I know you don't "see it" cos you're a guy. LOL But years ago, women wore undergarments that were quite uncomfortable. That was just the way things were. I know this is going waaaay back, but I remember when I first read "Gone With the Wind", Scarlett was my age (16) and it was very important for her to be laced into a corset so she'd have a 16 inch waist. I thought she was nuts! Pantaloons, corset, corset cover, stockings,petticoats,etc. And that was in the HOT summer south. In the summer I wore little more than shorts, a top and sandals. Back then, the way people dressed, specifically women, was dictated by custom and culture. Comfort had little to do with it.
You remember Lucy and the Loving Cup? She wanted Ethel to take her on the subway. Ethel refused to go until she changed out of her jeans. She said she'd never wear them in public.
However I will admit that Madam X should've been dressing more comfortably for a quick getaway.
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[email protected] (1732)
4 years ago
Scarlett O'Hara was a feminine woman, who wanted to be seen as a woman and was wearing a corset for
a DRESS.
In any case, there really is no argument, as we're talking about a fictional character (Madame X). But I
still feel the cop's line ("saw her take a hitch at her girdle") is just silly. It isn't funny, and it doesn't feel
real to what this kind of woman was up to (robing homes in a man's clothing - not attending a dance
in a gown).
As for the series itself, I would bet that both Ball and Vance wore girdles. Often.
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[email protected] (5490)
4 years ago
Oh I didn't mean to imply that women should be wearing corsets too! But actually, the type of clothes that Scarlett and other women wore required corsets. There's a line in the book after Scarlett gave birth to Bonnie Blue. Her maid is trying to squeeze her waist into a corset and Scarlett says that if she can't get it down to 18 inches, she won't fit into any of her dresses.
Still, women wore girdles to work when I was a teen-ager. I had a summer job at a lunch counter and one day I remember my boss saying that her girdle was killing her. She wasn't in a gown or dress. She was in a waitress uniform.
Ethel definitely mentions wearing a girdle. I think it was in the episode when they were practicing how to curtsy for the Queen. I think that's when Ethel says that she can't get into her good dress without a girdle but she can't curtsy with a girdle on.
I just don't know what else the cop could have said to reveal the fact that it was a woman. He could've said that she stopped to check her make-up in her compact, but that would've been even sillier.
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[email protected] (1732)
4 years ago
Well, they couldn't get away then with the most obvious way to say it: "She has breasts!"
Isn't Ethel wearing a girdle under her coat in the opening scene of "Lucy's Schedule?"
As for your waitress boss, I'm sure her "uniform" was a dress! That's what all waitresses
wore then (before being called just "servers.").
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[email protected] (5490)
4 years ago
No, actually her "uniform" was pants. I used to wear a dress. But most of the other women wore those white uniform pants that were just getting popular. They were a lot more comfortable because that way you didn't need pantyhose. I finally gave in and started wearing them too.
Another dated type of line was whenever Lucy introduced herself as "Mrs. Ricky Ricardo". Or when she "missed the boat", Ricky had her paged like that. You rarely hear women introducing themselves that way.
Coincidentally, I was just going through my six season Bewitched episodes and a similar thing happened when Sam went to the hospital to deliver her baby.
Darrin introduced himself and Sam to the nurse as "Mr. and Mrs. Darrin Stephens."
I thought, "WHY on earth is he giving his name? He's not the patient! Samantha is!"
He should have said that her obstetrician had reserved a room for Samantha Stephens.
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[email protected] (1732)
4 years ago
Very true! And speaking of lines one simply doesn't understand, how about: "Drag the bull
into the ring and laugh in his face!" HOW is that supposed to mean a lean hamburger with
no onions?"
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[email protected] (5490)
4 years ago
LOL or "Adam and Eve on a raft, wreck 'em!" I can understand 'wreck 'em' to mean scrambled eggs. But what's the significance of Adam and Eve when it comes to ordering eggs? One of the gals I worked with at the aforementioned restaurant would call them "hen fruit".
The "laugh in his face" part probably means that when you peel onions they can make you cry. So, no onions, no crying.
Some of the lines spoken on ILL regarding women's appearance or weight would get you in trouble with the P.C. police today. Nowadays, you can't mention weight because it's "fat shaming".
Some of the events on ILL are rather dated too. Lucy and Ethel often talk about their bridge games and getting together "with the girls" for bridge. I don't know any women who have the time or the inclination to get together to play cards all afternoon.
Another episode that feels dated is when the fellas spent all evening watching the fights and Lucy and Ethel sat in the kitchen bored. If that was today, both women would be on their phones texting or talking,...or.... on the computer like us!
Actually it felt dated to me when I saw the episode back in the sixties. My dad watched football for hours on the weekend and my mom never felt neglected or lonely. She did her own thing. She had her own pursuits.
Her one negative comment was to walk through the living room and ask, "Is this crap STILL on?"
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ProductionNow (1072)
4 years ago
I'm surprised the topic was ongoing for so long..the girdle really doesn't make sense since women wore one for a reason. It was customary, but the custom was to enhance yourself and flatter your curves. A female robber in the middle of the night doesn't apply; she has nobody to look more enhanced for (except herself). Unless wearing one was a very thoughtless-reflex, I don't see it either.
On that note: this actress looked 3 inches and 30 lbs lighter than Vance, and Lucy thinks it's Ethel. Lucy is sparring, laying on the robber, and doesn't sense the fact.
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