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Post by utility_singer on Feb 19, 2021 1:50:37 GMT
But would the bicycle delivery boy be trusted with information of any importance? I guess he knows who is in town and where they are staying. Maybe this would be big news to Franz as he would know what these people are in town for? I just always feel like Franz should put Rolf in his place a little more than he does. You'd be amazed at how much the 'lower level' people know, simply because the 'upper level' people rely on them for the simplest things. Rolf would not necessarily know who telegrams were from, but he'd know how many he was delivering to different people, and how frequently. Any teacher will tell you---if you really want to know what is going on, you don't ask the principal. You ask the secretaries and the custodians. They know absolutely everything.
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Post by reverendcaptain on Feb 19, 2021 15:29:12 GMT
But would the bicycle delivery boy be trusted with information of any importance? I guess he knows who is in town and where they are staying. Maybe this would be big news to Franz as he would know what these people are in town for? I just always feel like Franz should put Rolf in his place a little more than he does. You'd be amazed at how much the 'lower level' people know, simply because the 'upper level' people rely on them for the simplest things. Rolf would not necessarily know who telegrams were from, but he'd know how many he was delivering to different people, and how frequently. Any teacher will tell you---if you really want to know what is going on, you don't ask the principal. You ask the secretaries and the custodians. They know absolutely everything. Oh boy, is that the truth! I have worked in schools, offices, research labs, and construction sites, and this is true everywhere! The person who sweeps the floors is the best person to make friends with, because they are actually helpful when you need it (unlike high level bosses). And they, along with the person who does the paperwork, know everything about everyone. It is surprising to me how poorly they are often treated by the "important" people too. Important people never seem to know what is happening behind the scenes, even if it is on their behalf. Relating this back to TSOM...Frau Schmidt and Franz probably know much more than I give them credit for. I think Franz overheard Georg saying that they had to get out of Austria that night, and this is how he knew to alert Zeller about their escape. Though, even if he didn't, I'm sure the staff knew that something was up with all of the children getting dressed (and packing?), and getting out of the house that night. Even though they were trying to be secretive, someone had to notice this activity, right? Maybe it was actually one of the maids and not Franz who figured this out. How many people do you think work there full time?
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Post by utility_singer on Feb 20, 2021 22:10:26 GMT
When I wrote my stories, I usually had Franz, Frau Schmidt with one or two other housekeepers (at least a laundress), a cook, a gardener. If the story includes the stable, then a stable hand. So six or seven, total?
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Post by indigoblue on Feb 21, 2021 0:41:45 GMT
I always think there must be nursery maids too, because only Liesl is old enough to look after herself. Louisa is 14 (?) so needs some guidance, and Friedrich being a boy - well, if he is like my son at 13/14, he needs the MOST help! And the others being younger all need a lot of help. So I'd say at least 2 or 3 maids to include the night time. Normally a Governess would not do their day to day household care, so there would need to be scullery maids to do the laundry, cleaning, silver etc. It's quite exhaustive!
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Post by utility_singer on Feb 21, 2021 2:28:45 GMT
I tend to think there weren't any nursery maids, because 1) there is no mention or sign of them, and 2) having them would mean not needing a governess (in the way we see her role in the movie).
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Post by indigoblue on Feb 21, 2021 23:39:01 GMT
Mmm, but a Governess was normally purely for educating, not personal care; as such, some Governesses would have had prior teaching experience, but nurserymaids would have often come up through the household with domestic work, having joined from school at 14. (Maybe as labour became more expensive in the last century, the two roles could have become fused at times).
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Post by sillywhistle on Feb 22, 2021 1:47:43 GMT
I think nursery maids probably were common, but the von Trapps didn’t have them. Hence why we see Maria fill that role. I think Agathe enjoyed mothering the children, so there wasn’t a need. This also explains why the children “needed” a “new mother” after her death. If the house were full of nursery maids and governesses, they wouldn’t really need just anyone (ex: Elsa) to fill that role. They’d already be taken care of by staff.
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Post by utility_singer on Feb 25, 2021 0:19:00 GMT
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