I've looked through the topic heading and can't see this though it must have been discussed umpteen times. She was really drawing on the ciggies. Pretty disturbing for a nine year old. I wonder if she had trouble quitting. She must have
You do wonder whether she was "made to smoke them" and whether it would have made much of a difference to leave the smoking out. I personally don't think so.🐭
Once again, people view a film through their own, current, cultural lense. Many people smoked back then (1930's); it was the fashion. So this was represented in the film. This is historically accurate. I doubt even Tatum O'Neal would say she was "harmed" by smoking the fake, cabbage cigarettes. Get a grip people. There are much worse things in the world to stress about.
Just came across this on "MeTV" on my local stations. Saw it before a few times, absolute perfection and the Cigs DO matter. The help the authentic feel of the film. As noted, they were Cabbage. 'Mad Men' uses a similar herbal cigarette. It's common in Hollywood. 'Stand By Me' was another and Rob Reiner is a Freak about Health. It worked and I doubt it personally affected her later life issues.
Stressing about? Well a 9yo smoking isn't a joke and it was a film shot in the 70's when they knew full well it caused disease. In the 30's they did not know these things. The question was : Was it a real ciggie? No it wasn't. Still, inhaling any smoke is not good for you. Especially a 9 year old.
Lighten up. It's a movie. Nobody got hurt. And, as far as knowledge of the negative effects of smoking in the 1930s is concerned, they knew all about them. It's a myth that nobody knew until the 1960s. They were called "coffin nails" and "cancer sticks" as far back as the 1800s.