out just why great, clean, delightful animated films can bring in such large amounts of viewers and funds, and they haven't realized that Movies were ment to "entertain". That word means one heck of a lot. We went into the movie with our daily worries and came out feeling like we were refreshed and uplifted. We could meet head on the things around us and still keep a great outlook on life. Go to most of the movies today and you leave the theatre more depressed than when you went in and your wallet is far thinner too. Paying hard earned money to be depressed seems so foolish.
When we went to the movies we saw the men dressed to the "9's" and the women dress to "kill".
Or that was the phrase they used back then. They were "knock outs". They had their hair
"styled", not dripping wet and handing like an over done noodle down their backs. Shoes were a must, and no thinking person would have gone out without out "sox" or hose on. The hose were most fashionable when they had a seam up the back and in some cases they had a very fancy knit heel that made the ankle look terrific. Shoes were beautiful and fit the outfit the lady had on. If she was casual it was common to see a beautiful pair of oxfords. Then she would have hose on and probably a pair of "ankle sox" as well. Well when the kids wore them they were called "bobby sox". No one put on a pair of shoes without stockings of some sort. Praise the Lord, they didn't have "flip flops" either. You never saw anyone in the movies with "bear feet".
I have mentioned before, I believe, that hats and gloves were necessary too. How great the gals all looked with their cute hats and various styles of gloves. Even the men would not be properly dressed in most of the Movies without a hat or suede gloves. Of course they always had a "top coat". You rarely see anyone wearing such things today. Of course the suit isn't normal dress for most men today either. If a man worked in a trade he did not wear a suit to work naturally, but if he took his family out for the evening, he certainly dressed more formal than they do today, in or out of the Movies.
While styles change, some come back occasionally. Too bad some of those styles can't be brought back. Then maybe they wouldn't fit into todays way of life. Things are too casual for such things. Casual is great, but when one travels it seems the real casual could be left at home and a more refined way of dressing could be the norm. It seems about 15 years ago when we made a trip on the train or plane, we got "dressed up". We looked like we were headed to a great affair and wanted to put in a great impression when we arrived. If most folks are going to anything important today, it would be pretty difficult to know it. The styles have changed so much that even some heading for important appointments hardly look like they were ready to get envolved when they get off at their destination. Even at some churchs today we witness the total casual attire being perfectly accepted at Sunday services. When I was younger, well, even now I figure I have a "Sunday Best" for such occasions. I confess I even think hose and
"closed in" shoes are necessary to show my respect for Church. Concidering my age however I guess that is to be expected. I find most older people follow that line of thinking as well. I know one thing I could never do in Church was walk around in bear feet. Times change and I would have to say, not always for the best. Like I say, concider my age!
Well the Movies did play a great part in how we dressed, and what we looked forward to. We wanted to have things the way they looked "in the movies". Beautiful homes and nice cars, we hoped for vacations in neat places like they found to "shoot" their outdoor scenes. We wanted to be suave like the Stars and "turn heads" when we entered a room. We hoped we could find love like the Movies said it could be and have our lives end "happily ever after". No movie dared leave us feeling let down, or in worse shape than when we entered. The only things that left us "hanging" were the Serials that played at the Saturday Matinee, and they would eventually end with the "good guys" winning. It may sound a bit corny today, but it was the stuff we based our hum drum lives on back when there was very little to inspire us. There were few extras in life back then. Christmas was pretty bare compared to what is experienced today. If there was any extra at the end of payday, it would be concidered pretty exciting. It certainly wasn't spent on noncencical things. I don't recall going to the Doctor or Dentist all that often. They were depicted in the movies, but usually in emergency cases, and that was about the way it was with us. Of course back then there weren't many hospitals so emergency rooms were not all that common. We had to see "Dr. Kildare" movies to know that kind of think even existed. Somethings have changed for the best, but then even the best seems to have become abused. Such is the way of things I guess.
I am greatful for the Movies we enjoyed. I wouldn't trade them for what they show today. If you didn't live during the days of "Boston Blackie" or "Mazie" you just haven't known what it can be like. "Blackie" was a reel, and yes that is spelled right, detective. He could get through the most serious cases with ease. He was super and made Chester Morris a great Star of the "B" Movies. "Mazie" was a wild dresser and funny in the cituations she got herself into. Going to a "Mazie" movie was a lot of laughs and fun for the whole family. Ann Sothern (sp correctly too)
was a beautiful blonde who had a comedic style that pleased everyone. The Serials included Buster Crabb as "Flash Gordon" he was an Olympic Swimmer, but made some exciting Saturday afternoons for us kids. Kind of funky now compared to the way they do such things today, but it was O.K. for us then. Next to "Star Trek" it looks hokey, but then it was fascinating what they did.
Well, you take yours, and I'll still dream about the good old days of the "Movies". I am greatful I can get so many of them on DVD now, and re-enjoy them in my living room today. Oh, I will admit that the fancy clothes then are not all that smashing today, but when you concider that Irene Dunn and Olivia de Havilland or even Ann Southern are wearing them, you have to admit that they still have style, and the hair do's show a great deal of suave. How fortunate that I can recall all of that and try and share some of it with you today. It may not mean to you what it does to me, but it can make you stop and think about something different and purhaps make a small difference in how you look at life in general. There is always another side to everything, this is the side I like to remember.

Written this 18th day of March 2010
by: Eileen Rosenberg