Next up on the essays shelf:
The Fun of It: Stories from The Talk of the Town (Modern Library Paperbacks)
A chatty piece from 1933, co-written by James Thurber and Harold Ross. Eleanor Roosevelt, of course, was familiar to New Yorkers, being the wife of the governor of New York, Franklin Delano Roosevelt. I believe he served two terms. Then, of course, he ran for President, and won the election.
So local girl Eleanor was now going to be First Lady. 1933 was the worst year of the Depression. The country had shattered. Veterans of the Great War were homeless. The breadlines were down the block. It was a tenuous time, and would be a very tumultuous decade.
But the “Talk of the Town” piece was not about any of that. You’d never know there was a Great Depression going on from reading it (and that’s true of most of the pieces in this collection: they are slice-of-life, sure, but slice-of-life of the rich, the extraordinary, the famous, the bizarre. Artists and musicians and famous corset-makers. That’s what “Talk of the Town” was all about.)
So here, Thurber and Ross do not discuss politics, or FDR’s legacy as governor, or the divisive conversation going on on the ground about some of FDR’s policies. Nope. This piece is all about Eleanor Roosevelt, soon to take her place as First Lady, going dress-shopping for the inauguration. She takes her daughter with her. Eleanor, and her small entourage, sit in the a private room and watch as dress after dress is brought out. They discuss.
I love how the piece captures the conversation, the feel in that room. It’s humorous. I also enjoy the minor power struggle between mother and daughter, and how mother calmly wins.
Here is an excerpt.
The Fun of It: Stories from The Talk of the Town (Modern Library Paperbacks)
Mrs. Roosevelt, accompanied by her secretary, Miss Helen Johnson, met her daughter, Mrs. Dall; a friend, Mrs. Rosenman, wife of a Supreme Court justice; and Mr. Milgrim in a private room on the third floor. Half a dozen models showed off evening gowns. Mrs. Roosevelt and Mrs. Dall each bought one. Then a black-lace-and-chiffon dress was brought in, occasioning “oh”s and “ah”s. Mrs. Roosevelt and her daughter both wanted it. They both called chiffon “cheefong”. “Now Mummy, don’t forget that I get first chance at this,” said Mrs. Dall. Mrs. Roosevelt said, “Why don’t you get it in some other color color, Sis, and I could have it in black.” Sis said, “But Mummy, I need an all-round black dress. My all-round black dress is all gone.” The subject was dropped for a while, but later settled quite simply. “I’ll take it in black,” Mrs. Roosevelt said quietly. Mr. Milgrim held up a black-wool dress with pique collars and cuffs. “For you, Mrs. Dall?” he asked. She said, “Ugh, no! That’s for Mother. I hate those cuffs and collars.” Next, everyone moiled over a tan-and-gold brocade evening dress proposed for Mrs. Roosevelt. Mrs. Dall said tan would never do, and asked if they had the dress in blue and gold. While this was being hunted up, the same thing was shown in red and gold. Mrs. Roosevelt liked it but the others were against it. The blue and gold arrived and the others all liked it but Mrs. Roosevelt didn’t. Well, in the end they let the whole thing go. They’re probably still talking a bout it, though.
Mrs. Dall now started to buy a flock of gowns for herself, and at this point Mrs. Roosevelt brought up the question of price. It was all whispery and embarrassing. Finally, Mrs. Roosevelt called a figure to Mrs. Dall in French – although the others in the room looked as if they might know French – and the matter was settled.
