Junior Miss 19xx.xx.xx Judy wants to be an Actress to help out the Family

Summary

Podcast Summary: Junior Miss 19xx.xx.xx – Judy Wants to Be an Actress to Help Out the Family

Podcast Information:

• Title: Harold's Old Time Radio
• Host/Author: Harold's Old Time Radio
• Episode Title: Junior Miss 19xx.xx.xx – Judy Wants to Be an Actress to Help Out the Family
• Release Date: May 5, 2025

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Introduction

In this episode of Harold's Old Time Radio, titled "Junior Miss 19xx.xx.xx – Judy Wants to Be an Actress to Help Out the Family," listeners are transported to the charming Graves household at 36 East 82nd Street in New York City. The story revolves around Judy Graves, the youngest member of the family, who aspires to pursue a career in acting to alleviate the financial burdens on her family.

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Main Characters and Setting

• Judy Graves: A spirited 15-year-old with dreams of becoming an actress.
• Harry Graves: Judy's father, a proud man who values traditional roles and is skeptical of Judy's ambitions.
• Wayfair: The family's mother and housekeeper, who often mediates between Harry and the children.
• Lois Graves: Judy's older sister, currently disillusioned with men and relationships.
• Tallulah: A family maid with a penchant for dramatics.
• Fuffy: A friend of Judy, involved in her budding aspirations.

The episode is set in the Graves' New York City apartment, capturing the dynamics of a typical family navigating aspirations and disappointments.

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Plot Overview

The episode opens with Judy expressing her desire to become an actress, hoping to contribute financially to her family. This announcement sets off a series of familial debates and conflicts, highlighting the generational and ideological gaps within the Graves household.

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Key Conflicts

1. Judy's Ambition vs. Parental Expectations:

   • Judy's Perspective: Determined to help her family, Judy believes acting is a viable path.
     • Judy Graves [09:31]: "Well, I'd like to help out in the house. I don't want the whole burden of money to be on you."
   • Harry's Perspective: Harry is resistant to Judy's plans, believing she should focus on her education.
     • Harry Graves [09:35]: "There's nothing wrong with it, but I think you should finish school first."

2. Generational and Ideological Divide:

   • The episode underscores the tension between traditional values upheld by Harry and the evolving aspirations of the younger generation represented by Judy.
     • Harry Graves [10:19]: "He’s making me out like Ebenezer Scrooge in Dickens. Oliver Twist."

3. Family Dynamics and Communication Barriers:

   • Misunderstandings and unmet expectations fuel the family's discord.
     • Judy Graves [09:40]: "But you have to start out young."
     • Harry Graves [09:45]: "You don't have to start at all."

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Family Dynamics

• Lois Graves: Struggles with her own disillusionment regarding men, adding another layer to the family's emotional landscape.

  • Lois Graves [11:31]: "I just don't want to see you. That's all it is. I just don't want to see you."

• Wayfair's Role: Acts as a peacemaker, attempting to soothe tensions and keep the household running smoothly.

  • Wayfair [10:04]: "Well, sometimes you are hard to understand, Harry."

• Tallulah's Dramatics: Infuses humor and tension, often exacerbating conflicts with her exaggerated persona.

  • Tallulah [07:06]: "Darling, ditched today, hitched tomorrow."

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Judy's Aspiration

Judy's ambition to become an actress is portrayed as both a personal dream and a practical solution to the family's financial strain. Her determination is met with skepticism and resistance from her father, reflecting societal attitudes towards young women pursuing careers in the arts during the era.

• Judy Graves [09:48]: "No, you haven't. One moment you say we need the money. Then when I decide to go to work to help out, you don't want me to. It's very confusing."

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Harry's Perspective

Harry embodies the traditional patriarch, valuing job stability and education over the uncertainties of an acting career. His resistance is not just about the profession but also about his desire for stability and his struggle to understand his daughter's aspirations.

• Harry Graves [09:46]: "I don't think you should be an actress."

His references to literary characters like Ebenezer Scrooge and Uriah Heep illustrate his attempts to articulate his frustrations, albeit somewhat ineffectively.

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Conclusion

The episode concludes with the unresolved tension between Judy and Harry, encapsulating the challenges faced by families when confronted with changing aspirations and generational differences. Judy remains steadfast in her desire to pursue acting, while Harry continues to prioritize traditional paths, setting the stage for future conflicts and character development.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Judy Graves [09:31]: "Well, I'd like to help out in the house. I don't want the whole burden of money to be on you."
• Harry Graves [09:35]: "There's nothing wrong with it, but I think you should finish school first."
• Lois Graves [11:31]: "I just don't want to see you. That's all it is. I just don't want to see you."
• Tallulah [07:06]: "Darling, ditched today, hitched tomorrow."

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Insights and Themes

• Generational Conflict: Highlights the clash between traditional expectations and modern aspirations.
• Gender Roles: Explores the limitations placed on young women in pursuing careers outside the household.
• Family Responsibility: Judy's willingness to work reflects the economic pressures on families and the sacrifices expected from younger members.
• Communication Barriers: Demonstrates how misunderstandings can exacerbate familial tensions.

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Conclusion

Junior Miss 19xx.xx.xx offers a poignant look into the dynamics of a family grappling with changing times and personal ambitions. Judy's quest to become an actress serves as a microcosm of broader societal shifts, making this episode both entertaining and thought-provoking for listeners.

Transcript

[Nicole Byer]

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[Judy Graves]

Being 15 is like long winter underwear. It goes on and on and on.

[Narrator]

Presenting Junior Miss Brought to you transcribed every weekday night. Based on the delightful characters created by Sally Benson, with Gail Gordon as Harry Graves and starring Barbara Whiting, Judy Graves, our Junior Miss has decided to take up a career and bring some extra money into the Graves apartment at 36 East 82nd street in New York City, where she lives with her mother and father and older sister Lois. Right now it's Tuesday morning. Breakfast isn't ready as yet, and in the girls bedroom Lois comes out of the bath while Judy is sprawled on the floor engrossed in a book.

[Lois Graves]

Judy, you can get in the bath now. I'm finished.

[Judy Graves]

Take a little more time, Lois. I'm reading something inspiring, wonderfully clever, all about the theater.

[Lois Graves]

I'm not interested.

[Judy Graves]

You should hear what she says about men.

[Lois Graves]

I don't want to hear anything about men today or ever, darling.

[Tallulah]

Lois, you're going to have to, because they're here, darling. They're here. Says so in the book.

[Lois Graves]

What are you reading?

[Tallulah]

Tallulah.

[Lois Graves]

Stop trying to sound like her.

[Tallulah]

Did I, darling? Well, I didn't mean to, darling. It just happened, darling. But you might be hearing more of it, darling, than you realize, darling.

[Lois Graves]

And cut. Giving me that Tallulah routine. What's the matter with you?

[Judy Graves]

Nothing the matter with me that a good job in a Broadway show wouldn't cure.

[Lois Graves]

You're not thinking of becoming an actress?

[Judy Graves]

Maybe. They do make good money, you know.

[Lois Graves]

Let Father make the money. I'm not in any mood to listen to you or anything about love or men or the theater.

[Tallulah]

Something go wrong, darling?

[Lois Graves]

Wrong? I should say so. I've never been so disillusioned in my life. And after all, I thought of Paul Mack Twitter. How I really felt about him.

[Judy Graves]

Paul who?

[Lois Graves]

Mack Twitter. He's the light heavyweight wrestling champion at Harvard. Never want to see him again.

[Judy Graves]

What's the matter?

[Tallulah]

Didn't he try to get a hold on you, darling?

[Lois Graves]

Don't be smart. Get dressed. I'll call the folks.

[Wayfair]

Harry, aren't you through in there yet?

[Harry Graves]

Just combing my hair.

[Wayfair]

Oh, Harry, I wish you'd hurry.

[Harry Graves]

I'm hurrying, Grace. I'm hurrying. I have to comb my hair.

[Wayfair]

You've been combing it for the last 10 minutes. I don't think there's that much there.

[Harry Graves]

Oh, it's all there. I'm still holding. If I wasn't in such a good mood, I'd take exception to that remark.

[Wayfair]

I didn't really mean anything. Harry, you shouldn't be so vain. And if you've lost a little hair, what's the difference?

[Harry Graves]

Stop patting my head, Grace.

[Wayfair]

There's still some growing right there.

[Judy Graves]

It's not all gone.

[Harry Graves]

Oh, now, please stop it. Stop it.

[Wayfair]

That's where it is, Harry.

[Harry Graves]

Where?

[Wayfair]

Right there.

[Harry Graves]

You're all wrong, Grace.

[Wayfair]

No, no, I'm not. Go ahead, pat it.

[Harry Graves]

You're all wrong. You mean here?

[Judy Graves]

Mm.

[Tallulah]

See?

[Harry Graves]

Well, I just haven't combed it over yet. Stop standing in back of me, Grace.

[Wayfair]

Hurry. Hurry.

[Harry Graves]

I'm hurrying. I'm hurry. Grace, can you find the throat spray for me, please?

[Wayfair]

The throat spray? Oh, Harry, are you getting another one of your sore throats?

[Harry Graves]

No, no, my throat isn't sore, but I just thought I'd spray it to get in shape for this evening.

[Wayfair]

Oh, Harry, you're like a young girl whenever you're going to a thingamajig at the Yale Club.

[Harry Graves]

Well, it's not a thingamajig. It's a dinner in honor of Jordan Oliver, the football coach.

[Wayfair]

That's the 15th thingamajig you've given for him this year.

[Harry Graves]

Well, when we honor someone, we honor him.

[Lois Graves]

Dad, Mother, breakfast is nearly ready.

[Wayfair]

Be right there.

[Harry Graves]

I guess I don't need the throat spray.

[Hilda]

But she ever wanted to get mixed up with him, for I'll never know. All the people in the. I don't know why she.

[Harry Graves]

Good Morning, Hilda.

[Hilda]

Morning, Mr. Graves. Do you ever want to get mixed up with him? For all he wants to marry, I'll never know.

[Harry Graves]

Is something wrong, Hilda?

[Hilda]

Oh, it's that brother in law of mine again, the dude of Duluth.

[Harry Graves]

Not working again.

[Hilda]

He's been collecting unemployment insurance for so many years now. I think the government's going to build a gold railing in front of the window for him to lean on.

[Wayfair]

Good morning, Hilda.

[Hilda]

Morning, Miss Craig.

[Harry Graves]

I thought he was going into some business.

[Hilda]

Well, he was going into television, but he changed his mind.

[Harry Graves]

He did? Yes.

[Hilda]

He figures that It'll last about 20 or 25 years and then there'll be something new and he Just doesn't want to make a move until the kinks are all ironed out. Hello. Get the hotcakes.

[Lois Graves]

Morning, Mother.

[Wayfair]

Good morning, Lois.

[Lois Graves]

Good morning, dad.

[Harry Graves]

Good morning, Lois.

[Lois Graves]

May I have the rolls, please, Mother?

[Wayfair]

Rolls? I thought you were on a diet.

[Lois Graves]

Lois, I don't care what happens to my figure or what happens to me. I don't care if another man ever looks at me again.

[Wayfair]

Oh, Harry, be careful.

[Harry Graves]

What did you say? Lois?

[Lois Graves]

I don't care if I ever go out with a man again.

[Harry Graves]

Lois, don't you feel well? Grace, did you hear what she said?

[Wayfair]

Yes, I did. Lois, are you all right?

[Lois Graves]

Of course I'm all right, Mother. Just have a different opinion of men, that's all. They mean nothing to me.

[Harry Graves]

Don't say that when I'm drinking my juice.

[Tallulah]

Good morning, darling. How are all my darlings this morning?

[Harry Graves]

We're fine.

[Tallulah]

I'm glad, darling. It's so pleasant to see one's family happily gathered around the breakfast table in the morning. Really, darlings, it is, Is it? Yes, darling, it is. Really, darling, it is.

[Harry Graves]

Well, all right, all right. Sit down.

[Lois Graves]

He's been doing it all morning, Mother.

[Tallulah]

Oh, darling. Lois, you're in such a mood. Don't let it bother you, darling. Just remember, darling, ditched today, hitched tomorrow.

[Wayfair]

How are you talking.

[Harry Graves]

Yes, stop.

[Tallulah]

Ditched.

[Lois Graves]

Don't you ever mention that word in this house or in front of me. Dad, did you hear what she said? She said I was ditched.

[Harry Graves]

Ditched.

[Lois Graves]

What a vulgar expression.

[Harry Graves]

Yes. Yes, it is. Were you lost?

[Lois Graves]

Of course I wasn't.

[Judy Graves]

Well, something must have made you give him up. You just wouldn't have. Judy, I didn't mean anything. Just that I feel sorry for you.

[Tallulah]

Darling, men grow on trees and you're the one to chop.

[Harry Graves]

That's enough of that, too. Why can't we sit here at the table and eat our breakfast like normal people should?

[Wayfair]

Your father's absolutely right.

[Hilda]

Girls, here are the hotcakes.

[Harry Graves]

We don't need Tallulah at breakfast. There's a time and a place for everything. Oh, hotcakes.

[Wayfair]

Harry, there's a time and place for everything. And this isn't the place for the Whiff and Poof song.

[Harry Graves]

Oh, was I singing?

[Wayfair]

Yes, you. You should save it for tonight.

[Judy Graves]

Oh, going to the Yale Club tonight, Daddy?

[Harry Graves]

Yes, the boys are getting together.

[Hilda]

Boys? That's a hot one.

[Harry Graves]

I said boys. Hilda. Grace, did you hear? What you.

[Wayfair]

Don't be so touchy, Harry. You always are whenever the Yale group gets together.

[Judy Graves]

You gonna sing with the glee club?

[Harry Graves]

Tonight, Daddy Solo. And, Grace, don't forget, find the throat spray for me, please.

[Wayfair]

Lois, how are you cutting the hotcakes?

[Lois Graves]

Oh, I can't help it, Mother. I was just thinking of that Paul. All Pauls, Lois.

[Wayfair]

Those are our good breakfast dishes.

[Tallulah]

Oh, poor darling Lois. Her nerves are just shattered. They are afraid, darling, aren't they? But don't you worry. Pa will be back groveling at your feet. Mark my words, darling. Groveling. I said groveling.

[Lois Graves]

There she goes again.

[Harry Graves]

Judy, just what are you trying to do?

[Lois Graves]

She's going to work. Become an actress.

[Harry Graves]

You are.

[Judy Graves]

Well, I'd like to help out in the house. I don't want the whole burden of money to be on you.

[Harry Graves]

Well, I'll take care of the burden. You don't have to be an actress.

[Judy Graves]

What's wrong with being an actress?

[Harry Graves]

There's nothing wrong with it, but I think you should finish school first.

[Judy Graves]

But you have to start out young.

[Harry Graves]

You don't have to start at all.

[Judy Graves]

Gee, it's hard to follow you.

[Harry Graves]

Well, I think I've made myself clear.

[Judy Graves]

No, you haven't. One moment you say we need the money. Then when I decide to go to work to help out, you don't want me to. It's very confusing.

[Harry Graves]

Grace, I don't think your daughter should be arguing with her father.

[Wayfair]

Well, sometimes you are hard to understand, Harry.

[Harry Graves]

I don't think so at all. Just because I make a statement doesn't mean that it has to be taken literally. I just ask you all to cut down. I didn't tell Judy that she had to give up school and go out and work in the mines. He's making me out like Ebenezer Scrooge in Dickens. Oliver Twist.

[Lois Graves]

He was in Christmas Carol.

[Harry Graves]

Lois, you keep out of it. I'm talking to your sister.

[Judy Graves]

Lois is right.

[Harry Graves]

This is between you and me, Judy. I mean, you're making me out like Uriah Heep in Great Expectations.

[Judy Graves]

He was an Oliver Twist.

[Harry Graves]

Well, we're not having a discussion about Dickens. Let's get off the subject. We're talking about you going to work.

[Wayfair]

You don't know Dickens very well, Harry.

[Harry Graves]

Well, whether I do or not makes no matter.

[Judy Graves]

Yes, it does, Daddy. It's like I said, it's very confusing.

[Wayfair]

You're hard to follow, Harry. You shouldn't use Dickens characters if you don't know where they belong.

[Harry Graves]

I don't care where they belong. All I know is Judy belongs in school, not out trying to be an actress. Just get the idea of the stage out of your head. Gee, we don't need any G. I'll get it. Oh, Grace, did you see my tux was hatched to be pressed for tonight?

[Wayfair]

Oh, yes, Harry, I did. I had to let it out a little bit too.

[Harry Graves]

Oh, well, that wasn't necessary.

[Wayfair]

Oh, yes, it was. You can't button that top button anymore.

[Judy Graves]

Who?

[Tallulah]

Paul.

[Judy Graves]

Just a minute. It's Paul, Lois.

[Tallulah]

She'll be right here, darling.

[Lois Graves]

She did it again. Tell her to stop. Mother, stop.

[Wayfair]

Judy here.

[Lois Graves]

Well, I don't want to talk to him, but I'll just tell him what I think.

[Judy Graves]

Hello, Paul.

[Lois Graves]

Now, there's no sense in you calling me because I just don't want to see you, no matter what you say. I've made up my mind. I'm just not going to see you. There's no need trying to force me. It's definitely whether you want to see me or not. I don't want to see you. And that shouldn't be hard to understand. When I make up my mind not to see someone, I just don't want to see them. That's all it is. I just don't want to see you.

[Harry Graves]

Oh. See you.

[Judy Graves]

Bye.

[Lois Graves]

I wonder if I should have seen him.

[Judy Graves]

That's Puppy. Gotta get going to school.

[Harry Graves]

Can't you meet her in the street? Hi, Judy.

[Judy Graves]

Hi, Fuff. Be with you in a sec.

[Lois Graves]

Morning, all.

[Wayfair]

Good morning.

[Lois Graves]

Hi, Fuffy.

[Fuffy]

Judy, don't forget to bring your buttons. Have you got them?

[Judy Graves]

Mm. We'll assort them at lunch.

[Harry Graves]

Buttons?

[Lois Graves]

Yes, buttons.

[Fuffy]

Mr. Graves. Judy and I are starting a collection.

[Harry Graves]

How interesting.

[Judy Graves]

I took the top one off your tuxedo pants, Daddy. It was loose anyway.

[Harry Graves]

Off my tuxedo?

[Wayfair]

I told you, Harry. That's why I had the pants let out. That button.

[Fuffy]

Keep putting it on around the old bay, eh, Mr. Graves? I mean, adding a little avoir dupois. Better, Mr. Graves.

[Harry Graves]

Better. But I thank you not to worry about my stomach.

[Fuffy]

Oh, I'm not worried about it. And you shouldn't be either. There comes a time in every man's life around your age that he puts on a little in front and loses a little on top.

[Wayfair]

Can you notice it from there too? You see what I was telling you?

[Harry Graves]

Fuffy, will you stop staring at the top of my head?

[Wayfair]

Fuff.

[Judy Graves]

Better not mix with my father this morning. He's really on edge. Doesn't like actresses.

[Harry Graves]

I didn't say I don't like actresses. I'm not on edge.

[Wayfair]

Oh, you are, Harry. Every time you're going to sing at the Yale Club, it happens.

[Harry Graves]

It hasn't happened at all. If a father can't talk to his daughter as I was talking to her. And if you're going to take Judy's side in front of me when I'm trying to tell my daughter right for me wrong and then she doesn't have to cook. She has.

[Judy Graves]

What, Daddy?

[Wayfair]

Speak up, Harry.

[Harry Graves]

It's happened. I've got it.

[Wayfair]

What, Harry?

[Harry Graves]

Laryngitis. You made me talk too much. Of all days to have it happen.

[Lois Graves]

And don't get excited, dad.

[Harry Graves]

I'm singing the Whiff and Poof song tonight and you say don't get excited.

[Judy Graves]

Daddy, do you want the throat spray?

[Harry Graves]

Yes, something.

[Narrator]

This is Roy Rowan inviting you to tune in tomorrow for another transcribed episode in the life of our Junior Miss. Written and directed for radio by Henry Garson later tonight, my friend Irma changes jobs when Marie Wilson, our empty headed blonde, takes a new job with an architect. Present day architecture is set back several centuries. It doesn't take long for my friend Irma because she has a talent for making life resemble nothing so much as a tossed salad. Remember, it's Marie Wilson as Irma and Kathy Lewis as her saner roommate Jane Stacy with the boarding house gang in on the fun. Be sure and listen tonight on most of these same stations when CBS Radio presents another comedy episode of My Friend Irma.

[Nicole Byer]

We interrupt this program to bring you an important Wayfair message. Wayfair's got style tips for every home. This is Nicole Byer helping you make those rooms flyer. Today's style tip when it comes to making a statement, treat bold. Bold patterns like neutrals go wild like an untamed animal. Print area rug under a rustic farmhouse table from wayfair.com oh fierce this has been your Wayfarer style tip to keep those interiors superior.

[Wayfair]

Wayfair Every style. Every home.

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[Harry Graves]

Btwo prohibited by law. See terms and conditions 18 plus.