Idle Thoughts--Nancy Drew ant the Mystery of the Tower Room 11/4-11/7

Fashion notes first . . .

Rachel's blue and green dress. It's exceptionally frivolous, but becoming, which is fine, because God knows this woman is never going to get anywhere on her brains, so whatever the character can do to capitalize on her physical appearance is probably a good thing. Still, not really crazy about the blue and green combination.

Her nightgown, however, is another story.  Can we say brazen hussy? (I have this really sick feeling that I'm going to be sympathizing an awful lot with Minerva in episodes to come).

Marie Wallace loses in the wardrobe sweepstakes again. I do believe she's stuck in the rusty black for most of her time as Crazy Jenny.

I've already commented on the interesting choice in mourning Judith made for the day after she inherited the loot. The coral ensemble is quite pretty, but she should be in deepest black for months, so it's got to translate to a "ding dong the witch is dead and I have inherited it all!!!"

Really do not care for Angelique's purple and red bib dress. Two colors that do not combine well and overall effect was not flattering. And she still has the Nellie Oleson/modified Mary Pickford curls going on.

Onto the show . . .

The reading of the will scenes are among some of my personal favorites. Judith is having the time of her life and her bitchiness as well as that of her brothers makes for hugely enjoyable television. The combined age of the performers was well over a hundred, but there are moments when they're like children squabbling over a toy.

Bennett, Edmonds, Selby and Karlen were all superb. Lots of mudslinging back and forth.  So many great lines, but this is one of my favorites:

Quentin: When you're done with the staff, perhaps we could all go upstairs and watch you write a check.

Hehe

Meanwhile, lest we get too much of a good thing and get spoiled, we have Rachel the pathological governess, who is bound and determined to poke her nose where it so plainly doesn't belong. I've been desperately trying to come up with a rationale for this character's behavior and all I can come up with is that she, like Catherine Morland, has read one too many gothic romances and feels she needs to be at the center of the drama.

I dunno. This is so poorly written that it's the best I can do. Why is she so damn hipped on who or what is utilizing a space? It's like watching a younger and prettier Gladys Kravitz trying to figure out what Samantha and Darren are up to.  Yeesh.

Lordy, I want a job like Rachel's. Does this chick ever actually work?  And then she goes and tells Beth she wants to be friends. Ha! Rachel, hon, you could get frostbite just from standing next to Beth, she doesn't want to be your friend. Give it up and admit you're a snoop.

And after Edward gives her a dressing down, she goes upstairs for the third time! This time, swiping a key!

The other stellar employee of the Collins family, Dirk "I'm a stud even if no one knows it" Wilkins needs to get over himself. Dirk, we're all impressed you actually have gainful employment, you're never going to convince us you actually deserve it, so spare us please.

I almost felt sorry for Judith when Nora was confronting her. Obviously Judith and Edward need to get their lies straight.

Anachronism police: Raggedy Ann isn't around in 1897. Also that 8 x 10 photo of Edward had much too much of a 20th century quality to it.

See the point, Rachel, is not whether or not you saw the lights. The point is that this has become the abiding concern of your life. You're not bloody Nancy Drew.  Woohoo, Judith delivers the smackdown to Rachel at least three times!!!

A nice scene between Bennett and Wallace. The latter had the whole crazed psycho thing going on and Bennett did terror pretty well.

Meanwhile the drip decides to go out for a walk in the middle of the night after telling her employer she's not good at math?? Goes traipsing off to meet Barnabas--my God, back then that was probably enough to brand her a whore (well, not the math part )

Hmm, well, that was interesting. Judith pre Rachel's night stroll was nasty. Post walk she's positively gregarious. I've seen these repeatedly and it finally dawned on me that she was keeping Rachel in place so they could move Jenny.

Excuse me? Since when did Angelique care two cents for David? Would that have been when she struck him mute? Or when she snapped at him for barging in? As far as I could see the only basis for affection the two shared was that she bought him a weapon. Warms the cockles of my heart no end. Go and sell it somewhere else, sister.

I really am not a huge fan of the Barnabas/Angelique scenes. Even when they're written well (and this one was not), both the characters are so screwed up that their scenes never make much sense to me. I spend half my time going "the hell?" at their various justifications and skewed views of reality that it's rather like watching a foreign film without the subtitles.

I realize I skipped over a whole mess of stuff, but I was flagging and needed my sleep

Luciaphil

    Thank you, Luciaphil.  This was such an unexpected pleasure to have one of your columns to enjoy while yet another Sci-Fi marathon is on.

Nancy Drew & the Mystery of the Tower Room! LOL! I'm so glad you're doing these again Luciaphil - I just love all your comments.

I guess the point of Rachel trying to determine who's in the tower is that Magda has warned her she's got some fiece enemy who will threaten her very life. Why the heck she doesn't just leave town is anyone's guess. Maybe she has no place else to go.

Glad to see your column back in action, Luciaphil!  

Speaking to your fashion notes - I too was struck by the fact that the family didn't wear mourning for very long after the death of Grandmamamama.  What up with that?

Glad to see your column back in action, Luciaphil!  

Speaking to your fashion notes - I too was struck by the fact that the family didn't wear mourning for very long after the death of Grandmamamama.  What up with that?

The logical answer is that Mostoller and co. didn't want the entire cast looking like a bunch of crows--continuity be damned.  

Coming up with an answer that fits the story, my best guess is after the will was read they no longer felt the need to pretend they cared

Luciaphil

The name of the town is COLLINS port.....I guess that means the Collins family gets to do whatever the hell it wants, including flaunting the Victorian rules about mourning costumes.  Who's going to snub them for their poor taste?

rainey

The name of the town is COLLINS port.....I guess that means the Collins family gets to do whatever the hell it wants, including flaunting the Victorian rules about mourning costumes.  Who's going to snub them for their poor taste?

On the other hand, they're quite hipped on avoiding scandal, which is why Beth is still employed to take care of Jenny. If they really didn't give two hoots, then Jenny would be in what passed for a mental hospital in those days and Beth would have been fired a long time ago.

Luciaphil

You have to wonder, actually, WHY they would be so worried about the neighbors finding out about poor Crazy Jenny.  She's only a Collins by marriage, after all, and they don't seem concerned that CARL is walking around without a keeper, do they?

raineypark

The logical answer is that Mostoller and co. didn't want the entire cast looking like a bunch of crows--continuity be damned.  Coming up with an answer that fits the story, my best guess is after the will was read they no longer felt the need to pretend they cared
Luciaphil

I think you have to also assume that several days have gone by from at home wake, funeral, reading of the will and onto to next family catastrophe.

I think you have to also assume that several days have gone by from at home wake, funeral, reading of the will and onto to next family catastrophe.

The Victorians were famous for their mourning rituals. One wore mourning (think total black for a widow) for two years for a spouse. Two years. The reason you hear about women wearing black bombazine and crape is because the fabrics weren't shiny, and tied into the being crazed with grief thing. Lots of heavy veils and jet and memento mori jewelry too.

And it wasn't just the clothes. You didn't go dancing. If you were really strict about it, you probably didn't go to parties. There's that big scene in GWTW, where Scarlett defies convention and dances with Rhett while still mourning whatshisname. She masks it as being under the "for the cause" thing, but it's still scandalous enough.

Then when your mourning period was up, you went to grays, purple, and I think, whites. But there were all sorts of rules for this and it was very, very regulated. Part of the reason I get such a kick out of Kitty, Lady Hampshire is that watching her wardrobe is like watching the mourning process all speeded up.

Two years for a spouse
One for a child/parent
Six months for a grandparent/sibling
Two months for aunts/uncles
One month for first cousins

Something else, I really wish they would have done on DS, would have been stopping the clocks, covering the mirrors, hanging that lovely black wreath on the door, etc. That would have only been for the immediate period after the death, but it would have been cool visually.

Victorian Mourning Etiquette

Victorian Mourning Customs from Collier's Cyclopedia published in 1901

Luciaphil

The Victorians were famous for their mourning rituals. One wore mourning (think total black for a widow) for two years for a spouse. Two years.

I don't think DC was into following Victorian protocol to the letter. If so, I think DS would have been off the air  alot sooner than expected. This was a daytime soap opera for the at home moms & kids as entertainment.
Why wear black and no make up when color TV was available in homes? His audience wanted to see actors in colorful stage clothes and garish make up.

And it wasn't just the clothes. You didn't go dancing. If you were really strict about it, you probably didn't go to parties. There's that big scene in GWTW, where Scarlett defies convention and dances with Rhett while still mourning whatshisname. She masks it as being under the "for the cause" thing, but it's still scandalous enough.

I remember that scene very well. What a hussy!

Part of the reason I get such a kick out of Kitty, Lady Hampshire is that watching her wardrobe is like watching the mourning process all speeded up.

And that is what I meant. DC had to condense alot of stuff and then move on with the storyline.

Something else, I really wish they would have done on DS, would have been stopping the clocks, covering the mirrors, hanging that lovely black wreath on the door, etc. That would have only been for the immediate period after the death, but it would have been cool visually.

I remember my mother telling me that black wreaths were still put on doors during the 30's and 40's as well as mirrors being covered.

Victorian Mourning Etiquette

Victorian Mourning Customs from Collier's Cyclopedia published in 1901Luciaphil

Thank you for these sites. They are very interesting.

Carol

I don't think DC was into following Victorian protocol to the letter. If so, I think DS would have been off the air  alot sooner than expected. This was a daytime soap opera for the at home moms & kids as entertainment.
Why wear black and no make up when color TV was available in homes? His audience wanted to see actors in colorful stage clothes and garish make up.

Well, of course not, but you still should be making a stab at it for a couple of days. And if you're good at what you do, you take something like that and make it work to your advantage. They could have used some of that Victorian stuff as set dressing for instance and it would have created a creepy mood. Or stopping the clocks. You take a custom like that and add some dialogue and it's a powerful dramatic statement.

Judith dropping off mourning after learning she inherited the loot could be rationalized if you make some assumptions about her relationships with her family members and with her grandmother.

Rachel wearing red (twice now) to mark the occasion makes no sense.

And that is what I meant. DC had to condense alot of stuff and then move on with the storyline.

But see, that's an example of this working properly. Kitty's speed mourning is all correct in terms of color if not in duration, but it told us worlds about her character, how she felt about her husband, and tons about her motives. Plus, the clothes themselves were cool.

Luciaphil
(who looks godawful in all black )

Luciaphil Wrote:

And it wasn't just the clothes. You didn't go dancing. If you were really strict about it, you probably didn't go to parties. There's that big scene in GWTW, where Scarlett defies convention and dances with Rhett while still mourning whatshisname. She masks it as being under the "for the cause" thing, but it's still scandalous enough.

That was some scene!! The looks on the old women's faces were priceless and one almost passes out!!

Funny thing about the mourning dress though. Judith decides to wear the coral dress at the reading of the Will, and right after that's done, she's back to wearing the black mourning dress again.  Im wondering if we ever see her in any other color than black because I can't seem to remember any.

Rachel really gets to me too!  Any wealthy family would have canned her right away, and especially after stealing a key!!  The idea that she's capable of stealing should have been dealt with right then & there!  And you're right, when does she ever find the time to work? I think I've seen her only one time with the children.  Beth seems to spend more time with them than she does.
I also don't think she's as "helpless" as she would like others to believe she is.  Helpless people don't go up to investigate strange dark places all by themselves!  She's just plain nosy and seems to enjoy being the center of attention.  She doesn't follow orders too well, can't take no for an answer, and above all, admits she isn't too great in Math!  A very bad profile for a Governess.

It's great to see these back again Luciaphil!

Funny thing about the mourning dress though. Judith decides to wear the coral dress at the reading of the Will, and right after that's done, she's back to wearing the black mourning dress again.  Im wondering if we ever see her in any other color than black because I can't seem to remember any.

Bennett has quite an extensive wardrobe for this storyline. Never fear. She appears in more than the black and coral outfits.

Luciaphil

Joan Bennett's wardrobe for 1897 is truly fabulous.  I like her clothes as Judith much better than what she was given to wear as Naomi, though the latter matriarch had some very grand ensembles to wear.

Whoever else asked why the Collinses are being so hugger-mugger about Jenny--you have to keep watching--there are still more revelations to come about Jenny.

Gothick