Post 32:
“The Spring Dance”

From 13-Year-Old Anne’s Journal —

December 11, 1982 – GOOD

“Grace & Laura are both trying to get a boy to ask them to the spring dance. Grace pretends to like Doc. Baker but wants Mr. Edwards. Laura pretends to like Willie but wants a kid named Henry. They both end up asking the boys out themselves.”

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From Tracy —

Ah! Spring has sprung in the W.G.! Sheep are gamboling. Girls are trying to get dates for the dance. And men remain clueless as always.

Here is (I think) Laura’s first crush. At least Henry’s cute if not very interesting. (And also maybe not too smart?)

And who knew we could ever feel sorry for Willie?

Then there’s Doc Baker! Why hasn’t he gotten snagged? I kept wanting Grace to wake up and realize what a catch he could be. Because as much as I adore Mr. Edwards I think my romantic pick in the whole town would have been Doc Baker. And from just a mild perusal of LHOP blogs out there I know I am not alone. Of course we don’t get to see any hot Doc Baker action until “Doctor’s Lady” and I am horribly afraid the young Anne didn’t cover it in her diary. Maybe we can make up an entry later if that’s the case. (Anne? Bringing back any memories? Mrs. Oleson’s niece comes to town for a visit? Fireworks ensue?)

But back to our heroine Laura. The “losing all your marbles” analogy is so true of falling in love. And I have to say I remember vividly feeling Laura’s hurt at not having a special date for the dance even though dances didn’t happen for me until Junior High and I don’t remember going to any of them.

Last but not least, I thought this was a really well written show and just had some funny dialogue. Here are some of my favorite quotes. See if you can figure out which character said them:

“Sure hope that Henry’s good at something.”

“Memory is a capricious thing …”

“I know what you mean when you act that way.”

“Don’t worry. I have tough toes.”

“Now it’s going to take two more marbles to unstick me!”

One final note: When did waltzing fall out of favor? It looks so fun! I always get jealous when I see historic shows or movies with dancing. Believe it or not, the waltz was considered very risqué when it came into fashion. It was called the “Devil’s Dance” because the couples were doing more than just holding hands. Seems hard to believe that something so gosh darn wholesome could be up to no good. Then again Spring is a dangerous season . . .

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From Anne —