I love this film; I think it may be one of my most favourite ever films. Sometimes when life is a bit serious and there has been grotty things at work and it is clear the world is a horrid place, that is when I watch a musical. I like big dresses, women with tiny waists, bunnies in the field and absolutely not a semblance of reality.
But – this film still should have had a spanking in it.
Think about i t- seven girls holed up in one cabin all winter. This scene here should never have ended with Milly wandering in and sorting it out. No way would that have happened. All six brothers (number seven was off sulking and Milly was always too good to get spanked) should have strided in and sorted them out.
There are plenty of other opportunities too.
When the girls are first kidnapped (it is a musical, kidnappings are perfectly acceptable in musicals) they are understandably miffed with their abductors and they communicate this wonderfully.
The girls tip snow on their beaus, throw water on them and, in the case of a spirited Julie Newmar (who I know was not called “Newmar” at this point) chucks a snow ball right in her man’s face.
But the pinnacle of the spanking potential comes when the girls’ fathers come a-looking (one has to say “a-looking” when one is writing about this film, it is the law) for their girls and the girls do not want to go back home. Stockholm Syndrome has set in and the girls are desperate to stay. There is a fabulous scene when the girls are chased all over the farm, they run and squeal and are desperate to stay out of the clutches of their lovers. It is all petticoats and scuttling. There is much hiding behind hay and under wagons and the like.
Every last girl is caught and carried into the house by her beau.
I know how that feels (not the petticoats but the scuttling.) And in my life I know how that ends.
The girls should have been spanked, and me, I should not be.
But how lovely to live in that film; that is the film in which I would live. I could wear dresses like that, make bread by hand, cook huge meals for hungry people, have lots of girls to chat with and giggle with and every single one of us would be … caught when needs be.
“Caught” is an acceptable euphemism, isn’t it?
And because it is a musical none of us would get scurvy in the winter months or anything else horrid. Yes, this is the film I want to live in. Once they have sorted out the spanking, that is.
*I did read a few years ago that there was a spanking scene filmed but that it was cut. Sigh.
What film would you live in? And, of course, you may make directorial changes at will.
Poppy, when life gets too real, a little fantasy can help a lot, you can't beat the old musical movies for sheer get away from it all.
If I could live in a musical it would be Oklahoma, looking back, so much spanking potential.
Did you enjoy the birthday party, I do hope so.
Have a good week-end.
Warm hugs,
Paul.
Oh I had forgotten all about this film, one I watched many times as a teen! It's so much fun!
Poppy, you make an excellent point that a spanking or seven should have happened in this film. Haven't seen it in years and I want to thank you for reminding me of it as I will watch it with my true love. We watch movies together long distance – we are watching 'The African Queen' tonight – and love the old musicals. We recently watched 'Gigi' and there is a cute one smacker from Louis Jourdan to Leslie Caron.
Hope you had a lovely time at the birthday party.
Poppy, what a wonderful post, and I love your question about what movie we would live in. I would move right in to any old Katharine Hepburn/Spencer Tracy film. Desk Set, maybe, or Adam's Rib. I do think he must have spanked her in at least one of those movies–I'll have to watch again and find out.
I know in their real iife relationship he was quite in charge of her, independent and high-spirited as she was. She found the man who didn't let her walk over him, and then loved him for it.
Oh, wait, on this blit, maybe it should be African Queen. Then I can have Katharine Hepburn, and we'll toss in Bogey for you and Dev! And who wouldn't want to live on a houseboat?
I am sorry to be so tardy, I was (and am still) recovering. I think that lack of sleep gets me as much as anything else.
Paul, I loved the party and Curley did threaten a spanking in Oklahoma. I love that musical, have you see the Hugh Jackman version?
You may not appeciate when he takes his shirt off but I almost fall over every single time.
Sara, you should watch it again and Wicked when you get the chance. I would love them to make a film of Wicked.
Michael, I had the best time! I am glad you two have date nights like that. I have sent Himself a whole group of Bacall and Bogart films for us to watch. Squeal!
Scarlet, I never even knew they were together! Am I a total dunderhead? I am just about to read about Bacall and Bogart and then I may have to move onto to Tracey & Hepburn. My film education is lacking. I wonder if Himself will teach me? Perfect about African Queen, except I would like a slightly more comfort ridden boat. I will put that in the re-write.
I love that film Poppy, forgotten all about it and yes your right I think there should have been spanking in it.
Hope your party went well.
Love,
Ronnie
xx
I think if everyone watched a musical every now and then the world would be a better place.
I need lots of tea.
And a big bowl of chili.
I have both almost ready.
What film would we live in? 'My Fair Lady.'
Only I would teach you to speak Texan or at least American, and if you don't behave and work hard, I'll wallop you instead of Mrs. Pierce, and Col. Pickering will be played by Michael (I think Michael already is Pickering to a great extent) and when I say, "Poppy, fetch my slippers" you will but you won't like it at ALL because you know what I do with slippers to your bare bottom when you get out of line.
Zoltan Karpathy will be played by Johnny Depp, but so eccentrically that he will actually explode from overacting. Matt Damon will play Freddy Aynsford-Hill. I won't mind your stringing him along for a while. Patrick McNee will play your father, Alfie, and click his tongue in disapproval when he hears you actually pronounce the final R in 'water,'
Hugh Jackman will be playing the aptly named Sir Not Appearing In This Film.
That made me smile lots and lots.
Except the slipper thing. I cannot ever be spanked by a slipper – it makes me shudder to even think of it.
"Poppy, where the devil are my flexi-rulers?"?
Well, all right. I suppose I can make that work.
Glad it made you smile.
Michael and I watched the African Queen together last night and it was wonderful! I haven't seen that in years and found it so much more meaningful now. I also made chili yesterday, Poppy. Must have been the day for it.
What if a movie was made of this blog? Poppy's Submissions could be a blockbuster!
Scarlet – I agree about Hepburn/Tracey movies! In Adam's Rib he does give her one rather strict swat to which she takes quite vocal exception.
I think I might like to live in The Thin Man movies with all the witty conversation and fun-loving teasing. In one of them, The Thin Man Goes Home, William Powell does spank Myrna Loy. It's only with a rolled up newspaper but it is a great scene as he does it in front of his parents and there is discussion about woodsheds and razor straps. She deserved it and is quite humbled afterward.
I love The Thin Man series- I love them! We watched every one of them over Christmas.
Dev, I curse that flexi ruler. It must be destroyed.
Quite right about The Thin Man series, Season, and I always look good in a snap-brim fedora. And the restored versions Poppy got on DVD are excellent – and even more so without long commercial breaks for car dealers and food storage systems, which is how I saw them the first few times on the late, late show.
Poppy, the flexi-ruler stays. And if anything unfortunate happens to it, its replacement will work just fine I'm certain.
Curses.
I really hate that bluming flexi ruler.
And it will not be my fault if there is a very localised tornado.
Poppy the movie I like best for its spanking scene is “Roots of Heaven”, When Madame Orsini boasts of shooting elephants, Morel the man who opposed such thoughts ordered her to be spanked on her bare bottom, and carried out the threat. See it Poppy, you might like it. I know that I did.