These Coronet "educational" films of the 1940's and 50's are pretty hard to sit though now, and frankly, I don't think high school kids back then enjoyed them either. This one is on social courtesy, but like most of them, it's adults trying to tell kids how to act, and we all know how much kids appreciate that.
The kid's "hobo party" is kinda telling too. Rich kids spend much less time these days making fun of the homeless. They still feel the same way about them, they just don't throw "poor parties".
Overall, the lesson they are trying to convey here is a simple one: If you are a jerk, no one will like you. It's a concept that doesn't really require a film, but these babies were Coronet's bread and butter. Most of the stuff they put out was pretty basic, with titles like Keeping Clean and Neat, Personal Hygiene for Boys (Yes, Wally, clean behind your ears), and What to Do on a Date.
If high school kids were to watch this today, they'd learn the same thing kids in the 1950's learned- Absolutely nothing. And where they found the kids in these films is a mystery too. It certainly wasn't acting school.
The kid's "hobo party" is kinda telling too. Rich kids spend much less time these days making fun of the homeless. They still feel the same way about them, they just don't throw "poor parties".
Overall, the lesson they are trying to convey here is a simple one: If you are a jerk, no one will like you. It's a concept that doesn't really require a film, but these babies were Coronet's bread and butter. Most of the stuff they put out was pretty basic, with titles like Keeping Clean and Neat, Personal Hygiene for Boys (Yes, Wally, clean behind your ears), and What to Do on a Date.
If high school kids were to watch this today, they'd learn the same thing kids in the 1950's learned- Absolutely nothing. And where they found the kids in these films is a mystery too. It certainly wasn't acting school.
