The perceived extent of Germany and Austria before WW II
Rich Rostrom
Recently I watched the film "Curly Top" (a 1935
vehicle for Shirley Temple). Temple's character
has an older sister Mary, who is the romantic
partner with the male lead, Edward, a wealthy
lawyer, They are drawn together by a mutual
love of music, and at one point Edward tells how
he once studied music in the Austrian town of
Brunn (with much fustian about how the simple
Austrian townsfolk love music).
The point is that Brunn, after 1918, was the
_Czechoslovakian_ city of _Brno_.
I think it is interesting that as late as 1935, there
was still a popular perception of Brno/Brunn as
as being "Austrian". And as noted, it wasn't just
asserted in passing, but stated at some length.
Don Phillipson
news:128579f7-f7b6-42cd...@g23g2000vbr.googlegroups.com...
> A minor data point:
>
> Recently I watched the film "Curly Top" (a 1935
> love of music, and at one point Edward tells how
> he once studied music in the Austrian town of
> Brunn (with much fustian about how the simple
> Austrian townsfolk love music).
>
> The point is that Brunn, after 1918, was the
> _Czechoslovakian_ city of _Brno_.
>
> I think it is interesting that as late as 1935, there
> was still a popular perception of Brno/Brunn as
> as being "Austrian". And as noted, it wasn't just
> asserted in passing, but stated at some length.
Data at www.imdb.com suggests the screenplay
was (remotely) adapted from Daddy Long Legs, a book by
Jean Webster, successfully presented on Broadway in 1914.
Bruenn/Brno was the capital of German-speaking Moravia and
"the Austrian Manchester" (the Encyclopedia Britannica of
1911 tells us) as the main centre of the Austrian textile
industry. Even a fictional character who had studied there
before WW1 might very plausibly use its German name.
--
Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs
(Ottawa, Canada)
--
Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs
(Ottawa, Canada)