# Educational films from elementary school **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 25, 2018, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/educational-films-from-elementary-school/816710 "2018-06-25T15:25:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![installLSC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/54ee81/32.png) [@installLSC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/installLSC)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2018, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/educational-films-from-elementary-school/816710/41 "2018-06-26T03:46:30Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > My favorite was always [Donald in Mathmagic Land.](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0052751/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1) The absolute king of the genre. I remember seeing it every year in high school math in the final days of school. Others I remember: “Black History: Lost, Stolen, Strayed” a 1968 CBS news special on how white culture dealt in black stereotypes. Narrated by Bill Cosby, written by Andy Rooney of all peope. “You Are There” another CBS news special (hosted by Uncle Walter himself) that treated events in history as if they were breaking news broadcasts. ---
**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:** [June 26, 2018, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/educational-films-from-elementary-school/816710/42 "2018-06-26T18:58:17Z")
This is late 60’s into 70’s: In 5th grade the girls watched The Story of Menustration - we were required to have our moms or another female adult with us! In 6th grade, the boys and girls watched a movie about sex (don’t’’ remember the title) separately. I don’t remember what grade I was in (probably 6th), we watched Go Ask Alice - an anti-drug movie In 9th grade, I had a class called Modern History. We watched Patton and a movie about the JFK assassination. There were lots of movies and film strips that I don’t recall anymore. I think the one that always stands out to me is The Red Balloon. I think we watched that every year in elementary school. If I recall there was no dialogue, it was a foreign film. ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2018, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/educational-films-from-elementary-school/816710/43 "2018-07-15T00:34:21Z")
The one that I remember the best is called _The Smartest Kid in Town_. It stressed the importance of laboratory safety with a tale about a student being blinded in an accident. The part that always stuck with me was the part where the student, eyes wrapped in a whole bunch of bandages and gauze, being awkwardly led around. It sure seemed a little hardcore for us youngsters. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2018, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/educational-films-from-elementary-school/816710/44 "2018-07-15T01:08:23Z")
I went to Catholic school, so alot of our educational films were old religious movies, like _Song of Bernadette_ and _Miracle of Marcelino_. The first movie is considered a classic, but to first graders, it’s not really very engaging. The second? _shudder_ It’s about this little orphan who grows up in a monastery and there’s this crucifix in the attic that TALKS to him. It was this stop motion puppet and it was seriously creepy. Contrary to popular belief, parochial schools don’t get a lot of money for extras, so back when I was going there (1983-92), they had ONE TV for the entire school. We listened to a lot of records, IIRC. There was this one series of songs that taught the multiplication tables. I remember the one for 6 went something like, “We all get our kicks, when we multiply by six!” (Anyone else remember that one?) ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2018, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/educational-films-from-elementary-school/816710/45 "2018-07-15T05:18:43Z")
> [@installLSC](#): > > “You Are There” another CBS news special (hosted by Uncle Walter himself) that treated events in history as if they were breaking news broadcasts. Back in the '50s, this was a series; they tried to revive it on Saturday mornings (IIRC) in the early '70s. The one I remember most had Fritz Weaver as Christopher Columbus trying to woo Queen Isabella. > **[You Are There (series)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/You_Are_There_(series))** > > You Are There is a 1947–1957 American historical educational television and radio series broadcast over the CBS Radio and CBS Television networks. > Created by Goodman Ace for CBS Radio, it portrayed an entire network newsroom on a figurative time warp each week reporting the great events of the past. Reporters included John Charles Daly, Don Hollenbeck, and Richard C. Hottelet. The series was first heard on July 7, 1947, under the title CBS Is There. Its final broadcast was on March 19, 1950, und... ---
**Author:** ![DavidwithanR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@DavidwithanR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidwithanR)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2018, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/educational-films-from-elementary-school/816710/46 "2018-07-15T07:00:01Z")
> [@teela\_brown](#): > > …A nurse in the film told us how our uteruses worked, and it was animated by Disney. “You need to know that your uterus is animated by Disney, and here is how it works: …” 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![ZonexandScout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zonexandscout/32/544_2.png) [@ZonexandScout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZonexandScout)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2018, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/educational-films-from-elementary-school/816710/47 "2018-07-15T13:03:31Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > From 7th grade through high school, I was a member of the projector club, and 16mm films were the primary educational hi-tech tools for teachers. > > My school had a rule that teachers were not allowed to touch the projection equipment, which was left to the (much more competent) students from the projector club, which seemed to suit all parties. We even had licenses, and had to pass a test by an upperclassman on how to set up and run the Bell & Howell projectors. When it was our turn to administer the test, we flipped every switch, reversed every plug and put everything together backwards and upside down before giving the test to the noobies. They _earned_ their license, yessir! > > Licensed projector club members were assigned to a classroom during their study hall period, so we gathered in projector room 6S before school to get the assignments. Typically, we took a cart with a projector, speaker, and screen to the classroom before 1st period, then each student operator was assigned one hour with the same projector and film. The last period operator brought the equipment back. There were so many films shown that I never went to study hall and the study hall monitors just assumed that I wouldn’t be showing up, having a perpetually excused absence. > > The films were delivered in metal cans to our school every Tuesday, and the projector club set up two or three projection stations in the 6S room, where we would preview the latest films after hours. Favorites were the Bell Telephone series, and there was one animation about a fire-breathing dragon and one about Pompeii (color!) that I remember. Most were not in color, and even then, some (i.e., teenage dating advice) seemed incredibly dated and laughable. > > One subject that NEVER came up was sex ed. AFAIK, our school system never taught this (I certainly never had that class). It was merely a non-subject. Ha-ha! When I went to college, part of my financial aid package was to have a college-provided job for 12 hours a week. When I showed up for my job assignment in 1971, I noticed that “audio-visual services” was one of the options. I quickly told the interviewer that I was on the “A/V Team” in high school. This was a blatant lie. I spent the next four years making $6.00/hour (pretty good for a student job then) and doing exactly what is described above. Many of my fellow students mopped dorm bathrooms and cleaned tables in the dining halls for four years. One of the perks was that the college film clubs had to use an “official” projectionist when they rented projectors to show films in the evening. This was all under-the-table money, paid in cash from the $1.00 admissions, and it bought me many, many six-packs and pizzas. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2018, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/educational-films-from-elementary-school/816710/48 "2018-07-15T13:50:52Z")
> [@ZonexandScout](#): > > … I quickly told the interviewer that I was on the “A/V Team” in high school. This was a blatant lie. … Okay, that’s it! You’re on The List. Lying about being one of the elite few inducted into the AV club? How could you??? Being in the AV club of course meant I saw more than my share of educational films as I was called to various classrooms to set things up and such. **FtGKid1** followed in my noble footsteps. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2018, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/educational-films-from-elementary-school/816710/49 "2018-07-15T14:58:46Z")
If anybody ever finds T[he Extraordinary World of Zinc](https://books.google.com/books?id=ZjyLHBP6nMEC&pg=PA19&lpg=PA19&dq=%22the+extraordinary+world+of+zinc%22&source=bl&ots=7dKZZvRRV2&sig=r7TCYejuQJW9hpCxenoQn_8tNjk&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiYzuG3rqHcAhXFl-AKHVHtAmIQ6AEwAXoECAUQAQ#v=onepage&q=%22the%20extraordinary%20world%20of%20zinc%22&f=false) on the web or as a DVD for sale, I will salute you as one of history’s greatest heroes. The last time I saw this was around 1986 on 16mm film. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2018, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/educational-films-from-elementary-school/816710/50 "2018-07-16T13:49:00Z")
In fourth grade I was shown an anti-littering film that pointed out if the candy wrapper had been in your pocket before you ate the candy, after you eat the candy you should keep it in your pocket until you find a trash can to put it in. That made such an impression on me that I have not littered since. ---
**Author:** ![Cardigan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardigan/32/187_2.png) [@Cardigan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardigan)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2018, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/educational-films-from-elementary-school/816710/51 "2018-07-16T13:58:59Z")
Having grown up in the Great Lakes area the two films mentioned in the OP were staples at our elementary. That French red balloon film certainly made the rounds. Anyone remember the (non-Disney) Midas film? ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2018, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/educational-films-from-elementary-school/816710/52 "2018-07-16T14:16:54Z")
Ain’t that nice You’re up on ice A mile thick And moving slow One day I found myself on Mendenhall glacier with my wife. This ran through my head and made me giggle. My lady is much younger than I and hadn’t seen the movie, VCR had replaced film by the time she went through school. I was alone. I think about _Paddle_ all the time. We watched the Red Asphalt movies in driver’s ed. Those were a delight. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2018, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/educational-films-from-elementary-school/816710/53 "2018-07-16T16:30:53Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > If anybody ever finds T[he Extraordinary World of Zinc](https://books.google.com/books?id=ZjyLHBP6nMEC&pg=PA19&lpg=PA19&dq=%22the+extraordinary+world+of+zinc%22&source=bl&ots=7dKZZvRRV2&sig=r7TCYejuQJW9hpCxenoQn_8tNjk&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiYzuG3rqHcAhXFl-AKHVHtAmIQ6AEwAXoECAUQAQ#v=onepage&q=%22the%20extraordinary%20world%20of%20zinc%22&f=false) on the web or as a DVD for sale, I will salute you as one of history’s greatest heroes. The last time I saw this was around 1986 on 16mm film. [**Scumpup** , it might be time to let it go.](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=4555061&postcount=23) I feel for ya; I’m trying to find a couple vampire films from the late '60’s/early '70s that I apparently hallucinated–several times. ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2018, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/educational-films-from-elementary-school/816710/54 "2018-07-16T16:52:55Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > I remember that! It was also a book, although IDK which came first. We saw it in sex education, probably 9th grade. > > There was a film we saw in grade school, 4th grade or thereabouts, and again in junior high, about “child molestation”. It was probably made in the late 1960s, and the parts I remember are a man running after two little girls in a wooded area, and in the last “re-enacted” scene, one of them is trying to hide from him behind a drainage pipe. The next scene features (allegedly) police photos of the actual girls the story was based on, after their bodies were found. Does anyone else remember this, and what it was called? It was VERY graphic, and AFAIR not sexual on any level. We saw that in elementary school around 1969. It was called [“The Child Molester.”](https://archive.org/details/CHILD) Years later I learned that the film was not intended to traumatize children - it was intended to traumatize parents and marketed as not for children. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2018, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/educational-films-from-elementary-school/816710/55 "2018-07-16T16:56:33Z")
I remember a “Just Say No” video with Nancy Reagan. She made it sound so noble and simple. LOL ---
**Author:** ![Drum\_God](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drum_god/32/44_2.png) [@Drum\_God](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drum_God)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2018, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/educational-films-from-elementary-school/816710/56 "2018-07-16T17:12:37Z")
We’re on the second page and no one has mentioned the greatest school movie of them all: Free to Be You and Me starring Marlo Thomas. I’m on my phone, but I’ll look for a link when I get home. ---
**Author:** ![CelticKnot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/celticknot/32/3392_2.png) [@CelticKnot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CelticKnot)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2018, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/educational-films-from-elementary-school/816710/57 "2018-07-16T18:13:41Z")
I remember we had filmstrips and films when I was in school. I honestly don’t recall content from any of them. Why would we need to? We had Schoolhouse Rock and other animated educational shorts between our shows. ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_s\_Son](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19adc/32.png) [@Jim\_s\_Son](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_s_Son)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2018, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/educational-films-from-elementary-school/816710/58 "2018-07-16T21:05:30Z")
I don’t really any from elementary school. Since it was the early 1960s and my school district had just built a high school and another elementary school, it may not have been in their budget. Junior high in a different school district. I don’t remember any titles. One (art class?) was a cartoon where a genie promises John anything he wants as long as his friend Bill gets twice as many. Starts off fine but soon John gets jealous, starts having punishment (like getting kicked in the butt twice so Bill gets four) and ends with John asking for half a bomb dropped on him so Bill gets the whole bomb, killing them both. Shop (industrial art) some kind of biopic on the life of some businessman…probably having to do with aluminum in the early days. Science class… a humorous film on how an advertising agency tries to make smoking desirable despite what the Surgeon General says. One brief campaign is lots of pretty flowers and lakes. Another has a macho guy surviving falling out of a plane, buildings falling on him, all with a cigarette butt in his mouth and background music telling us "he’s too tough to care). At the end one advertising man offers a cigarette, the other says he never smokes. Actually quite amusing, wouldn’t mind seeing it again to see if it holds up 50 years later. ---
**Author:** ![Drum\_God](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drum_god/32/44_2.png) [@Drum\_God](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drum_God)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2018, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/educational-films-from-elementary-school/816710/59 "2018-07-16T22:15:56Z")
Here is the opening to _[Free to Be You and Me](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_26FOHoaC78)_ Warning: ear worm. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2018, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/educational-films-from-elementary-school/816710/60 "2018-07-16T22:27:46Z")
Man, you guys were lucky. In my elementary school in The Bronx, we were gathered into the auditorium periodically to see documentaries of kids getting run over by buses. With tire marks and everything! This was probably because the boys had a habit of hitching a ride on the back of the bus from the outside. I never did anything that foolish so I don’t know why I had to suffer through those horrible and graphic documentaries. We also saw the red balloon movie and the movie with the kid (Henry? Harry?) with his purple crayon. So they would keep you guessing on what kind of day you’d end up having. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/educational-films-from-elementary-school/816710.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/educational-films-from-elementary-school/816710.md?page=4)