Old Movies and old attitudes
Back at Christmas I gave hubby dear a Netflix membership, and I've been enjoying it as much as he has. With my scattered work schedule I've been enjoying the streaming service, catching up on old shows, seeing old movies and checking out stuff I've heard of but never seen.
This past week I watched 'The Pajama Game' with Doris Day and while it was fun hearing the old songs, it was the attitudes that made me realize how old this story is.
If you haven't seen it yourself I will recommend it if only for the Bob Fosse dancing and fun 50s costumes.
The story revolves around a new plant manager of the 'Sleeptite' Pajama Factory who falls for the head of the union grievance committee. The union is agitating for a 7 1/2 cent per hour raise and the company president doesn't want to give in to the union demands, even though every other factory in town is paying their workers more.
In typical 50s movie fashion everyone is white, well dressed and happy. All the stitchers are women, the cutters are men and the factory floor is immaculate -- the perfect place for dance numbers.
Two of the secondary characters are in a relationship where the guy is jealous and violent -- at one point chasing his girlfriend all over the factory throwing knives at her, and no one acts as if this is something to worry about. They don't call the cops, they just tell him to knock it off.
Of course the story ends with the union getting the pay raise (without back pay) -- but only after the supervisor has confronted the president with his double ledger system showing he put the cost of the raise on the books 6 months before.
The accounting ledger for the company is kept locked - with the key being entrusted to the boss's secretary, who wears it on a chain around her neck. This is the excuse for the famed 'Hernando's Hide-a-way' number, when the supervisor takes the secretary to the place to get her drunk and get the key away from her. She agrees to go knowing this and happily downs all the booze he buys.
The attitudes are the same as are showcased in "Mad Men". That late 50s early 60s notion that appearances are more important than the reality behind them. Hernando's Hide-a-way exists as a place where people go to do things they don't want publicized.
One of the songs talks about what 7 1/2 cents will buy, when accumulated for 5, 10 or 20 years -- a very telling look at the economies of the period.
Old movies can be very interesting viewing -- as long as your eyes are open to what you're really seeing.
This past week I watched 'The Pajama Game' with Doris Day and while it was fun hearing the old songs, it was the attitudes that made me realize how old this story is.
If you haven't seen it yourself I will recommend it if only for the Bob Fosse dancing and fun 50s costumes.
The story revolves around a new plant manager of the 'Sleeptite' Pajama Factory who falls for the head of the union grievance committee. The union is agitating for a 7 1/2 cent per hour raise and the company president doesn't want to give in to the union demands, even though every other factory in town is paying their workers more.
In typical 50s movie fashion everyone is white, well dressed and happy. All the stitchers are women, the cutters are men and the factory floor is immaculate -- the perfect place for dance numbers.
Two of the secondary characters are in a relationship where the guy is jealous and violent -- at one point chasing his girlfriend all over the factory throwing knives at her, and no one acts as if this is something to worry about. They don't call the cops, they just tell him to knock it off.
Of course the story ends with the union getting the pay raise (without back pay) -- but only after the supervisor has confronted the president with his double ledger system showing he put the cost of the raise on the books 6 months before.
The accounting ledger for the company is kept locked - with the key being entrusted to the boss's secretary, who wears it on a chain around her neck. This is the excuse for the famed 'Hernando's Hide-a-way' number, when the supervisor takes the secretary to the place to get her drunk and get the key away from her. She agrees to go knowing this and happily downs all the booze he buys.
The attitudes are the same as are showcased in "Mad Men". That late 50s early 60s notion that appearances are more important than the reality behind them. Hernando's Hide-a-way exists as a place where people go to do things they don't want publicized.
One of the songs talks about what 7 1/2 cents will buy, when accumulated for 5, 10 or 20 years -- a very telling look at the economies of the period.
Old movies can be very interesting viewing -- as long as your eyes are open to what you're really seeing.