MovieChat Forums > Beginner's Luck (1935) Discussion > My thoughts about the ending !

My thoughts about the ending !

posted 9 years ago by hmas-88920
5 replies | jump to latest

When I first saw this short I thought the picture on the stage prop was a dog's body. My thinking was it was just something funny to make the mother look even sillier. Then in my teens I thought about it and my idea was they made a bitch out of her, or they showed her as what she was ( a bitch) or something like that. Then I learned the body was a lion or more correctly a lioness. I was surprised by this as it changed my ideas. My ideas now say well is it making a sphinx out of the mother was that the writers thoughts? Is it like where the lion tamer in the circus has the long whip and he moves his whip and the lions sit back on their haunches on the stands around the cage. This does look something like the stage prop picture.

[–] hmas-88920 9 years ago

I also have ideas on the state of the mother's dress. The way I see it at first the stage curtain hook catches the hem of the dress, at the bottom of her dress. The hook is rising on the curtain so the bottom of her dress is going up with the curtain. At the point where the curtain is at it's highest before it's torn off the dress hem (bottom of the dress) is the highest element of the dress. We see the Mother has the front of her dress hem and that's up to her waist. Then we hear the ripping noise and see the dress going up on the curtain. I think the dress is hanging upside down, also inside out and the attached belt is torn and hanging off waving as it goes up the curtain.

My thoughts on why the Grandma raises the curtain and continues to as she clearly sees her daughter is being stripped on stage. The old lady thinks it will be funny to raise the back curtain and show the mother to the audience. She believes that will end the show and the mother will get up and run off the stage. The personality of the Granny is a playful type of person. A playful person will do something to please others and as long as they receive positive feed back they will continue. When the hook catches the dress and the audience sees it they start with howls of laughter and it gets louder as the curtain goes up. This will make the old woman continue her task and try to finish off her daughter as strange as it sounds.

[–] hmas-88920 9 years ago

My thoughts on the other posters telling the stories of their childhood days and fantasizing about a woman or a girl having this ending happening to them or acting in a reproduction of this short. This is all normal stuff almost any all American boy growing up in the 50's,60's or 70's probably had their friend's mother in their minds under the curtain. I would say it's almost a rite of passage.

[–] doug78595 9 years ago

I've looked at that scene several times and asked others their opinions. Certainly the dress hem or bottom is at the top hooked on the curtain hook. Looking at it I'm not sure but I don't think the bottom of her dress is inside out but the waist and above is certainly inside out as you can see the arms are inside out. The belt which is the last part of the dress that is not lifted up is torn and swings freely as the dress goes up.

Your ideas about the Grandmother are dead on and it explains a lot.

Look forward to hearing more of your ideas and opinions.

[–] doug78595 9 years ago

Overall your ideas are correct throughout. The prop was a sight gag which was used in slapstick comedy. The use of this sight gag was to make the Mother look silly, They have made a spectacle out of her with the loss of her dress, her remaining on the stage after her dress is gone and the prop is the icing on the cake.

[–] richardschwerner 9 years ago

Honestly I feel the most important aspect of this short was when the Grandmother pointed to the curtain ropes and said to the MC "Here's where we stop the show" and the MC laughing getting her idea and agreeing to it. The idea was just to raise the curtain and show Spanky's mother trying to reel in her son. It doesn't matter if her dress is inside out or upside down, It only matters that the dress is hiked slowly and we can see the audience watching it. Then the ripping and her dress goes up on the curtain. Then Spanky tries to come to his Mother's aid and the stage prop sight gag goes into effect and Spanky's Mother is made a spectacle of. It doesn't matter what is on the front of the stage prop it only matters that Spanky's mother's head is resting on the top of the prop.