Junior Prom (1946)

[Music] e [Applause] this picture is on dating the etiquette of dating we are going to follow some of these students as they go on a date and see if Their Manners have anything to do with their fund everyone thinks that his own manners are all right even if they aren't perfect and that being correct only helps to spoil fun let us compare what these students do and don't do with what we think is right let's compare ourselves with Margaret or with Helen or with two fellows who are particularly interested in them the Junior Prom semi-formal is the best dance of the year and is announced early Jerry is the shorter of the he believes that he who hesitates L and the time to ask for a date is now Margaret for her part believes that a girl shouldn't make it difficult for a fellow to ask for a date fear of not being asked or fear of being refused can ruin our social lives if we let them how do you act natural at ease graciously or are you shy like Frank do you blurt out invitations actually Helen is glad to receive the invitations and Frank is surprised getting dates is not hard if one will act with a bit of courage and show himself to be sincere a week before the prom Jerry asks Margaret to help Frank by finding out what Helen intends to wear to the dance but Frank isn't thinking far enough ahead to realize that he will soon be selecting a corsage for Helen and that the corsage should harmit the color of the dress to be worn he should also find out the type of corsage he prefers so Jerry steers Margaret into a discussion of corsages she recalls the ones she likes best gardinas spring flowers and Orchid once Chamas she and Jerry have been dating for a long while she appreciates the good tastey has shown in choosing flowers that suited her dress and complexion the wearing of flowers on the wrist the shoulder or in the hair is a matter of preference when Frank finally asks Helen about her preferences she is glad to tell him that she likes all types of corsages and all flowers except gardinas all the other preparations for their double date are also talked over the night of the prom Frank is glad that the dance is semi-formal and that the wearing cedo is optional but even with a dark business suit so Jerry insists the color of the tie should be conservative the socks should match the tie not clash with it we dress according to the occasion a dignified occasion requires dignified clothes as a matter of convention men wear dark clothing at formal or semi-formal Affairs thus perhaps they allow the Ladies by contrast to be more colorful in their dress this tie may not seem conservative by your standards but it seems to be the mildest that Frank owns perhaps for the next dance he will buy a quieter pattern something that won't compete with the colors he expects the girl to be wearing in that sense he will be showing consideration for her a gesture of friendliness and that is what etiquette really is doing unto others as you would have them do unto you correctness in dress like other matters of etiquette is something which has to be learned one needs to check on himself and inquire from those who know what is correct of course women usually receive more training than men in the etiquette of dress because of its importance to their appearing always to best Advantage but girls have their problems just as fellows do and what they think is in good taste may not be naturally everyone thinks that what he or she likes should be considered correct but most girls are inclined to over drink even the word of parents is not always accepted mother is called old-fashioned but Margaret will take Helen's word for it that she is wearing too many ornaments Simplicity is always the safest policy in ornamentation correctness of dress for an occasion includes not only the choice of gown and slippers but the hair do and the accessories the jewelry and yes the face makeup the rules are simple logical and easy to remember and they are very important Frank doesn't look happy and he isn't but how much of his fearfulness is actually a lack of confidence in his manners whether he admits it to himself or not his unsureness is painful and is already interfering with his enjoyment of the dat his wanting to blow the horn for Helen instead of going into the house to meet her parents and to escort her out is really not shyness but a sign that his manners are weak he hasn't taken the trouble to learn how to meet people easily Helen tries to introduce him first to her mother who was risen to shake hands with him ladies are always introduced first and they may offer to shake hands or not as circumstances warned Frank forgot that he should present the corsage to Helen at home so that she may put it on there if she prefers rather than carrying it to the dance notice that Jerry acknowledges the introduction to Helen's mother with a nod since she elected to remain seated and did not offer to shake hands Frank shouldn't open the corsage box but allow Helen that pleasure since Helen does not wish to put the flower on now Frank should take care of it and see that it is not damaged but give him credit for assisting Helen with her rat Helen's parents are glad to have met the boys with whom she is going out and on the boy's part meeting the parents is a minimal courtesy as well as a pleasure good manners never interfere with front they should be habits and habits of correctness are just as easy to learn as bad habits correctness has the real advantage of allowing one always to be at ease Jerry has been here often and is right at home however the ease with which he enters into a conversation is based on his genuine interest in other people and what they are thinking meanwhile Frank is laboring to interest Helen in what is his not her Chief interest Sports Margaret is careful not to keep Jerry waiting she doesn't believe that keeping a fellow waiting a long time will allow her a more dramatic entrance and thus increase his interest rightly she depends on the charm of her personality to hold his attention not upon little game so that Jerry feels he is dealing with her true self at all times the phone call is from one of those fellows who wait until the very last minute to try making a date Jerry can laugh at his wouldbe competitor Margaret is gracious of course but brief there is no excuse for last minute requests for a date no girl is flattered at the idea that she hadn't already received an invitation besides a lot of the fun in dating is in the anticipation and right now they are well along in their fun but Frank and Margaret have problems with conversation Margaret has tried to talk about the dates she has had with other fellows she meant only to be entertaining but such topics irritate rather than interest perhaps she and Frank hope the dance will furnish better topics now they have arrived and all the fun they hop for lies ahead dances are intended for enjoyment and the rules of etiquette which apply to dances are again Customs which have grown out of one person's anticipating the wishes and feelings of others a gentleman doesn't dash off just because he sees a friend and wants to say hello he waits as his lady removes her rat [Music] he allows her time to pin on her corsage and powder a bit if she wishes he saves her any feeling of being deserted or of possible embarrassment in entering the dance unescorted ladies expected such courtesies just as they enjoy the thoughtfulness shown in presenting them with a well chosen corsage or enjoy being properly escorted in meeting their hosts and host es Margaret isn't always as aware as she should be of Jerry's attempts to escort her smoothly and if Frank realized that his awkwardness in contrast to Jerry is due to his not being sure about introductions he would learn the simple rules in a hurry introduce a man to a woman to an older woman a younger man to an older man the name of the person to whom deference is shown is always mentioned first the person who is to be roduced Waits until the introduction is made and then waits for the other to offer his hand only a few friendly remarks are [Music] made after greeting the sponsors the first thing that Jerry sees to is that they select a rendevu so that they will have a definite place during the evening for meeting after dances then they begin filling in their dance programs when programs are filled out in advance and then one or two couples don't attend after having exchanged dances the programs are left with gaps that are hard to [Music] fill though it is perhap a wait until dances can be exchanged friends who are present then the dances that have been promised can be written [Music] in the purpose of the program is not to exclude others but the opposite to plan for exchanging as many dances as possible in that way everyone dances with his friends and makes new friends it is not a mark of affection for a couple to try dancing the entire evening by themselves for after a while they Tire of their exclusiveness and then each one fears to hurt the other's feelings by wanting to dance with someone else it is customary though for a couple to reserve for themselves the first and last dance Frank forgets it and has to be straightened out but now that they have gotten to dancing let's hope that their troubles are over and that the evening will work out the way they have HED however let us watch to see if their enjoyment depends in part at least On Their Manners all that they ask is that they be allowed to talk and to dance to be with their friends and enjoy each other's [Music] [Music] company [Music] Frank relax be natural talk [Music] Margaret you're going yat yat [Music] [Music] Y no Frank hold the cup yourself as you fill it then present it [Music] getting jealous they're only enjoying [Music] [Music] themselves [Music] keep trying Frank be sensible [Music] Mar Frank you're wrong she hasn't lost interest in [Music] you it's foolish to be [Music] jealous it's your own fun you're spoiling as the dance is drawing to a close and it is time to say good night to the sponsors everyone seems to have had a good time except Frank the dancing hasn't worked out as he and Margaret hoped but Jerry and Helen are at fault too they have allowed Frank and Margaret to become jealous of course they aren't Justified Margaret made the mistake of trying to be too entertaining Frank allowed his fears to make him wooden people never like to blame themselves El so they blame others all that either needs to do is to learn how to be natural and talk of what is interesting to the other person as well as to himself meanwhile a good deal of the fun has gone out of the evening even though Margaret pretends that nothing has happened and all is well naturally we all learn through experience but that is usually the long and the hard way being hurt so often if we realize that our social lives are filled with problems of etiquette and that these must be studied we must observe our own behavior compare it with what is proper and be certain that our habits are correct Jerry's example in suggesting to Margaret a dish that she might like is one that Frank might follow as he finally realizes since it tells Helen in a nice way how much he can afford to spend this saves embarrassment all around at last Jerry is becoming aware that Frank and Margaret are not having a good time he doesn't ignore the situation but brings the problem out into the open Margaret and Frank are forced to admit their own foolishness after all Helen and Jerry had simply been at ease during the dance and enjoyed themselves they hadn't been any the less interested in their Partners there was absolutely no reason for jealousy you notice that Frank is becoming more alert he orders for Helen correctly and maybe we that he has decided to turn over a new Leaf this way is more fun the meal has been happy and now that every the mistakes that have been discovered won't be repeated and those that haven't yet been discovered will come to light as they pay more attention to Their Manners but already they have learned some valuable lessons Frank particularly he has learned to begin with that he shouldn't let his fears stop him from asking for the date in the first place and that he should ask right away not fret about it he is glad now that he learned a little more about selecting a corsage and about how he should dress he has still to learn how to be easy during introductions and in making ordinary conversations but you saw that he was quick to pay the bill including a 10% tip and that he found it Pleasant to help Helen with a WP on the way home there are no problems they are happy in knowing that this is just the beginning of Happy Times ahead Jerry not only sees Margaret home but opens the door for her and then well they've been going steady for some time now and there are some customs that are very enjoyable but now Frank has a new problem should he try on a first date he makes certain that he helps Helen from the car correctly she waited properly for him to come around the car he sees her to her door and thanks her for having gone out with him and he remembers to open the door for her no he should not try to kiss her good night on a first date but he does ask her for another date soon Helen is quite happy to accept so there first date is a definite success our ending is only a beginning of other dates to follow of a new attitude toward [Music] manners