(1954; Encyclopedia Britannica Films; 11 minutes) Mickey thinks politeness is all that grownups think about. Lack of courtesy might not keep him from being elected President of the U.S., but a near riot in the Oval Office may convince him to reconsider his policy on good manners.
(1951; Coronet Films; 10 minutes) In this "time travel paradox," clueless Chuck keeps messing up at the dinner table and once again, the parents aren't any help in providing proper guidance. Thankfully, "Future-Chuck" appears and sets "young-Chuck"straight.
(1951; Burnford Productions; 11 minutes) Irene and Susan refuse to play with Michael and soon learn that they aren't having as much fun as they might have if they shared. The fact that the girls have built a tunnel and want the boy to enter it with his train shouldn't be considered as anything sexual - honest!
(1948; Coronet Films; 11 minutes) Billy and his mother attend his classroom's presentation on manners and courtesy. Through Billy's illustrations, we learn about simple gestures that make life with other people more tolerable. However, it seems most of the children's parents didn't bother to attend the politeness exhibit.
(1960; Young America Films; 11 minutes) First impressions are hard to shake, so this film teaches youngsters the importance of greetings and introductions. The film's producers are asking a lot from children who just a generation earlier were instructed to "speak only when spoken to."
(1951; Coronet Films; 11 minutes) A moody teenager dreads taking Carol to a friend's party. Will learning the finer points of social courtesy help him have fun at the party and maybe get a second date? This film tries to help awkward teens overcome small interpersonal problems before they grow into real social crises-alienation, vandalism, alcoholism, crime and a lonely life as a bachelor.
(1956; Portafilms; 10 minutes) Kids in a limbo space are building a perfect little society out of shoeboxes and poster paint. Johnny has been banished from this world because he can't get along with the others!
(1941; Wilding Picture Productions; 26 minutes) Veteran Hollywood character actor Chick Chandler plays Thornton Poindexter, a hapless everyman who learns that a little kindness goes a long way when the Roman god Jupiter allows him to re-live one particularly miserable day.
(1964; Sid Davis Productions; 10 minutes) A juvenile court judge serves as grim storyteller to a young teen who ran off with a bank robber. The judge warns that even good teenagers can be "delinquent in good sense". He warns of the dangers of making-out in remote places, babysitting for strangers, and being picked up by someone driving a convertible in a town where every stranger is a sex-craved killer.
(1951; Coronet Films; 10 minutes) While this film tries to offer a balanced view of the pros and cons of "going steady," the message is pretty clear-don't do it (yet). Adults were concerned about exclusive dating since this would lead to heavy petting, premarital sex or worse; settling down with the wrong person. The film implies that teen couples must be ever vigilant to avoid the fate of Marie and Jeff, who found themselves going steady without even knowing it!
(1953; Encyclopedia Britannica Films; 13 minutes) The gang is all excited about the upcoming dance and especially about their visit to the glamorous Blue Room afterwards, until their parents nix the idea. This film explains the parents' strict decisions, but does little to soothe the teens' frustration.
(1946; McGraw-Hill; 17 minutes) Aimed at the college crowd, this plea for good hygiene appeals to the older teenager's growing urge to find a mate. The film covers all the basics of personal hygiene in case the teen never received such information at home.
(1949; Family Films; 20 minutes) Dad is so hard on his son Bill that the teen lashes out by stealing the family car and getting into a hit and run accident. Luckily, an interfaith counselor at the police station makes things all better. While the message is aimed at teens, the film tries to appeal to parents as well. It may also inadvertently give the message that even teens from good middle-class families could turn criminal if pushed hard enough. Helmed by former cowboy film director, S. Roy Luby, this film features many recognizable Hollywood character actors.
(1953; Women's Christian Temperance Union; 24 minutes) In this not-too-subtle rip-off of Huckleberry Finn, young William Blake is bored with the country life and leaves for the glamorous excitement of the city. Along the way, he meets up with liquor personified, "Mr. Whiskey," who tags along with Bill and complains about how bad alcohol is for people. This muddled film is as much about the perils of the big city as it is about the evils of alcohol and probably just confused any teen that saw it.
(1957; Moody Institute of Science; 26 minutes) The Moody Institute of Science was a film company whose aim was to attract scientific-minded youths to Christianity. This film covers the basics of atomic theory while addressing the moral issues inherent in wielding such godlike power.
(1965; U.S. Office of Civil Defense; 28 minutes) Purporting that fallout is nothing more than a minor nuisance, this dry, matter-of-fact film attempts to soothe the viewer into a comforting sense that "the government knows what to do and here's how to beat that nagging fallout problem." While they covered topics like appropriate shelter wall material or how to prepare a fallout-free meal, what such films never really addressed was what it would truly be like to live in a post-nuclear attack world.
(1945; U.S. Army Signal Corps; 31 minutes) Released soon after the atomic attacks on Japan, this film serves as a public documentation of the historic event. It offers official explanations of the reasons that the United States resorted to atomic warfare, and provides a grim visual catalog of the A-bombs' horrific effects on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki (if not the victims themselves).
(1959; U.S. Office of Civil Defense; 15 minutes) This stylized 1950's cartoon addresses one nasty side effect of an atomic blast: radioactive fallout. Civil Defense films like this one tried to reassure the public that this new threat could be surmounted with proper shelter and supplies, but instead they probably did more to instill the fear of all things atomic.
(1954; John Sutherland Prod./General Electric; 11 minutes) General Electric was one of the first commercial entities to exploit the potentials of atomic energy. This company created several films to praise the benefits of atomic energy while trying to distance themselves from the well-publicized, devastating power of the A-bomb.
(1939 - American Social Hygiene Association / Willard Pictures, 10 minutes) This stirring piece illustrates the rampant syphilis outbreak at the turn of the century, estimating that one in twenty adults at that time were afflicted. Because this film was originally intended to motivate civic and church audiences (i.e., the presumably weak-stomached public) into action, it is tamer than sex hygiene films of the era which were created specifically for men, steering clear of explicit imagery of diseased genitalia or descriptions of syphilitic symptoms.
(1942 - American Social Hygiene Association / Willard Pictures, 11 minutes) This short, which focuses on gonorrhea, or the "Great Sterilizer," takes place at a factory lecture. Such preventative lectures were commonplace in a time when a venereal disease-epidemic could devastate productivity in a company town. While the film is not explicit, it manages to place the blame for the epidemic on men who frequent prostitutes.
(1945 - U.S. Public Health Service / Hugh Harmon Productions, 20 minutes) Most vintage VD films were aimed towards men or general audiences, so this film, meant strictly for women, is a rarity. It attempts to dispel the myth that only poor, undereducated girls get venereal disease. The message: don't have sex until you get married!
(1945 - U.S. Navy / Paramount Pictures, 46 minutes) This motion picture reinforces the message that contracting VD is not only a personal tragedy but could also affect the war effort. The information is presented as a narrative, rather than in the usual lecture form, in the hopes that sailors could identify with the characters and learn from their mistakes. This version was edited down from the original 1945 version, but still features the obligatory shots of infected genitalia and discusses using condoms for protection.
(1945 - March Of Time, 17 minutes) Made months after the end of World War II, this film heralds the Russians as a great ally who helped us defeat Germany. But even as this film was being shown, politicians on both sides of the Iron Curtain were beginning to question each others' postwar motives in occupied countries. Within only a few years, footage like in this film would be shown with narration proclaiming the villainy of the Russian people.
(1963 - National Educational Program / Jerry Fairbanks Prod., 13 minutes) Hosted by Herbert A Philbrick, celebrated double-agent for the FBI and author of "I Led 3 Lives," this film is an excellent record of one of his lectures about the evils of Communism. While some valid points are made about the machinations of the Communist party, films like this helped feed the American public's rabid mistrust of anything remotely communist. Philbrick continued his campaign against the Red menace, even after the fall of the Berlin Wall, until his death in 1993.
(1960 - KQED / National Educational Television, 29 minutes) Through a series of dramatic vignettes, this film examines how Soviet Communism strayed from its well-intentioned ideological roots to a repressive authoritarian state.
(1950 - Communist Propaganda, 45 minutes) In this U.S. propaganda piece about the Soviet's own propaganda, George V. Allen, director of the United States Information Agency, Ernest K. Lindley of Newsweek Magazine and various members of the American Armed Forces engage in a wide-ranging discussion about how the post-war Soviet Union was beating us in the disinformation race.
(1951 - Crusade For Freedom, 10 minutes) This film was a progress report of the Crusade for Freedom, an organization that was initially set up to continue the private fundraising campaign, started by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, to use radio transmitters to broadcast American propaganda to the freedom-hungry listeners in communist countries, in much the same manner as Radio Free Europe would come to do in subsequent decades. Later, it was revealed that the Crusade for Freedom was actually a clandestine C.I.A. front that funneled money into a variety of projects that were designed to destabilize pro-communist regimes.
(1953 - Crawley Films - 23 minutes) This surprisingly progressive film teaches us that well-adjusted couple, Bill and Mary, weren't just born that way. The parents had to constantly shape and hone their offspring into the perfect young adults that they are - and even then, there were problems. Mary keeps getting crushes on her girlfriends and Bill is having a grand old time sowing his wild oats with the fast crowd.
(1950 - Coronet Films - 13 minutes): Nora and Jack seem to be in love but neither of them are sure. Jack asks his older brother for advice and Nora turns to Mom and her trusty scrapbook to figure things out. But now that they are both clear on what "love" is, could Nora's dislike of Chinese food ultimately break the couple up?
(1950 - Coronet Films - 16 minutes) Larry and Sue are ready to get married in spite of their parents' disapproval. Luckily, the local marriage counselor and his bizarre collection of visual aids help to point out that the couple's rush to marry might be premature.
(1951 - Coronet Films - 16 minutes) Traveling on a train, Dottie reflects on her first year of marriage to Pete. Like most women of the time, she quit her job to be a housewife and is bored to tears. Also, the in-laws are meddling in the couple's affairs. Will a baby save this marriage or is Dottie's train ride an escape from a mundane marriage?
(1962 - Family Films - 29 minutes) So, you've figured out that you have the mature love and mutual respect necessary for a healthy, long lasting marriage. But do you have compatible religions? Jean, a Catholic, and Pete, a Protestant, plan to wed but are counseled against it by their family, clergy and friends. Luckily Jean and Pete's friends have a mixed marriage and it's doing okay. Or is it?
(1952) This film, part of the "Are You Ready for Service?" series, was aimed at high school boys on the verge of being drafted. It told them what to expect in when in the military and the importance of discipline.
(1951) "Is it true that they really shoot at you in Basic Training?" Facing the draft upon graduation, three high school boys ponder how to prepare for all aspects of life in the military.
(1944) One of many venereal disease scare films made by the U.S. Army Signal Corps. On a furlough , Johnny Green meets a pretty girl Anne, gets the clap, and learns some harsh life lessons about messing around with girls.
(1943) Instructional shorts made for the Army Signal Corps by members of the Leon Schlesinger's animation team. These films help build morale by providing important information in an entertaining format. SNAFU is named after the military acronym "Situation Normal... All F'd Up."
(1944) Instructional shorts made for the Army Signal Corps by members of the Leon Schlesinger's animation team. These films help build morale by providing important information in an entertaining format. SNAFU is named after the military acronym "Situation Normal... All F'd Up."
(1942) "Thoughtlessness Breeds Sabotage!" This propaganda film made by Hollywood professionals stars Walter Huston (The Maltese Falcon) and Eddie Bracken stresses the importance of keeping military information away from enemy hands.
(1967) This film documents the training program for soldiers sent to fight in Vietnam. It was created to acclimatize troops to the harsh climate, the dangers of enemy booby traps, survival techniques (including chewing the head off of a chicken!), and effective camouflage.
(1956) Directed by seasoned Warner Bros. animator Chuck Jones and featuring the voice of Mel Blanc, Young soldier Ralph Phillips re-enters the civilian world and ponders reenlisting. Two spritely characters, Pete and Re-Pete, try to sway his decision.
(1950) Did your husband invite his clients for dinner at the last minute? Young Sally Gasco (short for "Gas Company") uses her mother's emergency food stash to turn out a hot meal in a very short time - thanks to the gas range!
(1950) Are you spending too much at the grocery store? In this primer on sensible shopping, we learn to read canned food labels and get a glimpse at the mysterious grading system for various products.
(1964) Why is it that every woman must have a mink? Filmed against the backdrop of the 1964 World's Fair's ultra-modern Unisphere and starring Fran Allison, this film conveys the idea that furs are hip, modern and international.
(1965) This film reminds the homemaker of the versatility of lamb as a main course with a variety of delicious recipes. Imagine your children hopefully exclaiming, "Mom, are we having lamb-loaf tonight?"
(1955) So you've spent all this money on the latest appliances, but something still seems wrong. Is it because your water is "old fashioned"? This brilliant film shows housewives how hard water is soiling their clothes, dirtying their children and ruining their hairdos.
(1962) In this SC Johnson short subject, filmed at the stylish NY Airport's TWA Terminal, zany actor Walter Slezak shows women how to tastefully arrange their furniture, care for their house plants and to make goulash with hot dogs.
(1975) This film talks with women from Morocco, Yugoslavia, Spain, Kenya and Sweden about the "modern housewife." The sponsor, Pepsi, positions itself as progressive company identified with the Women's Liberation movement.
(circa 1950s) Travel director, Carol Lane, gives ladies some handy tips for packing a week's worth of clothing in a single overnight bag.