“Hey baby, I think I wanna marry you! Don't say no, no, no, no, no!  Just say yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, and we'll go, go, go, go, go!  If you're ready like I'm ready!” (The Smeezingtons, 2010)

Welcome to the June 2019 Edition Seven Brides for Seven Brothers ~ Let’s Go, Go, Go, Go and Get Married!

For most men and women, marriage is a big step, joining hearts and lives. For Adam Pontipee, a “slumicky backwoodsman,” (as he is known to by the townspeople ),  it seems as simple as going shopping. (“I’m here today to get me a wife. Don’t mean to go back home empty-handed!”). For his choice, the “pretty and trim, but not too slim; Heavenly eyes and just the right size – Millie her immediate acceptance is surprising (“I’d have to finish my chores first!”), but not out of character for the period.

Oregon, in the 1800s, according to Reverend Elcott, is a territory that “needed to be settled. A girl had no right to stay single!” It is this knowledge, together with a sense of assurance that makes her feel “so happy (she) could cry,” that leads Millie to marry Adam and helps you and your group open a dialogue about what this film says about the period (the 1800s and the 1950s).

• What do the periods have in common?

• How are the sexes viewed in both periods?

• How does this film address equality in both periods?

The equality of the characters and their interactions may be one of the reasons why they are favorites among musical movie couples. As the story begins, each character possesses physical strength. (Adam is 6 feet plus tall, broad-shouldered and carries himself as though he is ready for a fight. Millie can yield an ax, and chop wood better than any man!) As the story progresses and each sees the other as not just a means to an end (Adam needed a wife to take care of the family, Millie wanted a change in her life), but a life partner, they find love and tenderness. (“When you’re in love, there’s is no way on earth to hide it.”)

They feel the pull of love so strongly that each imparts their new-found knowledge to the brothers, Millie by teaching them to Go Co’tin’ and Adam by educating them in the lesson of the Sobbin Women.

We, as an audience, feel the joy of their bond and enjoy the way they share it with the brothers. Millie’s idea of creating mannerly men may be more civilized, but Adam’s plan for fetching the girls is certainly fun to watch.

The courtship, in this film or perhaps the lack of one, is an excellent topic of discussion for all your clientele. As always, with your older generation. Discuss the similarities and differences in your client's courtship styles vs. Adam’s. You may wish to include references from the film (sitting on porches, long walks, dances, and “asking for her hand.”)

The discussion of courtship is not reserved for your older generation clients. This film has beautiful lessons for the younger generation and remains relevant more than 60 years later.

This film demonstrates that loving relationships aren’t just arrangements but bonds that have to be cultivated and nurtured through appropriate language, face to face interaction, manner, and grace. When it’s gone, you can feel as lonesome as a polecat (“sad and blue”). When it comes back (“suppose we set the date this week!”) It’s like Spring, Spring, Spring!

Can a relationship based on electronic communication give you that same feeling?

You’ll feel the difference this month when you get ready for the union of Seven Brides to Seven Brothers!

~~Lori