Old school class drama from the 50s
I have some really old books in my collection. This is from 1958, and could be had for 45 cents!
Lynn is a pretty, popular, and wealthy teen who lives on The Hill, where the most affluent families in Rivertown reside. The plot revolves around a woman in town who, to elevate her daughter's social standing and "liven things up," proposes bringing back debutante balls and allowing the daughters from prestigious families to come out.
Lynn's father, a successful doctor who grew up on the wrong side of the tracks, declines the invite on Lynn's behalf, much to his daughter's shock and horror.
Ostracized from doing what her friends are doing - exclusive dances, parties, dinners, and social events - Lynn learns of the class divide among her friends and the wider circle of students at her school. She is a have who learns from the have-nots. She makes friends outside her clique and learns a little about social justice.
It was fascinating to me, this idea of being a debutante; I grew up a middle-class midwesterner in a small-to-mid-sized city. It was a big deal to go to prom; a cotillion was a completely foreign concept. Yet I do recall shopping for prom dresses and the ladies at Jacobson's wanting to know exactly what events I would be attending to ensure there would be no faux pas of a girl showing up in the same gown.
I bought my gown at Maurices at the mall instead. And Cheri, a girl from the junior class, showed up in the same dress. It was not a big deal.
Since then, I learned that in larger cities with old-money families, this is quite the to-do. When I moved to St. Louis, I discovered it was common for well-connected young ladies such as my co-worker Judith to be presented in more than one city, say STL in the spring, and Cleveland - Cleveland! - in the fall. Memory escapes me, but one woman I worked with in the archdiocese debuted in STL, Kansas City, AND Baton Rouge, all connected to her sorority's formal schedule. Alpha Kappa Alpha, if I recall...
Anyway, back to Lynn. The woman who introduced the debutante season fought publicly with Lynn's father, and one of the most elaborate parties was a benefit for the hospital where he was chief of staff.
Says Dad: Thanks for the coin, but we aren't coming.
Lynn's boyfriend, one of the high-profile young men in town and home from college for Christmas, is swept up in party invitations, and she doesn't see him at all over the break.
I have to call out pious dad for this one: he holds Lynn to this standard, but allows her older brother, who is best friend Nancy's boyfriend, to escort Nancy to all the parties. Lynn isn't allowed to participate, but her brother can? Double standard!
Anyway, Lynn's BF is recruited to be an escort for the social climber's lonely daughter (LD). Lynn strikes up a friendship with a poor girl in the art club, and befriends her brother, a hood rat (HR) who has a crush on her.
Chaos ensues.
Boyfriend breaks up with her over the new friendship with HR.
Social climber sics her LD on the now unattached boyfriend, who is too polite to leave LD without a date.
Best friend Nancy calls Lynn out for being a snob of another kind, unwilling to be friends because they aren't running in the same circles anymore.
Why can't we all get along?
Because LD leaves the money from the benefit in her pocketbook and leaves the pocketbook in the front seat of her car, at school, unlocked, like a dumbass.
She blames HR for the theft. This leads to his expulsion from school - WITHOUT EVIDENCE.
HR maintains his innocence.
Ex-bf, being a nobleman, talks to Lynn about it, and she says nay - HR wouldn't do that. LD says he was in the parking lot. Circumstantial evidence says Lynn, donning her Nancy Drew persona.
Let us TCB, says HR, I think I know who dunnit.
Turns out the dropout creep HR knew from his after-school job was doing shady stuff behind the school, and when he saw the pocketbook, opportunity knocked. So did ex-bf and HR - fist, meet face - and cops are called.
Money recovered, reputations restored, HR back in school, vindicated.
But the ball must go on.
Ex-bf is restored to boo status, and plans to tell LD to go it alone to the Big Dance.
LD trumps them and says eff that, this is my mom's BS, I didn't want to do this anyway, I just wanted to be friends with y'all.
Lynn says THIS WAS ALL FOR YOU, you have to see this to the end, put on those pearls.
Lil' sis says nah bish, you need a dressing down first - you hung my sis out to dry because you were getting attention and tried to take her man.
LD: Wha' - I thought you were over.
Lil sis: Who told you that - YOUR MOM?
Lynn - just go LD, be a queen, deal with mom later.
Younger sis - Dody, I think - you're just going to let that go? Eff that.
Dody and friends call BS on the whole fiasco and collectively say: none of us wants this next year; bring back the sock hops and making out at the drive-in. Timeline-wise, Dody and pals would be the ones burning their bras in the mid-60s.
The end.
