2004
44 pages tabloid sized
BACK TO SCHOOL SPECIAL!
One of ESR’s greatest hits, this issue devotes itself entirely to exploration of those cheesy educational films we all saw back in Grade 5. Today these movies are now objects of camp adulation; from the hilariously naive drug scare films, to the cheap gore effects of the safety-industrial film, from how to behave in class to how to behave on a date. And as such, they are fun to watch. However, as one watches more and more of these films, one is witness to a rich history of filmmaking seldom given serious study. For your reading pleasure, there are roughly 80 classic (and not-so classic) classroom films.
The image that you see in the front cover is from the classic Centron film, The Outsider (1951). I chose this image first because I just happen to like this movie a lot, and secondly because the more I see this image I realize how it is indicative of how these pictures treat those who aren’t part of the social norm. Look at this frame again, and notice the strategic placement of Susan Jane, the outsider figure in the shadows in the foreground, and the girls from the “in-crowd” in the background, conveniently standing by the American flag, thus subtly showing us the expected norms of society.
Table of Contents
Social Graces
Appreciating Our Parents (1950); Are You Popular? (1947); Beginning Responsibility: Taking Care of Your Own Things (1978); Benefits of Looking Ahead (1950); The Bully (1972); A Date With Your Family (1950); Dating Do’s and Dont’s (1949); Everyday Courtesy (1948); The Gossip (1955); The Griper (1954); Habit Patterns (1954); Lunchroom Manners (1959); Manners in School (1959); The Outsider (1951); Shy Guy (1947); The Snob (1958); Soapy The Germ Fighter (1951); What About Prejudice? (1959); Why Doesn’t Cathy Eat Breakfast? (1972)
Driving School
Alco Beat (1965); The Crossroads Crash (1973); Highball Highway (1963); Joy Ride: An Auto Theft (1977); Last Date (1949); The Last Prom (1980); None for the Road (1957); Safety Belt for Susie (1962); Safety Through Seatbelts (1959); Signal 30 (1959); Stop Driving Us Crazy (1959); The Talking Car (1969); Tomorrow’s Drivers (1954); We Drivers (1936)
Safety First
Days of Our Years (1955); Down and Out (1971); I Like Bikes But… (1978); One Got Fat (1963); Patty Learns to Stop Look and Listen (1956) Purely Coincidental (1970); Safety After School (1960); Safety in Danger Out of Doors (1978); Shake Hands With Danger (1980)
The Birds and the Bees
The ABC’s of Sex Ed. for Trainables (1975); Human Growth (1962); It’s Wonderful Being a Girl (1968); Know for Sure (1941); Molly Grows Up (1953); Social-Sex Attitudes in Adolescence (1953)
Youth Runs Wild
Ask Me, Don’t Tell Me (1961); As The Twig is Bent (1944); Boy in Court (1940); The Dropout (1962); That Boy Joe (19??); What About Juvenile Delinquency (1955); Why Vandalism? (1955)
Keep Off The Grass
Case Study: Amphetamines (1969); Case Study: Barbiturates (1969); Case Study: LSD (1969); LSD: Insight or Insanity? (1967); Marijuana (1968); Narcotics: Pit of Despair (1968)
It Came from the Water Cooler
All Together (1970); Barbers and Beauticians (1960); Bright Young Newcomer (1958); Coffee Break (1958); The Grapevine (1958); Hidden Grievance (1959); How To Keep a Job (1949); Office Etiquette (1950); Promotion Bypass (1958); The Trouble with Women (1959); When You Grow Up (1973); You and Your Work (1948)
The Wonderful World of Sid Davis
The ABC’s of Walking Wisely (1959); Age 13 (1954); Big Man on Campus (1963); The Bottle and the Throttle (1968); Boys Beware (1961); Girls Beware (1961); Live and Learn (1951); Moment of Decision (1951); The Strange Ones (1957); The Terrible Truth (1951); Walking to School (19??); What’s the Big Hurry? (1974)
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