Never a Bride

Even though religion is not mentioned, this LDS film shows all the earmarks of the philosophy present among Mormon Church and Brigham Young University leaders at the time of its production. The contrast of the pretty, but misguided leading character with her frumpy cousin with a heart of gold points out a good moral lesson, but lacks credibility.

Although not identified as such, our "pert" protagonist seems to have all the characteristics of a Brigham Young University coed, and one of these would have been very unlikely to find a guy who is essentially a "stable hand" at a dude ranch to be much of a catch (even if he was kinda cute). She is after all seeking to find fulfillment through marriage, and the selection of her cousin's under-achieving boyfriend would not fit in with the avaricious nature typical of such coeds of that era (possibly still the case 34 years later ?). Unfortunately this is my generation, and typically the focus of BYU women was on what major a guy was studying and its future earning potential, and when he would be ready to graduate and start making some big bucks. The gates of the university read "Enter to learn / Go forth to serve" but many translated this with the more typical attitude of the students, "Enter to learn / Go forth to earn"...

And what of the corresponding BYU males ? Well, they would say that having a wife with a "sweet spirit" was great, but why marry one with a "condemned tabernacle"....so much for the cousin's chance of prevailing, considering her looks.

But then again maybe these were "normal" people and not like the actors of this film....BYU coeds.