Fast-Talking Dames

by Maria DiBattista

“There is nothing like a dame,” proclaims the song from South Pacific. Certainly there is nothing like the fast-talking dame of screen comedies in the 1930s and ’40s. In this engaging book, film scholar and movie buff Maria DiBattista celebrates the fast-talking dame as an American original. Coming of age during the Depression, the dame--a woman of lively wit and brash speech—epitomized a new style of self-reliant, articulate womanhood. Dames were quick on the uptake and hardly ever downbeat. They seemed to know what to say and when to say it. In their fast and breezy talk seemed to lie the secret of happiness, but also the key to reality. DiBattista offers vivid portraits of the grandest dames of the era, including Katharine Hepburn, Irene Dunne, Rosalind Russell, Barbara Stanwyck, and others, and discusses the great films that showcased their compelling way with words—and with men.

With their snappy repartee and vivid colloquialisms, these fast-talkers were verbal muses at a time when Americans were reinventing both language and the political institutions of democratic culture. As they taught their laconic male counterparts (most notably those appealing but tongue-tied American icons, Gary Cooper, Henry Fonda, and James Stewart) the power and pleasures of speech, they also reimagined the relationship between the sexes.
In such films as Bringing Up Baby, The Awful Truth, and The Lady Eve, the fast-talking dame captivated moviegoers of her time. For audiences today, DiBattista observes, the sassy heroine still has much to say.

Genres: Film, Nonfiction, History, Gender, Feminism, Womens, Media Tie In

381 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

Reviews

[robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

I heard Maria DiBattista deliver an entrancing lecture at the University of Chicago and that led me to read this entrancing book. A true joy, it vividly captures the spirit, verve, and charming charisma of the fast-talking dame. Read this and you will want to pitch your own life at the same dizzying, exhilarating pace. DiBattista makes you feel like playing with these shadows of the silver screen -- you want to join in their fun.

[Sharone · Rating 2 out of 5]

No one should ever have written this sentence: "What is more American than the American appetite for corn in both its comestible and comic variety?" Execrable.

[Jay · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sounded fascinating but the overly analytical tone and text sucks the joy out of every movie discussed.

[Kevin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A study of how female characters in movies evolved in the ‘30s as they literally found their voice, especially in comedies like His Girl Friday and Bringing Up Baby. The amount of words they used, she suggests, was a sign of greater independence and parity with their male partners, although by the end of the movie they were usually on the path to marriage. She follows this evolution through to the ‘50s, when the fast talking dame was replaced by the dumb blonde. This was much more academic than I expected and I did skip around; when it took longer to read a chapter about a specific movie, then it takes to watch it I did a lot skimming. Interesting ideas, just an unexpected style.

[Dominique · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Positively the same dame."

If you're looking for a classic film read for #WomensHistoryMonth ... I recommend FAST-TALKING DAMES by Maria DiBattista.

For my CINEMA COFFEE write-up on the book: https://bit.ly/30en5s5

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

An analytical collection of essays on one of my favorite Hollywood character types. I'm still not sure what the chapter on Garbo was doing mixed in with the rest, but the author's analysis of The Lady Eve brought the book back up into the 4-star range for me. Worth the time if you enjoy the topic.

[Lily · Rating 2 out of 5]

A madcap dash! Just kidding, this was actually quite academic and a little bit joke-killing. But I did enjoy some of the analysis of this style of acting in thirties and forties comedies. These comediennes are "quick on the uptake and hardly ever downbeat." My favorite parts were of course the movies I had already seen, particularly the Thin Man with Myrna Loy as Nora. What a great character! But truthfully, most of this book was skimmable. Like please don't explain the double entendre, Carole Lombard and Katharine Hepburn rely on the rhetorical nature of their barbs!

She had an interesting thought about contemporary comedies: "The smart talkers of today's movies, mimicking the monologism of stand-up comedians or one-liners of sitcoms, rarely aspire above the level of the putdown. Their gibes are meant to forestall or foreclose conversation, not quicken, complicate and enliven it." How true! Big budget comedies today are so clearly written by male comedians, because every character sounds like they are workshopping a twenty minute set. She also points out that directly after the Howard Hawks era comes the Ditzy Blonde era where Marilyn Monroe is the queen of the unintentional innuendo. "These women were of their time but ahead of it, too."

Verdict: excellent subject, boring execution.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clearly, a well-thought out book with a message for the ages: Nobody beats a smart dame and nobody should try. This would be a perfect companion for a film studies course and I can only imagine just how it opens the minds of those looking for the feminine ideal both in film and in life.

[Nancy Bielski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it because I love all those actresses and their movies! Totally got this on sale at Iowa Book.

[Lisa]

Fast-Talking Dames by Maria DiBattista (2001)