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August 26, 2015 11:08 AM Subscribe
In the movie "Auntie Mame" with Rosalind Russell, there is a line that I have never understood. Can someone please explain it? More details inside...
Classic Film Hivers, I need your help. In the movie "Auntie Mame" with Rosalind Russell, there is a line that I have never understood.
It occurs during the scene where Mame is in her bedroom, and she is in a panic trying to get ready for her first meeting with Mr. Babcock. She pulls a dress out of her closet and asks her friend Vera; "Does this make me look like a Scarsdale Midge(sp?)?". Vera replies; "Have you ever been to Scarsdale?".
What the heck is a "Scarsdale Midge"?!
I have always assumed that it was a conservative woman of the period (it was the 1920s at that point in the film). Is that it?
I have tried doing a web search but nothing comes up. At this point I'm not even sure if the second word is "Midge". Any ideas?
Classic Film Hivers, I need your help. In the movie "Auntie Mame" with Rosalind Russell, there is a line that I have never understood.
It occurs during the scene where Mame is in her bedroom, and she is in a panic trying to get ready for her first meeting with Mr. Babcock. She pulls a dress out of her closet and asks her friend Vera; "Does this make me look like a Scarsdale Midge(sp?)?". Vera replies; "Have you ever been to Scarsdale?".
What the heck is a "Scarsdale Midge"?!
I have always assumed that it was a conservative woman of the period (it was the 1920s at that point in the film). Is that it?
I have tried doing a web search but nothing comes up. At this point I'm not even sure if the second word is "Midge". Any ideas?
Best answer: Google Told Me This using "scarsdale matron"
posted by Suffocating Kitty at 11:19 AM on August 26, 2015
posted by Suffocating Kitty at 11:19 AM on August 26, 2015
Response by poster: Well, what do you know? After all these years the word "matron" has sounded like "midge" to me! Now I'm going to have to get my DVD out tonight and re-play that scene! Thanks you two!!
posted by Hanuman1960 at 11:24 AM on August 26, 2015
posted by Hanuman1960 at 11:24 AM on August 26, 2015
Best answer: Byword for boring conservative, apparently. For example: "For many years, Scarsdale was a caricature of conservative suburbia—the Scarsdale matron jokes, for example."
posted by pracowity at 11:26 AM on August 26, 2015
posted by pracowity at 11:26 AM on August 26, 2015
She may well be saying "Midge" (a probably dated nickname for "Margaret" and/or "Michelle"), just using it as a random name for a woman who might be a matron in Scarsdale. Midge was also the doll Mattel introduced as Barbie's friend in response to criticism that Barbie was too sexy and "mature" for little girls.
posted by crush-onastick at 12:02 PM on August 26, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by crush-onastick at 12:02 PM on August 26, 2015 [1 favorite]
Just noting that Obscure Reference's link is to the script of the stage play, it's possible the line is slightly different in the film. If she IS saying "Midge" in the film, I'd go with crush-onastick's idea that it's just a stereotypical name... i.e., "Scarsdale matrons all have names like Midge."
posted by dnash at 1:42 PM on August 26, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by dnash at 1:42 PM on August 26, 2015 [1 favorite]
If you have the DVD, does it not come with subtitles for the hard of hearing?
posted by guy72277 at 4:38 AM on August 27, 2015
posted by guy72277 at 4:38 AM on August 27, 2015
FWIW, I've seen that movie roughly a million times, and without even reading to the end of your question, and without looking it up, I recalled it as "matron."
posted by zorseshoes at 6:05 AM on August 27, 2015
posted by zorseshoes at 6:05 AM on August 27, 2015
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posted by Obscure Reference at 11:13 AM on August 26, 2015