Of the many things she told me, the one that comes to mind first is that as bad as it was, they never needed to lock the doors at night. It wasn't until the 1980s that she had to lock the doors at night (they lived in northwest Pennsylvania in a small town). People still held to their values (not stealing, helping each other, charity), not the situational ethics that are so prevalent today. There was a sense of personal and community responsibility.
I really like "little Tonny Howard" He is so down to earth and regular acting-I assume he is a flaming lib but he seems so nice and there are so few Hollywierds to like.