American Girl, An (ca. 1950s)

[Music] um just a minute mother one minute all the secrets away Secrets Mrs Walsh just called wants to know if you can babysit for her tonight yeah I can I'll call her right back provided you do your homework first I will [Music] wo beti any unised person who reads the private content of Norma [Music] Davis there is no question about it my legs grew longer in the last two weeks it seems to me the whole world is changing well last year there were Woods in dutton's park and now it's all houses and there's hardly a tree left Lucille and Wendy and I went out of our way this afternoon just to see what dutton's park looks like now up close Lucille says I was very embarrassing to her the way I looked at [Music] everything Thursday spent the afternoon with Jack Ry drank many cups of hot chocolate why are all boys named John called Jack how is it you know somebody a long time and then all of a sudden you realize how nice they are I drank as much hot chocolate as I could but everything has to come to an end than you what you got there diary van Frank you like it oh diary is kind of fascinating I keep a diary yours oh I didn't mean that thanks Jack it's okay you like Ray sometimes me too sometimes it's real nice all right Sleeping Beauty wake up supper's on I'm not sleeping I'm reading so when did you become a bookworm look gusta many times do I have to tell you not to come into my room without knocking look if you want so much privacy get yourself a doorman suppers on the table well you anything done around here you have to do it yourself n nma suffer I'm coming that's something new you finished with your soup Norma I was just wondering what it would take to get that much of your attention have you read it Daddy no but I've heard of it it's supposed to be true it's about this little girl Anne Frank and her family and uh they live in Holland they're Jews and uh they have to go into hiding into this attic because the Nazis want to find them and put them into a concentration camp just because they're Jewish they didn't do anything is that really true it happened well how could people let a thing like that happen why didn't they do something we did all the people in dutton's park are Jews what's that supposed to mean nothing just repeating chitchat well if my family doesn't mind I think I'd like to change the subject Daddy can I have my book back after supper how things go today de right oh Vance Miller may buy a whole new heating system he was in the store this morning trying to get me to talk him out of it going to be a big job if it comes through have some more please okay Norma for what it's worth the war's over the Nazis are finished this kind of thing doesn't happen anymore so the best thing to do is forget about it and eat your dinner mother uh Jack Ryan asked me to go to Alice Owens party Saturday night and well could I use some of my sitter money and buy a new dress I don't see why not you want me to shop with you oh would you sure love and marriage Love and Marriage Love and Marriage oh come on cut it out will you back good nor mother is that going to be too short no they wearing them short now you like oh it's dreamy how come I can't wear a dress like that how come I always get stuck with those silly grilly things out out this minute your time is yet to come I got rid of her okay round you [Music] go Wendy and I slept at Lucille's house last night I think Mrs Draper is swell next to my own mother Mrs Draper is my idea of the country kind of mother to [Music] have here we are Lucille and Wendy and I the Inseparable three oh I feel so wonderful friendship is the best thing in the world will they be my friends when I'm 50 only 11 more days to my birthday happy birthday to you this is the best birthday of all in the whole world a pearl necklace from Mother and Daddy and crazy austa got me a genuine silver bracelet gusta where did you get it in a jewelry store a must have cost a fortune where'd you get the money well I had $5 saved up and I went into this store on Henry Street where they sell all those watches and he had this bracelet somebody left it there to have it cleaned and he gave it to me for what it cost to have it cleaned cost me $150 I got this pin for myself oh very beautiful what's the writing on this charm is it Arabic well I don't know he said he'd have another one to go with it if you'd drop in he'd give it to you Daddy what is this Arabic or Turkish or I think it's Hebrew it may be Arabic I knew I'd find it somewhere that's a Jewish star I thought you said it was Arabic I thought it was Arabic is it Jewish it's a Jewish bracelet the star is for good luck this is a muuza the words mean that thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy Soul words here explain that there's one God and he is God shall I attach the John yes please are you crazy what's the matter what's the matter it's a Jewish star he told told you so would you like something else instead no thank you if you change your mind I'd be glad to give you something else thank you this is what I want bye bye are you actually going to wear that thing sure I am well you couldn't get me to wear it you're not me look here no one thought there was anything wrong with this bracelet before when we thought it was Arabic or something that's different you wear that Spanish coin bracelet all the time why shouldn't I wear this one I don't care Norma don't think I care it's just that people are going to think it's very peculiar that's all Spanish isn't Jewish if somebody who was Jewish wanted to wear it it would be fun you think the Jews are going to object it doesn't have anything to do with the Jews will you please tell me what it does have to do it because I don't understand what you're talking about Norma nobody has to explain things like that you just know them everybody knows though what is I'm not going to stand here arguing about it in front of him it's my bracelet and I don't care who thinks what about it it's so stupid and Prejudiced and it makes me mad to think that the only thing my very best friends care about is what other people are going to think you can't let other people think for you you have to think for yourself otherwise you might just as well be in prison my bracelet has become very celebrated Jack and I were ice skating and Lucille was pretending to be a good friend and she went to Jack and told him I was making a fool of myself so Jack told me I will not take it off hello hi who who's for soda I have to go ride home me too anybody for soda I have to go to the library I guess it's just not a s to day [Music] [Music] hi Norman hi Jack I am guess I should have minded my own business I shouldn't have lost my temper I wasn't trying to tell you what to do just well you know you can say what you want to just don't say it out loud that's all I was just worried about you what was there to worry about well uh just have to keep something to yourself why why should you have to keep anything to yourself I don't know why everybody just does jck I I could understand if it was something junky that made me look cheap or something but it's just a bracelet I don't want to argue with you Norma I've been misser how long has this been going on since I got the bracet Jack I don't know what to do you're not really studying are you nor I was talking to your mother I noticed it myself but we feel the same way about it we thought I ought to talk to you gusta says Lucille's having a party and you weren't invited to it you two have a fight I thought you two were pretty close friends look I'm not trying to pry honey it bothers me to unhappy I don't want you to get the idea you're alone if you're unhappy oh I know you have to wear this bracelet every day that's what it's all about isn't it I'm not going to be pushed by anybody all right I don't try to tell anyone else what to do you think it's worth being left out of things I can't help it all right now hun listen fathers and mothers try and keep troubles away from their kids if there are harsh things in the world they try to guard them from the harsh things I guess no one can do that for anyone else people have to find their own way they have to face hurt as as well as good things I don't have any answers I can give you that are going to solve your problems not in this case but the fact is you could make things a lot easier for yourself if you gave in went along with the crowd you could put that bracelet away for a while is that what you want me you do no hun I'm not going to tell you what to do I want to but I'm not going to you figure things out for yourself whichever way you figure it your mother and I are behind you [Music] hello Mrs jaer yes Norma is Miss Ste home yet no she's not well we've been having a terrible argument of some kind well could I wait for her I have to talk to her about it yes Norma I think you better come in I have something to say to you is that the bracelet yes Norma I told Lucille she's not to invite you to this house ever again and she's not to go to your house I told her to tell you but I guess she's too embarrassed I don't think she realizes that not telling you is far crueler why what did I do nor you came into this house under false pretenses you pretended to be something and you aren't now that's not honest and it's not nice and I don't want Lucille to be friends with someone who pretends to be something they aren't what am I wish you wouldn't try to embarrass me this way I don't know what you mean I just don't know really I don't know I'm talking about the fact that you're Jewish I'm not Jewish Nora I like you very much but you're behaving very badly now and you're far too intelligent not to know what you're doing now I understand your reasons you and your family were here alone in this town a long time you felt isolated but now that dutton's Park is built up you have enough of your own kind you don't feel isolated anymore and you don't feel you have to hide anymore but why and you think because you and Lucille are friends that won't make so much of a difference if we know now and it does make a difference dear now I don't want to be cruel normal but realistically you must make friends among your own kind do you understand me now dear and you must understand I I have to protect Lucille I want you to understand my position this is very difficult for me the war's over this kind of thing doesn't happen anymore so the best thing to do is forget about it I'm not going to tell you what to do I want to but I'm not going to you figure things out for yourself whichever way you figure it your mother and I are behind you [Music] evening everyone Mee come to order please tonight we have a surprise speaker sometime ago I received a visitor in my office a young lady who was brought to me by a teacher this young lady brought with her a diary and she allowed me to read certain portions of it I must say I was shocked by what I read There She raises a question which is of great importance so I've asked her to read her diary to us she agreed I present to you Miss Norma Davis the only two people who ever saw my diary before are my teacher Mr Carter and Mr Clark the principal but I thought that I should read some of it to you because some things have happened to me and the best way to tell them is the way I have them put down for myself if anyone had ever told me that these things could happen to me really I wouldn't have believed them so I don't know if you'll believe me but I I think this is important to think about out because you don't get rid of things just by not thinking about them you you have to do something about them the main thing is that young people like myself are are growing up very fast and pretty soon we'll be grown up and this will be our world and it'll be what we make it and whatever we'll be is whatever shape we're made into by our parents and so we have to worry about the world and our parents have to worry about us and well I don't know maybe when you hear what's written in my diary maybe you'll think it's it's fine and that's the way things ought to be but I think it's not fine oh I as everybody and really I'm not that important but I just have to hope that I'm right and that whatever happened nobody really thought about it anyhow you have to make up your own mind it begins with my birthday this is the best birthday of [Music] all it's so stupid and Prejudiced and it makes me mad to think that the only thing my very best friends care about is what other people are going to think you can't let other people think for you [Music] I feel so badly about Lucille and Wendy we don't fight or anything but we're just not good friends anymore and it's not just my imagination it's real why don't I just throw this bracelet away oh these pages are just personal things Jack had to stay late for football practice and I was alone I tried to find somebody to have a soda with but nobody would even sit down and drink an ice cream soda with me and it isn't just Lucille and Wendy either it's everybody I told her I wasn't Jewish she must must have heard me but I don't see how she could have because she just went right on with her ideas as if I'd never said a word and when I left she told me that it was very difficult for her I really think she expects me to feel sorry for her I can't figure anything else I'm so confused this is so much more than I can figure out it's all already I have to read your diary in front of everybody I hope I don't hurt Mother and Daddy or embarrass them or make them ashamed I I don't mean to be defiant or anything but I would like everybody to know that I'm going to keep on weing my bracelet always [Music] a town is everybody which is a lot of people all acting their own way everybody doesn't change but one by one people do some change more into what they were and some are ashamed to be the way they were and their pride is hurt if I Hur anyone's Pride I didn't do it out of meanness I'm sure of that and if I pleaded for more understanding I didn't do it either because I'm a friend of the Jews it it's not that I'm just not an enemy of anybody body [Music]