The NY Times has a review today of Hell’s Highway, a new documentary on those driver’s safey films we were shown in high school; got me reminiscing [fade to flashback, cue music] . . .
We saw a number of the type that wound up as shorts on MST3K. In Driver’s Ed we saw the classic Signal 30, which we enjoyed much more than we were supposed to. We also saw the Sonny Bono anti-drug film and even I, a non-stoner, thought it hilarious. The stoners injured themselves in the back of the room trying to stifle their giggles.
Way back in elementary school—mid-1960s—we were shown the original Duck and Cover films, about ten years old by then. We also had bomb drills, where we were marched in an orderly fashion down to the air-raid shelters.
If we were shown any sex-ed films, they must have been really dull, as I can’t recall a single one. My friend Michael insists he was shown a Disney sex-ed film in which Mickey and Minnie get a dose of the clap, but I am pretty sure this is an urban legend [“Is not! Is not!”—Michael].
Having grown up in the '70s and '80s, I missed most of these, except for the driver’s ed films, which is why I think the MST3K “Shorts” are so hilarious. I honestly can’t fathom what made the filmmakers think kids would pay attention to any of that stuff.
I did see a spoof of these films on the Independent Film Channel maybe two weeks ago. In this film, homosexuality was the norm and straights could be “converted” through therapy to become gay. Quite funny and very telling, IMO.
When I was in high school we’d get to watch afterschool specials. Usually one a week. My favorite was this one about a popular girl who got bombed out on drugs and then sent to a drug clinic headed up by that creapy guy from Hellraiser. I’d already seen Hellraiser at that point, so I thought that part was hysterical.
For the record, you can find a lot of the older films like that, downloadable, at archive.org. At least they did last time I visited, which was some time ago.
Oh, yes! “Signal 30,” produced by the Ohio State Patrol. We even saw that one down here in Georgia. Anyone remember the National Lampoon parody of “Signal 30” featuring Uncle Buckle, the Safety Water Buffalo?
“Hi, I’m Troy McClure. You may remember me from Drivers-Ed films such as, Alice’s Adventures Through the Windshield Glass and The Decapitation of Larry Leadfoot.”
I don’t remember many of these (I also was on the cusp when they were slowly being discontinued), but I do remember a movie Red Asphalt. Never saw any Sex-Ed ones that I recall (especially Disney ones), though I thought Donald Duck in Mathmagicland was ubiquitious for the time.
Oh, and I personally own only two 16mm prints, but one is Reefer Madness.
For a walk down memory lane, go here. I am still looking for the movie we girls saw in elementary school. It was a Disney produced number about menstuation.
You kidding? It encouraged kids to hang around in pool halls! Next thing you know, they’ll be standing on street corners smoking cigarettes and whistling at all the pretty girls!
Saw the Driver’s-ed films. Saw sex-ed films in high school, complete with MST3K-esque comments (“I didn’t know you put the condom on over your fingers!”). Saw Donald in Mathemagic Land, and own it on tape.
The film I love is one I saw at the Boston Museum of Science. I later rented it on a tape compilation called “Federal Follies”, but the videostore closed, and now I can’t get it any more. I would kill to own a copy of this: Julia Child Shows you How to Make Primordial Soup
Thery really did get Julia Child for this, and she really did demonstrate the classic 1950s experiment where you put in all the precursors, heat it, zap it with UV, and end up with amino acids. Only Julia Child explains it all in kitchen-science terms, and in her classic “is she drunk or isn’t she?” style. I used to show this as a highlight of my Bad Film Festivals.
Hell’s Highway was just reviewed in either Salon or Slate (I’ve searched both and can’t find it on either, but I’m sure I read it within the past week). The makers discussed how they had a bit of a moral dilemma about lurking around auto accidents and filming the gore, but they got over it (yes, those were real accident scenes). I’ll keep looking and see if I can find a cite to the review.
And I thought I was the only one who remembered Donal Duck in Mathemagic Land. Before that movie, I thought a pentagram in your palm meant you were a werewolf. I learned better in 5th grade.
Considering how young I am, we didn’t get any of those. All we got in drivers ed were episodes of Fox’s World’s Wildest Police Chases and such, taped directly from broadcast with commericals and everything.
The Disney Menstruation film is called ‘The Story of Menstruation’. I was able to get a copy from the great folks at www.avgeeks.com. They have tons of great stuff along these lines. They have been actively working with the people at archive.org to expand the collection there of old educational films. PicPal.com also has a selection of tapes and DVDs, including a wide selection of outdated military training films.
Haven’t seen ‘Federal Follies’ at either website, but it’s likely they carry most of the content somewhere or other in their collections. It might be worth it to check them out.
I particularly remember one about Phoebe or Chloe or someone like that who was 16 and pregnant and imagining all the possible scenarios when she would tell people.
My favorite sex-ed film moment was a film strip they showed that focused on two pigs
“This is the male pig” (beep)
“This is the feamle pig” (beep)
“Now the pigs have mated” (beep)
Even the teacher couldn’t stop laughing at the torrent of booing from the class for the film skipping an - ahem - important moment.
I recall the educational film about “Fuzzy Bunny” that Bart watches and the comments about “hair growing where there was no hair.”
Cue wah-wah guitar-based music and lots of “ooohhhing” and “aahhhing” from the screen and kids going “GROSS!” with a horrified look in their faces. Ms. Krabapple adds “She’s faking it…”
Maybe one of you guys can help me with this short from high school days. It starred a youngish Scott Baio. He was a diver who wound up paralyzed because he dove into a pool that wasn’t filled. Or something like that.
I don’t even remember what it was crusading against. Maybe he got drunk first.
Yes I remember those “Duck and Cover” films and I also remember taking shelter in the school basement with the rest of the class. Then we’d whisper to each other about the futility of doing this especially when some of us had seen the OTHER film. Which film is this? You must have seen it. The typical Army test film of the nice 2 story house getting obliterated by an atomic blast !!! Ah yes, nothing like chuckling about the minimal protection a school basement (or even better - a school desk) would provide.