If you are like me, darlings, or if any of you out there are librarians, then you all hate the scene with Donna Reed in "It's A Wonderful Life."
You know the scene I am talking about. George Bailey (James Stewart) is shown a glimpse of his hone town of Buford Falls, which has now become Pottersville, as he has never been born. He encounters horror and misery all around him. Finally, he asks about Mary Hatch, (Donna Reed) who, in his present life, he is married to. Henry Travers, as angel Clarence, describes her fate as the worst horror; on a par with Gloria Grahame, as Violet Bick, having become a prostitute!!!!!!!!! "You won't like it, George," he intones. "She never married. She's an old maid!" And then, the ultimate horror--"She's starting to close up the town library!"
Apparently, if you believe this film, during these times, if a woman was not married, that was bad enough. But her only career choices seemed to be a librarian, or a prostitute! Now, there's a career spectrum, for you!
When George confronts her, Mary has no make-up, is dressed with glasses, an impoverished spinster wardrobe that gives her a touch of mannishness, and she is so terrified by a man coming up to her, and touching her, that she screams as though she is being raped!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This film, and "Citizen Kane," do more to denigrate the image of librarians, and the profession. They may be of their time, but I have always found them downright insulting.
But all that is about to change.
I have been lately exploring some of Hayley Mills' post Disney work, and one film I came across was something from 1968 called "Twisted Nerve." I remember I was in junior high, and wanted to see it--it had Hayley Mills, after all, but I was still at the age where the only thing I could see was family fare. After I saw "Gone With The Wind" for the first time that year, no one couldn't stop me!!!!!!!!!!!!
"Twisted Nerve" is basically a combination of "Psycho," "Shadow Of A Doubt," and "Night Must Fall!" If Hayley was not in it, there would be no point in watching it, but--get this, girls!--in this film, Hayley plays a university student, studying to be a teacher, who works in a library! She even does a lot of what librarians used to do, including helping people find books, and even checking them out.
Hayley as a librarian is a step up from Donna Reed! There is this sequence where these pubescent boys ask her to get on a stepladder and find them a book, so they can clearly ogle her legs!!!!!!!!! Isn't that an improvement on the profession, darlings??????? And when the boys (who I think are two young to know this title, but perhaps British children, then, were better educated!!!!) tell Hayley they would prefer "Lady Chatterly's Lover," she snaps, "I bet you would," in that adorable Hayley Mills voice!
And Hayley's legs are spectacular! Coming from a gay man, darlings, this is high praise. So is her hair and wardrobe; my God, she looks fabulous!
The only downside to all this is that, despite top billing, Hayley gets less screen time than her costar, Hywel Bennett,(with whom she appeared in "The Family Way") whom I suppose the filmmakers were trying to promote into an Anthony Perkins/ Norman Bates star prototype. But he doesn't have the chops for it; in fact, his acting comes from his hangdog look, while everyone around him does all the acting work.
This film is a hoot, darlings! It should have been called "Mommy Issues," not "Twisted Nerve." The script (which is declaimed at the beginning, before the credits roll) would have the viewer believe that if a woman gives birth to a mongoloid child, (what today would be called Down's Syndrome) then her next child is going to be a psychotic. Why bother to script this, if it is so preposterous?
Martin Durnley's (Bennett) mother, Enid,, played by Phyllis Calvert, doesn't help matters any by continually infantalizing her son, to the point of keeping his bedroom as a nursery, well into his twenties! That would send most anyone over the edge, and I just LOVE Victorian nursery decor, darlings! So, Martin has his problems.
So does Hayley. Her mother, Joan Harper (played by Billie Whitelaw, eight years before she immortalized Mrs. Baylock in the original, 1976 "The Omen!!!!!!!!!") runs a boarding house, is a Mrs. Robinson type, and not above shagging some of her male tenants! Hayley remains as pure, as always, even down to the moment where Martin loses it, turns into a sexual psychotic, and practically rapes her! But the police break in, just in time! Our Hayley remains chaste!
But she is the best recruit for librarianship the profession has ever had. If more people watched this film, MLS programs, and their enrollment, would soar! Leave it to Hayley Mills!
An upgrade in professional imagery (and Hayley delivers it!!!!!!!!!!) was long overdue!
Just like some of your fines out there, darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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