What is the red tube in the brown bag?
..that her mom finds and freaks out about.
shareThat's what I'd like to know. Hopefully someone can explain it.
shareIt's for washingout your lady parts, what we call a douch now
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MovieChat Forums > Rachel, Rachel (1968) Discussion > What is the red tube in the brown bag?
"Douche bag" is not simply an insult. In the days before ready-made disposable "feminine hygiene" douches at the drugstore, to cleanse themselves internally a woman would mix vinegar and water in a rubber bag. The bag had a rubber tube coming out of it with a nozzle at the end and the woman would hang the bag up on something (the robe hook on the back of a bathroom door, for example), insert the nozzle into her vagina and release the stream of water.
When the mother saw the rubber bag (all you see on screen is the tube coming out of the paper bag) she knew her daughter had been washing herself internally, and rightly concluded she'd been having sex, and being prudish, was extremely upset. Rachel is upset when she realizes she forgot to put the bag back exactly where her mother had left it.
Nick, the guy Rachel was fooling around with, wrongly concluded that washing (douching) after sex would stop Rachel from getting pregnant. I have to point out that since Nick knew at the outset that he was going to try to have sex with Rachel, he could have bought condoms! In 1968, when the film was made, he would have caused a lot of notice buying condoms in a small town, but you know, he could have gone to another town and bought them there. Yes, adults did feel they had to sneak around about such things back then.
Thanks for clearing that up. I wasn't sure what that was either (it looked like a hooka pipe). Just watched it on TCM, great movie. I have two other questions: can someone explain what Nick meant when he pulled the picture of himself (or his brother) and made a comment about not being God? Also, when Rachel called his house later in the film and spoke to his mother, she seemed to be in shock when the mother said that he didn't have a family. Did she think he was married? Thanks.
shareI just watched it on TCM as well. I agree that it's an amazing movie. My guess is that he held up the picture of his brother to show that he couldn't save his brother from dying. At one point, Nick mentions that it should have been him in the grave, which I think helps explain what he means with the picture. I could be wrong, but that's the way I saw it.
As for the second question, I'm not sure. I didn't notice that she looked especially shocked when Nick's mother said that he didn't have a family. Maybe she was still in shock that he left without saying goodbye. Perhaps she was hoping that he had a family emergency with his wife or kids and that's why he left so suddenly. Maybe she was looking for a reason why he wouldn't want to be with her. Ultimately, though, I'm not sure of the answer to this question.
Hope this helps.
Nick carried a picture of himself in his wallet as a ruse to fool women
who wanted a relationship with him. He waved it at Rachel, who asked, "Yours?"
(Is that your son?) and he said, "Yes," and didn't offer any more explanation.
She assumed, of course, that he had a family, and he let her assume.
Later, after she called his home and discovered that he had no son, and no
wife, she was shocked. She realized later that he had pretended to
misunderstand her question "Yours?" to mean "Is that
your picture?" and that's why he had said "Yes," implying that it was her
fault that she had been mistaken (because most guys, of course, generally carry
childhood pictures of themselves in their wallets). Nice fella.
I'm not crying, you fool, I'm laughing!
Thanks! I figured it was some anti-pregnancy device but wasn't clear on exactly what the implications when the mother found it. And then when Rachel thinks she's pregnant I thought that us viewers might've been clued into that by the usuage of the red tube device.
shareEvery men's room in every gas station or bar room in America in 1968 sold condoms out of handy vending machines in little quarter packages. I remember it well. Yes, no one wanted to ask their small town pharmacist for condoms. But all you had to do was go in the john in the bowling alley or somewhere and you had your pick of "rubbers" or "prophylactics," as we called them, for 25 cents.
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Kudos to you for taking the responsibility to buy condoms at 16 -- and having the bravery to ask the pharmacist for them.
So I assume the condoms were available only at the pharmacy, and only when you asked for them? And did the lady's comment about the embarrassment refer to you or herself?
I can't imagine condoms being off-limits to minors on the logic that they encourage kids to have sex. If anything, they make them think twice about if they're ready. Of course, there are also the vending machines in the men's room where someone inevitably writes: "This gum tastes terrible."
Reminds me of something a girl 'friend' pulled at a pharmacy in some food store chain (pre Walmart) back around 1971. She actually purchased the condoms - asked the clerk behind the counter for them. I should add that she was just a 'friend' - my best friends (a male) 'lover'. Anyhow, the female clerk asked her if she would like them in a bag ? My gal friend replied "No thanks, I'll eat them here". You could have heard a pin drop and she (my friend) just played it poker faced, waited for her change as I watched the jaws drop (along with mine) of all 3 employees behind the counter ! At that time, I was still too embarrassed to ask a clerk for condoms (which were kept behind the counter, not on the shelves like today) and was already freaked enough that I was standing there with her as she requested them. When we got out to the parking lot we both burst out laughing hysterically and I asked her 'what the hell is WRONG with you - how could you do that ?" She was so self conscious while asking for them that when the thought of that line occurred to her, instead of keeping it to herself, she just blurted it out ! I bet that clerk still tells the story to this day as I do ! The real coincidence about reading your line here (gum) is that I lost contact with her for over 25 year and we just re established contact via Facebook the other day.I called her and one of the first memories we reminisced over/about was this one !! She was a 'pisser' back then and still is to this day :-)
ps - I have to tell the rest of the story of that day - my friend was 'on a roll' ! My mom brought us to this store.The gal and I went into the pharmacy while mom did some food shopping. After the condom purchase we went out to the car and she stashed the condoms. We then went back into the store to meet up with my mom. Near the entrance to the store there was a large bathroom area - similar to a Walmarts of today. She stopped to use the bathroom while I waited on a bench just outside of it. She exited the bathroom hysterically laughing. I asked her 'Oh no, what did you do NOW ?"
She flipped the bathroom door back open and pointed to the wall.To my amazement/chagrin, she had written in lipstick in very LARGE letters/numbers "For a good time call " (my name and my parents/my home phone number)" !!
I almost died !! Within a few minutes, while I was chastising her for her actions (we were still both foaming at the mouth hysterically laughing) my mom had checked out and met up with us. After asking what was so funny (?) she then asked us to mind her cart while she used the bathroom !! My friend thankfully had the wherewithal to say "NO ! I was just in there, the bathroom is disgustingly filthy !" and mom decided to wait until we got to 'McDonalds' (which I think was then named 'Carrolls'). What a day, what a pisser she was.
Anyhow, the female clerk asked her if she would like them in a bag ? My gal friend replied "No thanks, I'll eat them here".
First time, I read this I thought "she eats condoms?" But I'm guessing you meant that your friend purchased some food along with the condom and when asked if she would like them all in a bag, she innocently said "No thanks, I'll eat them here"- referring to the food, but could also be taken as a dirty reply.
Am I correct on this? share
Those are hilarious stories, especially the "No thanks, I'll eat them here." I would think the clerks would crack up at a line like that. Seems like a tension-breaker is always a good thing, right?
I don't think I'd be that forgiving (at least not immediately) if someone put my number on the restroom wall. I always assume those are wicked pranks anyway, and the fact that (usually) the person whose number is on the wall is the wrong gender to use the restroom makes it even more vicious.
After getting slightly off topic let's go back.
The red tube and bag were also used as enema bags. Device could be used in any orifice.
You are kidding, right? A small town like that, if a single male bought condoms within 48 hours everyone in town would know...and they already knew who he was 'keeping company' with. No way the respectable main street pharmacy would sell condoms to a minor.
Even in '79 when I worked in a pharmacy my Senior year in high school, the pharmacists would sometimes ask guys who looked young how old they were... or make sure girls were on the register (that discouraged the guys from buying them).
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Very good explanation. I used to be a military pharmacy tech, and sort of got good at explaining such things to husbands when picking up medications for their wives. I think the fact that I"m female added to the uneasiness of the patient's spouse... so I sort of developed a knack for it.
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