Wizzo School Hols Adventure! - Page 2

Sundae · 08-10-2009, 05:08 PM

Oh Dick and Fanny! I don't know which one to handle any more - I've never known such queer goings on.
Never mind. Just make sure you invite Neil, Bob and Roger.

ETA - if this sounds a bit practised, I actually have notes on writing a Chalet School/ Enid Blyton Cellar episode. It was supposed to be "one for the ladies." Which is why I've subverted the thread with innuendo I suppose

Problem was, it had a Nazi sub-plot, and I felt bad about casting villains. Wolf was going to be Matron though. Forever giving the girls sedatives (as per real boarding school stories!) Shawnee was the school secretary, about the same age as the girls, and sympathetic. Bri was the bad girl, in a St Trinians' style. Ducks & Ali made an appearance as obligatory new girls from a backwards country. Dana was a Commie spy, outwitting the Nazis. And Bruce - of course. The mild-mannered janitor. Saving the day, and thereby teaching Dani the error of her ways - capitalism is best.

You know what? The synopsis makes it sound so much better than it ended up.
But I think I was was right not to write it, given that it seems only Brits & Aussies get the genre!

SteveDallas · 08-10-2009, 11:53 PM

Was it a musical?? The Nazi bit immediately made me think of Sound of Music. No, go for it, I just found the slang a little thick slogging.

Aliantha · 08-11-2009, 12:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ZenGum

Of course.

Timmy is bringing his model aeroplanes, and he will need his dope to glue them back together if they crash.

What, is there some other kind?

What ho! sounds like a treat, and by goodness yes there is another kind, but a few snorts of the good stuff should do the trick at any rate old chum.

Aliantha · 08-11-2009, 12:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sundae Girl

Oh Dick and Fanny! I don't know which one to handle any more - I've never known such queer goings on.
Never mind. Just make sure you invite Neil, Bob and Roger.

ETA - if this sounds a bit practised, I actually have notes on writing a Chalet School/ Enid Blyton Cellar episode. It was supposed to be "one for the ladies." Which is why I've subverted the thread with innuendo I suppose

Problem was, it had a Nazi sub-plot, and I felt bad about casting villains. Wolf was going to be Matron though. Forever giving the girls sedatives (as per real boarding school stories!) Shawnee was the school secretary, about the same age as the girls, and sympathetic. Bri was the bad girl, in a St Trinians' style. Ducks & Ali made an appearance as obligatory new girls from a backwards country. Dana was a Commie spy, outwitting the Nazis. And Bruce - of course. The mild-mannered janitor. Saving the day, and thereby teaching Dani the error of her ways - capitalism is best.

You know what? The synopsis makes it sound so much better than it ended up.
But I think I was was right not to write it, given that it seems only Brits & Aussies get the genre!

My mum had a whole heap of those types of books which I've inherited although bugger me if I can't remember where I've put them now, but anyway, my favourite was Lucy Brown and all her adventures.

ZenGum · 08-11-2009, 02:08 AM

I only read one or two, they have some jaw-dropping lines by today's standards.

Paraphrase from a Famous Five:

Georgie (Georgina) "You can't do it, Susan (or whatever her name was), driving a horse-caravan is a man's job."

Susan "But you're not a man. You're not even a boy. You're just a girl."

Georgie scowled. She did not like being reminded she was just a girl....

DanaC · 08-11-2009, 02:25 AM

I loved George when I was growing up. I liked the fact she was 'almost as good as a boy' at a lot of stuff.

Sundae · 08-11-2009, 03:20 PM

I loved the Famous Five, the Secret Seven, the Find-Outers and of course The Magic Far-Away Tree. But crikey they were books of their time in terms of gender roles.

But the Chalet School stories were the most priceless.
I collected them, then gave them away when I moved here - something about Mum's horrified expression at the amount of books I owned.
Their moral code was so warped by today's standards.

And girls were regularly "dosed" when they cried too much.
And were "delicate" and caught ill from a window being open, standing in a draught or getting their feet wet. Even sometimes from just staying up too late.
And all the "old girls" (previous students) met and married men a year after leaving school and had twins and triplets - usually in the same family.
Oh and parents died and their spouses remarried ALL the time - very few girls had both their original parents. Which led to very complicated families, even in pre-divorce days.

Superb.

Anyway, as you were.

SteveDallas · 08-11-2009, 04:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sundae Girl

And girls were regularly "dosed" when they cried too much.

Were the teachers mean? strict? etc.?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sundae Girl

Oh and parents died and their spouses remarried ALL the time - very few girls had both their original parents. Which led to very complicated families, even in pre-divorce days.

Did this result in you & your friends expecting your parents to die? I remember there was so much stuff about "helping kids deal with divorce" floating around (I'm talking mid to late 1970s here) that it almost seemed surprising my parents DIDN'T divorce.

ETA: I'm now unable to read this thread title without thinking of the "Wizzo Quality Assortment" from Monty Python's crunchy frog sketch.

Sundae · 08-11-2009, 05:35 PM

Oh no, the teachers were just concerned about the gals. But the books started (I think) after the Great War, when ladies did have emotions, but by goodness it was unhealthy to exhibit them. They were given sedatives to help them you know. Til they got old enough to be Memsahibs and dose themselves with gin...

And no, we were aware of the curiousity of a lot of the situations. We were reading in the 70s after all. Although I wrote a priceless piece of coursework about being abused as a child because my parents were still around, therefore I couldn't experience any of the adventures of the children in our set texts. It was deliberately tongue in cheek (yes, I got an A).

But it entered into my consciousness when I didn't expect it. Only a couple of years ago I found a list of all my daughters' names. And I had two sets of twins and a set of triplets. I wrote it when I was FIFTEEN for goodness sake! And I'd had them all by the time I was 32. Then again, I was going to be a vet or a missionary...

08-10-2009, 05:08 PM	#16
Sundae polaroid of perfection Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: West Yorkshire Posts: 24,185	Oh Dick and Fanny! I don't know which one to handle any more - I've never known such queer goings on. Never mind. Just make sure you invite Neil, Bob and Roger. ETA - if this sounds a bit practised, I actually have notes on writing a Chalet School/ Enid Blyton Cellar episode. It was supposed to be "one for the ladies." Which is why I've subverted the thread with innuendo I suppose Problem was, it had a Nazi sub-plot, and I felt bad about casting villains. Wolf was going to be Matron though. Forever giving the girls sedatives (as per real boarding school stories!) Shawnee was the school secretary, about the same age as the girls, and sympathetic. Bri was the bad girl, in a St Trinians' style. Ducks & Ali made an appearance as obligatory new girls from a backwards country. Dana was a Commie spy, outwitting the Nazis. And Bruce - of course. The mild-mannered janitor. Saving the day, and thereby teaching Dani the error of her ways - capitalism is best. You know what? The synopsis makes it sound so much better than it ended up. But I think I was was right not to write it, given that it seems only Brits & Aussies get the genre! __________________ Life's hard you know, so strike a pose on a Cadillac

08-11-2009, 02:08 AM	#20
ZenGum Doctor Wtf Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Badelaide, Baustralia Posts: 12,861	I only read one or two, they have some jaw-dropping lines by today's standards. Paraphrase from a Famous Five: Georgie (Georgina) "You can't do it, Susan (or whatever her name was), driving a horse-caravan is a man's job." Susan "But you're not a man. You're not even a boy. You're just a girl." Georgie scowled. She did not like being reminded she was just a girl.... __________________ Shut up and hug. MoreThanPretty, Nov 5, 2008. Just because I'm nominally polite, does not make me a pussy. Sundae Girl.

08-11-2009, 03:20 PM	#22
Sundae polaroid of perfection Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: West Yorkshire Posts: 24,185	I loved the Famous Five, the Secret Seven, the Find-Outers and of course The Magic Far-Away Tree. But crikey they were books of their time in terms of gender roles. But the Chalet School stories were the most priceless. I collected them, then gave them away when I moved here - something about Mum's horrified expression at the amount of books I owned. Their moral code was so warped by today's standards. And girls were regularly "dosed" when they cried too much. And were "delicate" and caught ill from a window being open, standing in a draught or getting their feet wet. Even sometimes from just staying up too late. And all the "old girls" (previous students) met and married men a year after leaving school and had twins and triplets - usually in the same family. Oh and parents died and their spouses remarried ALL the time - very few girls had both their original parents. Which led to very complicated families, even in pre-divorce days. Superb. Anyway, as you were. __________________ Life's hard you know, so strike a pose on a Cadillac

08-11-2009, 05:35 PM	#24
Sundae polaroid of perfection Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: West Yorkshire Posts: 24,185	Oh no, the teachers were just concerned about the gals. But the books started (I think) after the Great War, when ladies did have emotions, but by goodness it was unhealthy to exhibit them. They were given sedatives to help them you know. Til they got old enough to be Memsahibs and dose themselves with gin... And no, we were aware of the curiousity of a lot of the situations. We were reading in the 70s after all. Although I wrote a priceless piece of coursework about being abused as a child because my parents were still around, therefore I couldn't experience any of the adventures of the children in our set texts. It was deliberately tongue in cheek (yes, I got an A). But it entered into my consciousness when I didn't expect it. Only a couple of years ago I found a list of all my daughters' names. And I had two sets of twins and a set of triplets. I wrote it when I was FIFTEEN for goodness sake! And I'd had them all by the time I was 32. Then again, I was going to be a vet or a missionary... __________________ Life's hard you know, so strike a pose on a Cadillac

08-10-2009, 11:53 PM	#17
SteveDallas Your Bartender Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Philly Burbs, PA Posts: 7,651	Was it a musical?? The Nazi bit immediately made me think of Sound of Music. No, go for it, I just found the slang a little thick slogging.

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