To read from the beginning and get more context about this little research project I’m doing, you can do so here.
Movies chosen:
Rebecca (1940)
Anchors Aweigh (1945)
The Philadelphia Story (1940)
The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
Casablanca (1942)
The Red Shoes (1948)
Mr. Skeffington (1944)
Homecoming (1948)
Since You Went Away (1944)
I was a Male War Bride (1949)
Probably better chick flicks to use as a reference, but hard to choose given how many with so few resources. Resources used were IMBD, Wikipedia, and Idea Wiki
On October 7th, 2023 several Palestinian militant groups, such as Hamas, launched a coordinated attach on Israel. Due to the broiling hostility and long held grudges between the two groups that has been going on for centuries at this point, it was an action that was bound to happen, as horrifying as it was. This attach was the start of yet another war between the two factions and has in turn led to many in the US and other countries outside this conflict to watch in horror or morbid fascination… but also taking sides.
This attack was the first time I ever considered World War 3 might be on the horizon. Yes there’s a war going on between Russia and Ukraine right now, but it wasn’t until this attack that us entering into a World War 3 situation even registered as a possibility. Whether it will or it won’t is still up in the air as more and more has happened since. Nevertheless this is something I’ve seen a lot of people debate about on the internet. Some arguing that it’s certain we will and others with that same confidence disagreeing.
Coincidentally, while all this talk about World War 3 has been going on, I’ve been watching movies from the 1940s. Guess which war 70% of them were about. Yup! World War 2.
1940s (vaguely) Broad shoulders and pants above the belly button
It was bound to happen. It happened with World War 1 and it happened with the Great Depression to a lesser degree where the popular movies people seemed to fixate on where either representations of the conflict or trying to provide some type of escape from it. I was expecting it. It didn’t make it any easier to sit through though. Watching them talk about the concentration camps, people trying to escape the conflict, fallen soldiers, their loved ones sorrow, the aftermath and trying to adjust to civilian life. All of it was a lot harder to watch and took a long time because of it.
The 1940s is one of those golden periods for romantic film. When you think of the classic chick flick, you probably think of one from this era if not the 30s or 50s. A lot of this has to do with the same type of actors being on the scene. Cary Grant, Clark Gable, Jimmy Stewart, and Humphrey Bogart to name a few. There were some new faces such as Frank Sinatra, Gene Kelly, and Bing Crosby as well. Regardless, they all radiated the same smooth talking air about them. Listening to these men talk was like curling up under a blanket. Even when they were angry.
As I watched all these movies, it occurred to me the one tie they all had to each other was the central point of how imperfect man is. This isn’t really a new thing. Mankind has flaws. All the other movies from other era’s I’ve watched had this talking point in one way or another. Heck, even in the bible, it’s showcased how fallible we as humans are let alone men in general. But, at least in film, in all the other era’s it was focused in a different way. In the 1910’s mans imperfect nature was something that a man must overcome. In the 1920’s, a man’s imperfections were what kept him from achieving his dreams. In the 1930’s, any flaws a man had must be changed in order for him to be the strong provider for the ones he cares about. In the 1940’s movies I watched, the swoon-worthy men at the center of all these films all had flaws and the focus was on how the most important thing they could do was just to overcome them.
Take “The Philadelphia Story” which I have mixed feelings about by the way. It’s a story about a love rhombus. Tracy Lord (our vivacious Katherine Hepburn) was getting married to a self made man George Kitteridge years after divorcing CK Dexter Haven (Cary Grant), a Yacht man in her same high social class who she divorced due to his alcohol problem. Now, it’s unclear whether he just liked to drink too much sometimes or he was a struggling alcoholic, but apparently she’s supposed to be the person in the wrong here.
Now, because it’s the social event of the season, a magazine manager Sidney Kidd had been desperate to find a way to be there because of how secretive and private they are and begged his top writer Macauley “Mike” Connor (Jimmy Stewart) and his photographer Liz to cover it at their reluctance. Sydney was able to sneak them in by blackmailing Dexter (who by the way had since stopped drinking) to help them pretend they’re friends of Tracy’s brother. The blackmail, of course being that Tracy’s father had been sleeping around with a dancer (which caused Tracy’s mom to divorce him at the pressure of Tracy).
Most wives fail to realize is that their husband’s philandering has nothing whatever to do with them. … A reluctance to grow old, I think. I suppose the best mainstay a man can have as he gets along in years is a daughter.”
The Philadelphia Story
They got there and immediately started writing and getting to know the family. Later that night after having a fight with Dexter and her father about how she held everyone to an impossible standard, Tracy ended up drinking a LOT along with Mike and the two shared a moment that led them to the pool house. When her to be husband George found out, he assumed the worst to the amusement of Dexter.
Your so called strength your prejudice against weakness, your blank intolerance. … Because you’ll never be a first class human being or a first class woman until you have some regard for human frailty.
The Philadelhia Story
In the morning, an hour or so before her wedding, Tracy couldn’t remember a thing and assumed the worst as well after her sister told her about what she saw. After learning the truth, that nothing happened other than she just got too drunk, George asked her not to drink again and she told him they should call off the wedding as she didn’t want to promise something like that because she liked being human. When he left, she is left to deal with the wedding. Mike asked if she wanted to marry him and she said no so he could marry Liz who had loved him the entire time and Dexter married her for the second time.
George: But a man expects his wife to – Tracy: -To behave herself. Naturally. Dexter: To behave herself naturally.
The Philadelphia Story
The crux of the movie comes down to human imperfection not necessarily being something to fear or condemn someone for. But something we must all have patience with. In each of these movies, the main crux of the film ends up being the flaws these men have and they all ended up having one.
In Rebecca, Mr. De Winter fears he will be held responsible for his wife’s death. In Casablanca, Rick refuses to help anyone out during the war. Mr. Skeffington in Mr. Skeffington is a pushover and becomes blind. In Since you Went Away, Tony is a ladies man who is desperately in love with his best friends wife. Gene Kelly’s character in Anchor’s Aweigh is also a ladies man. You know who else is a bit of a ladies man and also has a bit of a temper? Henri Rochard in I was a Male War Bride. In the Best Years of Our Lives, Al has an alcohol problem and struggles with his job after the war, Fred has PTSD and no job prospects, and Homer has no hands. In the Red Shoes, Lermontov is obsessed with ambition and judges anyone who goes against their ambitions. Lastly, in Homecoming, Clark Gable’s character Dr. Lee Johnson is a selfish and ends up cheating on his wife kind of.
All these flaws these men have are something they are grappling with and end up grappling with by the end of the film. What’s the most interesting about all this isn’t just how these flaws are portrayed front and center, but the importance all these movies put in the woman’s roll in inspiring them to be better.
Take Casablanca. If you are the rare person who hasn’t seen it (and as with all these movies I would recommend you do), Casablanca is about a Rick Blaine who owned a very prominent night club in Casablanca, a city in the unoccupied French territory in northern Africa during World War 2. It was a prominent stop for those trying to escape Europe, but like I said, Rick refused to be a part of the war in any way and refused to stick his neck to help anyone despite his role running guns to the loyalists in the Spanish civil war.
When it comes to women, you’re a true Democrat.
Casablanca
One day, a man named Ugarte told Rick of 2 letters of transit that he obtained and asked him to hold them for him for later until he could sell them to his point of contact. Before he could meet them he got arrested. Then in walked his contacts Victor Lazlo (a resistance fighter) and Ilsa Lund (a former lover of Ricks) to Ricks chagrin. Most of the movie is about Rick and Ilsa quibbling about what happened. How Ilsa and him had a wonderful time in Paris, but how she never showed up to the train station when they were supposed to escape the occupation of Paris together. She told him it was because she was married.
I don’t mind a parasite. I object to a cut-rate one.
Casablanca
When Ilsa and Lazlo found out that Ugarte had been killed by the Nazi’s and Rick had their letters, they each attempted to get him to give it to them, but he refused. But, over the course of the film, because of Ilsa, he had a change of heart. He found out from Ilsa that she still loved him, never wanted to leave him again, and the real reason she didn’t leave with him in Paris was that she had all the time thought her husband was dead only to find out the night before they were to leave that he was alive. Rick then helped her and Lazlo escape and started helping the resistance, telling Ilsa that she would regret him and following him would only put her in more danger.
It was because of Ilsa that Rick had a change of heart and started resisting the Nazi’s.
In Anchors Aweigh, Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra play a couple of Sailors in the Navy on leave in Hollywood after Gene Kelly saves Frank Sinatra’s life. Gene was super duper excited to go ashore to go out with Lola for…. obvious reasons. Frank Sinatra asked him to help him pick up a girl of his own since he had never been that good with women. (yeah, sure Frank Sinatra).
While wandering Hollywood, they got picked up by the police since they were in their Navy uniforms and asked to help them identify a young boy who ran away from home to join the navy. The boy, stars truck, told them who he was and they helped escort him home. He then told them that his parents were dead and he was being raised by his aunt Susan who worked as a singer at a Mexican restaurant and an extra on film sets. Ultimately, she wanted to sing and would love to work with this director named Jose Iturbi. Upon meeting Susan, Frank Sinatra was completely smitten and begs Gene Kelly to get him a date with her and Gene does so by lying; telling Susan that Frank already got her an audition with Iturbi.
“You saved my life and now you owe me something.”
Anchors Aweigh
They continue to spend time with her while attempting to make good on their promise of an appointment with Iturbi at the end of the weekend and Gene Kelly continued to talk up Frank, but finds himself, the womanizer that he is, falling in love with Susan while Frank started talking to and developing feelings for a waitress from Brooklyn like himself. What are they going to do?!
“I never say the things I’ve really wanted to say to you because I guess my way of saying it just isn’t good enough.”
Anchors Aweigh
At the end of the weekend, they proclaimed their feelings for the girls, but weren’t able to get an appointment for Susan. Obviously she ended up meeting Iturbi anyway and he decided to work with her.
Susan was the type of girl you come home to. Not just a fun time girl. Her character was what Gene Kelly was drawn to and what inspired in him to be ready to settle down.
The Best Years of Our Lives shows the aftermath of the war by following 3 soldiers as they got used to being back home. The first, Al, came home to a loving wife and 2 basically adult children and was quickly rushed into going back to working for the bank to which he was expected to deny loans to people who he believed deserve it despite their lack of collateral, and his wife, played by Mirna Loy (one of my favorites), continued to encourage him to figure out a way to act on his conscience in a way that kept his job.
‘We’ve reached the point where the whole human race has either got to find a way to live together or else.”
The BEst years of Our lIves
Fred came home to a wife who was working at a night club and strived to find a way to make ends meet despite having no formal training in anything other than blowing things up and being a soda jerk, and no accolades from the war to recommend him. He had hopes that he would be able to make something more of himself but ended up getting his old job back though it’s a slight demotion from what he had before. Despite how hard he was working to figure out what he wanted to do, all while fighting off bad dreams, his wife had gotten so used to living a certain way and wasn’t patient with him as he struggled. He ended up falling in love with Peggy, Al’s daughter who sees his potential.
“Last year it was ‘kill Japs’ this year it’s ‘make money’!”
The BEst Years of Our lives
Homer lost his hands in the war and although was optimistic at first of his skills, found life hard as people looked at him differently and there were some things he still couldn’t do on his own. He was set to marry his high school sweetheart, Wilma, but was terrified of how things had changed for him now that he has no hand and felt she was better off with out him. Rather than talking this out with her, he felt like he had to do this on his own. But after talking with her and her reassuring him she’s in it for the long hall, they decide to get married.
If anything makes you hate war, it’s this movie. Ultimately, all these men’s burdens were made lighter because of the good women in their lives encouraging them.
And I’m just getting started!
The Red Shoes, which I debated on choosing to begin with, is a movie that mirrors the Hans Christian Anderson fairy tale. 2 artists got hired by the notable Lermontov who ran a very famous and prestigious ballet company. One, a Julian Caster, a very talented composer, came to help revise and compose for him while Victoria Page became a dancer.
“You can’t alter human nature.” Lermotov: “No? I think you can do better. Ignore it! I couldn’t care less about human nature.”
The Red SHoes
One night, his star ballet dancer, while in Paris, announced she was leaving the company to get married and it’s because of this that he chose Victoria Page to dance the lead part in his next ballet “The Red Shoes”. A story about a girl who put on red shoes and danced to her death.
“Dreaming is a luxury I’ve not permitted in my company.”
The Red Shoes
After that performance, she became a star, but also started a love affair with Julian. Lermontov developed feelings/some type of obsession with her and became upset when he found out that she and Julian were in love and they are cast out of the company and got married. Julian started working on an opera and called Vicky his muse. Lermontov used a visit she had with her ant to Paris as an excuse to try and get her to dance with him again and lure her back to him to which he almost succeeded, but she jumped to her death instead. While wearing the red dance shoes.
While Julian was already talented, it was his love of Vicky that gave him the strength to go out on his own and make music outside ballet.
In Homecoming, Clark Gable’s character, Dr. Lee Johnson, a respected surgeon, went to war as a army doctor of some kind. Not sure exactly how that works since my husband says they just had medics out in the field, but somehow he joins the army as a doctor. He had a very well respected reputation in his home town with swooning ladies, but he often ignored issues going on in the less well of side of his home town (malaria epidemic in the area. Had no idea that was even a thing that happened here in America.)
“When women talk politics, it makes me laugh.”
Homecoming
On the boat ride, he met a Jane “Snapshot” McCall, a widow and a mother of a 6 year old boy. They initially but heads. Imagine his chagrin to find out she was his nurse going forward. Over the course of their time together, they end up becoming friends and his wife took notice in his letters and became jealous. At first, there isn’t really anything to worry about despite Snapshot being gorgeous, since she lovingly calls him “Useless” and he didn’t seem to even really notice she’s an attractive woman, but, of course, he started to develop feelings for her as she encouraged him to look at medicine in a different way.
“If he’s going to change, why can’t we change together?”
Homecoming
At some point, their base was bombed and they had to be separated to which he kissed her and expected never to see her again, but they reconnected in Paris while he is on leave. Then Germany attacks Paris and they end up getting stuck trying to help and aid the area as much as they can. He then declared how much he loved her only for her to end up in the hospital. While there she told him he needed to leave her and go back to his wife. She then dies as he is on his way back home. He told his wife what happened and his wife Penny told him she would help him through all this.
As you can see, it’s two women who influenced him for the better. It’s the love and friendship he had with Snapshot that helped him change how he viewed medicine and it’s his wife’s love that encouraged them to continue to work on their marriage.
Last example, “I was a Male War Bride”. A Captain Henri Rochard, a Frenchman with a way with the ladies (and a bad temper I guess), had been asked to go on an assignment with an American interpreter. To his frustration, it’s Catherine Gates, a woman who he had often worked with and butted heads in the past and seemed to bring out the bad temper, but whatever.
“There’s a certain advantage of being a novelty.”
I was a Male War Bride
At some point they finally admitted their feelings for each other and decided to get married telling Catherine’s superior (The voice of Lady Tremaine in Disney’s Cinderella!). All this time they were butting heads because they loved each other! Who would have thought! However, because he wasn’t an American citizen, you know, because of how French Cary Grant is, there was a lot of paperwork for him to marry her.
“I’ve come to the conclusion that American men don’t sleep.”
I was a Male War Bride
They finally got married, but in order for him to enter the country, he had to sign more paperwork confirming he’s a war bride. Obviously, despite the unisex language of the paperwork that applies to him as well as a man marrying a female in the military, it’s of course used usually for females marrying men in the military and led to a lot of mishaps. One of which was him dressing up as a woman in order to board the ship. When the misunderstanding is fixed, he then gets to sleep with his wife. But he had to go through all this crap because he has a bad temper and it was Catherine who encouraged him to do better.
In all the movies I saw, the women play a huge roll in the men’s character.
Despite this series being about how masculinity shows up in chick flicks, it was extremely hard for me to separate how masculinity is portrayed without noticing the expectations of femininity given that it was their influence that challenged and encouraged these men to grow or change in the first place. There’s all this talk about women in these old movies being the perfect “trad” wife. A woman who can cook, clean, sew, have children and maybe I’ll see that in the 50s, but from what I’ve seen up until this point, the expectations of the 40s on femininity weren’t that. In fact, it’s not even in the 30s either. From what I gather, a well respected woman in the 30s and 40s had a housekeeper to do all that stuff. It was a huge talking point in several of the war movies about learning to cook and letting go of the housekeeper because they couldn’t afford it because of the war. Not necessarily a slob, but you get my point. It feels like it was just expected that only the lower/lower middle class didn’t have one.
Was this actually the case? Did everyone in the 30s and 40s have a housekeeper? NO CLUE! But, in the movies, cleaning and cooking wasn’t what defined femininity. The aspects of femininity that they showcased and appeared to value had more to do with her character as a person.
Rebecca is a good example of what I mean. In Rebecca, the second Mrs. De Winter, a young woman in her 20s, spent the entire movie comparing herself to the former Mrs. De Winter Rebecca. Because everyone loved her. They talked about how clever she was. How vivacious she was. How beautiful she was. How charming she was. EVERYONE loved her and this little lady was her exact opposite so Maxim must be comparing her to Rebecca all the time.
Promise me you’ll never wear black satin, or pearls, or be 36 years old.
Rebecca
How does she know this? Oh, she just assumed it because everyone else was. It didn’t help that he was usually broody and got angry at even the mention of her name. And everyone assumed he was broody because he still missed Rebecca. The truth? Well, in the book he’s broody because she made his life miserable and he killed her for it. In the movie though, he’s broody because she made his life miserable and he covered up her death because she died by accident and was sure that he would be implicated as her murderer.
It’s gone forever. That funny young lost look I loved. It won’t ever come back. I killed it….”
Rebecca
Rebecca had pretended to be pregnant only for it to be revealed that she actually had cancer and had hoped that Maxim would kill her. He really loved the second Mrs. De Winter for her innocence and sincerity. Something Rebecca never had. And he had to go and ruin it.
The key thing in the movies I’ve watched thus far is the importance of being charming, beautiful and intelligent, but the second Mrs. De Winter wasn’t valued because of how charming or intelligent she was, but of her innocence and gentleness.
Another movie that showcases the feminine expectations at the time is Mr. Skeffington. Mr. Skeffington is about Fannie, Bette Davis, who had dozens of suitors when a Mr. Job Skeffington showed up the home she shared with her brother Trippy to talk to him about how he’d been stealing money for the race tracks. Because of her brother’s transgressions, Fannie then made it her mission to capture Mr. Skeffington and possibly marry him. Which she did. So, for the majority of their marriage, she still continued to have suitors come in and out. None of which won her in any way and Job justified this as her just being too kind.
I think this sort of employer/employee relationship is most progressive. If there were more like it there would be no need for those socialists on street corners.
Mr. Skeffington
Over time though after having a child and after her brother went off to war during world war 1 and died in action, she became resentful and more hateful. This led Job to cheat on her and she used this as an excuse to divorce him. He gave her half of everything he had (which was more than was expected) and they both decide their little girl would be happier with him…. despite him deciding to go to Europe to work… when the Nazi’s were starting to come into power. Over time, Fannie developed diphtheria after her own recklessness and the illness physically ages her. She realized that her worth was only in her looks and no one really loved her. Her daughter left her side to be married to one of her former suitors and she found herself hallucinating Job. At her lowest, her cousin Georgie came and told her to help Job who had come back to New York (where they were located) after being in a concentration camp now completely broke. Georgie had brought him to see her and she realized he was blind. She was immediately overcome with concern and helped him. Georgie commenting that she has never looked more lovely.
The main theme of this movie that was stressed multiple times was that a woman is only beautiful if she is loved and she can only be loved if she in turn loves.
Last one! In contrast to all the other war movies, Since You Went Away, followed the emotional affects of the war at home. We follow Anne and her two daughters Jane and Bridgette (Shirley Temple) as they got along without “Pop” or Tim who went off to war. Through food shortages and only a certain amount of food vouchers. In order to make ends meet, they decided to take in a “roomer” and rent out a room to a grumpy old colonel.
Shortly afterward, a family friend Tony, a ladies man, came to stay with them. Jane, a senior in high school had the biggest crush on him, but he still had feelings for Anne. The woman he couldn’t have. Around this time, the Colonel’s grandson, Bill, came to see his grandfather to tell him he’d enlisted and would be going to the front. Colonel rebuffs him, viewing him as a pansy, but him and Jane became friends. He was immediately smitten with Jane, but Jane could only see Tony. Who’s her father’s age, but whatever. Right before Tony went overseas, he told Jane she had a lot of growing up to do and would probably fall in love while he was gone.
“Get one of them Japs for me!” *squints eyes and pulls eyelids sideways.*
Since YOu Went Away
While Tony is gone, Jane finished high school and instead of going to college, she decided up become a nurse’s aid and as she spent time with Bill during his training, she fell in love with Bill. Right before he left for the front, they promised to get married when he got home…. only for him to die in action. But not before gaining the love and respect of his grandpa.
Colonel: “What exactly was the experimentation with this cake?” Fidelia: “I tried something new. I bought it.”
Since You Went Away
All while this is going on, Anne was in a daze missing Tim. He went into training and eventually ended up overseas and this made her even more nervous. They all learn eventually that he was missing in action and this made Anne even more depressed, but inspired by her daughters and ashamed of her country club friends who hadn’t been doing anything but complaining, she became a welder to help the the war cause and met a woman who immigrated to the country to escape the war.
“You are what I thought America was….”
Since you Went Away
Tony returned to find Jane and Anne changed and told Anne about his feelings and she told him that he didn’t love her, but had all this time romanticized her because she was taken by his best friend. Then they learn on Christmas Eve that their father was safe and was coming home.
There was a lot the families at home that had to endure by waiting. The main thing that set these women apart was how hard they strived to make the most of the situation they were in and help when they could. Shirley Temple’s Bridget, character collecting trash, Jane becoming a nurse’s aid, and Anne becoming a welder, but ultimately loving and listening to those around them that needed them.
All this rambling could probably be summed up by something talked about in the very first film I watched; “The Philadelphia Story. A main theme talked about was Tracy and Dexter’s boat the “True Love”. Both Tracy and Dexter thought fondly of it and called it “Yar” but it ended up developing dry rot much like their relationship. At the end of the movie, Tracy promised to be “Yar” much like that little boat was.
What does “Yar” mean? Well, as Tracy put it it means “Easy to handle, quick to the helm”.
One could probably cynically read this to mean “submissive” They wanted a woman who was submissive to man. But I’m not exactly sure that would be completely right. There were quite a few women in these movies who weren’t. Snapshot and Catherine Gates being two that come to mind. No. I take it to mean someone who is humble and rolls with the punches. Each of the women in the women in these movies was different and had different strengths, but each of them held this in common. They responded well to conflict.
What we can learn about masculinity from the 40s is that a man comes with flaws. There’s no doubt about that. But a man worth while too must be yar and it’s listening and having good women (and men) in their lives to encourage that makes each struggle and flaw easier.
I don’t know if we will end up having World War 3 in the near future. But watching all these movies about the last one has made me wonder if our current generation is yar enough to handle it. Could we really handle all the death, destruction, and turmoil I learned about these past few weeks? Honestly … I’m not going to argue for or against it either way.
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