MovieChat Forums > Mildred Pierce (1945) Discussion > Help me understand this please....

Help me understand this please....

posted 14 years ago by shanehaynes
9 replies | jump to latest

At the police station when Mildred arrives, she is shocked to see the lady. I'm thinking the lady was Ms. Beetlehoff, the lady Burt was had and affair with and left Mildred for but this doesn't make any sense because I thought Burt and the lady had broken up and the lady had married someonme else.

I distinctly remember at some point in the film I think it was Mildred and her female assistant talking and saying "well what do you know, someone married Mrs. Bettlehoff"

[–] Regina_Giddens 14 years ago

Burt didn't marry anyone else. When they were saying someone had married her, they were talking about the person she married in order to become 'Mrs' Biederhof.

I think. You've got me doubting myself.

But you are, Blanche. You are in that chair!

[–] shanehaynes 14 years ago

Yes, I was thinking the same thing. So why was she at the police station with them if she married someone other than Burt?

[–] gosh717 13 years ago

I'm afraid you are both incorrect. After Mildred hangs up from a phone call from Bert, where she has asked him if Mrs. Biederhof would mind him coming to see her, she and Ida joke that Mrs. Biederhof has gotten married; Bert has told Mildred this on the phone. I would guess that Mrs. B. got tired of waiting around for Bert to marry her (he was probably still too emotionally attached to Mildred to take that step), so she latched on to someone else.

Also, I have no recollection at all of Mrs. B. at the police station, and I've seen this movie a dozen times. Mildred looks shocked & surprised when she first sees her friend/assistant Ida at the police station. Is that what you were thinking of?

[–] DaydreamsGirl 13 years ago

If I remember correctly, the lady at the police station is Ida (Eve Arden) from the restaurant. I believe that Mildred is just surprised to see that the police had called her friend into the station so quickly & probably wonders who else they may have sent to the station for questioning. Seeing Ida there may have made Mildred realize how quickly events were spiraling out of control.

__________
When all is said and done, more is said than done...

[–] 13 years ago

[deleted]

[–] BecJ5 11 years ago

You do remember correctly. That was Ida at the police station - if nothing else, her distinct voice identifies her.

Regarding Mrs. Biederhof, she was Mrs. Biederhof from the beginning of the movie, when she was boffin' Bert while he was married to Mildred. She was either divorced or widowed and kept the "Mrs." When Mildred commented to Ida that "someone had married Mrs. Biederhof," she was no longer Mrs. Biederhof and that was the last we saw of her. She was not at the police station.

[–] butaneggbert 9 years ago

Ms. Beetlehoff

Sorry to pick on a typo, but that cracked me right up. I wonder if she appears when you say her name out loud three times?

[–] Effie21 (105) 3 years ago

I laughed way too hard at this. Lol.

[–] Jes' Sayin' (5958) 7 years ago

I don't think it was ever clear that he WAS having an affair with Ms. Biederhoff. Mildred accused him of it and he got upset and said she has no right to tell him what he could do. Not the same thing. It's possible Ms. Biederhoff was just a kindly friend.