# Calling all elementary school teachers of the seventies, looking for school film **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 13, 2019, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-all-elementary-school-teachers-of-the-seventies-looking-for-school-film/827692 "2019-01-13T18:04:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![The\_Squire\_Of\_Gothos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_squire_of_gothos/32/4703_2.png) [@The\_Squire\_Of\_Gothos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Squire_Of_Gothos)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2019, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-all-elementary-school-teachers-of-the-seventies-looking-for-school-film/827692/1 "2019-01-13T18:04:36Z")
I’m looking for a short drama I saw as a child in school in the early seventies about an elderly woman who lived alone in a big house I think somewhere in the southern US. As I remember it, she invited some local girls to a (tea?) party and they reluctantly accepted. The elderly woman spends a lot of time preparing it bringing out her fine china and making treats. But at the end, they stood her up. I can still remember the look of disappointment of that old lady waiting after going to all that trouble, when none of the children arrive. So one of the girls with a conscience babysitting her little brother changes her mind at the last minute and takes him to the party. It was in the same vein as _[Peege (1973)](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0318550/?ref_=fn_tt_tt_1)_, _[The Shopping Bag Lady (1976)](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0313601/?ref_=fn_tt_tt_1)_ or _[Le haricot (The String Bean) (1962)](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0317631/?ref_=fn_tt_tt_1)_ teaching children about the values of the elderly. Any help would be appreciated. I tried **[archive.org](http://archive.org)** with no success. Thanks in advance. ---
**Author:** ![LLCoolL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/llcooll/32/3596_2.png) [@LLCoolL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LLCoolL)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2019, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-all-elementary-school-teachers-of-the-seventies-looking-for-school-film/827692/2 "2019-01-14T14:33:34Z")
I thought this was going to be about “The Red Balloon”. Sorry, I can’t help, except to bump your thread… ---
**Author:** ![TRC4941](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trc4941/32/6792_2.png) [@TRC4941](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TRC4941)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2019, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-all-elementary-school-teachers-of-the-seventies-looking-for-school-film/827692/3 "2019-01-14T15:07:13Z")
> [@LLCoolL](#): > > I thought this was going to be about “The Red Balloon”. Sorry, I can’t help, except to bump your thread… That’s the first movie I thought of too! We must have watched that every year in the late '60’s. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2019, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-all-elementary-school-teachers-of-the-seventies-looking-for-school-film/827692/4 "2019-01-14T16:29:20Z")
I’d say the odds are better than 50-50 that film was produced by the National Film Board of Canada. Luckily, they have a [database](https://www.nfb.ca/) you can search in different ways. _Bon chance!_ ---
**Author:** ![The\_Squire\_Of\_Gothos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_squire_of_gothos/32/4703_2.png) [@The\_Squire\_Of\_Gothos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Squire_Of_Gothos)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2019, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-all-elementary-school-teachers-of-the-seventies-looking-for-school-film/827692/5 "2019-01-14T17:14:15Z")
Definitely not the _Red Balloon_. Thx. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Squire\_Of\_Gothos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_squire_of_gothos/32/4703_2.png) [@The\_Squire\_Of\_Gothos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Squire_Of_Gothos)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2019, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-all-elementary-school-teachers-of-the-seventies-looking-for-school-film/827692/6 "2019-01-14T17:17:33Z")
I made another quick search on the NFB and was a good answer as I’m Canadian and I’m sure I saw this while I was living in Canada as I did spend a lot of my youth living in the US as well. But using search words like elderly, party, babysitter, I could not find what I was looking for. Another lost night due to lack of sleep. ---
**Author:** ![Hatchie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hatchie/32/3983_2.png) [@Hatchie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hatchie)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2019, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-all-elementary-school-teachers-of-the-seventies-looking-for-school-film/827692/7 "2019-01-18T20:42:19Z")
Here’s a likely candidate: I THINK WOMBAT (1971) - Linda and her friends are invited to a party by Millie Moore, the neighborhood’s recluse. Everyone accepts the invitation but on the day of the party Linda learns that only she has taken the invitation seriously and that the other girls are not going to the party. Linda must decide what she is going to do. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Squire\_Of\_Gothos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_squire_of_gothos/32/4703_2.png) [@The\_Squire\_Of\_Gothos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Squire_Of_Gothos)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2019, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-all-elementary-school-teachers-of-the-seventies-looking-for-school-film/827692/8 "2019-01-18T22:00:44Z")
This is the film I’m looking for years! Upon a further Google search, it’s actually titled “_I Think_”, from _Wombat_ productions, as per the source _[Educational Films 1979](https://books.google.ca/books?id=DdvjAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA338&lpg=PA338&dq=%2B%22i+think+wombat%22&source=bl&ots=bRvu_CVkFZ&sig=ACfU3U3XengyTrvWxDUyMwP6QNvHs12iew&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiF-P-1pfjfAhUAJDQIHUWKCV4Q6AEwA3oECAcQAQ#v=onepage&q&f=false)_ from _The University of Michigan media resources center_. It doesn’t show up on IMDB, but at least I have a title to go on to hopefully find the actual media at one of my public libraries. Thank you so much—I’ll build a small idol of you to sit above my hearth. ---
**Author:** ![Hatchie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hatchie/32/3983_2.png) [@Hatchie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hatchie)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2019, 8:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-all-elementary-school-teachers-of-the-seventies-looking-for-school-film/827692/9 "2019-01-19T08:18:53Z")
Aha! Not bad for my first post here. Here’s the best way to find obscure books and stuff that some library, somewhere might hold: WorldCat. Try [this](https://www.worldcat.org/title/i-think/oclc/221549337?referer=br&ht=edition) on for size. If these places are out of reach, there’s a good chance your local library can arrange an inter-library loan with one of them. Well worth a shot. Yes, the hearthside idol gig sounds about right. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Squire\_Of\_Gothos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_squire_of_gothos/32/4703_2.png) [@The\_Squire\_Of\_Gothos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Squire_Of_Gothos)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2019, 8:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-all-elementary-school-teachers-of-the-seventies-looking-for-school-film/827692/10 "2019-01-19T08:33:20Z")
Yes, I found the WorldCat link soon after my first reply, but my local library may not allow loans from WorldCat. There’s even a film reel selling on eBay. I’m surprized no one has scanned this touching little gem of a film. But I know I’ll also need a box of tissues when I do find it. Thanks again, you’re a special person.