Mental Hygiene: Better Living Through Classroom Films 1945-1970

by Ken Smith

After scouring obscure educational films for nine years, the author offers a fascinating stroll down memory lane via the hundreds of films designed to keep public school children on the straight and narrow track between 1945 and 1970. 200 photos.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Humor, Pop Culture, Film, Education, Media Tie In

240 pages, Paperback

First published November 19, 1999

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Reviews

[dejah_thoris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok, I got into a/v services because of these films. In fact, I remember recording the NPR broadcast reviewing this book and interviewing the author from my radio to a cassette player because it featured clips of these movies. A decade passed and I could see more of these movies on Something Weird but never remembered there was a book to go with the clips. Then I listened to that old cassette and decided to borrow this book YEARS after first learning about it.

OMG I am SO glad I didn't borrow this in the late 90s because over half the films mentioned are now available on YouTube. (That's also the reason it's taken me so long to finish it because I worked through the long filmography at the end of the book.) Not that the content and analysis of the social guidance movement isn't apt but being able to see the primary source material in its original format (i.e. not the MYST3000 dub-overs, hilarious though they are) does WONDERS for this book. In fact, I wish they'd reissue it as an enhanced ebook with links to the videos embedded in the text because most of the films were digitized by the Prelinger Archive.

Definitely worth reading for the nostalgia factor if you lived through the era where these movies were popular but also compelling reading for those interested in childhood education and social control. Topics range from hygiene and interpersonal relations to drugs and reckless driving. And if you just want to see the films without the book, look up either Centron, Coronet, or Sid Davis, most of their collections are on YouTube.

[Nancy Loe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm old enough to remember the thrill of actually!seeing!a!movie!in!class! and they were always these cheesy ephemeral films from companies like Coronet. You can read about them in this great book or even download some of the best through Rick Prelinger's archive, now at the Library of Congress. Visit [link: http://www.archive.org/details/openso...] and relive your 60s childhood.

[Zedsdead · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deep dive into the social engineering films of the '50s and '60s that Matt Groening so loves to make fun of. And a fascinating window into an odd artifact of life in mid-twentieth century schoolrooms.

Conformity and safety were their primary goals. Even more dubious than the conform-or-die films and the real actual shredded human remains in the teen-driving films are the consumer propaganda films: those that set out to train adolescents to buy products for the good of their families and country, provided free to schools by corporations like Westinghouse.

Coronet is the most prolific and best known of the Mental Hygiene film producers. Founder David Smart was impressed in the 1930s by how effectively the Nazis were using propaganda films on children in Germany and voila, an industry was born. Also-rans include Encyclpaedia Britannica Films, Sid Davis (he of "The Dangerous Stranger" fame), and Centron.

(Note: I did not read the 122 pages of mental hygiene film synopses.)

Mental hygiene films, like a polio sugar cube or measles shot, were conceived as preventative medicine. Kids would watch them and learn that being selfish, arrogant, undemocratic, or delinquent would make them unhappy or, depending on the producer, dead. Conversely, those who played by the rules and maintained the status quo were rewarded with popularity, fun, and a lifespan that extended into their twenties.

Potential malcontents and backsliders were spanked with an assortment of cinematic paddles. Fear films--such as Last Date and Keep Off the Grass--showed rebellious behavior as self-destructive, scaring teens into conformity.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. I am a big fan of all those old classroom films from the 40's to the 70's, films such as Duack and Cover, Shy GUY, and Feep off the Grass. They all appear very dopey and ridicolous compared to what youth are like today. These films make you think of Beaver and Wally Cleaver. Many of them cater to the notion that the 1950's were just hunky dory. Many of the films discussed in this book are avaible online.

[Gina Boyd · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent history of the film shorts shown in schools from 1945-1970. The book is funny, because it can't help but be given the goofy, corny, silly subject matter, but it's also interesting, informative, and respectful of something that was taken very seriously in its time. Well done.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting work about "educational films." Not just another humor book about a kitschy period of US history, but a semi-serious look into the world of the filmmakers and companies who shot and sold the films as well.

[dontfeed thetiki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a completely silly mockery of campy nostalgia, like a lot of James Lileks' stuff. This one involves a lot of actual research, description, and analysis. You might actually learn something!

[fletcher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nine years of research resulting in an illuminating look at a rather odd chapter in the history of the U.S. of A. Includes bio's of the important producers and summaries of over 250 of the most notable short films.

[Rosalind M · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a bit disappointed. I was hoping for a review of a few of the more well-recognized films of the time period with accompanying discussion of the rationale behind filming and whether or not the film was successful in delivering its message. But this is more a catalog of short descriptions about several films. I did appreciate the brief overviews of the different mental hygiene genres at the beginning, but I wish that style of writing had taken up more of the book.

[no elle · Rating 3 out of 5]

i didn't realize this was half lowkey analysis/history (i thought/hoped it would be closer to all...) w the second half acting as a compendium of some mental hygiene titles, and for a second i was kind of mad about that because i have a whole internet here to enlighten me but the chance of me enlightening myself is pretty slim and the chance of me watching most of the included films is also very slim

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

A guide through some of the "educational" films used to shape character, teach manners and scare kids away from sex, drugs and bad manners. I was surprised at how many of them I remembered...

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

The subject was pretty well researched, and the reviews of the films were mostly decent; not simple "they sure were dumb in the old days" banalities like one usually finds on this topic, although often the author shows a smug liberalness, denouncing the solid moral values of the middle 20th Century.

More than a few times the descriptions sparked me to go find the films on YouTube. Many of there are there and are enjoyable to watch.

[Sarah Burton]

This was a weird read. From 1999, pre youtube, it would have been a fascinating insight into ‘educational’ films from the cold war era- but many of these are available on youtube now. The main of the book is descriptions of these films so it’s kind of moot.

[Mylinda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a snarky review of these films, but a academic-type review of the films, the time period, the studios, etc. Interesting but a little dry.

[Rick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful book about the shape-their-spirits films kids used to watch in schhol.

[Erin Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

pop

[Colleen]

Mental Hygiene: Better Living Through Classroom Films 1945-1970 by Ken Smith (1999)

[TrumanCoyote · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just read the main part (with all the movies). You'll enjoy bountiful chuckles!

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very good read however I wish it included all educational/industrial films