(Originally published 1968, Paperback edition 305 pages)
Back in the mid-1970s, I spied my mom's paperback copy of "Coffee, Tea or Me?"
laying on a table. I casually opened the book and started flipping through the
pages. The beginning of each chapter had one of Bill Wenzel's playful,
voluptuous cartoon renditions of the stewardesses and, as a rural Maine, male teenager caught in the throes of puberty, they took my breath. Oh mercy, one of
the cartoons even had a naked woman. From that moment on, I was all over this
book like white on rice. Over thirty-five-years later, I wondered how my
perceptions might have changed about this huge bestseller.
Penguin Publishing rereleased "Coffee, Tea or Me?" in 2003. This cover, unlike the 1970s version, includes the true author's, Donald Bain, name printed in black on the cover which makes it stand out more than the fictional names Trudy Baker and Rachel Jones who are barely legible in white type on a pale blue background. It's the publisher's way of accentuating who is the real creator of the book. Today, it's common knowledge that Mr. Bain took great liberties with actual episodes and attributed them to the two stewardesses instead other flight attendants. He wrote it in the first-person narrative of the character named Trudy Baker. Some of the writing is sloppy. On page one, Mr. Bain describes Rachel as a "rangy blonde" then on page 91 she's "fluffing her dark hair." The 2003 edition has an introduction by the author trying to rationalize why they attempted to pull the wool over people's eyes. Without ever coming out and saying it, basically, the dude lied.
However, with that said, it must be noted that the book was enjoyable because it does offer a window into being a stewardess during the 1960s as well as the mindset of Americans back then. Compared to today's standards, the book is pretty mild material. There's racier stuff to be found in one tv episode of "The Simpsons." The "memoir" starts with the gals being in high school then moves onto them enrolling in a six-week stewardess school. It's not exactly Harvard curriculum. After graduation, more adventures ensue in their living conditions, meeting celebrities, press junkets, drinking galore, handling kids, stew-spies and a whole chapter on gays. It's a time when women were always looking out for Mr. Right, gays were ridiculed, smoking was rampant, openly prejudicial practices were common against overweight, married or too old stewardesses. Some of the cultural references such as Sonny Tufts and Jack Armstrong I needed to check on the Internet. Overall, it's a very quick, light read that will only hold your interest if you're curious about stewardesses working in the 1960s.
Penguin Publishing rereleased "Coffee, Tea or Me?" in 2003. This cover, unlike the 1970s version, includes the true author's, Donald Bain, name printed in black on the cover which makes it stand out more than the fictional names Trudy Baker and Rachel Jones who are barely legible in white type on a pale blue background. It's the publisher's way of accentuating who is the real creator of the book. Today, it's common knowledge that Mr. Bain took great liberties with actual episodes and attributed them to the two stewardesses instead other flight attendants. He wrote it in the first-person narrative of the character named Trudy Baker. Some of the writing is sloppy. On page one, Mr. Bain describes Rachel as a "rangy blonde" then on page 91 she's "fluffing her dark hair." The 2003 edition has an introduction by the author trying to rationalize why they attempted to pull the wool over people's eyes. Without ever coming out and saying it, basically, the dude lied.
However, with that said, it must be noted that the book was enjoyable because it does offer a window into being a stewardess during the 1960s as well as the mindset of Americans back then. Compared to today's standards, the book is pretty mild material. There's racier stuff to be found in one tv episode of "The Simpsons." The "memoir" starts with the gals being in high school then moves onto them enrolling in a six-week stewardess school. It's not exactly Harvard curriculum. After graduation, more adventures ensue in their living conditions, meeting celebrities, press junkets, drinking galore, handling kids, stew-spies and a whole chapter on gays. It's a time when women were always looking out for Mr. Right, gays were ridiculed, smoking was rampant, openly prejudicial practices were common against overweight, married or too old stewardesses. Some of the cultural references such as Sonny Tufts and Jack Armstrong I needed to check on the Internet. Overall, it's a very quick, light read that will only hold your interest if you're curious about stewardesses working in the 1960s.
(Meyers - A few years ago, I started writing, under the pseudonym Franklin the Mouse, short reviews at Amazon's web site. This is my most recent review #304)
No comments:
Post a Comment