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Post by daniela on Feb 22, 2014 0:51:55 GMT -5
They did seem to always wear long sleeve shirts. There was an episode or two, that Jim bob and Elizabeth wore coveralls with no shirt underneath. Some of the dresses the women wore were short sleeved.
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Post by navywife on Feb 22, 2014 8:46:43 GMT -5
My father was born in the 1930s, and I have seen pictures of him as a child in the 30s/40s wearing shorts. However, I have never seen my grandparents (his parents) in shorts except for a rare bathing suit photo, and their bathing suits were period-appropriate (meaning my grandmother was not in a bikini - ha ha). As a matter of fact, my cousin and I have been searching high and low - but have found none so far - for a photograph of our grandmother in pants/slacks/skorts. We are convinced she never, ever wore pants of any sort. She helped raise me as a child, and I cannot ever remember her in pants. My cousin, who is 16 years older than me, cannot remember our grandmother in pants, either. Our grandparents came over from Germany in the 20s and kept many of their traditional beliefs and practices...and I loved that about them. My grandmother had no problems with her grandchildren wearing pants...but she never wore them and did not own any. I did not notice that as a child but it dawned on me later in life.
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Post by sdw on Feb 22, 2014 14:37:54 GMT -5
My grandmother Purkey always were dresses,and she didn't mind that her daughters and granddaughters were pants or shorts.My uncle and his family were of The Bible Missionary denomination,the men were long sleeves all the time,and the women were long sleeve dresses,they had long hair,and wore it in bun.I believe most of them are not Bible Missionary anymore.Also they didn't have tvs or watch tv.They didn't wear much jewelery.
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Post by RebeccaLee on Feb 22, 2014 16:14:22 GMT -5
Yes they wore shorts. I have pictures of my mom and her sisters in shorts in the 1930's and 40's. My mom had long legs so her shorts looked short and this was at CGIT (Christian girls in training) camp. As to long sleeves farm men usually wore them keep bugs and sun off and against scratchy hay. To this day at professional rodeo events they still have to wear long sleeves.
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Post by e knight on Feb 23, 2014 0:16:57 GMT -5
I thought that boys had to wear short pants until they were considered mature enough for real trousers. Based upon that, what boy would ever go back to shorts once he'd achieved that coveted honor?
Or maybe that was just city folk?
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Post by coriscapnskip on Mar 4, 2014 0:33:57 GMT -5
Hello, Walton Friends! I have just been going through a number of observations written by my dad. I've known about these for over 40 years and Dad has been gone for nearly 7 years but this is the first time I am seeing these. To give time and place references, Dad was born the same year as John-Boy (1918) and raised in the midwest. This set of observations was written during the show's first season and each date is included. I plan to go through more so if I find anything else of interest I think you'd enjoy I will post it as well.
As for little boys wearing shorts, we have a picture of Dad and his younger brother with the older boy wearing knickerbockers and the younger one wearing long trousers! I am sure I have seen pictures of little boys in the 1920s wearing shorts. Dad threw a terrible fit in 1930 over wearing knickerbockers, saying he felt like a "freak," and after that was allowed to wear long trousers.
Dad's observations: July 30, 1973--"When I was in college, it would have been unthinkable for a girl to be outdoors (or indoors where she would be seen) in shorts. The first girls I ever saw in shorts were in Beresford, S. D., the summer of 1952 (I am going by memory but it was my first summer at Alcester). I thought it very daring, and passersby remarked about it. They were white shorts, and anything but tight--more like gym shorts, and they came perhaps halfway to the knee, but it was awfully bold at that time. Of course the uppers were complete. No one would have had the nerve to expose a midriff, most especially a navel. Small girls could of course wear shorts, but not a teen-ager or young woman, and I am sure if any had worn shorts in the 1940's they would have been arrested or at least shooed indoors."
My notes: As I understand, one episode of The Waltons had Mary Ellen in very brief shorts for which she was reprimanded. In another, Ben (pre-Cindy) brought home a girl with sort of a loose reputation. This girl had an extremely short skirt and a fully bare middle. I was looking closely to see if a navel showed because I remembered all the flap over Cher exposing hers at the time. As far as I could tell, it wasn't. Can't tell you what episode it was, but the girl was brunette and the dress was brown. I don't think the parents saw this girl; she was there briefly as they waited to go out.
August 13, 1973--"When I was a high schooler and a young man, it was impossible to obtain any information about sex, and I have little doubt that if one dared to discuss it, he would be arrested."
My notes: In the episode where John Curtis was born, Corabeth talks about information being more openly shared these days, and in the episode where Virginia was born, Elizabeth's teacher runs a mixed-gender sex ed class. I'll leave it to others to determine whether such things really would or could have taken place at the time.
August 18, 1973--"I was a senior in high school before anyone even told me how babies were born, and I thought it was absolutely too preposterous to be believed, or even countenanced; I was sure I was being "put on.""
September 22, 1973--"I can't recall that any of us children had an allowance." (He then describes various paper routes.)
September 28, 1973--"We had refreshments at Baskin-Robbins.... I was shocked when 3 ice cream cones came to 1.17. That is, 37¢ each plus tax. Ordinary double dip cones. When I was a kid, a double dip cone was a dime, a single dip a nickel."
My notes: Last time I went to Baskin-Robbins, ice cream cones ran about $2.00 each; I forget how many scoops.
October 4, 1973--"I finished the mail chores and went into the living room but (his wife, my mom) did not want to give up seeing the ending of The Waltons, so I sat it out with her until 9:00."
My notes: (This episode was "The Theft.")
November 22, 1973 (Thursday, Thanksgiving)--"Thanksgiving dinner...was a dinner par excellence." He describes it in detail and says, "I have noted the canned and frozen and dehydrated foods because they reminded me with a sort of shock how different this was from the Thanksgivings I used to enjoy, where everything was--and had to be--prepared from fresh materials." "Even the milk was not natural (or raw as it is usually referred to), but was homogenized, pasteurized, with Vitamin D added. When I was a kid, homogenized milk was unheard of, and it was never vitamin fortified."
November 23, 1973--He notes gas prices, Nov. 4, 47.4¢ a gallon, Nov. 11, 43.9¢, Nov. 23, 43.9¢.
My notes: This was during the energy crunch, for crying out loud!
November 15, 1973--8:30-9:00 p.m.--I saw part of The Waltons on TV; it was well done, well written and well presented."
My notes: This was the 2-hour episode "The Thanksgiving Story." By the way, this is HIGH PRAISE from Dad! He was extremely critical and could rip into things to an extent that made it hard to watch anything with him.
I'm sure Dad continued to watch The Waltons, or at least snatches of it, from time to time over the years. The only really distinct memory I have of watching it with him was (I think) the episode where the parents go to the hospital to see John-Boy and it's Robert Wrightman rather than Richard Thomas. My parents both exclaimed over the "fake John-Boy," and after that we always referred to poor Wrightman as "fake John-Boy." It was either this or an episode where John-Boy was in college, after Wrightman took on the role. I couldn't tell you the date as we were seeing these in reruns. Dad really admired Richard Thomas's work in All Quiet on the Western Front and The Red Badge of Courage.
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Post by JeriJet on Mar 4, 2014 7:59:00 GMT -5
I thought that boys had to wear short pants until they were considered mature enough for real trousers. Based upon that, what boy would ever go back to shorts once he'd achieved that coveted honor? Or maybe that was just city folk? I don't believe it was just "city folk" -- but, it was more formal garb.... Remember that John-Boy wore knickers until he got his first suit for college.... shorts should not be confused with knickers.... It was a changing time -- the younger Walton boys didn't go through that "knicker period."
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Post by coriscapnskip on Mar 4, 2014 16:30:07 GMT -5
It's said that there isn't a single fond memory of wearing knickerbockers, only of receiving those first long trousers! Besides the picture of my dad and his brother, with the older boy wearing knickerbockers and the younger one long trousers, there is one like that of Ray Bradbury and his brother. They were four years apart, so Ray was six and Skip was ten at the time. There are a few cute pictures of Ray in shorts, or at least a short-legged jumper, but I don't remember seeing any of him in knickerbockers. So it wasn't a hard and fast rule to switch for good at a certain age.
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Post by coriscapnskip on Mar 21, 2014 20:02:07 GMT -5
Couple more episode wardrobe comments:
"The Violated": I saw nothing out of the way with Olivia wearing trousers to visit the boonies, but they seemed an odd choice to make a formal call on the sheriff. I would think a dress would be more proper. She seemed to wear that same pair of black jeans/trousers for the entire episode.
"The Silver Wings": For someone not trying to lead Jim-Bob on, that Mrs. Randolph certainly dressed skimpily. She didn't act startled to be caught in rather revealing shorts the first time he showed up unexpectedly, and even wore a sort of half-blouse (bare midriff, but no navel) when expecting him. She wisely dressed much more conservatively when visiting the Walton property.
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Post by Kathy Lee on Mar 25, 2014 15:52:25 GMT -5
I have some beautiful dresses from the 1950s. They belonged to my mom. When I wear them, people can't believe they are over fifty years old. I am glad the shirtwaist style is back so I can wear them. They are by the designer Jerry Gilden. He was a popular designer of ready wear in the fifties.
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Post by Sussie of Teckelhut Acres on Mar 25, 2014 16:34:19 GMT -5
I don't wear shorts on the farm. That's just an accident waiting to happen.
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Post by coriscapnskip on Mar 28, 2014 20:12:09 GMT -5
I liked the episode "The Pin-Up," especially John Walton's reaction when the soldier kissed Erin.
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Post by patriciaanne on Mar 28, 2014 20:20:34 GMT -5
I have some beautiful dresses from the 1950s. They belonged to my mom. When I wear them, people can't believe they are over fifty years old. I am glad the shirtwaist style is back so I can wear them. They are by the designer Jerry Gilden. He was a popular designer of ready wear in the fifties. How nice! Do you have any pics of yourself in these dresses? I would love to see them!
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Post by coriscapnskip on Mar 31, 2014 20:39:22 GMT -5
More vintage social observations from my dad:
January 7, 1974--"...when I was at the University of Kentucky (1935)...the idea of having $100 was a really wild dream, and I remember contemplating it as an impossibility, not a mere improbability."
February 25, 1974--Dad noted one gas station was out of gas and others would sell only a limit of ten gallons, and his tank was empty. A couple of days later he noted hours were restricted as well as gallon amount. He had this big gas hog Ford Fairlane ex-patrol car. If you've ever seen West Side Story, it was just like Officer Krupke's car. The gas crunch didn't hit us like in some places with long lines, but it did affect the area.
March 14, 1974--10:45-11:00 p.m.--"w/family. See last of Waltons on TV"
NOTE: This episode was "The Car." It's funny it would be on so late! Generally I remember it being on at 8:00 or 9:00 p.m. Although we watched it regularly, The Waltons is not often mentioned by my dad, the reason being he worked three jobs and was usually either working or asleep during this time. When not doing either, Thursday was his Masonic lodge night.
March 18, 1974--"Howard's gas is 62¢ now--shocking." (Most gas was 49¢ or 50¢ a gallon.)
April 1, 1974--At this time the price of a candy bar had gone from 10¢ to 15¢.
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Post by coriscapnskip on Apr 2, 2014 1:41:14 GMT -5
April 1, 1974--At this time the price of a candy bar had gone from 10¢ to 15¢. Anyone else remember when the cast of The Waltons were on The Dinah Shore Show? They had a set like an old general store and David W. Harper showed her about half a drawer of candy and said, "This was about ten cents' worth of candy during the Depression."
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