Was it written that way just to look 'respectable' to the audience of the times?
"A Grandmother Fred?! An aunt called George??
You HAVE got problems, DM!"
the seperate beds was obvious symbolism (well maybe not so huh?)
of their relationship
this, like any great movie is full of symbols, both in the story and
all the things you don't have time to cover.
some subliminal, some obvious.
many found on subsequent viewings.
I don't think the film audience of the time--1985--would object to a big double bed. Nor do I think it is relevant to the 40s when the story takes place; most married couples shared a double bed at that time.
I am sure it indicates the nature of Lutie's wife; she is very fussy and would probably prefer sleeping alone. It also implies the lack of real warmth in their relationship.
Nor do I think it is relevant to the 40s when the story takes place; most married couples shared a double bed at that time.
I am sure it indicates the nature of Lutie's wife; she is very fussy and would probably prefer sleeping alone. It also implies the lack of real warmth in their relationship.
Jessie Mae also based much of her reality on going to the movies and reading movie magazines at the beauty parlor. In the 1940s all married couples in films slept in twin beds, which for a while were called "Hollywood Beds," due to the production code. This extended into '50s television with couples actually married in real life, like Ozzie and Harriet Nelson and Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball. It stands to reason that Jessie Mae would have wanted such a bed, as seen on screen in that era. It also emphasizes the "separateness" of the couple. How much real romance is going on in that tiny bedroom with Mother Watts just outside the door sleeping on the sofa?
shareI feel it is because Ludie knows they can not afford to have children, even though he desperatly wants some. And he is obviously still attracted to her. So it's probably just an extra precautionary measure.
Notice the longing in Jessie Mae's eyes when she crawls back into bed and hears Ludie state that he IS tired after she inquires.
As much as I dislike her you have to admit that living in those cramped quarters would be difficult.
It used to be the fashion in a lot of marriages back in those days.
shareMy parents were married in 1953 and had twin beds until they finally got a king-size bed and started sleeping together in 1967. It wasn't uncommon for married couples in real life to have separate beds in the same bedroom.
share