Fri., November 3, 1933 - Up at 6:00 and at school by seven again this morning. Yesterday and today are the first mornings I've walked to school this year. Mrs. Behmer brings Charlotte later. Annie and Ola came after me after supper. We stopped at Charlie Jochens so I might get my check. We were at Meta and Lyle's awhile, too.
Sat., November 4, 1933 - Mother sewed at Chas. Misfeldt's today. I was going to Norfolk on the train today to cash my check, but the train was three hours late so I didn't get to go. Mother and I went to the show tonite. We saw "The Warrior's Husband", a picture about the Amazon women of ancient times. Howard was up home a few minutes after we got back from the show. Got some new library books for school.
Sun., November 5, 1933 - I taught Mrs. Weible's class today. Seven adults were confirmed today and taken into the church. Alma and Gerald were down this afternoon while I was making candy and correcting examination papers. Howard and I went to the show at Wayne tonite. We saw Janet Gaynor in "Paddy", a good show.
Here are the two movie plots and some trivia:
The Warrior's Husband, a comedy (from wikipedia.org): The Broadway play of the year before is considered as one of the breakthrough roles of Katharine Hepburn. The film version was made with an entirely different cast and music.
In Pontus, the land of the Amazons, the gender roles and natures are completely reversed. Women are the strong sex, thanks to the sacred girdle of the goddess Diana (Roman names are used). It is in the care of queen Hippolyta and her sister Antiope, the commander of the female armed forces. The men stay at home and take care of the children. Only Sapiens, the new husband of queen Hippolyta, advocates men's rights.
Just like the relationships are reversed, so too are the Greeks for the Amazons a legendary race that probably doesn't exist, instead of the other way around. This is about to change when two Greeks come to court to announce that Hercules needs to get the girdle of Diana to complete his twelve labours. In reality, Hercules may not be much of a threat, but his friend Theseus certainly is. Meanwhile, Sapiens, using his male wiles, is secretly trying to wreck the Amazon's defense from within. Eventually he manages to capture Hercules, and let him escape with the girdle. Without it, the Amazons lose the battle and relations go back to normal.
Hmmmm. I am hoping the plot summary doesn't do the movie or the play justice because it really does not sound like much of a comedy.
Paddy (from a 1933 New York Times review): That mischievous but lovable colleen, Paddy Adair, of Gertrude Page's novel, "Paddy the Next Best Thing," is now to be seen in all her prankish moods on the screen of the Radio City Music Hall. Janet Gaynor plays this rôle and it is one of the best she has had during her motion picture career. Another advantage enjoyed by this production is the casting of Warner Baxter, who was teamed with Miss Gaynor in a version of "Daddy Long Legs," in the leading male part.
Thousands of persons were on hand to witness the first showing of this film yesterday morning and how they laughed at Paddy's successful strategy and her disregard for the truth when it suited her purposes! It is a simple little Irish romance in which the comedy is gentle and natural. All the incidents are set forth in an effortless fashion and the Hollywood conception of scenes of the Emerald Isle are extraordinarily good.
Miss Gaynor puts her heart into her work and she laughs and pouts prettily. The lines she speaks were written by Edwin Burke, who was responsible for the dialogue of "Bad Girl." Soon after Paddy is introduced, the little boat in which she is sailing capsizes and the smiling colleen is left, as she expresses it, "standing in a puddle." She is rescued by Lawrence Blake (Mr. Baxter), who, be it known, is on his way to the Adair home to propose to Paddy's sister, Eileen. It is not long afterward that Paddy looks upon Blake as an ogre, for she knows that Eileen is in love with Jack Breen, and only has consented to marry Blake because he is wealthy and can help her impecunious father.
Paddy therefore undertakes to break the engagement between Eileen and Blake and, in one of the scenes, she naively tries to see how close two pairs of lips—her own and those of the handsome Blake—can come to each other without kissing. She soon discovers and is warmly embraced by Blake. Eileen, who is presumed to know nothing of Paddy's plotting, is none too pleased, but, being a loyal daughter, she continues to stand by her promise to become Blake's wife.
Be that as it may, everybody in the audience knows that Paddy, and not Eileen, will eventually become Blake's bride. Thus, it is clear that everybody will be happy, for Eileen can wed Jack Breen.
Among the many ingratiating episodes is one in which Blake and Paddy are beheld in a railway coach. Blake has arranged that Paddy has no time for breakfast when she leaves Dublin and he also sees to it that her purse is empty. Moreover, he takes a place in the same compartment with Paddy and, after inviting her to partake of some food, an offer which is refused, he orders a table with appetizing dishes brought to him Paddy is famished, but she will not humble herself by accepting a morsel from the artful Mr. Blake. He pretends later to be asleep and, as the waiter has not removed the table. Paddy stealthily steals a chop from a plate and pecks at it, with her face partly covered by her overcoat. Blake, however, misses very little of all this.
Mr. Baxter performs very nicely. Walter Connolly is excellent as Paddy's father, Major Adair. Joseph Kerrigan is capable as one of the Major's creditors.
At the opening exhibition the sound of the voices was far from clear, but this defect was remedied in subsequent screenings of the production.
Another hmmmmm -- I need to go look up the meaning of impecunious.
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