"Hmm." Mom thought for a second. "Well, look at her compared to the others--she's got to be pretty tall. But, at the same time, everyone was short in the movies. So, maybe she's not. Let's look it up." My mom managed to tear herself from the always lovely "June Bride" song in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers to head over to the computer in the other room.
I watched the six girls dance in their negligee and realized that, not only was she tall, but Dorcas was curvier than the rest of 'em too. She was this leggy, tiny-waisted, dark eyed beauty who was always tucked in the back and made comments infrequently (although, her comments were always the most quotable of the six useless brides). She danced well. She stood tall. She had a tall man.
"She was 5'11"," Mom reported.
"What."
I rushed off to the computer to check the stats; she was 5'11"! How could there be anyone in the movie industry that was the same height as me, especially back then? I mean, the movie was released in 1953 and her next tallest female co-star couldn't have been within 4 inches of her. They even hired a taller actor, with no singing or dancing ability, to be her groom. Height was not a common thing during her time.
I found her quotations section.
"I'm magnificent! I'm 5'11" and I weigh 135 pounds, and I look like a racehorse."
My jaw likely dropped. 135 pounds? I hadn't been anywhere near that in years. Still haven't gotten close. I was inspired; maybe I could drop those pounds, if she could. Then I took a closer look at her body.
Yeah, that tiny waist wasn't healthy. Or possible. Ladies during the 50s had to mold their bodies to look like that. (In fact, Newmar patented some hosiery specifically for shaping.) Also, I remembered that she was a ballet dancer before her acting career. We can basically assume the woman ate nothing. So, the weight was certainly unattainable.
But look at those legs. 37". That's something I can love seeing as I'm almost that leggy. Not to mention her attitude: "Tell me I'm beautiful, it's nothing. Tell me I'm intellectual - I know it. Tell me I'm funny and it's the greatest compliment in the world anyone could give me." Cocky, yes. Confident, yes. Admirable, in moderation. Her confidence in her body is something we can all try to accomplish in our own lives.
My height has always been a physical trait I've struggled with, but look at ladies like Julie Newmar, I have been able to find a beacon of hope and a reason to not only accept my height, but love it.
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