MovieChat Forums > A Summer Place (1959) Discussion > The first use of the word slut?

The first use of the word slut?


I gasped when she said that word! Not because I'm conservative, but I didn't expect it's use in a 1950's movie. The words whore and harlot were spoken also. How common was this? I know the Hayes code was being rewritten at that time.

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So, Crawford's movie pre dates this one. But, what is the infamous baby doll incident? I think the campness of his films was accidental. This was the same audience that went for Peyton Place. It's possible he knows darn well it's campy, but doesn't care. It's the style of writing that was acceptable for that time period. Lucky us, we get to get bombed and laugh at the ham fisted over acting. Strange, how with films like On The Waterfront that brought realistic acting into film making that they echewed realism in favor of camp for this one. I suppose it takes less work to do hammy than realism.

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Ok, so I thought I knew my Tennessee Williams plays. Turns out I need to do some homework! Why have I never heard of Baby Doll? Was it censored out of existence? Will find out soon...

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"Slut" was okayed for the film version of "Carousel" (1956), but a number of other changes from the original show had to be made, such as the word "virgin."

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So, slut was ok, but virgin was axed. I find that funny. You'd think it would be the opposite.

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NO ONE SAYS slut with more panache than Joan Crawford in Autumn Leaves....and Vera Miles looks like a w h o r e so it's fitting.

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No way did Vera look like a whore. Her character was bad to the bone, but she did not look, dress or act like a whore. If she looked like it to you, you've known some damn fine whores!

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I love the word slut! I am not conservative, but this is today. I could never understand the kids dislike for their parents. Maybe because they were hooking up at the boat house. Dad was a drunk and the mother was just a horrible woman and I would have been happy my parents were finally happy for once.

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Check out "Come Back, Little Sheba"; Burt Lancaster's Doc, in a drunken tirade, definitely throws out a "slut." I'm sure
audiences in 1952 were surprised! I can't think of an earlier use of the word in a major Hollywood movie.

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