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VOLUME 1
HOW TO BE A MAN
Instructions for Proper Male Behavior from Classroom Films of the 1940s -'70s.
From the AV/Geeks Film Library
For centuries, parents have struggled to usher their children through
the magical, often treacherous, journey to adulthood. But in mid-century
America, a new form of tutelage was engineered: the classroom film.
Suddenly, the prickly issues of sexual development and juvenile delinquency
could be addressed in tidy, ten-minute sermons disguised as dramas. To deal
with the subtleties of behavior and the importance of fitting in, "social
guidance" films were made on such topics as coping with failure (Planning
For Success) and teasing (The Other Fellow's Feelings).
The films in this collection - curated and introduced by Skip Elsheimer,
founder of the A/V Geeks educational film archive - sample some of the lessons
that were routinely taught to boys. In them, one sees slices of Americana,
discovers the world of educational cinema (with a language all its own), and
gains an insight into the hopes and fears of the parents and educators who
relied on the power of cinema to initiate, educate and indoctrinate the
young.
- Fears of Children
International Film Foundation
1951 B&W 27 Min.
- Am I Trustworthy?
Coronet 1950 B&W 10 Min.
- Act Your Age
Coronet 1949 B&W 12 Min.
- The Other Fellow's Feelings
Centron 1951 B&W 8 Min.
- Your Body During Adolescence
McGraw-Hill 1954 B&W 11 Min.
- The Show-off
Centron 1954 B&W 11 Min.
- Planning For Success
Coronet 1950 B&W 10 Min.
- Moment of Decision
Sid Davis Prods. 1961 Color 10 Min.
Narrated by Timothy Farrell
- Car Theft
Bray-Mar 1956 B&W 14 Min.
- Dance Little Children
Centron 1961 Color 25 Min.
- The Decision Is Yours
Calvin Productions 1970 Color 30 Min.
This collection was mastered from vintage 16mm prints circulated among schools and rescued, decades later, by collectors. The image and sound quality of these orphan films do not conform to Kino's usual standard.
Curated by Skip Elsheimer.
Produced for video by Bret Wood. |
