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I happened on this clip and I began to wonder about how something that was once so mainstream, so top of the line, so wholesome, so American "family" entertainment, now looks so painfully like a charter flight full of scummy, leering, pedophile, sex tourists setting off on holiday to Phnom Penh. The word "inappropriate" falls far short. What has happened... what has changed? Reality? Fantasy? It is hard to believe that the sophisticated libertines of 1930s Hollywood were not fully aware of all the implications of what they were selling. Or a significant part of the public too, if only subconsciously. To my mind this bit of film seems even older than the "Dancing Lady" of my previous piece. DS
1 comment:
Graham Greene's film reviews in the 30s made just your point about the Shirley Temple phenomenon--of course, Americans who read them thought *he* was the pervert!
We've been weird for a very long time....it's all in The Scarlet Letter, really. Those who haven't read that since they were in school should do themselves a favor: it still explains most of today's headlines fully and brilliantly.
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