I think I get it now. I've been trying to figure it out and now I understand.
I've been wondering how, in so many movies, there will be a pushy man who insists on dating a woman. He'll even get handsy with her with no real consequences. At most, the woman will call him some names, but it's never with any venom. Her name calling will always be witty and easily dismissable. Then she folds and falls in love.
I was scratching my head. Did she detest those advances or not? But now I know what it is. It's all a part of the mating ritual.
The woman has to respond according to the advances of the man. If he's forward, presumptive, and pushy, she has to rebuff him, and the rebuff has to be in accordance with his advances. Both the man and the woman know the ritual. The woman knows that she has to "play hard to get" otherwise the man will think she's too easy. But she has to play it for just the right amount of time otherwise the man will think she's a tease. The man knows that he has to be persistent and not take no for an answer. He has to know the signs. He has to judge whether her rejections are real rejections or a signal for him to try harder.
In "I've Got Your Number," a phone repairman named Terry (Pat O'Brien) knew the game and knew it well. It was his world and every woman in it was playing a part. It was cringey watching him harass woman after woman.
He worked with a partner named John (Allen Jenkins). John just wanted to do his job and go. Terry wanted to play.
The first call we saw them go out on Terry slapped a woman on her ass. What was funny (as in strange) was that slapping a girl on the butt was not as big of an issue as saying the word butt! They literally cut off anyone saying he slapped her on the (blank).
When she reported it, all we heard was "he slapped me on the" then she was cut off. When Terry's boss mentioned the incident to him, all we heard was "you slapped her on the" and then he was cut off.
Really 1934 America? It's OK for the guy to slap her on the buns, but you can't even find a euphemism for ass, butt, behind, hiney, fanny, etc.? The unpunished slapping was OK, but saying the word "booty," or whatever, wasn't?
What hypocrisy.
Terry's next call out was to a fake fortuneteller's house named Bonnie (Glenda Farrell). He was there to disconnect her service. She decided that she'd try to use flirtation and some good lovin' to prevent him from cutting off her phone line. Terry took the good lovin' and still cut off her phone.
Terry was shaping up to be a real pig.
Next, he went to Marie's place of employment (played by Joan Blondell). There is where he practiced the courting ritual that you will see a lot in that era from working class courters. In high-society the man turns on the charm, among working class folks the man simply badgers the woman until she caves.
Let me describe this particular mating dance.
Terry kept hounding Marie Lawson by playing childish games while she was working, except Marie didn't know Terry and he didn't know her. She threatened to call her manager but never did-- a clear sign that she was open to his advances, he just had to try harder. Eventually he bet her that she'd go on a date with him. Her response was an expected one: no, never, not on your life, etc.
Later that night Marie was receiving calls at home but no one was on the other end. She assumed the phone was broken so she called for a repair. You'll never guess who showed up.
In real life, once Marie saw Terry at her door she would've closed it and probably called the police out of fear. This guy harassed her at work then showed up at her door. What could he possibly want?
In movieland she let him in then Terry began part two of his courtship.
Again Terry was pushy and invasive. Marie held strong, or as strong as could be expected in 1934. Too strong and she loses all femininity, not strong enough and she would be a doormat.
Then Terry did something so childish. While Marie was in the kitchen he flipped over her dinner table. She had broken dishes and dinner splattered all over the floor. "Oops" was pretty much the look Terry gave her. Marie had a sad, pouty look with her hands on her face, but she was speechless.
"I'll tell you what I'll do, I'll take you out and buy you the best dinner in town," Terry offered. It was clearly part of his plan, but what moron would intentionally ruin a woman's dinner and then expect her to go out with him?
Marie responded with name calling, all of which Terry ignored.
"Go on and get your hat," Terry said.
Marie, still playing mad, "I'd like to slap your face."
"You're not going out bare-headed are you?" Terry asked, still ignoring Marie's attempts at anger and defiance.
"I'm not going out at all," Marie confidently answered.
"Alright, I'll get your hat for you," Terry responded.
"No you won't. I can get my hat if I need it," Marie said, in a sign she was weakening.
"You're the stubbornest dame I ever met in my life," Terry said in frustration. More working class charm. He knew she was going to go out with him anyway.
"And you're the stupidest jackass," Marie proclaimed.
"That's fine, that means you're falling for me and that's swell. Come on, step on it 'cuz I'm starving," Terry said while giving Marie's chin a wiggle.
"Alright, fresh guy. I'll let you buy me a dinner since you deliberately spoiled mine. But once dinner is over we're strangers as far as I'm concerned," Marie pouted trying to convince herself more than him.
Dinner turned into dinner and dancing. Upon return, Terry won the battle of wills again when Marie objected to him coming into her home. Once in her house again he was able to kiss her in spite of her paltry resistance. The first kiss was not reciprocated. The second kiss was totally reciprocated.
Courtship complete. Mating rites secured.
And don't get mad at me for pointing this out. I didn't make these rules, I'm just observing them.
Their relationship was crucial because later on Marie got into some trouble that only Terry could get her out of. This movie was just like "Looking for Trouble" (1934) in that respect. Both, "I've Got Your Number" and "Looking for Trouble" featured telephone repairmen with partners, both repairmen had a dame, and both repairmen had to do something heroic to save their dame from trouble.
Free on Odnoklassniki.
I've been wondering how, in so many movies, there will be a pushy man who insists on dating a woman. He'll even get handsy with her with no real consequences. At most, the woman will call him some names, but it's never with any venom. Her name calling will always be witty and easily dismissable. Then she folds and falls in love.
I was scratching my head. Did she detest those advances or not? But now I know what it is. It's all a part of the mating ritual.
The woman has to respond according to the advances of the man. If he's forward, presumptive, and pushy, she has to rebuff him, and the rebuff has to be in accordance with his advances. Both the man and the woman know the ritual. The woman knows that she has to "play hard to get" otherwise the man will think she's too easy. But she has to play it for just the right amount of time otherwise the man will think she's a tease. The man knows that he has to be persistent and not take no for an answer. He has to know the signs. He has to judge whether her rejections are real rejections or a signal for him to try harder.
In "I've Got Your Number," a phone repairman named Terry (Pat O'Brien) knew the game and knew it well. It was his world and every woman in it was playing a part. It was cringey watching him harass woman after woman.
He worked with a partner named John (Allen Jenkins). John just wanted to do his job and go. Terry wanted to play.
The first call we saw them go out on Terry slapped a woman on her ass. What was funny (as in strange) was that slapping a girl on the butt was not as big of an issue as saying the word butt! They literally cut off anyone saying he slapped her on the (blank).
When she reported it, all we heard was "he slapped me on the" then she was cut off. When Terry's boss mentioned the incident to him, all we heard was "you slapped her on the" and then he was cut off.
Really 1934 America? It's OK for the guy to slap her on the buns, but you can't even find a euphemism for ass, butt, behind, hiney, fanny, etc.? The unpunished slapping was OK, but saying the word "booty," or whatever, wasn't?
What hypocrisy.
Terry's next call out was to a fake fortuneteller's house named Bonnie (Glenda Farrell). He was there to disconnect her service. She decided that she'd try to use flirtation and some good lovin' to prevent him from cutting off her phone line. Terry took the good lovin' and still cut off her phone.
Terry was shaping up to be a real pig.
Next, he went to Marie's place of employment (played by Joan Blondell). There is where he practiced the courting ritual that you will see a lot in that era from working class courters. In high-society the man turns on the charm, among working class folks the man simply badgers the woman until she caves.
Let me describe this particular mating dance.
Terry kept hounding Marie Lawson by playing childish games while she was working, except Marie didn't know Terry and he didn't know her. She threatened to call her manager but never did-- a clear sign that she was open to his advances, he just had to try harder. Eventually he bet her that she'd go on a date with him. Her response was an expected one: no, never, not on your life, etc.
Later that night Marie was receiving calls at home but no one was on the other end. She assumed the phone was broken so she called for a repair. You'll never guess who showed up.
In real life, once Marie saw Terry at her door she would've closed it and probably called the police out of fear. This guy harassed her at work then showed up at her door. What could he possibly want?
In movieland she let him in then Terry began part two of his courtship.
Again Terry was pushy and invasive. Marie held strong, or as strong as could be expected in 1934. Too strong and she loses all femininity, not strong enough and she would be a doormat.
Then Terry did something so childish. While Marie was in the kitchen he flipped over her dinner table. She had broken dishes and dinner splattered all over the floor. "Oops" was pretty much the look Terry gave her. Marie had a sad, pouty look with her hands on her face, but she was speechless.
"I'll tell you what I'll do, I'll take you out and buy you the best dinner in town," Terry offered. It was clearly part of his plan, but what moron would intentionally ruin a woman's dinner and then expect her to go out with him?
Marie responded with name calling, all of which Terry ignored.
"Go on and get your hat," Terry said.
Marie, still playing mad, "I'd like to slap your face."
"You're not going out bare-headed are you?" Terry asked, still ignoring Marie's attempts at anger and defiance.
"I'm not going out at all," Marie confidently answered.
"Alright, I'll get your hat for you," Terry responded.
"No you won't. I can get my hat if I need it," Marie said, in a sign she was weakening.
"You're the stubbornest dame I ever met in my life," Terry said in frustration. More working class charm. He knew she was going to go out with him anyway.
"And you're the stupidest jackass," Marie proclaimed.
"That's fine, that means you're falling for me and that's swell. Come on, step on it 'cuz I'm starving," Terry said while giving Marie's chin a wiggle.
"Alright, fresh guy. I'll let you buy me a dinner since you deliberately spoiled mine. But once dinner is over we're strangers as far as I'm concerned," Marie pouted trying to convince herself more than him.
Dinner turned into dinner and dancing. Upon return, Terry won the battle of wills again when Marie objected to him coming into her home. Once in her house again he was able to kiss her in spite of her paltry resistance. The first kiss was not reciprocated. The second kiss was totally reciprocated.
Courtship complete. Mating rites secured.
And don't get mad at me for pointing this out. I didn't make these rules, I'm just observing them.
Their relationship was crucial because later on Marie got into some trouble that only Terry could get her out of. This movie was just like "Looking for Trouble" (1934) in that respect. Both, "I've Got Your Number" and "Looking for Trouble" featured telephone repairmen with partners, both repairmen had a dame, and both repairmen had to do something heroic to save their dame from trouble.
Free on Odnoklassniki.