Code words

May 10, 1932 - Lovely day.  Corrected and gave back exam papers today.  Played marbles the 1st recess with the little kids.  Went to Nurnberg's tonite.  Looked at flowers etc. before supper and after supper looked at pictures, talked and worked puzzles.  Got a letter from Florence Jenkins today.
May 11, 1932 - Harry, Minnie and I went to school before George this a.m.  Made health posters today.  Sent home the list of what each family should bring to the picnic.  Called up the others this eve.  Walked down to the field where Raymond was working and told him.  Went to town this eve. and got some lemons, etc. for picnic.  Also went to choir practice.
May 12, 1932 - George and Delmar weren't at school today.  We sorted and put the books up on the shelves.  Picked up around the schoolyard.  Made out report cards and parts of other reports.  Went to Norfolk this eve.  Saw Richard Bartholomew in "Alias the Doctor."  The "slobbering sisters" went with Maas' and the "scrubs" with G. Jochens.  Went to Trano's.  We measured booths, switched places, had malted milks upset, etc.  Helen Rhuday's birthday.

Bartholomew sounded perfectly fine to me, but in looking for information on the movie itself, I found Grandma was incorrect.  The actor was Richard Barthelmess, someone I had never heard of.  Seems he was kind of a big deal, and was one of the founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to boot.  A little more from wikipedia:

     Russian actress Alla Nazimova, a friend of the family, had been taught English by Barthelmess's mother.Nazimova convinced Barthelmess to try acting professionally and he made his debut screen appearance in 1916 in the serial Gloria's Romance as an uncredited extra. At this time he also appeared as a supporting player in several films starring Marguerite Clark. His next role, in War Brides opposite Nazimova, attracted the attention of legendary director D.W. Griffith, who offered him several important roles, finally casting him opposite Lillian Gish in Broken Blossoms (1919) and Way Down East (1920).

     He soon became one of Hollywood's highest paid performers, starring in such classics as The Patent Leather Kid (1927) and The Noose (1928); he was nominated for Best Actor at the first Academy Awards for his performance in both these films, and he won a Special Citation for producing The Patent Leather Kid. He founded his own production company, Inspiration Film Company, together with Charles Duell and Henry King. One of their films, Tol'able David (1921), in which Barthelmess starred as a teenage mailman who finds courage, was a major success.

     With the advent of the sound era, Barthelmess' fortunes changed. He made several films in the new medium, most notably Son of the Gods (1930), The Dawn Patrol (1930), The Last Flight (1931), and The Cabin in the Cotton (1932), Central Airport (1933), and a supporting role as Rita Hayworth's character's husband in Only Angels Have Wings (1939).


     Barthelmess failed to maintain the stardom of his silent film days and gradually left entertainment. He enlisted in the United States Navy Reserve during World War II, served as a lieutenant commander, and never returned to film, preferring instead to live off his investments.

Impressive stuff, but the summary of the movie does not make me want to rush out and find it, however:

     Karl is the workaholic adopted son while Stephan is the lazy one. They both go to Munich to study medicine and Karl is at the top of the class while Stephan is barely passing. When Stephan's actions causes the death of Anna, Karl is the one who takes the wrap and three years in prison. When he gets out, he finds Stephan is dead and a sick child needs an operation and he does brilliant surgery. This gets him noticed and his mother tells them that he is Stephan Brenner, not Karl Brenner. She tells Karl that he must cure sickness in the world. But, being that he is Stephan, he can no longer marry Lottie, as she is now his sister.

The movie poster is lovely, don't you think?

Enough of movie stuff -- what in the world is Grandma referring to with "slobbering sisters" and "scrubs" and such?  I wonder if she would have remembered from that far back if we would have had the chance to ask her.