Priscilla Barlow writes: "I'd add that they also listened to the radio a lot, and therefore were more accustomed to having stories narrated via dialogue than audiences are today." A very good point! My students often complain (at least at first) about the actors talking "too fast" (especially at the beginning) in such older films as STAGECOACH and MY MAN GODFREY. Part of the problem is certainly the sound quality (of the print and the recording technology) but I thinki accustoming the ear to a type of discourse is part of it as well. They also point out the common use of PRINT sources--newspapers, letters, etc.--to convey narrative information. I assume that there is less of that now in part because it's so hard to read on small tv screens. --Don Larsson, Mankato State U., MN