Joanne has appeared on several TV shows, including a house moving program and a Doris Day documentary, which she was very pleased with. The Time Warp Wives documentary, on which, Joanne, her friends, and their respective husbands appeared, turned out to be a disappointment for her. She expressed her sentiments when she said, “I feel that we were all misrepresented in the TWW documentary, not in all aspects of our lives, but definitely our working lives and our social lives.”
The producers came to visit them and spoke to them all about how they wanted to make a program that showed their exciting lifestyle, how it was interesting and fun. “The lady producing the show was interested in the fact that people chose to live in the past. After the initial interviews, the producer told them that she wanted to concentrate on the women as they were the stronger characters and had a lot to say. She seemed genuinely interested in the fact that we all work and also manage to keep house and keep up our appearance. We were all strong women, as were the women of the time, especially wartime women who kept the home fires burning, etc! I was promised lots of coverage for ‘Lola’, and so we agreed to do it."
When filming finished, they were called to say that they were changing the title from Time Warp Women to Time Warp Wives. “This was obviously what she must have wanted all along.”
Then the producer came to Joanne’s house to show the final documentary to her and her friends. “Tea and cakes on hand of course!,” Joanne added.
After they watched the show Joanne told the producer that she was really disappointed in the final product as she had hardly mentioned her singing career. “There was no advertising for Lola. We filmed some great footage at 40's events of me singing and lots of people in period clothing that she left out. I was also angry that she had just concentrated on the housewife aspect when there was so much more she could have shown.”
Joanne then added, “Don't get me wrong, I do love to keep house, bake and be a housewife, but there is certainly more to me than that. This didn't come across at all.” She then had emailed the producer of the program since it was finished and expressed her disappointment in how it turned out. “I trusted her to show us all as we really are."
There has been a mixed reaction to the Time Warp Wives documentary. Some people loved it and some hated it. Most people that Joanne has seen at events where she sings have said that they loved it and that they really enjoyed the program. “Older people especially said that it bought back lots of lovely memories. That makes me feel so much better.”
On the other hand, people that know Joanne have all said that it wasn't a true portrayal of her at all. They also thought that the documentary was inaccurate, staged, and quite amusing. “My friends all know that I run around all the time doing so many things, traveling all over the country, always busy. I don't just stay home cleaning my floor! If I have a day off, I love to bake, keep my house nice and have tea ready for Kevin, but there is definitely more to me than that!”
Visit http://www.timewarpwives.com to read the rest of Joanne Massey's interview.
