Red Hollywood Page #7

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Yes, I know, you told me!

No, I mean I'm the President

of the United States!

Miss White? Will you

come in the office?

Yes, sir.

Come in, come in.

Miss White, William tells me

you've been married.

You know Rule Four

of this company,

because of the current

economic conditions,

the Accountex Corporation

does not employ married women.

Well, yes, but I...

It's a rule I can't violate.

I should like to in

your case, but a rule

broken ceases to be a rule.

But what's wrong

about getting married?

Nothing, my dear.

Marriage is a splendid

thing for young people.

However, I feel strongly that

when a man enters marriage

he should be in a position to

support his wife, and William

seems to agree with me.

Don't you William?

Well, yes, of course, but...

Beyond that is

the fact that with

millions of men out of work,

it isn't right for married

women to take their jobs.

But I'm not

taking anything...

Please let me finish.

You both know

that I disapprove

strongly of employees

going out together after

business hours.

Aside from that, I cannot

allow this office

to be disrupted by a married

couple working here.

But Mr. Beamis, if you'd

only stop to consider...

I should like to make an

exception in your case,

but as I said before,

a rule broken

ceases to be a rule.

These rules are

made by the corporation,

they affect me as

much as they do you.

Make out a final check

for one week for Miss White.

Miss Margery White.

Let's think of it as a

little wedding gift.

And now that

the disagreeable part is over,

I want to wish both

of you every

success in your marriage.

NARRATOR:
During the war, both

single women and married women

were welcomed

into the work force.

Now middle-class

women could work

together and live together.

Yet in 1947,

Dalton Trumbo's espousal

of communal living was

held up as an example

of Communist subversion.

Nobody's got a room big

enough to hold four people

without using a shoe horn,

Maybe we could have

it at my new place.

That is, I'm hunting

for a new one.

How much are

you planning to pay?

Well, I'm paying 20 now,

I thought maybe for 35

I could get something

that'd be nice.

For 35 you'll

still have a rabbit hutch.

You know, all of us together,

we put out a lot of money

each month for rent.

What do you pay, Helen?

Twenty-two fifty.

I pay 18.

What about you, Barbara?

Thirty-two fifty. You see,

I like gaudy things.

Zero, five, ten, one to carry

eight, nine, 11, 13,

three, one to carry,

four, five, seven, nine...

Ninety-three bucks!

How do you like that?

Ninety-three bucks for

a bunch of rat holes.

Why, for that kind of dough we

can have a real house,

with a dining room and

a kitchen and a living room,

and a bedroom a piece,

and furnished.

Furnished how?

Well, just as

well as you have now.

And maybe with a fireplace.

Oh, I'm so sick of warming

my feet in front of

a gas jet, I could almost bawl

every time I see one

of the darned things.

What do you think

of the idea, Helen?

It might work,

but it's only fair to

point out that we're

all different people,

and there might be...

A clash of

personalities occasionally.

We'd have to find some

way of adjusting any

disputes that might come up.

Well, that ought to be simple.

We could take a vote.

We could run

the joint like a democracy.

And if anything comes up,

we'll just call a meeting.

Oh, gee, kids

that'd be wonderful!

Oh, for instance,

now the four of us

have two cars,

two sets of tires wearing out.

We could sell one car

and use the other on a share

and share alike basis.

And we could, oh, we

could just do lots of things.

How about it, kids, let's take

a vote on it right now, okay?

Everybody in favor,

say aye!

ALL BUT BARBARA:
Aye!

What about you, Barbara?

Hmm?

Well, say aye!

Aye.

The motion is

carried unanimously.

(SIREN BLARING)

Look, We'll all get together

right after work

this afternoon

and start hunting, huh?

NARRATOR:
After the war,

the problem

was reversed again,

how to get women out of

the factories and offices

and back into the home.

Good morning, darling.

How do you like

your civilian husband?

Oh, you're beautiful.

I'll bet you tell that

to all the boys.

Now you go back to sleep,

it's only 7:
00.

Seven o'clock? I'll be ready

in five minutes!

Ready for what?

For work!

Oh, no, you don't.

Your working days are over.

Oh, no they're not.

We haven't landed

that Townley account yet.

(LAUGHS)

I'll handle

the Townley account.

I'll handle

the Townley account!

Now, look, I don't

want my wife...

My campaign will be conducted

during business hours only.

And my business hours

are from nine to five!

Yeah, but now listen to me...

I hope you didn't

use all the hot water!

NARRATOR:
Most movie heroines

offered only token resistance.

Oh, Steve,

aren't you going to...

Oh, darling, I'm so tired

of being a businesswoman.

I've been thinking,

about staying

home for a little while.

For 50 years to be exact!

Oh, baby!

Have you got my ring?

Yeah, but...

I promise never to

take it off again!

With this ring...

BOTH:
I thee wed!

I miss that feeling

Of your hand in mine

NARRATOR:
In the years that

followed the war,

corporate America

launched a nationwide campaign

to discourage middle-class

women from working,

correctly assuming that

idle housewives would

make more active consumers.

In Smash Up, two Communist

screenwriters subverted

a major Hollywood genre,

the weepie,

to expose the psychic toll

taken by this covert

social engineering.

Steve.

Hey, Ken's here.

Where?

Outside.

The band folded, Angel.

I grabbed the first

bus out of Scranton.

Oh, Ken...

Ken, how do you feel?

I feel fine, now.

We have so much to

talk about, we're going

home right this minute!

What about your job?

You're my job at

the moment, darling.

I just hate to see

a really promising career

interfered with, that's all.

Mike, girls do get married.

What did you say?

Married, Ken and I.

(HUMMING)

Angie, Angie,

I've got a job.

Station WNET,

15 minutes at 6:
00.

Six o'clock?

That's a wonderful time!

Yeah, I forgot to tell you,

it's 6:
00 in the morning.

Oh, well, that's

wonderful too.

Well, it means you

can quit working.

Close your eyes

my little darling

'Cause it's

time to drift away

This is the best there is.

I know it.

Insidious, isn't it Angie?

What, Mike?

All this leisure, so much

of it makes you realize

what work really meant.

Isn't that so?

You mean I can miss

singing my lungs out

in those gin mills?

Tell me about that

heavenly young man.

What's his new

program to be called?

It's called,

An American Sings.

I'm so glad you like him.

Well, thanks.

As you all know,

this party was to have

you meet Ken Conway.

Now, I'd like to introduce you

to the one and only person

responsible for his success,

his charming

and talented wife,

Angelica Conway!

WOMAN:

I'll have another drink.

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