mike-848 says > She was wonderful in the part. Gwen was the kind of girl a lot of guys would look for in a wife. Beauty, brains, fine up bringing. Real class.
I agree. I liked Gwen. I think a lot of the comments show it's hard for people these days to recognize a respectable woman. At the time the movie was made, Gwen would have been the more typical young woman. Ginny would have been the oddity. Today, it seems things have flipped - not for the better.
Martha Hyer was perfect for the part. I think Dave saw in Gwen all those things that he never found in the bar girls he usually hooked up with and marrying her would also bring him up in social standing as an equal to his very successful brother.
I think it's true he wanted a woman who was a lot different than the floozies he was used to. I do not think, however, that he was trying to use Gwen to climb the social ladder. I believe Dave's feelings for Gwen were legitimate; as hers were for him. She brought out good things in him; made him strive to be a better person; and was a respectable, sensible, decent, accomplished woman.
I think Gwen was absolutely right to consider what her life with Dave would be like before jumping in head first into a relationship with him. I really wish more people, both in the movies and in real life, would do that. It doesn't make any sense to let one's emotions get tangled up with someone if they are not the appropriate person to be in your life.
Some people like to describe women like Gwen as snobs or as frigid but I think it's an unfair assessment. The alternate would be someone who is common, trashy, and cheap; the kind of person who 'warms up' to just anyone. Look at what Ginny is like. She is quick to take up with any man she encounters. She followed Dave, a man she met while he was drunk then stayed with him. She was involved with the other guy and we know what kind of person he turned out to be. If the choice is between being a Gwen and being a Ginny, I would rather be a Gwen any day. I would think the same would hold true for a man choosing someone to be in his life. If the movie is not a warning why one would not want to get mixed up with a Ginny, I don't know how much more evidence they could possibly need.
Woman, man! That's the way it should be Tarzan. [Tarzan and his mate]
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