What I Learned in Acting School | Previous Challenge Entry

how it works

TITLE: What I Learned in Acting School | Previous Challenge Entry
By LINDA GERMAIN
03/05/20
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Doris was a beautiful, blonde movie star. Her voice was as lovely as her dancing was graceful. Those old films, boring and unrealistic to some, filled gaps in my early non-existent education regarding men and dating. The characters she played offered a few tools to an innocent girl about how a virtuous woman should respond to a disorderly male headed her way with inappropriate maneuvers. At the time, I wasn’t sure just what that included, but it seemed prudent to be ready, just in case.

This wonderful actress did play other parts in movies not so candy-coated with romantic ideas, but for some reason, I missed those. Good thing.

Her time-tested responses could be counted on in every on-screen aggressive guy situation. Mostly, she always seemed shocked that an attractive male would put the moves on a cute, talented, naive young woman.

Sometimes, stunned by his erroneous presumptions, she would throw a glass of something in his face to get him to back off. I tried that once with water. It turned out to be more hilarious than the sputtering replies she would get, but certainly effective.

Not one Christian seemed to be offering advice about relationships and proper behavior for girls my age, so mentors from other sources supported my self-taught notions--for a while anyway.

To say that entertainment culture does not influence a youngster’s grasp of behavior makes no sense. Other movies underscored the charm of transparency and innocence and how it supposedly made some (not all) grown men weak in the knees and extra protective. Several different actresses played the fictional always sweet and sensible Tammy. She was the poster girl for a strong, pure maiden with a mind of her own.

Father knew best when angelic Betty needed advice. Ginger danced for miles with Fred, but first, he had to prove himself as a decent chap who truly loved her. Even Liza, in the middle of her professor-directed metamorphosis from a flower girl to a lady, stomped her foot in righteous indignation to let him know, “I am a good girl…I am!”

When entertainment began to push the envelope, human conduct seemed to follow. Shocking language that would have made my grandmother swoon and fall into helpless disbelief seeped into movies and television and burst out of lip-glossed mouths one would have sworn belonged to crusty old sailors. Doris or Debby never said anything more profane than, “Oh, darn,” or “Harrumph!”

My skirts did get shorter, and my opinions got a little sideways about life for a season, but I was never a fan of potty mouth words. Alcohol and drugs seemed too stupid to even consider, but still, even though I knew about Jesus, I was not a practicing, sold-out Christian.

Until I was led to that point, I believe the Lord (who can use the foolish to confound the wise) put a few roadblocks in my path taken straight from this or that idealized female in cinema who earned enormous amounts of money to read lines and ACT like a lady.

At least those scripted words that were meant to entertain spoke to me of a few vague moral virtues. Even from a Hollywood perspective, the ideas of decent behavior and comportment pointed me in the right direction, where I wobbled along until God could get my attention. For that, I am eternally thankful.
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Proverbs 31:30 NKJV

Charm is deceitful, and beauty is passing, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised

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