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Phillip Wiseman AMST Paper 3 TA- Meghan

The movie Gold Diggers shows how during times of hardship it becomes necessary for those that have wealth to help those who lack money and to interact with them to show the existence of a classless society. Herbert Hoover instills this idea through his concept of volunteerism and the understanding that everything in the economy is cyclical and eventually will fix itself. Volunteerism helps those that are in need, but also can help those that give provide the help. In Gold Diggers both sides of volunteerism are seen through Brad Roberts’ actions and the successes that the play and its performers receive from his money.
Hoover believed that individuals should make the decision themselves to help others rather than have the government impose these social welfare systems on its citizens. “Quote.” In Hoover’s address made in Colorado he talks about how the New Deal was a form of communism and that rather than have these government run and instituted programs, the way to get out of the depression would be through the volunteerism of others.
Hoover talks about a classless society in the sense that any individual can rise to the highest ranks within the country, therefore, regardless of our economic position in society we should associated ourselves as Americans because we all share this common opportunity.
In the movie Gold Diggers, the female stars are constantly out of work and run down by the failing economy. They finally get the opportunity to be in a show; all the girls are excited as they have been living in rundown apartments for the past few months after their previous show--or in some cases shows--has been cancelled. Barney Hopkins, the producer, tells them all about the show in a very grand style: how he has parts for all of them, and how the show will make thousands of dollars and stay open for months. The girls are suddenly let down when they discover that Barney will probably have to cancel this show because he doesn’t have any money to pay for all the expenses. It is not until Brad Roberts, a wealthy New Englander, offers to help that they are able to producer their show and become successful.
Without Brad’s money they would be unable to produce a show which Barney is confident will be a hit. It is important to note this because it elicits in the audience a sense of frustration over Barney’s seemingly helpless situation. The reason why he cannot get the money is not that Barney is a bad businessman, but because many banks were closing at this time or were unable to hand out loans because of the depression. This is when Brad comes in to save the day and help finance the play. Here it can be seen that Barney has exhausted all conventional avenues and has come up short handed. When all seems to be lost, Brad generously volunteers his money to pay for the production. This shows that sometimes situations cannot be helped by banks or other entities, but people must rely on volunteerism by others.
Brad’s contributions were significant to the play and he probably did not have to sacrifice much to give the $15,000 to Barney. This shows that volunteerism is a smart idea because the wealthy people who contribute are able to easily give up the money because it is considered a small amount to them. But to others a lot can be done with a small sum of money. This can be seen with how easily Brad is able to get the money and how quickly he is able to decide to lend it to Barney. To Brad this money is not that important and losing $15,000 will not make a significant change in his life. Conversely, this money does mean a lot to Barney who is able to give work to dozens of women and men. Here the cost is less than what benefit it gives. This shows that volunteerism is effective because it is less costly to volunteer and extremely important to the ones receiving the aid.
By the end of the film all the women are happily married--or soon to be married-- and the show has become a success. Brad’s older brother gives Brad a check for $10,000, eliminating any worry from Polly that her and her new husband would not be able to make it financially. Also, everyone is excited over the play and it’s success is only matched by their own happiness.
This scene shows the end product of Brad’s volunteerism. Without his volunteering the money to Barney, the show would not have been performed and all of their success would have never been. Also, viewers see that as a result of his volunteerism that the main characters all indirectly end up together and found love. This is possibly an allusion to the idea that with money and the generosity of others comes the truest of happiness seen in this movie through marriage. The ability of Brad’s brother and the family’s attorney to interact with Carol and Trixie shows the ideal result of living in a classless society where individuals take responsibility for their own personal welfare and that of others.