Item Data
- Collection Title: Loraine Sumner Collection
- Item Title: "Debbie"
- ID Number: LS-012
- Date Range: 1955-1975
- Description: Loraine's home movies of her daughter Debbie.
- Biographical/Historical Note: See collection level, Biographical/Historical Notes.
On April 19, 1958, Loraine Sumner gave birth to her daughter Debbie. She'd been out that night with a softball team she played with that year, the Dynamos. Had changed a tired, she recalled. The birth took place at a Florence Crittenton Home. She persuaded her parents to let Debbie and her live in her childhood bedroom for a time after she had to leave the Crittenton home, got a night job at the Walter Baker Chocolate company to make enough money to rent a real home for Debbie, got jobs at summer camps so Debbie could attend them and they could spend their days in the same place, changed the softball team she coached, the South Shore Esquirettes, into a less rigorous schedule.
From that day forward, Sumner did everything she could to arrange her life so that she could take care of Debbie.
- Genres: Home Movies
- Places: Milton, Massachusetts; Hingham, Massachusetts; Abington, Massachusetts
- Access & Use: Contact Lesbian Home Movie Project (LHMP) info@lesbianhomemovieproject.org. No re-use without permission. LHMP must contact film donor & participants with regard to any re-use.
- Color or B&W: Mix
- Related Versions: "Debbie," Loraine Sumner Collection, Lesbian Home Movie Project (LHMP).
- Running Time: 51:54
- Rights: Lesbian Home Movie Project (LHMP) holds all rights. Donor must approve all uses.
- Sound: Silent
- Subjects: Lesbian mothers, Single Mothers
- Creators: Loraine Sumner
- Collaborators & Participants: For further information or if you or friends took part in this event, be great if you emailed us at info@lesbianhomemovieproject.org & let us know. We'll share your input if that's okay, or just preserve it.
- Source Format: 8mm, Super 8
- Format: 8mm, Super 8mm
- Viewing Log: Debbie in a white dress on blanket in the grass next to a baby carriage. Debbie in a baby chair, still outside on the grass. On blanket again, this time in red & white. Debbie in front of Christmas tree. (Sequence is very dark, hard to make out.) Debbie sitting next to huge gray stuffed elephant and lying on floor between huge stuffed elephant and blue bear. Woman holds & jostles baby Debbie. She's offered a doll. Woman in a coat holds Debbie while a young girl in shorts and a tee shirt holds her hand. Debbie on rocking horse between two other children. More children join them. Loraine's mother joins the group as Debbie gets off the horse and tumbles over. Debbie next to a bureau with storybook decals. Debbie in playpen. Debbie smearing something on her face sitting next to vacuum cleaner. Debbie in high chair with toy. Debbie is presented with her 1st birthday cake. She sticks her hand in it. Cake is served with bowls of ice cream. Debbie falls on black & white dog. Dog licks her. Adults smoke and watch children. Debbie in Dr. Denton pjs on floor. Debbie in man's arms. He guides her arm in a wave. Back in high chair with smeared face. Almost climbing out of high chair. Debbie in frilly dress on rocking horse outside. Other children in net playpen. Debbie beginning to walk. Debbie in water at shore, Debbie buried in sand, and so forth.
16:34 Zoo, elephants. Debbie on a duck ride
19:59 Loraine hugging Debbie.
26:32 Debbie at desk
More outings with Debbie.
45:50 Kitten playing with electrical cord
46:01 Loraine getting in & out of car, carrying Debbie into car. Brown and white dog outside is that Abington house? Debbie grabs puppy, carries it plays with it. Other fun outside that house. Yoyo inside. Christmas there. In snow overexposed with dog. In front of tv. Petting cat. Volkswagen.
Maybe back at Thacher Street? Santa Claus in doorway. The dog again.
Friend of Loraine's in green jacket in snow with geese.
51:10 Debbie dressed for prom with young man in tux. Different house. He holds car door for her.