A splendid collection of rare Classroom Films that were meant to teach children how to behave properly (don't embarrass yourself), and to impart delicate information (like sex!) that evidently parents didn't want to do.

Note: This title comes on two discs.

ACT YOUR AGE 1949
U.S. classroom film. Jim can't solve his algebra problem. He gets frustrated and badly scratches his desk with his mechanical pencil. OMG! What has he done! Next he's in front of a very disappointed principal. Jim promises to sand and refinish the desk, but the principal wants more. He talks to Jim about "infantile reactions" and how to properly "grow up." Good lessons for us all.

GROWING GIRLS 1949
U.S. classroom film. Mary is 13; she is starting to change. You know… adolescence, puberty, menstruation, pregnancy and all that stuff. A woman with a British accent explains it all to us in a very straightforward manner. Yes, it's "the talk" and nothing is left out! And some stuff is included that I wonder about, like: you're supposed to burn your used (and freaking gigantic!) pads in an incinerator? Or, you should keep your feet dry; don't step in puddles on rainy days? Huh?

AM I TRUSTWORTHY? 1950
U.S. classroom film. Nobody trusts Eddie Johnson (it may be that weird clump of hair that protrudes from the back of his head—get a different barber!) because he wasn't elected class treasurer. Boy is he ticked off! Luckily dad is there to explain to Eddie how to project "trustworthiness" to the outside world. Is dad teaching Eddie how to fake it?

LET'S MAKE A SANDWICH 1950
U.S. classroom film. Beautiful full-color film shows us how to make a tasty Tuna Rarebit sandwich with all the trimmings. (It would take me an hour to make this sandwich!) It seems the boys would rather eat hamburgers and hotdogs and slug down bottles of soda. I'm with them!

PLANNING FOR SUCCESS 1950
U.S. classroom film. Bill Madison is down in the dumps because he's a failure at track and field and his brother is terrific. (Hey Bill, what's the deal with the goofy reindeer sweater?) Luckily Miss Evans, his 120 year-old English teacher, gives Bill a lesson on mind-over-matter and positive thinking. You see, you simply have to "plan for success!"

IMPROVE YOUR PERSONALITY 1951
U.S. classroom film. Just what is your personality? It's a symbiotic relationship between you, other people and your environment. Okay, I just made that up, but seriously, it's how you get along with people and the world around you. Did you know that how you act and react in different situations with reveal your personality? We're taught how to modify our personality to manipulate people and get the things we want in life. It's all completely ethical. Or, is it?

FEARS OF CHILDREN 1951
U.S. classroom film. Little Paul is a sulking bundle of insecurities. He has nightmares, is afraid of the dark, and won't climb on the big rocks with his friends. But there is a creepy side to Paul too… like when he picks up the scissors…is he going to cut himself? Or, how about when he drowns his teddy bear in the bathroom sink! Yeow! His parents are beside themselves and the whole house becomes a dysfunctional mess. The neighbors think Paul is a sissy. Guess what? It's the parent's fault!

THE OTHER FELLOW'S FEELINGS 1951
U.S. classroom film. Judy is balling her eyes out in class and wouldn't you know, it's Jack's fault; he's always tormenting her. He taped a piece of paper on her back that said, "stinky." Good one Jack….err, I mean, that's terrible. Poor Judy. Should she tell on Jack? Get revenge? Hope it works itself out? What would you do?

AS OTHERS SEE US 1953
U.S. classroom film. Got manners? Etiquette, social graces, call it what you will, it all boils down to consideration for others. The classroom, school hallways, and cafeteria are all places to display your knowledge of good manners. We're told that lack of assurance in social settings will most assuredly lead to embarrassment. You'll learn how to eat properly—including soup! Sit up straight and get those elbows off the table. You'll embarrass yourself!

YOUR BODY DURING ADOLESCENCE 1954
U.S. classroom film. This film is for boys and girls. They'll learn that as they enter puberty, parts of their body will begin secreting chemical substances called… hormones! What did you think I was going to say? Next up we're told about several glands…including the sex glands! Oh brother, there's more secretions, testes, ovaries, breasts, penis, vagina, etc. I tell you what, watch it for yourself.

YOU'RE GROWING UP 1955
U.S. classroom film. The four major periods of growing up are: 0-3 years, 4-10 years, 11-16 years and 15-18 years. We learn about how fast the mind and body develops and what to expect in behavior and attitude. Watch out for that third period, that's when all heck breaks loose! Check out the fantastically cool-looking '50s TV set! I want one!

WHY STUDY HOME ECONOMICS? 1955
U.S. classroom film. Two girls are talking about which classes to take next semester. When the pretty girl says she wants to take home economics, the dykie-looking girl exclaims, "Why on Earth would you want to take home economics?" Well, it turns out home economics is pretty darn important. It's more than just running a house. By the time you finish this home economics program you could probably work for the FDA, or be a fashion designer or, chemical engineer, scientist, biologist, architect, financial planner, psychologist, or TV personality! Wow! Who knew?

CAR THEFT 1956
U.S. classroom film. Filmed in Buffalo, NY. This film is a real bummer! We're introduced to a nice mother, her cute little pre-school daughter, a fine-looking teenage chick, and three juvenile delinquent boys. Through a series of events the three hoods, (who act like dorks) steal a '55 black and red Pontiac convertible, pick up the teenage chick, and get chased by the police. The tension mounts, the narrator starts to hint at impending doom. The car is speeding around a corner—hey, where is that cute little girl and her mother? Gulp! You'll find out!

MOMENT OF DECISION! 1961
U.S. classroom film. The music is identical to the Batman TV theme…five years before Batman! Three teenage boys walking down the street notice a sleek-looking bronze '59 Pontiac Catalina convertible—with the keys in the ignition! What will these boys do? Through flashbacks we see how crummy parenting led these kids to become thieves and all-around bad-boys. For these boys…it's too late.

DANCE, LITTLE CHILDREN 1961
U.S. classroom film. Excellent film! A cranky father is upset about a Venereal Disease story in the local newspaper because he thinks it's all exaggerated…his son, Hal would never get VD! Oh yeah? We're told the pressure to have sex is everywhere: we're shown ads, movie posters, men's magazines and smutty (but cool-looking) paperback book covers. Look for a Seeburg HF100G jukebox playing a rockabilly tune while teenagers dance (and grope) in a dimly lit room. Teens cruise in an Impala Convertible and pick up a girl "walking the street." Next thing there is a countywide search for the person responsible for spreading… syphilis! Look for actor Leonard Belove who played Scotty's father in the 1957 film "The Delinquents."

WORTH WAITING FOR 1962
U.S. classroom film. This is a very good story about two 16 year-old high school kids who are planning to get married. Their parents flip out and say, "NO!" The teen's lives are turned upside down as they prepare for a crummy life of no education, low pay, scruffy little kids, a dirty apartment and a low-class life. The girl is real cute, but still. It's a big learning curve for these lovebirds. Will they make the right decision? In the long run they'd probably be better off if they were in the film above: "Dance, Little Children."

ATTACK 1966
U.S. classroom film. A man whose face looks like he's wearing those glasses with the big nose and mustache (but it's his real face) sits on the edge of a desk telling women that to protect themselves from would-be attackers, they need to be violent and cause bodily harm. We are then shown several ways women can simply but brutally hurt their attackers. Remember: if you are attacked and do not defend yourself, you will become a victim. So go ahead, dig your long fingernails into his eye sockets!

Note: This title comes on two discs.

SOCIAL GUIDANCE FILMS 1948-1966 - Volumes 1 & 2 on DVD

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