Women's voices: She's flesh and blood

They do say that women’s work is never done, so time for the Voices to tackle…working girls. All kinds of working girls.

One of my all-time hero-worshipping divas is Marlene Dietrich. The woman had élan, depth, brains, mystery, humor and courage in vast amounts. And her moral compass was truer than almost anyone else’s I can think of.

If I didn’t know anything else at all about her, the fact that she basically flipped off Nazis from Hitler and Goebbels on down would punch her ticket as far as I’m concerned. After she left Germany in the early 1930s, she was the go-to girl for every other artist fleeing the regime, providing unstinting money, guidance and moral support. She also was a stalwart in the US war effort, participating in bond drives and being a regular fixture at the Hollywood Canteen. She didn’t care if she made sandwiches, washed dishes or danced with the servicemen—she did whatever was needed. Cheerfully and with panache.

She also went to the front lines in Western Europe to entertain the troops, even though she knew that if she should fall into German hands, what remained of her life would be short and miserable. She reasoned that it was worth the risk if her presence would reassure our soldiers. And, BTW, she glammed it up to the max. Although, in all fairness, Dietrich could wear a couple of old flour sacks and a pair of combat boots, and still look like every penny of the million bucks her legs were insured for. Honestly—from the cheekbones down she had magical bone structure.

(She also made time for an affair with, amongst others, James M. Gavin, eventually commander of the 82^nd Airborne Division. The two of them together could have generated enough heat to melt the snow in the Hürtgen Forest.)

Dietrich continued to perform until an injury ended her career in her 70s. She was known for her sultry delivery, and was an easy target for parody. (Do I even have to mention Madeline Kahn as Lili von Stupp in Blazing Saddles?) Maybe her most famous signature piece was “See What the Boys in the Back Room Will Have from Destry Rides Again”. Or possibly “Falling in Love Again”.

But today is about working girls, remember? And “Lili Marlene” was one of the defining songs of World War II. Soldiers on both sides of the conflict couldn’t get enough of it. Goebbels hated it and tried to ban it on German broadcasts; but the requests from the front were too numerous. (Naturally, Axis radio didn’t air Dietrich’s version. It was called “Das Mädchen unter der Laterne”, “The Girl Under the Lantern”, and the singer, Lale Andersen was forever tied to it.)

I suppose it’s open to interpretation whether the eponymous Lili is a working girl—although I’ve been around enough military installations to know that the women hanging out at the gates are probably there in a professional capacity. And being a pro doesn’t preclude the notion of true love. Does it?

In the 1993 film A Foreign Field, a couple of D-Day veterans, American and British, are reminiscing in Calvados, along with the Frenchwoman they both remember as their true love. Which she was, for about 35 minutes. But the Brit, played by Leo McKern, comments on the power of “Lili Marlene” to the effect that, “That bitch would get you every time.” From what I’ve read, that pretty much sums it up.

And as far as I’m concerned, Dietrich singing it is pretty much the perfect storm.

Our second piece today is Aretha Franklin’s “Do Right Woman/Do Right Man”. Not, strictly speaking, about working women. But good advice nonetheless.

Guys—are you listening?