LM1203 Pretend it’s the 1950’s and Get Me A Drink

LM1203 Pretend it’s the 1950’s and Get Me A Drink

LM, Episode 1203, 4/5/23, Pretend it’s the 1950’s and Get Me A Drink

Our daughter, Maggie, used to be in Cincinnati Shakespeare’s production of Every Christmas Story ever Told. One of the other actors, Billy, would ask her to get him a drink and, when Maggie refused, he’d say, “Pretend it’s the 1950’s and get me a drink.”  I went as often as I could because I wanted to be there on the night when Maggie snapped and beat Billy to death.

Recently I saw a list from the 1950’s of ten pieces of advice for women to ensure they have a happy marriage.  Wow.

These include having dinner ready for your husband, taking 15 minutes to freshen yourself up so you look nice for him, preparing the children so they look presentable and your husband can be proud of them, having a drink ready for him, and greeting him with a smile.

It further goes on to say don’t burden him with your problems, listen to him, and make the evening his because he is under a lot of stress, strain, and pressure at his work. 

First of all, you know a man wrote this, right?  This doesn’t describe a wife, it describes a domestic servant. When I bought the Honda Civic with the naked lady mud flaps, my dad said, “What you need is a Cadillac.”

“No, Dad, what I need is a maid.”  And this was what I had in mind when I said that.

Secondly, I’ve had a lot of jobs in my life, but I can’t think of any that were as stressful as trying to live up to this ideal of being a wife in the 1950’s.

Finally, we have come a long way from this to the 1980’s when Roseanne Barr said, “When my husband gets home, if the kids are still alive, I’ve done my job,” but I know we have a lot further to go before there is equality between men and women in America.

Sadly, Maggie is the consummate professional and she never killed Billy during the Christmas show. It seems like a missed opportunity.

Thank you for listening and always remember laughter matters.