USABLE PERFORMANCE FEMINISM FOR OUR TIME 347 which they are fighting.Like several other songs in the show,this one involves male and female turn-taking within the same song-that is,a kind of egalitarianism-at both the musical and lyrics levels.In terms of content,the song reveals something that receives as much attention in this particular show as the usual love interests and flirtation at the heart of so many plays and musicals:the desire for justice in the workplace.The working women are not looking to retire into the household,and the working men do not see their futures primarily in terms of figuring out"how to succeed in business." Both envision being heard,redressing inequity,and spending their increased earnings. As the two union members-a man and a woman-rhapsodize about what they could do over time with the raise,it is the man who wants a washing machine and carpeting for the living room,while the woman imagines travel and,finally,owning a factory so the boss can work for her.Moreover,for the latter to come true,the woman who sings the lyric will need to earn her seven-and-a-half cents per hour(with a little overtime) over a twenty-year period.Since she is also the leading lady and we are rooting for her to get her guy,it is clear that she does not equate the resolution of her problems with the conclusion proffered in the typical marriage plot.Dropping out to stay home does not enter the equation,but neither does social climbing.The benefits of union action make for a good workplace and a good love story. Unions were not a panacea for their women members.Horowitz notes the failures of the Left in general and unions in particular to support women members'needs for systematic attention to child care,maternity leave,equal pay,and other forms of concrete social change that contributed to Friedan's disillusionment with the labor movement as a means to women achieving equality.24(Unions were,however,forums for discussing these issues.)Horowitz's sympathetic assessment of Friedan's repressing her labor- activist past locates her silence in a fear of McCarthyism and red-baiting-a fear that, for those who observed it firsthand,could remain alive and frightening regardless of the passage of time and changes in cultural perceptions.Whatever Friedan's personal disappointments,though,it is worth asking:What kept labor unions and their collec- tive possibilities out of mainstream American theatre after Pajama Game?25 Nelson Lichtenstein,in State of the Union:A Century of American Labor,locates an "erosion of the union idea"during the 1950s and 1960s.2 The Taft-Hartley Act of 1947 (passed the same year as the president outlined the Truman Doctrine-the "contain- ment"policy that marked the start of the cold war)defanged trade unions by ban- ning union shops,enacting "right to work"statutes,forbidding secondary boycotts (resistance by other,sympathetic unions),forbidding unions to contribute to political parties,and requiring union leaders to attest that they were not members of the com- munist party.(Management was not bound by the same requirement.)Unions became many,fragmented,and top-heavy with their own management,and their focus on cost-of-living increases above all else made them comfortable-enough bedfellows with M Horowitz,Betty Friedan,139-42 Bells Are Ringing,the 1956 musical,features a female lead who is a telephone operator at an an- swering service and who previously sold ladies'underwear.The 1949 South Pacific's female lead is a nurse.Beginning in 1962,working women as characters in musicals who were not singers or actresses might be secretaries,as is the case in that year's How to Succeed and in I Can Get It for You Wholesale, and later in Promises,Promises.The 1970 Company features an airline stewardess Nelson Lichtenstein,Stale of the Union:A Century of American Labor (Princeton,NJ:Princeton Uni- versity Press,2002)."Erosion of the Union Idea"is the title of chapter 4. This content downloaded from 183.195.251.166 on Sat,16 Jan 2016 12:04:58 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and ConditionsUSABLE PERFORMANCE FEMINISM FOR OUR TIME / 347 which they are fighting. Like several other songs in the show, this one involves male and female turn-taking within the same song - that is, a kind of egalitarianism - at both the musical and lyrics levels. In terms of content, the song reveals something that receives as much attention in this particular show as the usual love interests and flirtation at the heart of so many plays and musicals: the desire for justice in the workplace. The working women are not looking to retire into the household, and the working men do not see their futures primarily in terms of figuring out "how to succeed in business." Both envision being heard, redressing inequity, and spending their increased earnings. As the two union members - a man and a woman - rhapsodize about what they could do over time with the raise, it is the man who wants a washing machine and carpeting for the living room, while the woman imagines travel and, finally, owning a factory so the boss can work for her. Moreover, for the latter to come true, the woman who sings the lyric will need to earn her seven-and-a-half cents per hour (with a little overtime) over a twenty-year period. Since she is also the leading lady and we are rooting for her to get her guy, it is clear that she does not equate the resolution of her problems with the conclusion proffered in the typical marriage plot. Dropping out to stay home does not enter the equation, but neither does social climbing. The benefits of union action make for a good workplace and a good love story. Unions were not a panacea for their women members. Horowitz notes the failures of the Left in general and unions in particular to support women members' needs for systematic attention to child care, maternity leave, equal pay, and other forms of concrete social change that contributed to Friedan's disillusionment with the labor movement as a means to women achieving equality.24 (Unions were, however, forums for discussing these issues.) Horowitz's sympathetic assessment of Friedan's repressing her labor￾activist past locates her silence in a fear of McCarthyism and red-baiting - a fear that, for those who observed it firsthand, could remain alive and frightening regardless of the passage of time and changes in cultural perceptions. Whatever Friedan's personal disappointments, though, it is worth asking: What kept labor unions and their collec￾tive possibilities out of mainstream American theatre after Pajama Game?25 Nelson Lichtenstein, in State of the Union: A Century of American Labor, locates an "erosion of the union idea" during the 1950s and 1960s.26 The Taft-Hartley Act of 1947 (passed the same year as the president outlined the Truman Doctrine - the "contain￾ment" policy that marked the start of the cold war) defanged trade unions by ban￾ning union shops, enacting "right to work" statutes, forbidding secondary boycotts (resistance by other, sympathetic unions), forbidding unions to contribute to political parties, and requiring union leaders to attest that they were not members of the com￾munist party. (Management was not bound by the same requirement.) Unions became many, fragmented, and top-heavy with their own management, and their focus on cost-of-living increases above all else made them comfortable-enough bedfellows with 24 Horowitz, Betty Friedan, 139-42. 25 Bells Are Ringing, the 1956 musical, features a female lead who is a telephone operator at an an￾swering service and who previously sold ladies' underwear. The 1949 South Pacific's female lead is a nurse. Beginning in 1962, working women as characters in musicals who were not singers or actresses might be secretaries, as is the case in that year's How to Succeed and in / Can Get It for You Wholesale, and later in Promises, Promises. The 1970 Company features an airline stewardess. 26 Nelson Lichtenstein, State of the Union: A Century of American Labor (Princeton, NJ: Princeton Uni￾versity Press, 2002). "Erosion of the Union Idea" is the title of chapter 4. This content downloaded from 183.195.251.166 on Sat, 16 Jan 2016 12:04:58 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions