WOMAN OF THE HOUSE

[Music] [Applause] [Music] it's mutiny among the camera crew the coming film seems a hopeless assignment [Music] the writer just look at it plainly a nut a movie about a blind housewife how can she read a recipe judge a cut of meat light an oven hard to believe well come along with us and see for yourself perhaps like the crew you won't be convinced until you see for yourself and look at those guys arguing to the very last and so the skeptics find themselves coming through the door to a truly domestic scene the blind housewife ironing a shirt a well poised woman and the prospect of acting doesn't faze her at all [Music] well she asks what do you want me to do in the first scene why not suggest the director of continue to iron a blind housewife must be able to do everything a seeing housewife does what you see now the prosaic job of ironing a shirt was to Evelyn during the initial stages of relearning a sustained act of courage and bitter frustrations burnt fingers didn't matter what did matter more than seared shirts and tablecloths was the sense of having failed every minute detail of ironing had to be studied anew practiced painstakingly had to be learnt a different way try ironing a shirt by fingertips by Oda yes by ear guidance was forthcoming in the early stages of Evelyn's blindness by a local agency such as the industrial home for the blind but her will to make a new life for herself was the paramount factor [Music] [Applause] now while the crew is readying to shift lights to the kitchen while the cameraman is loading film evelyn asks the director for a few minutes to tidy up the apartment always a good housekeeper she now sets higher standards to prove to herself that she can keep a home one where a husband will always find not only a wholesome delicious meal but also a comfortable chair clean pleasant surroundings a place also where friends will find her a charming hostess one who keeps her interests wider than the kitchen or the drapes in the living room one who lives a normal well-balanced life full of interests and activities teaching English to wives of UN personnel is one of these activities certainly not an easy one [Music] keeping up a wide correspondence with handicapped housewives she has inspired by her own courageous life is another and Susie the guide dog must be taken for her daily walk back home and a big job waiting a double job in fact dinner for six and a movie of it too thank goodness the cake was done this morning now the camera moves in for its first take rolling action it looks like any other kitchen or any other housewife the kitchen is the same as it was before Evelyn's lost her sight a pleasant efficient workshop everything in place everything gleaming Evelyn feels there's nothing unusual in a housewife blind or seeing knowing exactly where everything in a well-regulated kitchen should be there's nothing unusual in being able to place her hand on anything in such a kitchen she wants no credit and takes no pride in routine accomplishment like putting things back in their places when she's through with them like keeping her work table uncluttered [Music] she knows that carving dicing slicing call for no special skills knows that the average housewife often works more by touch than by sight and even more than these by odors orders yes that chicken seems to be done on one side time to turn it over now wouldn't you have considered her clumsy if she'd burned her fingers while turning the chicken no well Evelyn wants no credit for routine accomplishments now there's that bottle of capers ladies of the audience Evelyn will bet you a highlight lemon meringue pie against your favorite cookies that you can put your hands on any of your herbs without looking and that you can measure two tablespoons of them without looking and it would embarrass Evelyn if you applauded such a minor accomplishment it would embarrass you if you were applauded for putting your hand on the soft box and measuring a teaspoon of [Music] now for canned foods that have a fast turnover on the shelf you would have to read the labels and so does Evelyn her husband puts Brailled bans around such can so that Evelyn can read them there's the first small variation from the ordinary housewife routine well everything's ready the well browned and sizzling chicken is put into the pressure cooker the specially Brailled gage is adjusted and the timer set the jobs finished no scalding 'z no gashes no fires [Music] Evelynn uses no special kitchen equipment as such but aids for the blind published by the American Foundation for the blind lists a whole line of special adapted tools for use by the blind there is the circular rolling pin [Music] the pie cutter there's no chance for favoritism here [Music] and there's the cake cutter and Tom [Music] there's the bread knife that cuts even slices and there are scores of other aids helpful yes but as you can see just as helpful to the seeing housewife so the crews job of proving to themselves and to us that a blind housewife can cook is done the crew is invited to stay for the dinner they saw prepared how are the man that she was kissing was not a member of the crew that's her husband and he can stay for dinner too [Music] but where is the chicken here it comes hot ambrosial delicious we wish we could give you a four fold [Music]