All this week, Monday through Saturday, I’ll be focusing on bad (or questionable) movies. From Gamera to anti-communism and sex ed. short films. This will be some hokey fun!

Back around 2003ish, I made a few DVDs containing public domain educational short films, mostly from the 50′s and 60′s. There were four of them, two dealing with sex education, two dealing with Cold War-era stuff.

I got a hankering to watch them again, but couldn’t find them. The only folks I could remember who I gave them to were my parents (most of the sets were sold on Ebay – legally, mind you). I called them up, but they couldn’t find them. I figured I had a set, but couldn’t find mine.

So I decided to start over. Luckily, I found a PDF of the DVD covers which told me which shorts were where.

In these new editions, I’ve even added more shorts. There are now four volumes on two DVDs, each volume weighing in at around 100 minutes, which is a perfect length for an evening of shorts.

So far, I’ve only done the Sex Ed DVDs. Next, I’ll be moving onto the two DVDs I called “The Commies are Comin’!” and “Duck and Cover.”

Early Sex Ed. Shorts – Disc One
Volume One
As Boys Grow (1957) - “There’s Mike, he’s sure filling out.” Wow! Coach knows everything and he tells the whole track team all about sex and their bodies… even the Big M (Coach says it’s OK). Fascinating in a very creepy way. (16 mins)
Going Steady? (1951) – “This is a story of two young people who face the question: Going Steady? The question is not answered for them. It is not answered for you.” So talk amongst yourselves quietly … you’re clearly on your own. (10 mins)
Molly Grows Up (1953) – This is the film that only the girls were allowed to see. Here is your chance, boys! “… and I noticed a bit of blood on my panties… and golly! At first I thought, well I didn’t know what to think!” (15 mins)
Social-Sex Attitudes in Adolescence (1953) – We follow Bob and Mary from about age five, till they finally get married. Horribly over-dubbed vocals, but oddly progressive for 1953. “Bob was going with a fast crowd, and like most teenagers, he wanted to be part of the gang.” (23 mins)
Beginning to Date (1953) – “Take the first plunge.” It’s Studds Terkel as the swimming coach and he teaches the swim team how to date. Insecure teen boys and girls try again and again to get it right. Some just never do. Sad, really. Thankfully the Narrator has the power to turn back time and help them out with a few pointers. And why is George interested in that towering giant, Mildred? (12 mins)
Are You Ready for Marriage? (1950) – They’ve been dating for over three months, so naturally Larry and Sue want to get married! “But Larry, I wanted a church wedding!” Can a hip marriage councilor talk these crazy teens into waiting? (16 mins)
Gossip (1953) - “First she used her lunch hour to tell the story to everyone who would listen, and that was practically the whole student body.” The principal of Marion High hates gossip and tells us about a randy guy named Jack who didn’t get any and seeks revenge by telling everyone some pretty nasty things about Jean. Then the principal gets the whole student body together for an assembly about gossip. Incredible. (10 mins)

Volume Two
What to Do On a Date (1950) – A really geeky highschool guy asks a really geeky highschool girl out on a date. But now that she said “yes,” he has no idea how to entertain her! This short gives a whole slew of crappy ideas. “Now, you may not have thought of this sort of thing as a place to take a date, but it looks like it could be fun.” (11 mins)
The Stranger (1957) – This is horrible. Horrible plot, horrible acting, horrible sound, horrible color. Just horrible. And that is why you will love it. Kids, don’t ride with strangers, ok? I can’t even describe this. It has to be seen to be believed. (15 mins)
How Do You Know It’s Love? (1950) – “You young punks go to the movies a couple of times, do a little necking and then think you’re in love! I’ve never seen anything like it! … Get back into bed!” Jack and his girlfriend think they’re in love. But Jack’s brother Bob and his girlfriend, Jean, want to show them that they’re really not. Because if Jack and his gal were really in love, they’d be as boring and hopeless as Bob and Jean. (12 mins)
Date with Your Family (1950) – Whatever you do, don’t make your father angry! If you have to lie to him, that’s fine, just don’t ruin dinner! “Pleasant, unemotional conversation helps digestion” Oh, and don’t forget to make a centerpiece. (10 mins)
Junior Prom (1946) – World War II just ended, so let’s make up some crazy rules about dating, ok? The narrator does his best to help, “Keep trying, Frank. Be sensible, Margaret,” but even he can’t save them from the Junior Prom. All that’s missing is pigs blood. This is in color!(21 mins)
How Much Affection? (1958) – “Tonight the feeling between us kept getting stronger and stronger… Till we nearly.. It was so close.” Poor Mary and Jeff! They want to have sex, but it’s the 50’s! Whatever will they do?! (20 mins)
What Makes a Good Party? (1950) – “Jim started that hat making contest you like so much!” Jean wants to throw a party, but this takes military style precision to get right. Everyone talked real loud back in the 50′s. At the end of the party, they all sing “Jimmy Crack Corn,” which turns out to be a slightly racist song. Who knew?(10 mins)

Early Sex Ed. Shorts – Disc Two
Volume Three
Age 13 (1955) - Creepy and sad. Not so much to do with sex ed. as much as it is to do with pure as the driven snow creepiness. Boy loses mom. Boy freaks out. Boy takes gun to school. Guidance counselor saves the day. It’s unbelievable how much creepiness they could cram into such a simple storyline. (25 mins)
Dating Dos and Don’ts (1949) – “Any girl who can’t be ready on time for a date isn’t good enough for my boy.” Wow! 1949 and in Color! Woody wants to date, but every girl is lame except Ann, she’s just wacky. He stumbles through asking her and with help from the Narrator, and finally gets her to say “yes.” Then after getting ready for the date, they’re off to the school carnival. Was everybody on a lot of helium back then? (10 mins)
Your Body During Adolescence (1955) – Oh my gosh! They said “sex glands!” While vague enough to not offend most, it’s also detailed and weirdly specific. “Sometimes one breast will mature more rapidly than the other. This occurs quite often.” (10 mins)
Shy Guy (1947) - “But still, you can’t forget that you’re alone… an outsider.” Can Phil (played by a recently-pubescent Dick York) every fit in the the cool kids? Can random coincidences at a malt shop break him out of his parents basement? Or will he drag his new friends into the depths below? (13 mins)
Boys Beware (1961) – This film hates gay people: “What Jimmy didn’t know was that Ralph was sick. A sickness that was not visible like small pox, but no less dangerous and contagious, a sickness of the mind. You see, Ralph is a homosexual.” Unbelievably offensive. (10 mins)
This Charming Couple (1950) – This is well-written and weirdly down to earth. “Blue eyes mean love me or I die. Brown eyes mean love me or I kill you.” …Well, almost. At least it’s not puritanical. It’s actually got some good advice for today. Its lack of surrealism makes it so surreal. (19 mins)
Toward Emotional Maturity (1954) – “Let’s go to Mountain Park for awhile and look at the moon.” It’s the night of Sally’s spring dance. Her boyfriend wants to go parking, but Sally (who looks like a human blow-up doll) thinks back on all of the dumb things she did and decides not do. Go Sally! (11 mins)
Name Unknown (1951) – Girls, if you’re abducted, raped and murdered by some creepy, messed up guy, it’s because you’re a sucker and get what you deserve! There’s nothing like tough love that ends in a double murder suicide! “Just because it’s under the guise of babysitting, doesn’t make it alright.” Oh yeah, this goes there. (10 mins)

Volume Four
Understand Your Emotions (1950) – There are three emotions and to understand them is to repress them as much as possible. The teacher guesses “several words that will arouse an emotional response in Larry.” Indeed. “Probe” and “drill” are two of those words. (13 mins)
Last Date (1949) In a word: Teenacide. “Hey, that reminds me. How would you all like to take a ride in my new monster?” A young and wild Dick York takes Joanne away from her other boyfriend, Larry, for a night of fast hot rod cars and sharp turns… too sharp. (18 mins)
Act Your Age (1949) – “Wouldn’t you like to rate yourself on a chart like this?” Jim is infantile and the principal (who looks like a creepier Walt Disney) gives lame advice. Thankfully, Jim listens to the only person left who will talk to him: the school janitor. (13 mins)
Girls Beware (1961) – “Then Mary found out that she was in trouble and had to tell her parents. Only now it was too late for advice and Mary had to be taken out of school and placed under the guidance of juvenile authority.” This short shows girls that you can be killed while babysitting if you’re not careful and that older boys are animal predators. It was the 50′s, so no advice other than “be smart” was offered. Sorry gals. (10 mins)
Age of Turmoil (1953) – “Sometimes young adolescents appear to enjoy utter uselessness.” What’s wrong with kids these days?! Girls are too chatty, boys are always wrestling. This one wasn’t for the kids, it was for the parents! (19 mins)
Understanding Your Ideals (1950) – “June knows how to dress… not the best looking girl in town, but everybody likes her.” Jeff wants to be popular, but when he can’t take his girl to the dance, he blames his parents. Dad feels guilty and it turns into a chat about ideals, freedom and America. (14 mins)
Are You Popular? (1947) – “Caroline and her mother had found one way a girl can repay a boy for entertaining her … perhaps they could bring another couple home with them. That would be fun.” Remember, while ugly girls are easy, sometimes being popular in the wrong ways is just creepy. Even the stuffy kids had fun in the 40′s. (10 mins)
How to Say No: Moral Maturity (1951) – “I want to get along well with those fellas on the team, I don’t want them to think I’m a drip.” How can you say “No” and still keep your pushy, manipulative friends? We’re introduced to what’s got to be a community theater troop made up of doofy teens that’s here to help. Drinking, smoking and petting don’t stand a chance against these kids! (11 mins)

Some of the shorts venture towards nonsex ed. areas, but I think they complement the collection as a whole.

As for the other DVDs, I’ll be making those soon enough. I’m not really sure what I’ll do with them. I won’t be making cases or cover art or anything like that. Mostly, I’m making them for me to watch and I need to send them to my parents, I guess. Maybe I’ll give some out with the Christmas CDs or something.

For those who don’t know, all of these shorts and tons more are available for free (as streaming video and download) at the Internet Archive in the Prelinger Collection.