I love these old movies, but the sexist attitudes drive me batty.

[Bouncy Ball]

I mean, women putting up with being pawed and attacked in cars just to have a drink or get driven home?

I'm watching "That Touch of Mink" right now and the man who issues Doris Day her unemployment check first tries to get her to go out with him and/or sleep with him before giving her the check. Threatens not to give it to her otherwise.

Then there's just the subtle stuff of acting like women aren't capable of doing the simplest things, acting like they HAVE to get married and have kids or else their life is just OVER.

Just glad I wasn't the age I am now back then. Although I know I wouldn't have known any different, it still pisses me off.

On edit: another thing that pisses me off--the woman always has to be "rescued" by a rich guy. (Although there are modern movies guilty of that too--"Pretty Woman" springs to mind...)

[Dogmudgeon]

1. I find them silly

"Sexist" implies that someone (like the scriptwriter) put some thought into it. Which they didn't.

One sexist convention that hasn't gone away is the Man-As-Idiot. Done well, it's hilarious; poorly, it grates on the nerves like filing one's teeth.

Phony English accents were also common, and now sound absurd -- especially the practice of calling someone "dahling". These days, it's been replaced by Americans who use Commonwealth spelling, and often use it incorrectly. This comes at a time when an increasing number of people in the Commonwealth are switching over to American spelling for its increased simplicity.

The thing that I find really noticeable is how many people in old movies and TV shows smoke. And smoke. And smoke. As if life itself would perish in the absence of tobacco.

And one of these days, the phrase "fo shizzle" is going to evoke peals of laughter. From the black kids.

--p!

[Bouncy Ball]

2. True.

I do like the old movies, despite myself. Sometimes I find them more well-written than contemporary movies.

I can TOTALLY see people laughing at the movies of today. I do, half the time.

And I HATE the "man as bumbling idiot" sterotype. It's VERY prominent nowdays.

[ikojo]

10. Not only man as bumbling idiot but parents as

complete bafoons and kids as wise well beyond their years. This attitude is prominent particularly on television.

[tjwmason]

3. On tobacco

During Parliamentary recesses B.B.C. Parliament (our equivalent of C-SPAN) sometimes replays election coverage. I was watching one of the 1974 elections once and suddenly realised that they had people smoking in the studio whilst being interviewed. Can you imagine that now?

The encroachment of American spellings is a big problem in Canada, less so over here. It makes my blood boil almost as much as a bad fake accent would; though a correct American spelling is probably better than a wildly incorrect one (which is growing in popularity).

[MsAnthropy]

4. They seem quaint today

but it shows how smart and savvy the women were back then to work around all that crap and still come out ahead!

[Bouncy Ball]

5. Very true.

I do like the old comedies. Some moments are truly cheesy but mostly the comedy is much better than in the new stuff (in my opinion).

[Karenina]

12. Three suggestions

Philadelphia Story
Bringing Up Baby
Holiday

[TheCentepedeShoes]

6. Old monster movies

a bunch of scientists battling the giant praying mantis or humongus octopus and one just HAS to ask "What's a woman doing here?"

[Bouncy Ball]

7. Ha!

My husband LOVES those old monster movies. The cheesier the better. If he could have them all on DVD, he would.

[Nay]

8. I know people who love old movies, but I hate them for just this

reason, too. So grossly sexist! Who could possibly be 'entertained' by this sort of stuff these days?? I could imagine, I suppose, that some guys might watch to glory in the good old days, but women? Holy shit, it's like watching a movie showing you as a slave and an idiot. It may be historical, but it ain't entertaining.

[CatBoreal]

9. I remember being so angry with Marilyn Monroe at the end of...

Some Like It Hot.

When asked why she would go out with a bum like Tony Curtis she says:

"Just dumb I guess."

Which is something she most certainly was not!

I refused to watch any more of Billy Wilder's movies after that.

[skygazer]

11. I agree - and I despise most Disney cartoons for the same reason

Well, not just Disney - virtually all children's fairy tale type movies and books. If there is a female lead, she is no heroine in any sense of the word. She shows no real courage and doesn't really do anything but moon around and sing. She is always beautiful and usually a princess. She is almost always rescued by a handsome knight or prince or pageboy or some other fucking guy - the only one I really like is Beauty and the Beast - smart, brave young woman falls in love with a man not because he's handsome but because she loves who he is.

I drove my kids nuts when they were young because I was forever bitching about the dreck they were supplied with for entertainment. Both my daughters, however, are strong, independent women so I must have done something right.

[bmovies]

13. In those days

there was no such thing as sexual harrasment laws.

I'm reminded of the movie "The Apartment". All that sexual harrassment going on and no one thinking to file a lawsuit against their employers.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

14. You need to go rent you some Barbara Stanwyck :)

[Bouncy Ball]

15. Hmm, duly noted. Cruising over to my Netflix account now, thanks!