MovieChat Forums > Tea and Sympathy (1956) Discussion > Was 'Sister Boy' really a term used at t...

Was 'Sister Boy' really a term used at the time?

posted 17 years ago by gurgitoy2
11 replies | jump to latest

I watched this on TCM last night, and enjoyed it, but did find parts a little stilted. I'm sure that was mainly due to the Hayes office, but still. I found the term "sister boy" especially odd. I've never heard that used even by men who came from that era. So, was this made up to conform to the code, since they couldn't openly admit he was gay, or was this a real term used at the time? To be honest, the term doesn't really make sense either...how is "sister" a bad thing? Could they not say "sissy boy"?

Anyway, I know it's silly, but I just want to figure out where this tern came from.

[–] parker57 17 years ago

Now I wasn't even born when this movie was made, so I can't speak as to what slang was used back then. I did find this in a google search, and while the "urban dictionary" certainly isn't an authority, it does show that the movie Tombstone used this saying. And that movie's time setting was way before this one.

From the Urban Dictionary:

Sister-Boy
A feminine, homo-type of a male. Used several times in the movie "Tombstone"

[–] Shearer_Goddard_Russell 17 years ago

<<To be honest, the term doesn't really make sense either...how is "sister" a bad thing? Could they not say "sissy boy"?>>

Um, well, if you're a guy, being called a "sister" (a.k.a. girl, female, feminine, girly) could easily be seen as an insult.

"Just close your eyes...but keep your mind wide open."

[–] wmoores 16 years ago

I was 19 in 1956 when I first saw this movie. No, the term 'sister boy' was not wide-spread terminology for a sissy at that time. Nor, did its use in the movie elevate its status. They were 'queers,' but this would have sounded harsh for the movie. Of course, isolated slang on one campus may be totally unknown on another.

This movie is a masterpiece. Deborah Kerr deserved an Oscar as did John Kerr. He did so well I wonder why he didn't go on to bigger and better things in the movies. Did this role type-cast him? He grew out of unmanly actions in the movie. Why no further starring roles in movies?

I am surprised this movie doesn't rate higher. Guess the male viewers still think it is 'sissified' to watch it. It is fantastic and spellbinding.

[–] Haywoods 16 years ago

Richard Barrios' Screened Out mentions that the Hayes office forbade any hint of sexual deviancy in this movie so they couldn't use the word sissy in the screenplay and wrote out the implication that the husband of the Deborah Kerr character was closeted or a latent homosexual like in the original play.

The screenwriters were forced to use sister boy instead. It's like the word beazle in THE WOMEN; Anita Louis had to invent a word to replace the use of b*tch which was used in the play.

[–] tigger 16 years ago

By the 1950's sissy boy was a term in use, but it came from the term sister boy which is a earlier from of the term.

The Japaness used the term homodachi sister-boy into the 1950's.

Robert Anderson went to college in the 1930's and that term may have been in use then.

Teresa Wright was married to Robert and the play was said to be a simi bio of his life in college.

[–] mwlindsey2000 15 years ago

I just read a biography of Vincente Minnelli and Haywoods is correct - the Hayes office would not allow the word "sissy" to be used so they opted for "sister boy" instead. Isn't that ridiculous?

[–] jcb-nyc 12 years ago

It's about as ridiculous as anyone who tries to maintain high standards. Some people actually think that's a good thing, if you can imagine that!

[–] pastorwillie-1 13 years ago

During this time frame I recall the term "Sister Mary."

[–] poasid3412 12 years ago

"Nancy Boy" was another epithet in use in the 50's.

[–] skiddoo 12 years ago

Also for someone who wasn't standing up to things well, a weak sister.

[–] mdonln 9 years ago

gurgitoy2 says > So, was this made up to conform to the code, since they couldn't openly admit he was gay, or was this a real term used at the time?

Tom wasn't gay. His classmates, father, and others believed he was but he was just not as macho as they were or expected him to be. When the movie started I was close to not even watching it. I would not have wanted to see a movie about a gay character.

Sure, people may not like that I've said that but if so think about if I had said I don't like any other type of movie. There are plenty of genre's I don't enjoy and therefore do not watch. I happen to love romances but being heterosexual myself, for obvious reasons, same-sex relationships don't appeal to me.

I think the movie was much more effective because Tom was not gay. I'm not saying anyone should ever be mistreated but the whole point is Tom was being accused of being something he was not. Had he actually been gay the point would have been lost. If he really was gay he probably would have long ago learned all the tricks gay people use to hide their sexuality. Tom was just being who he was. An actual gay person living in the same time period would have tried to hide it though he may or may not have succeeded.

Woman, man! That's the way it should be Tarzan. [Tarzan and his mate]