The Gold Diggers of 1933

The Gold Diggers of 1933
Director: Mervyn LeRoy



Q1.How does the film relate to the chapter in Foner?
A1:This movie was made in almost the end of the Great Depression period; in fact, this movie should have described how Americans were suffering from a devastating poor condition of living. However, the director used a totally different point of view to interpret this movie. During the Great Depression, most Americans were living in tragedy, in order to allow the audience to escape from the reality of poor life and to be entertained by the movie, the director made this movie as a vivid and delightful comedy. This movie basically illustrates the story of three chorus girls Polly, Carol and Trixie, performed on Broadway. The movie starts in a rehearsal with a lot of chorus girls who all wear a shiny dollar sign. There are more like coins, gold, and silver, all things associated with money are worn on these chorus girls. Therefore, they keep repeating the main lyrics of the song “We are living in the money”. However, as the impact of the Great Depression, the producer is unable to pay the bill, and just before the show starts, it closed. These three chorus girls lose their job, but get another chance to have a new show. The fact is that producer has everything, but money. Polly’s boyfriend has an outstanding song writer next door, Brad Roberts, who would like to provide the capital. The only condition is that his girlfriend should perform on the show. With producer’s agreement, these three chorus girls have their jobs back, moreover, because Brad’s remarkable talent in composing song, his songs are used in the show. However, just before the show starts, the main character cannot get on the show because of his back problem. As a result, Brad jumps in to take care of the show, and becomes the main character. Since he is a poor, next door song composer, Trixie makes an assumption that Brad might rob a bank to get the fund. In fact, after the success of the show, and the fact that Brad is a member of the Boston wealthy family which is printed in the newspaper, Trixie changes her attitude from disregard to enthusiasm for Brad. When Brad’s order brother Lawrence and the family banker know this news, they come to New York to stop his musical career and disagree with the marriage between Brad and Polly. However, Lawrence has accidently misunderstanding, and takes Carol for Polly. After, Lawrence and the family banker have dinner and other events to investigate the fake Polly, Lawrence falls in love with Carol. Moreover, he wants to marry her. After finding the truth of the misunderstanding, Lawrence still want to marry Carol, and remains opposed to Brad and Polly’s marriage. However, finally this story end with the happy ending that Carol married Lawrence, the snobbish Trixie married the family banker, and of course Polly married Brad Roberts. These gold diggers all find their “gold” and happiness. The Gold Diggers of 1933, indeed, only covered some perspectives of Foner in Chapter 21. In chapter 21, the main points are focusing on Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal as a response and the cure to the Great Depression, and what the specifics policies in the New Deal , and their impact. However, as a comedy there are still some illustrations which can be link to Foner’s points. At the beginning, at the rehearsal night right before show start, unfortunately producer’s sponsor or creditor are not able to provide the funds to operate the show, finally; this show is canceled. This reflects to the instable financial environment during the Great Depression. Foner points out the fact that how serious problems in banking, and economy affect American lives. He indicates that “By March 1933, banking had been suspended in a majority of the states-that is, people could not gain access to money in their bank account”(Foner 762). Moreover, “About 5,000 banks –one third of the nation’s total-had failed between 1929 and 1933, representing a loss of tens of millions of dollars to depositors (Foner 762). In fact, this banking crisis, and the lowest economic mood did affect all people in America, a Broadway producer in the movie, no doubt, is one of the victims in the Great Depression. As the performers in Broadway, these chorus girls show they are the victims in the Great Depression. They lost their jobs, and need to steal neighbor’s milk for breakfast. However, after Brad’s help, they can make their lives back again. Indeed, according to Foner’s point “Depression hit industrial employment harder than low-wage clerical and service job where women predominated, the proportion of the workforce made up of women rose”(Foner 783). Indeed, these chorus girls job were considered to be holding “service jobs”, and by the less harm in the Great Depression, women became the minority survival social group. Moreover, they indirectly advocate the uprising of the “feminism”. Foner also illustrates that “The New Deal brought more women into government than before in American history”(Foner 783). This is the evidence that women’s social status were improved; however, there were still some government’s intervention in women’s social status. For instance, Foner points out that “Most New Deal programs did not exclude women from benefits(although CCC restricted its camps to men). But the ideal of the man-headed household powerfully shaped social policy”(Foner 783). Indeed, although women’s social status was moving upward, their rights were still under control by government’s intervention and social perspectives. Finally, in the show, in my observation there was a black chorus which showed up in the scene of many different couples sitting on the bench. Indeed, this might represent that Americans were starting to accept and embrace the diversity of different ethnic group. Foner points out that “American were not only middle-class Anglo- Saxons but also blacks, immigrants, and the working class” (Foner 791), this illustration represent that diversity was promoting and advocating during the New Deal period. Indeed, America is a multicultural country, with different ethnic groups, and immigrants. However, black people still suffered from getting freedom and equality during that time.

Q2: What can we learn about American culture during the time period by interpreting the film as a primary historical source?
A2: In the film, women are the most important component that we can observe their change and improvement in social perspectives. First, in the show rehearsal they wear a very exposed costumes that covered by money signs and coin. Even though they are chorus girls, it might affect what they wear while in performing. However, the fact that women were wearing more exposed dress, and the public take this as a usual behavior. Another instance is when Brad’s brother Lawrence goes to visit Carol, the fake Polly, she wears a very exposed dress just after taking a shower; however, she does not care about Lawrence’s visit and talks to Lawrence. This represents that women had their own choice to wear whatever they like, despite social expectation, and conservative’s view of how a women should wear during 1933. Moreover, the show scenes in the movie might have some sexual implications in the film; this represents that American had a more liberal sexual point of view than before. Women smoking cigarettes play a significant role that reveals and express women’s liberty. We can see that in the movie, men accept women smoking in the public. Moreover, they are glad to use a lighter to light up women’s cigarette. Men did not deny women to smoke like men did; they take this as a common activity that everyone had the right to do. Women smoking cigarettes became a symbol that the inequality between men and women were eliminated in some perspectives. However, the inequality still existed in other parts of the society.

Q3.What does the film reveal about attitudes toward gender, class, and race?
A3: The Gold Diggers of 1933 shows that a lot of improvement in American social perspectives regarding gender. Again, smoking cigarettes, wearing exposed dress, having their own job and vivid personalities in each actress were important changes. This all represents American women’s social status was moving upward. Their freedom was embodied in having more activities the same as men did. In the class point of view, in the strong contrast of Brad’s brother Lawrence wealthy and luxurious life, and chorus girls’ poor living condition after the layoff, points out that even in the Great Depression, there were still some people living in a good life. The huge gaps between upper class and the public were not eliminated by the effect of the Great Depression. In the film, the case that finally two of Boston wealthy family members Lawrence and Brad both married two chorus girls. This is the best evidence points out that the cross-class marriage was accepted by the public in 1933; moreover, it was acceptable to put this case in the film to promote this liberal concept in marriage. Regarding race, my own observation was again, the appearance of the black chorus in the film. This represents that American accepted the other ethnic group to join in their society. Compare to have the total prejudice or discrimination on them; this is a huge step that represents American’s awareness to social minorities, and takes them as the same “American”. Therefore, America was moving to accept themselves as a multicultural country, and started to put a real action to help these social minorities. This recognition from the American public might be a chance that allows these social minorities to upward their social status.

Q4.What was the most important scene in the film?
A4: The last scene with American flag, soldiers, and many men waiting on line accompanied with the song of “Remember My Forgotten Man” was the most profound and significant scene in the film. This scene connects to the first scene. At the beginning, the song of “We are in the money,” with exaggerated costumes of dollars signs, everything represents the prosperous American economy before the Great Depression. However, this show is canceled, in my explanation it means that the prosperous time in America was over. Later, the shortage of fund to start the new show is another implication that represents the circumstance in America’s poor economy. In the final scene, with the national flag, the returning soldiers from World War I, indeed, should be pleasant to back to their country. However, later on, the men are waiting in line and taking turns to smoke the same cigarette points out that how these return soldiers were treated after they back home. These surviving soldiers expected to have a good life after war; however, the Great Depression made these “forgotten men” to maintain their life in such difficult conditions. This scene not only describes the disappointment of the returning soldiers, but also indicates the hard time during the Great Depression. Although the whole movie is interprets in a comedic way, the final scene pulls the audience back to the theme of the Great Depression, and its effects. Indeed, this scene has the significant meaning represents the transition that America was undergoing in 1933, and what they were expecting and hoping in the future.