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Tootie is annoying and disturbed!

posted 18 years ago by zatarains80
100 replies | jump to latest

While I usually enjoy Margaret O'Brien, I cannot stand her character in this film! Yes, her eccentricity MAY be seen as a way to get attention, I cannot believe the way her family is so quick to dismiss her "cute" behavior.

The Halloween scenes could have been completely removed from the film and not have it effect the overall feeling. First of all, who are these parents that let their 5-10 yr olds run around wild on Halloween, lighting bonfires, and throwing flour in their neighbors' faces?? The scene that irks the living daylights out of myself, my sister and mother is when Tootie is retelling the story of the stuffed dress that was placed on the trolley tracks!!! Dozens of people could have been killed and Tootie's punishment is only ONE kind of ice cream? Meanwhile, Agnes calls Rose a "snob" because she is shocked that her sisters were involved in such a dangerous prank! Why did the filmmakers bother with this? This is ridiculous and one of the most irritating scenes in film history.

Anyone else find the Halloween scene obnoxious and irritating?!?

[–] OwMyFeet 14 years ago

I'll take a festive face-full of Halloween flour from Margaret O'Brien over a home invasion ANY day.

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[–] kaskait 14 years ago

Tootie needs ritalin and deep therapy but I still love her.

The scene where she depresses the ice man about all her dying dolls is comedy gold.

Yeah, she did need to be punished more severely for the Trolley incident. But the film was mainly about Esther and John so that would never have been included.

[–] AnnieBell 14 years ago

Spanking and beating are two different things.

AnnieBell

Perfect Love casts out all fear.

[–] kaskait 13 years ago

I never advocated spanking or beating Tootie or Agnes.

But they certainly should not have been rewarded with ice cream.

Grounded? YES.

Made to apologize to the Trolley conductor and driver? YES.

[–] agnieszka01 14 years ago

LOL. Definitely! She nearly caused a serious trolley accident, falsely accused a young man of assault, insulted and threw flour at a neighbor, and commiteed other acts of vandalism...she should have gotten such a beatin'! But this is a silly, upbeat Technicolor film from the 40s, what are you gonna do?

[–] aqua_angel121 14 years ago

I too was shocked that they were laughing off her prank. It is one thing to throw flour in someone's face, but it is another to pull a dangerous stunt that could have seriously hurt people. I completely relate to the original poster. What is odd is that she got a spanking in the beginning of the movie when she left her skates out, but when she derails a trolley and nearly kills people, everyone is just like "Oh cute little Tootie." People need to straighten out their priorities.

[–] marktayloruk (2467) 3 years ago

Her father spanked her- he didn't know about the Halloween prank.

[–] ecjones1951 14 years ago

Absolutely agree with the OP about the Halloween section of the movie -- whole thing could have been cut in my opinion. But, I never liked Margaret O'Brien in anything!

[–] sueb1863 14 years ago

Tootie is the character of the author of the original stories, Sally Benson, who was called Tootie as a child. However, she said that the pranks Tootie did in the film were mostly done in real life by her older sister, Agnes.

[–] Percivalx 14 years ago

Good point. But I wasn't only irritated by that scene alone. Her crying also made me want to smack her. Ugh!

“Let's be crooked, but never common”

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