MovieChat Forums > Penny Serenade (1941) Discussion > That stupid hand written letter spoiled ...

That stupid hand written letter spoiled the movie -SPOILER

posted 16 years ago by spotlightne
25 replies | jump to latest

I was really enjoying this movie until the final scenes when the letter was sent informing the death of the little girl.

I struggled to read the slanted hand written words, and only managed to decypher 'ill'. When the woman cried I presumed the girl had died but I wasn't sure.

Later we saw the girl wasn't there, but I was still puzzled what had gone on.

It was only Cary Grant telling us in very mixed-up language that the girl had been ill and died suddenly.

I thought this was a very bad moment in the movie. What should have been done was when the woman was reading the letter, a voice of the 'mother' should have been heard reading out the words too.

What do others think?

[–] abs_is_back 10 years ago

It's called penmanship, and you find it in many movies of this era.

How insulting, blaming a movie from 1941 for not predicting that 70 years later no one would be taking pride in penmanship and would need everything read out loud to them or lose the plot.

We're so used to computers and print now that people rarely write actual letters anymore, and fewer still write in cursive. But don't blame the movie for that; it's like complaining about "bad" special effects and wondering why they didn't use CGI. Sheesh.

[–] richard.fuller1 10 years ago

I didn't care for the kid's death being delivered in a letter like that, but oddly enough, I'll take a different stance and say that there seems to be attempts in old movies like this to stand as far away as possible from subjects such as kids dying, or pets, and this letter seemed to have completely removed the child actress from having to do a death scene.

It isn't always done (note Pud in On Borrowed Time with Lionel Barrymore) but I have seen it approached like this elsewhere.

But I didn't enjoy this. It just seems to be thinking people will be too upset to see a death scene with a little girl, or even have her in bed with the illness and coughing.

[–] bthrock 9 years ago

There was nothing wrong with that handwriting. It was as clear and tidy as it could possibly be. Don't blame the movie.

[–] JackBluegrass 9 years ago

Cursive writing (what our genius calls stupid hand written letter) was taught in schools of the era. It was the mark of an educated child. The director and editor decided how long to leave the writing on screen for the audience to read it, knowing that a "voice-over" was totally unnecessary, and just for sissies anyway.

E pluribus unum

[–] efrankvalli 9 years ago

I saw this in the theatre (Stanford Theatre) with a beautiful print, large and clear and day and it was still very difficult to read. It's just a different time really, and folks don't use cursive much anymore except for writing their signature. Certainly it was more easily decipherable when the movie was originally released.

[–] lizcarlo87 9 years ago

It was not difficult for me to read. It's beautiful movie.

[–] mdonln 8 years ago

I didn't have problems reading the letter either but that's probably because I have it on DVR and could pause it if I needed. I can read and write in cursive but it is harder to figure out some words because, by nature, the letters all run into each other. I can see how someone who was unfamiliar with that way of writing could have a more difficult time reading it.

That said I don't think it could have been done better any other way. That's how personal letters were written in those days. Showing a death notice in the newspaper or printed in some other way wouldn't have made sense or been as heartbreaking.

Also, I suspect attempts were made to do a voice-over but it would be very hard to get the right tone. Obviously, it couldn't be lighthearted. Julia was in pain after losing her child; she would probably have been sobbing as she wrote the letter but that would be even harder to understand what was happening if she was sobbing. I don't see how a voice-over would have been more effective.

Woman, man! That's the way it should be Tarzan. [Tarzan and his mate]

[–] FibberMcGee73 7 years ago

I love the film and consider myself intelligent and well schooled. But I genuinely can not read any of the letter at all! I always struggle reading other people's handwriting but in this case, I cant understand a single word!!

Could some kind soul PLEASE transcribe it here?

[–] k925 7 years ago

Here's the letter

Dear Miss Oliver:

Another Christmas is with us - so soon. It seems like yesterday that our little Trina was in her first Christmas play.
[...]

happened to us.

Less than three weeks ago Trina was here, looking to Roger and me for love and shelter and food and clothing with the helplessness of the very young. Now she does not need us.

A sudden, brief, hopeless illness, and she was gone. Nothing can ever take Trina away from us, we said that day so long ago when she was finally ours. But we had forgotten about
[...]

Since the night of Trina's death, we have been like strangers to one another. I don't know what to do. -- It seems as if there is nothing between us any more.

I've tried to talk to him, but he does not wish to listen. He is punishing himself, not realizing that he is also punishing me.

[–] FibberMcGee73 7 years ago

Many thanks K925!

That's a great big help and all makes sense now. Much appreciated ?

[–] northpole81 (135) 4 years ago

Lucky me who had Swedish subtitles while watching, I'd never be able to decipher what that letter said either!

[–] JepGambardella (466) 2 years ago

I realise this is a very old discussion, but I will give my two cents anyway: maybe it’s not just a matter of being able to read the handwriting; it is very possible that when the movie was shown on TV before the advent of high definition it really was very hard or even impossible to read.

I watched it on HD and had no trouble reading it.