# School movies they probably don't show anymore **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 14, 2009, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/school-movies-they-probably-dont-show-anymore/521227 "2009-12-14T16:50:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![melodyharmonius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/melodyharmonius/32/21310_2.png) [@melodyharmonius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/melodyharmonius)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2009, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/school-movies-they-probably-dont-show-anymore/521227/41 "2009-12-14T21:56:44Z")
> [@WOOKINPANUB](#): > > I have a vague memory of a movie and I wonder if this rings anyone else’s bell . . . > > The main character is a young boy and there’s also an old man, possibly his grandfather, and there’s a raccoon that learns to unlock the chicken coop and steal eggs. It seems like the raccoon was his pet and the old man wanted to shoot it (?) Also not controversial but now I keep seeing the image of that raccoon’s paws untwisting the wire or whatever that was on the chicken coop and I’m racking my brain trying to remember the rest of it and what possible reason they had to show it to us (a few times) as I recall. Is that the one where the boy falls on the axe at the end and dies? I saw that in the theater. All I remember other than that is the sugar daddy that got stuck in my hair that day. > [@winterhawk11](#): > > From what I’ve heard (I haven’t been in school in a very long time) there’s a whole class of films they don’t show in schools anymore: the gory driver’s ed film. I remember watching “Mechanized Death” and a couple of others during my early high school years, and those things were _really_ gory. I mean severed limb-and-decapitation gory. They weren’t fake, either–there used to be a company whose job it was to follow around cops and ambulances to accident sites and film the carnage. “Red Asphalt” was another one. I have a friend who collects those and other bizarre 50s instructional movies. * * * Mine is _A Girl Named Sooner_. They aired it a few years in a row back in the mid-70s. I always remember the scene where she’s having a party and she lets the school kids throw pebbles at her bird to try to make it fly until they eventually stone it to death. Cloris Leachman played the Old Woman back then. She scared me so. I later bought and read the book and was surprised that there were sex scenes in it. Scarred my poor adolescent brain to have that childhood memory changed. However, I find myself hankering to watch the movie/read the book again. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2009, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/school-movies-they-probably-dont-show-anymore/521227/42 "2009-12-14T21:58:24Z")
> [@Rhythmdvl](#): > > And then there was the iconic professor and some animated drawings – a deer and a rabbit and maybe a turtle, all about the circulatory system. Or maybe that was the after-effects of the colored lights. 🙂 Could this be what I’m thinking of? > [@cjepson](#): > > When I was in grade school they were still showing the Bell Laboratory Science Series with Dr. Frank C. Baxter: > > [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The\_Bell\_Laboratory\_Science\_Series](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bell_Laboratory_Science_Series) > > (I recently got a DVD of two of those shows, in the interest of reliving a small part of my youth.) ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2009, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/school-movies-they-probably-dont-show-anymore/521227/43 "2009-12-14T22:01:48Z")
> [@Rhythmdvl](#): > > Could this be what I’m thinking of? Yes. The circulatory one was _Hemo the Magnificent_; I remember it well. We have good taste. It was directed by Frank Capra. ---
**Author:** ![Simmerdown](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simmerdown/32/14859_2.png) [@Simmerdown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simmerdown)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2009, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/school-movies-they-probably-dont-show-anymore/521227/44 "2009-12-14T22:05:07Z")
> [@Slithy\_Tove](#): > > [Here you go.](http://www.archive.org/details/CHILD) > > NOT safe for work! Thanks **Slithy Tove**. This has been haunting me for years. I’ve just watched the first two and a half minutes of it, and it is taking me back to that day. Were you shown this film as well, or do you just know obscure safety films? ---
**Author:** ![Gesturing\_Mildly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/65b543/32.png) [@Gesturing\_Mildly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gesturing_Mildly)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2009, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/school-movies-they-probably-dont-show-anymore/521227/45 "2009-12-14T22:05:16Z")
When I was in 3rd grade (maybe 1986), it started snowing so bad that they decided to let us go early. While we were waiting for the busses to be called in (school was out in the country) we got to watch a movie! Yay! They showed us [And Then It Happened](http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1285725859935620263&ei=_bUmS4CgDp3KqQKN9eGEAQ&q=and+then+it+happened#) about gory school bus accidents. It was terrifying, and a bunch of kids ended up crying and having to have their parents come get them. One I remember that I haven’t been able to find since, is a filmstrip they showed us about the dangers of rabies. I was very young, like kindergarten or 1st grade, and I only remember flashes of it, but the end was a little boy laying in bed, all covered up with bandages as he screamed and thrashed around. He’d been bitten by a rabid dog and there was just nothing they could do . . . the beginnings of my life-long rabies phobia. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2009, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/school-movies-they-probably-dont-show-anymore/521227/46 "2009-12-14T22:08:11Z")
> [@melodyharmonius](#): > > I have a friend who collects those and other bizarre 50s instructional movies. Your friend knows about the Prelinger Archive, right? That place is a treasure trove of old mental-hygiene films. I love them. > [@](#): > > Mine is _A Girl Named Sooner_. They aired it a few years in a row back in the mid-70s. I always remember the scene where she’s having a party and she lets the school kids throw pebbles at her bird to try to make it fly until they eventually stone it to death. Oh, man, another childhood trauma movie you just brought back to mind. What is it with movies from that period that involved bullies killing pets? I’m so glad you don’t see much of that anymore–it really hit me hard when I was little (still does, actually). ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2009, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/school-movies-they-probably-dont-show-anymore/521227/47 "2009-12-14T22:11:03Z")
Elementary School in Los Angeles in the '70’s. We saw _Paddle to the Sea_ as well as _The Red Balloon_ every year. As past of High School Driver’s Ed we saw _Red Asphalt_ (Black and White) and _Red Asphalt 2_ in color. ---
**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:** [December 14, 2009, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/school-movies-they-probably-dont-show-anymore/521227/48 "2009-12-14T22:11:30Z")
Does any school still show [Phoebe](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0223924/) in sex ed class? ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2009, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/school-movies-they-probably-dont-show-anymore/521227/49 "2009-12-14T22:15:01Z")
For the last day of school, I remember they usually showed a two reel Disney second run film from the public library I remember one year it was [Chitty Chitty Bang Bang](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0062803/), another year [Escape to Witch Mountain](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072951/), and one time [Napoleon and Samantha](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068990/). ---
**Author:** ![BobArrgh](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobarrgh/32/2881_2.png) [@BobArrgh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobArrgh)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2009, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/school-movies-they-probably-dont-show-anymore/521227/50 "2009-12-14T22:28:00Z")
Three I remember from school. 1. An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/An\_Occurrence\_at\_Owl\_Creek\_Bridge](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/An_Occurrence_at_Owl_Creek_Bridge)). 2. Some movie about nuclear holocaust, produced by the BBC. I thought it was called “The Day After”, but this is definitely **not** the 1983 movie shown on US television. 3. Charlie Chaplin’s “Modern Times”. I only remember seeing movies in 7th grade and up. I went to school in Indonesia and graduated from high school in 1980. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2009, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/school-movies-they-probably-dont-show-anymore/521227/51 "2009-12-14T22:51:27Z")
> [@BobArrgh](#): > > 1. Some movie about nuclear holocaust, produced by the BBC. I thought it was called “The Day After”, but this is definitely **not** the 1983 movie shown on US television. [Threads](http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/classic/A653311), most likely. ---
**Author:** ![kidneyfailure](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9f8e36/32.png) [@kidneyfailure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidneyfailure)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2009, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/school-movies-they-probably-dont-show-anymore/521227/52 "2009-12-14T23:49:09Z")
I saw _The Wave_ in 4th grade, 5th grade, and again in 12th grade. I couldn’t shake the feeling that it was just a “benign propaganda” mirror image of the mob mentality they were trying to warn against: “instead of being a Naziesque brainwashed robot like everyone else, be yourself… **just like everyone else**.” Also, our teacher got mad at the class for laughing at how overly-dramatic the teacher was in the climactic scene, but I challenge anyone not to laugh at that gem of overacting: “YOU WANT TO SEE YOUR LEADER??? THIS IS YOUR LEADER!!!” Who was the guy with the organs painted out the outside of his body suit that you might sometimes see in videos in health class? I want to say it was “Mr. Goodbody” or something, but that name sounds even too ridiculous for the 80’s. One of my teachers would sometimes let us watch her tapes of “In Search Of…” if we were really good. We also got Bob Ross in art class all the time. And, of course, who could forget _Reading Rainbow_? ---
**Author:** ![Indistinguishable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/90ced4/32.png) [@Indistinguishable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indistinguishable)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2009, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/school-movies-they-probably-dont-show-anymore/521227/53 "2009-12-14T23:53:44Z")
> [@kidneyfailure](#): > > Who was the guy with the organs painted out the outside of his body suit that you might sometimes see in videos in health class? I want to say it was “Mr. Goodbody” or something, but that name sounds even too ridiculous for the 80’s. I was trying to remember his name as well, but your post brought it back to me. That was it: [Slim Goodbody](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slim_Goodbody). ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2009, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/school-movies-they-probably-dont-show-anymore/521227/54 "2009-12-14T23:54:26Z")
[del]Slim Goodbody[/del] nevermind ---
**Author:** ![Indistinguishable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/90ced4/32.png) [@Indistinguishable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indistinguishable)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2009, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/school-movies-they-probably-dont-show-anymore/521227/55 "2009-12-14T23:55:45Z")
Well, there’s hardly any need to strike it out. It’s still correct, even if redundant. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![kidneyfailure](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9f8e36/32.png) [@kidneyfailure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidneyfailure)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2009, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/school-movies-they-probably-dont-show-anymore/521227/56 "2009-12-15T00:00:13Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#): > > [del]Slim Goodbody[/del] > > nevermind Ah yes, that’s him. ---
**Author:** ![Soul\_Brother\_Number\_Two](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/soul_brother_number_two/32/3515_2.png) [@Soul\_Brother\_Number\_Two](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soul_Brother_Number_Two)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2009, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/school-movies-they-probably-dont-show-anymore/521227/57 "2009-12-15T00:14:33Z")
Good stuff all. Those British safety ads were fucked. As was The Child Molester. I was hoping that my memory would be jostled by some of these, but alas, no. Perhaps I didn’t **Keep Off the Grass** enough. > **[Keep Off the Grass (Short 1970) ⭐ 5.1 | Drama, Short](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0260121/)** > > 22m A Sid Davis production. We laughed all the way through. I very vaguely remember one anti-drug film with Sonny and Cher in it. I thought it was this one, but not mention on the IMDB page. Anyone? ---
**Author:** ![independentminded](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ed8c4c/32.png) [@independentminded](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/independentminded)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2009, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/school-movies-they-probably-dont-show-anymore/521227/58 "2009-12-15T00:18:37Z")
> [@BrotherCadfael](#): > > Do they still show “Signal Thirty” and it’s ilk in Driver Ed? These were the bloody, scrape-you off-the-pavement movies they used to show in an effort into scaring you into driving safely. > > We brought popcorn when they showed it to us. I remember that movie, and other movies like it. Intense as hell at the time. ---
**Author:** ![independentminded](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ed8c4c/32.png) [@independentminded](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/independentminded)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2009, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/school-movies-they-probably-dont-show-anymore/521227/59 "2009-12-15T00:29:08Z")
> [@Soul\_Brother\_Number\_Two](#): > > Good stuff all. Those British safety ads were fucked. As was The Child Molester. > > I was hoping that my memory would be jostled by some of these, but alas, no. Perhaps I didn’t **Keep Off the Grass** enough. > > [Keep Off the Grass (Short 1970) - IMDb](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0260121/) > > A Sid Davis production. We laughed all the way through. > > I very vaguely remember one anti-drug film with Sonny and Cher in it. I thought it was this one, but not mention on the IMDB page. Anyone? I remember our high school showing a movie called _“Phoebe”_, which was about a high school girl who became pregnant by her boyfriend, and all the anguish that she and her mother went through. P:hoebe ended up getting married, but the movie left the question “will she or will she not have her baby?” Another movie that I remember that was shown at a Pilgrim Fellowship meeting was called _“The Game”_, where a teenaged boy and a teenaged girl who were dating and petting, necking and making out constantly. The boyfriend came over to the house where the girl was babysitting one afternoon, and they began necking and making out on the couch of the house where the girl was babysitting. The parents of the kids that the teeaged girl was babysitting came home while she and her boyfriend were making out on their couch. Nobody knew what happened after that, but the movie left at least two questions: Should they or should they not have gone “all the way”?, and how did the parents of the kids that the teenaged girl was babysittiing for react? What did they do? Another movie that was shown was a teenaged girl named Nikki and her boyfriend, who were dating, and, as their relationship became more sexual, one thing was clearly eminent; the boy planned to go as far as he could go, and then drop Nikki as soon as he “scored”. The name of this particular movie escapes me at this moment, however. ---
**Author:** ![ryobserver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b2d939/32.png) [@ryobserver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ryobserver)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2009, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/school-movies-they-probably-dont-show-anymore/521227/60 "2009-12-15T01:15:04Z")
> [@BobArrgh](#): > > 1. Some movie about nuclear holocaust, produced by the BBC. I thought it was called “The Day After”, but this is definitely **not** the 1983 movie shown on US television. Might have been “The War Game”. This was a graphic-for-its-day quasi-documentary the BBC commissioned, and then decided was too grim to broadcast. I remember a documentary about malaria and other parasitic diseases–why I was shown that in school in New Jersey, I couldn’t tell you, but it was certainly memorable, especially the elephantiasis and river blindness. In high school we were treated to “Friendly Persuasion”, the drama about Quakers wrestling with their pacifist consciences during the American Civil War. This was a Quaker high school, I should explain. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/school-movies-they-probably-dont-show-anymore/521227.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/school-movies-they-probably-dont-show-anymore/521227.md?page=4)