Hollywood "Takes" on Domestic Subversion: The Role of Women in Cold War America

Author(s): Victoria Straughn

Source: OAH Magazine of History , Jan., 2003, Vol. 17, No. 2, Conservatism (Jan., 2003),
pp. 31-36
Published by: Oxford University Press on behalf of Organization of American
Historians
Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/25163577

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 Lesson Plan Victoria Straughn

Hollywood "Takes" on Domest

Subversion: The Role of Wome
in Cold War America

Several years ago, I was asked to teach the course, "America

centers on the fact that the film came out in October 1945, shortly
Since 1945." Back issues ofthe OAH Magazine of History
after the end of World War II. Although wartime propaganda
sat on my desk, including one called
"Rethinking the Cold War." Since the R^T" 7
course was new to me, I was excited to :^:*y;|[jgte^||^|^j|j^H
find an entire issue of this very useful W^^^^^^^^^^^M
magazine dedicated to the curriculum I ^U|^B|BBBBB|
was about to plan. Norman and Emily ! ^IHHHHbh^HJ
Rosenberg's introductory article, "Re- ':ii^^H|^^|^^|
thinking Themes for Teaching the Era of lliflH^^^^^^I
the Cold War," helped shape the frame- '1|^^H^H|^^|
work of my course, making it both intel- -^flHBHi^B^B^H
" iiflBB^E^Bl^BHB^B^B^B^B^B^B^
lectually stimulating to plan and ^SHHH^^^^H
spectacularly fun to teach. According to ../^Im^^^^^^^^H
the authors, women's sexuality during .m|H[J^^^^^^|
the Cold War era was frequently repre- rlliHHBa^^^^^^|
sented not only as "seductive," but "sub- |1|^^^^^^^^^^|
versive" as well. Women were to be jlfl^^^^^^^^^Hfl
"contained" within the home, and be- "^fl^^^^^^^HKl
have attentively toward their children. 3p^||^^^^^BH
However, even the role of motherhood j^! '."I^SHBHT
had its constraints: Mothers who were &r^K:\Q'^3^?P: '^.M
overly protective caused permanent harm; :->: &'&%~^f ;^jjk *^B
this phenomenon was later called SfiSra^'JL- 4^jj^R- m
"momism" (1). In the same publication, wB^^^^bWi'
Ronald Briley's "Reel History and the H^^^SHbmPP
Cold War" discussed a number of films |^hhHE; :
that could be used to analyze the political ^^HB^^flllP**^?*""pl\ > ^^^.x-*-*. husband/patriarch. As a successful busi
and social impact of the Cold War on
America. These articles, and others cited
below, helped me create the following lesson plan, which uses the
film Mildred Pierce, directed by Michael Curtiz in 1945, to
examine the ways in which Hollywood played a "leading role" in
defining gender in Cold War America.
Film critics and researchers have written a great deal about
Mildred Pierce, and as a consequence there are many different
interpretations of the film. The most compelling interpretation
prepared Americans to expect social and
.. J, . economic changes following the war, the
(subjects of demobilized and unemployed
soldiers and the subsequent need for
women to return to their own domestic
duties do not figure directly in this post
war film. Nevertheless, both the timing
of the film's release and the story itself
suggest a meaningful connection to pro
paganda at the end of the war. Further,
viewing audiences in the fall of 1945 most
likely had concerns of their own about
marriage, family life, and employment.
As Susan J. Douglas writes, "the story in
Mildred Pierce is a simple one: to save
themselves, their children, and indeed,
the very social fabric of America, women
needed to return the workplace to its
rightful inhabitants, men" (2).
Moreover, the nascent strains of for
eign aggression and communism as cul
tural, moral, and familial threats crop up
# &xs3^&g&m*?* in this film to underscore the point that a
i: \*P%!!?^ woman's proper role is in the home, under
I^Hllffii BROS? ^ Protective an(* watchful eye of her
nesswoman, Mildred has no need for a
husband. She is able to adequately pro
vide for her daughters Veda and Kay. Yet that kind of success
stands in stark contrast to Mildred's failure as a wife to Bert and as
a "proper" mother to her daughters. Without a husband to steady
her, Mildred falls victim to the un-American and predatory
Monte Beragon, a foreign playboy aristocrat. Mildred's affair with
and subsequent marriage to Monte proves to be a disaster of
unspeakable proportions, a family-grade nuclear war that, like

OAH Magazine of History January 2003 31

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communism at the national level, subverts domestic harmony. How, then, did Hollywood help create the new image of Ameri
Karen Anderson observes: "Anti-Communism was a cultural can womanhood, "helpless without a man" and "dangerous without
package that was very appealing to many containment?" The following lesson plan
Americans .... Advocates of conven uses the film Mildred Pierce to examine
tional gender roles advanced the idea that question.
that women who were subordinated and
domestic produced happy and patriotic Lesson Plan
husbands and sons who would have the Standards: (using the National Cen
masculine strength to fight against the ter for History in the Schools, UCLA,
enemies of capitalism at home and National Standards for United States
abroad-Women who worked for pay History)
or who were sexually active outside of Era 9: Postwar United States (1945
marriage threatened the domestic foun to early 1970s)
dations of America's international and Standard 1: Students should un
economic strength" (3). derstand the economic boom and
Mildred Pierce is clearly guilty of social transformation of postwar
these crimes. Still, the woman who had America.
given up career and wages could not IB: Students will demonstrate an
expect to be exempt from national de Mildred Pierce's failure to live up to the traditional role of understanding of how the social changes
wife and mother have disastrous consequences for her
fense scrutiny, either. Her role as mother of the postwar period affected various
family. Here she does the dishes while she talks with her
and wife had to be monitored, lest she first husband, Bert. Americans by explaining the reasons
become "domineering and overprotec for the "return to domesticity" and its
tive." These devious characteristics of womanhood constituted a effect on gender roles and family life.
danger for America's men, who, like Bert Pierce, were susceptible to
subversion as a result of their wives' or mothers' gender role sins (4). Question: What role did Hollywood play in prescrib
Another theme of conservatism during the Cold War centered ing gender roles in the post-World War II period of
on sexuality. The audience can not over American history?
look Monte Beragon's sexuality any more
than they can disregard his foreign ac Method
cent. Identified as a playboy, Monte is 1. Day One: Pose the question for
obviously (to the audience, if not to this lesson and briefly brainstorm some
Mildred) much more interested in ob answers with the class. The purpose of
taining Mildred's wealth than her or her this exercise is to get students thinking
daughter's body. At the same time, about the power of film to influence
Monte's sexuality is unclear. He seems attitudes and to recognize that film can
effeminate compared to Bert, Mildred's be used as a source for interpreting his
husband, and Wally, another male char tory. (5 minutes)
acter. What are we to think of this? As 2. Give students some background
Karen Anderson notes, during the Cold information using the essay above or
War, "narratives of masculinity, which something you have devised from other
resulted in systematic purges of homo sources as a foundation for viewing and
sexuals from government positions, were Ii_M-lflHH^^^H interpreting the film. (15 minutes)
used to establish the 'political legitimacy' Pierce continues to subvert gender roles as a 3. Give students the first handout
career
woman. In tying this apron around Wally, her good friend,
of anticommunism" (5). Sexual treason ("Mildred Pierce"). Direct them to read
Pierce demonstrates a dangerous reversal in roles.
was a crime worthy of governmental in the information in the introduction
vestigation. "Gay baiting was almost as and preview the questions for later
widespread and every bit as vicious as red baiting," according to discussion. Suggest that students write ideas either during or
Stephanie Coontz (6). Thus, Monte is a dangerous figure. immediately after the viewing of the film. (5 minutes)
Veda's sexual promiscuity sounds a similar warning. Fatherless 4. View the film (112 minutes). Given the length ofthe film,
at a crucial time in her life, Veda uses her sexuality without regard you will need to decide in advance where to stop each day, based
for consequences, and the firm, masculine hand of the law is the on the length of your class periods. A good stopping point for the
only way to contain her socially destructive behavior. In the final first day is after about twenty five minutes. Students can then
scene ofthe film, with one daughter dead and the other hopelessly complete questions one and two as homework.
misguided and ruined, Mildred rejoins her husband, finally ac 5. Day Two: Film viewing. Depending on your class period
cepting her "rightful place." Her subversion has cost her the lives length, you may have to finish the film on day three. Assign
of her children. questions three to five for that night.

32 OAH Magazine of History January 2003

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 6. Day Three: Hold a "jigsaw" discussion on questions one
to six. Then, complete the study with a follow-up activity from
the optional activities provided on the second handout.
7. You may want to consider using the film Invasion ofthe
Body Snatchers (see the third handout) to investigate how
anticommunism and women's roles evolved between 1945
and 1956 in Hollywood.
Endnotes
1. Norman L. and Emily S. Rosenberg, "Rethinking Themes for Teaching
the Era of the Cold War," Organization of American Historians
Magazine of History 8 (Winter 1994): 5-9.
2. Susan J. Douglas, Where the Girls Are: Growing Up Female with the Mass
Media (New York: Times Books, 1994), 48.
3. Karen Anderson, "Engendering Post-1945 U.S. History," American
Historical Association Perspectives (November 1998): 31.
4. Christine Gledhill, ed., Home is Where the Hearth: Studies in Melodrama
and the Woman's Film (London: British Film Institute, 1987), 134
5. Anderson, 32.
6. Stephanie Coontz, The Way We Never Were: American Families and the
Nostalgia Trap (New York: Basic Books, 1992), 33.
Hannsberry, Karen Burroughs. Femme Noir: Bad Girls of Film. Jefferson, NC:
McFariand, 1998.
Haskell, Molly. From Reverence to Rape: The Treatment of Women in the Movies.
New York: Holt, Rinehart, & Winston, 1974.
Hollinger, Karen. In the Company of Women: Contemporary Female Friendship
Films. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press, 1998.
Kaplan, E. Ann. Women and Film: Both Sides of the Camera. New York:
Methuen, 1983.
Kuhn, Annette and Susannah Radstone, eds. Women in Film: An International
Guide. New York: Fawcett Columbine, 1991.
Kuznik, Peter J. and James Gilbert, eds. Rethinking Cold War Culture. Washington,
DC: Smithsonian Institution Press, 2001.
La Valley, Albert J., ed. Mildred Pierce. Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin Press, 1980.
O'Connor, John E. Teaching History With Film and Television. Washington, DC:
American Historical Association, 1987.
Rosen, Marjorie. Popcorn Venus: Women, Movies and the American Dream. New
York: Coward, McCann, and Geoghegan, 1973.
Walsh, Andrea S. Women's Film and Female Experience 1940-1950. New York:
Praeger, 1984.
Williams, Linda. "Feminist Film Theory: Mildred Pierce and the Second World
War." Female Spectators: Looking at Film and Television. E. Deidre Pribram,
ed. London: Verson, 1988.

Related Readings Victoria Straughn teaches history at La Follette High School in

Doane, Mary Ann. The Desire to Desire: The Woman's Film ofthe 1940s. Madison, Wisconsin. She is the founder ofthe newly opened La Follette
Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 1987. High School Archives and History Museum which is dedicated to
Green, Philip. Cracks in the Pedestal: Ideology and Gender in Hollywood.
preserving the history ofLHS. She is also active in the OAH and the
Amherst, MA: University of Massachusetts Press, 1998.
French, Brandon. On the Verge of Revolt: Women in American Films ofthe AHA, serving on several committees and boards.
Fifties. New York: Frederick Ungar, 1978.

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OAH Magazine of History January 2003 33

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Handout One
Mildred Pierce
Directed by Michael Curtiz; 1945
(112 minutes)

TO THE STUDENT:
This film was released on 20 October 1945. That date is significant because it occurred only one month after the conclusion of
World War II. In the United States, soldiers were coming back home and a major transformation was underway in people's work and
family lives.
As you remember, women had fulfilled the country's employment needs during World War II, but were told to leave those well-paid
jobs at the end ofthe war. The propaganda that had been useful to get women to join the industrial work force during the war was turned
upside down. The new message in 1945 was that women were needed at home rather than in the paid work force. The best-selling author,
Marynia Farnham, was quoted in a 1947 Life magazine article saying that "married women's employment" was a "disease."
The movies played as important a role in prescribing behaviors in 1945 as they did in subsequent decades. Regulation of film content
through the Hollywood Production Code was a critical factor in determining women's roles. How did Hollywood prescribe behavior
for American women in the 1940s and 1950s! Consider this question as you watch the movie Mildred Pierce.

MAIN CHARACTERS:

Mildred Pierce Monte Beragon

Bert Pierce Wally Fay
Veda Pierce Lottie
Kay Pierce Mrs. Biederhof
The story begins with a flashback to the murder of Mildred's second husband. As a suspect, M
headquarters.

QUESTIONS TO THINK ABOUT and DISCUSS:

1. Put your self in the place of men and women in the audience in 1945. How would you have inte
beginning of the film?

2. What should have happened in her martiage according to the public opinion in 1945?

3. Compare and contrast the two "career women," Mildred and Ida. What do you learn about career
and authority, from these two examples?

4. Now consider the third woman who works outside the home in this film?Lottie. As a maid, she
authority, but she is a "career woman," nonetheless. How do you think the audience was expected to
is that? How do you react to it today?

5. How do you interpret the final scene ofthe movie? What meaning do you think that scene had

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Handout Two

Activity A: Writing assignment. Read the paragraph below. Then, write an essay on one of the following questions.

As America moved into the postwar period, women as mothers came to be seen as the "first line of defense" against attack on the
nation. Whether it was communism from without or the so-called breakdown of American values from within, women were responsible
for keeping the American family "safe." This came to be the new war that women would have to fight for America, "on the home front."
This battle could not be accomplished, however, without a strong, male figure in the home.

1. How does the story of Mildred Pierce project these ideas?

2. Discuss the concept of female excesses (spending money; sexuality) as national threats during hot or cold wars. Your essay may
include both modern examples and examples from the film.

Activity B: Create panel discussions using other Hollywood films produced during and after World War II. Students should
use film clips and research sources to analyze gender roles and change in Hollywood films between 1939 and 1959.

Activity C: Compare and contrast gender roles in Mildred Pierce with Hollywood films produced since 11 September 2001.
Are national concerns about foreign aggression and domestic subversion reflected in gender role prescriptions today?

OAH Magazine of History January 2003 35

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Handout Three
Invasion ofthe Body Snatchers (1956)
Produced by Walter Wanger (80 minutes)
(Story Based on a Colliers Magazine serial by Jack Finney)

Background: "In this allegory of communist subversion, Doctor Miles ~??jK^^^^^^^^^^KKM ^Hf^^i'H^H
Bennell (Kevin McCarthy) returns from a vacation to find the residents of ^^^^^^^^^^m^KK^^^^^mmmi^Z^' ^B
Santa Mira, California, acting strangely. They do not seem to be them- ^^^^^^^^^SH^^^^^^^^^^^^^BBH
selves. Dr. Bennell eventually discovers that while asleep, the bodies ofthe ^^^^^B^^BP^^i|i^^^^^^^^^^B^^B
townspeople have been taken over by aliens who promise a collective ?ii:^HHH|^H^^^^^^^^H
lifestyle free from the individual pains of love, relationships, and ambition. :0:M' ^^^|^V^^^H^^^^^^^Hfp^^^^^|
When even his girlfriend Becky succumbs to the alien force, Bennell calls j00!- ^^^R * ^IP'" 0 ^HB^' ^I^^H
for the FBI and flees Santa Mira." (Ronald Briley, "Reel History and the pWff^jg Si#^ttHHl^^4BJ^^B

Directions: As you watch the film, consider the following questions. \BEJ4 |_^/^ai ||ppr9^ JrjP""ff:o ?,, ???,*
They will be the subject of group discussions following the film. HL :-M^^^^^^^^^mll^^m '"w0,"'^""i",?*

1. Examine the language used in the film, found listed below. Explain
how the language represents a sub-text, or underlying message, of anti-communism and fear of subversion.

"There's no difference you can actually see...[but] something is missing...there's no emotion...feeling."

"...a strange neurosis, an epidemic...contagious"

"We can't close our eyes all night... We may wake up different."

"Only when we have to fight to stay human do we realize how precious it is"

"Don't fight it Miles, it's no use. Sooner or later you'll have to go to sleep."

"Your new bodies are growing in there...taking you over cell for cell...atom for atom."

"You're reborn into an untroubled world."[Miles:] "Where everyone's the same?"

"There's no need for love. Love, desire, ambition, faith... without them life is so simple"

[Becky:] "I want to love and be loved....I don't want a world without love or grief or beauty"

[Miles to Becky:] "Keep your eyes wide and blank...show no interest or excitement."

"Pray they are as human as they sound..."

2. Notice the use of drugs in this film. List details from the film that can help us understand social attitudes about drugs in the 1950s.
How and why have these attitudes changed over time?

3. Describe women's roles in the story. What can we learn about 1950s prescriptives for women from this Hollywood film?

4. In this allegory of communist subversion, how do women and children fit into the picture?

5. Explain how this film exhibits both America's fear of science and enticement by it in the post-World War II period.

6. What is the meaning ofthe McCarthyesque final scene in which Miles is desperately trying to warn people, but no one will listen?

36 OAH Magazine of History January 2003

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