>>>Most everyone knows that Otis was employed as a glue dipper at the furniture factory. Whether it be day or night, Otis is mostly seen wearing a coat and tie. I have worked in a factory and even the manager did not wear a tie. My question is, why would the director have Otis wearing one? It just doesn't seem practical for a glue dipper to dress this way.<<<
Well, this is just a guess on my part, but here's my theory. We know that TAGS was intended to give a cultural feel more reminiscent of the 1930's instead of the 1960's when it was actually set. Now, I was a child even when TAGS originally aired, but I love old movies and have watched a whole lot of them. Based on movies from the 1930's and even later, it would seem that many men wore suits or at least a sport coat, plus a tie and hat, when they were anywhere but home. Otherwise, they were "underdressed." (If you ever watch old Abbott and Costello movies, you know that, unless they were dressed in some kind of uniform, they wore suits, ties, and hats.) Even when you would see a man "down on his luck," he would be wearing a shabby suit coat and a worn hat. I'm sure this wasn't universal, but it is certainly true that in the thirties through the fifties people dressed up much more. Men wore suits, ties, and hats, and women wore dresses, hats, and sometimes gloves. It wasn't un til the 1960's that dress become more casual for adults in public settings. I know I have seen movies set in that earlier time period where a man would wear a suit or sport coat to work, change into work clothes on the job, then change back into his street clothes after work. So maybe that's what Otis did. Thelma Lou (Janet) _______________________________________________ WBMUTBB mailing list [email protected] http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
