Leslie's ailment?
Was it polio?
shareAt first, I also thought it was polio - seeing as it was set in 1938. But, when Albert is bringing flowers to Leslie, he runs into her doctor in the hallway. The doc says, "she needs more than pills to get all alright. As a little girl something happened to her spirit - the thing inside that pills can't reach". So, I would presume it was some psychosomatic trauma that caused her paralysis. The exact cause is never mentioned.
Based on what the doctor says I think Leslie has some sort of mental illness. She suffered some trauma that's left her not unable to walk but unwilling to walk. I thought it might be post traumatic shock but when he says the only way to help her recover is to love her I found that suspect. Maybe they thought that at the time but one cannot 'love' away a mental disorder.
I feel sorry for Jimmy. Leslie is a lot for him to have to deal with. It's possible Leslie was actually sick at one point but now she seems to use her 'illness' in a way that's manipulative. She uses it to get what she wants.
She should have ended up with Albert. She could manipulate him and he'd love it. Jimmy clearly wants more out of life than attending to Leslie's every whim. I did not like her at all. I felt Jimmy ends up with her out of pity and obligation rather than love or devotion. If that weren't the case, Albert wouldn't have had to go to such lengths to get him to go to her.
Woman, man! That's the way it should be Tarzan. [Tarzan and his mate]