"You can't furnish a place without a book case. People would laugh."

Husband of the nightclub songstress, explaining to Jane Wyman: "She bought a bookcase for the apartment, and I haven't read a single book."

Nightclub singstress, adding: "You can't furnish a place without a book case. People would laugh."

These memorable lines are from a 1956 movie, "Miracle in the Rain". This speaks volumes about 1956, and by contrast, volumes about 2010.

What happened to America?