The Gold Diggers of 1933: A Review

Q1: How does the movie relate to chapter 21 in Foner?

“The Gold Diggers of 1933” is director, Mervyn Leroys’ movie about a new show on Broadway during the depression of early 1930s. In the movie, Polly, Trixie, and Carol were three chorus girls who lived together in an apartment and found themselves out of work as shows were canceled due to lack of funds. As they were contemplating on what to do next to survive, Fay, another chorus girl came and gave them the news that Barney was about to produce a new show and has promised to have the girls on the show.

Barney Hopkins, the new show’s producer, made a personal call on the girls to discuss the show and heard music coming from another apartment while he was talking to the girls. He requested that Brad, a music composer and the girls’ neighbor, be invited to the girls’ apartment to play for him. While Brad played, Barney had an idea for the show and asked Brad to be the music composer and director for the show which Brad accepted to do. It was also Brad who funded the new show when they learned that Barney’s previous source backed out at the last minute.

In relation to Chapter 21 of Foner’s “Give Me Liberty: An American History,” Franklin D. Roosevelt “relied on a group of Intellectuals and social workers who took up key positions in his administration for advice.” They included Secretary of Labor, Frances Perkins, Harry Hopkins, Secretary of the Interior, Harold Ickes, and Justice Louis Brandeis, who were all instrumental in the proposal and implementation of the New Deal by drawing from the reform traditions of the Progressive era in other to recover the United States economy (Foner, 863.) The New Deal failed because the policies inadvertently altered the balance of economic power and propelled labor’s goal for a fairer, freer, and more equal America to the forefront of politics, leading FDR to propose a Second New Deal. The second New Deal was aimed at maintaining long-term economic security.  

Though Barney Hopkins, who bore the same last name in the movie as Harry Hopkins, one of FDR’s cabinet men, had the idea for the show, it was not enough to guarantee economic stability and security for everyone involved with his show as demonstrated in the first scene of the film when the actors were rehearsing and debt collectors moved in to confiscate their equipments due to lack of payment, thereby forcing Barney to cancel the show.

Q2: How are gender roles and sexuality represented in the film?

The film shows that during this era, women had become more and more independent, chose their own career paths and made decisions for themselves about whom to marry or not marry. Women also had a strong voice in the society on issues that affected them. In the film, Trixie was the leader of the girls and was very effective in making sure they got what they wanted. When Brad refused to fill in for the male lead actor who suffered lumbago and was unable to perform, Trixie scolded him to step in and help save the show in order to save the girls from being out of work. Additionally, showgirls were considered to be “parasites” and not fit for marriage to the rich and “respectable” males of this era.  As a result, Lawrence, Brad’s brother tried to stop him from marrying Polly. Lawrence unbeknownst to him, met Carol who he thought to be Polly and after showing his disdain for his brother’s impending marriage to her, found himself being tricked by the girls. Trixie was also the leader in the plans that followed that led to each girl getting the rich man they wanted.

 Q3: Musical Number: “We’re In The Money”

“We're in the money/The skies are sunny/Old man Depression,you are through/You've done us wrong/We never see a headline about a breadline today/And when we see the landlord/we can look that guy right in the eye/We're in the money/Come on, my honey/Let's spend it, lend it, send it rolling along”

This musical number was performed at the beginning of the movie when the girls were rehearsing for a show. As the lyrics suggest, though America was in depression, the show was there to provide wages for the girls so that they can pay their rent and buy food. I see it a show of optimism that people were returning to work and that the depression was finally lifting.

However, while they were in the middle of rehearsals, debt collectors came in and confiscated their equipments and costumes because Barney, the producer, was behind in paying his bills. The girls were once again, out of work.

Q4: Are Issues of class and social status addressed in the film?

As shown in the movie, entertainment was for the upper class white Americans who could afford it during this era. It was also a time when being rich meant not getting involved with demeaning jobs or people for that matter.  When it was eventually revealed that Brad was from a wealthy Boston family, it became clear that he wanted to avoid any scandal for his family by refusing to appear on the show. As it turned out to be, the person who recognized Brad was a patron of the show who snickered with his companions after confirming Brad’s identity. 

Another incident in the movie that touched on class and social status was the refusal by Brad’s family to let him marry Polly because she is a “showgirl” and a mismatch for him in the eyes of the society.

Give Me Liberty: An American History/Foner, Eric - 3rd Ed

"The Crowd": A Review

Q1: How does the movie relate to chapter 20 in Foner?

“The Crowd” is a 1928 film by King Vidor about John Sims, fondly known as Johnny whose dreams of becoming “someone big” took him to New York at the Age of 21 years. In New York, Johnny finds that he is another faceless person in the crowd of young men and women looking to make their mark in a large city where the road to success was nothing but an uphill journey. Yet, Johnny was content at being who he was: a man with no clear vision, specific idea, drive, or plan of how to become an important person in the society. He was always waiting for his “ship to come in.” Johnny met Mary on a blind double date with Bert, his friend and colleague, and while on the date, Johnny proposed to Mary. They got married and after 5 years, had two children – a boy and a girl.

This movie bears a semblance to Foner’s view in Chapter 20 of America’s shift from progressive to consumerism culture. According to Foner, the twenties was a period of jazz with “flappers (young, sexually liberated women), speakeasies (nightclubs that sold liquor in violation of prohibition), and a soaring stock market…” (Foner 821) During this period, Americans lived in uniformity with the belief that food, clothing, and shelter should be for all. Many parks and other recreational facilities were constructed by the government and business began to lean heavily on advertising and public relations to help drive their products to the consumers. As seen in the movie, Johnny worked in an advertising firm and his job was to come up with slogans that would drive sales of products for businesses.

The problem with this cultural change in American way of life was the inequality in the distribution of wealth among Americans. While the business owners prospered, many Americans did not see a significant rise in their incomes to maintain the acceptable standard of living as inflation rose. Work was no longer a thing of pride or status but, became a necessity for the workers to be able to live. Additionally, success in this consumer driven economy only came to those who had vision and worked hard, as demonstrated in the movie when Bert finally got promoted and became Johnny’s direct boss.

 

Q2: Why is the film called “The Crowd?”

During this era, there was a high rate of emigration from the rural to the urban areas as farming was no longer generating as much profit as it used to. A city like New York had a lot of opportunities for ambitious young men and women in areas like, art, music, theater, and many professional jobs, therefore, New York drew a huge crowd of these young men and women. As illustrated in the movie, one can only succeed if one is good enough to stand out from the crowd since everyone wanted the same thing.

Q3: How are ideas about success represented in the film?

The film demonstrates that success was double-sided with the crowd on one side and Johnny on the other side. Johnny’s in-laws hated his guts because he was unable to get promotion at work and after quitting his job, could not keep any other job and also rejected his brothers-in-law’s job offer. However, Johnny’s success lay in his family and the trials they overcame to finally re-unite as one and for him, success came in small increments. He was very happy when he received a letter informing him that he won $500.00 for the slogan that Mary encouraged him to submit. This simplicity of life was more important to Johnny than the hustle and bustle of the crowd. 

Q4: What does the movie reveal about dating and domestic life in the 1920s?

The film revealed that the 1920s was a period when couples could engage in restricted intimacy with one another in what was known as petting. They could go out on dates without chaperones and kiss and cuddle without sex. I also noticed that though this was a period when women had become sexually liberated, some women were still shy and reserved during this time. This was demonstrated when Mary told Johnny that she should not have kissed him after their first kiss. The film also demonstrates how the role of a woman automatically became that of a home-maker as soon as she was married, leaving the husband as the sole provider for the family. In the case of Johnny's in-laws, the sons became the providers for their mother after the death of their father (the film leaves me to assume Mary's father was dead), and both still lived at home with their mother. In other words, men were viewed as the heads of the households in America. 

Give Me Liberty: An American History/Foner, Eric - 3rd Ed

Life's Symphony

A song yet unsung, a story yet untold

Rings daily in my heart, as the seasons unfold

It calls me to action, it calls me to bear witness

To its beautiful symphony, and the message that it bears

A message of hope, a message of love

A message of joy, and peace everywhere 

Of nations free from turmoil, and the dangers of war

Children singing and dancing, and laughing altogether

A song yet unsung, a story yet untold

Rings daily in my heart, as the seasons unfold

It calls you to action, it calls you to bear witness

To its beautiful symphony, and the message that it bears

A message of kindness, a message of forgiveness

A message of understanding, forming many bonds

Of dreams realized, and of promises fulfilled

Of people in every nation, living as one united

A message of grace, a message of compassion

A message of freedom, to every captive nation

Of life without worries, of life without sorrows

Of life full of passion, and endless bliss

A song yet unsung, a story yet untold

Rings daily in my heart, as the seasons unfold

Will you heed its call, and will you bear witness

To its beautiful symphony, and the message that it bears?