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MENTAL HYGIENE: CLASSROOM FILMS 1945-1970
For generations of American school kids, 16mm classroom films served as a break in classroom tedium and a chance for the teacher to sneak a smoke in the hall. But for the quarter century that followed World War II -- the years 1945 to 1970 -- a special kind of classroom film received wide circulation. These were "mental hygiene" films, specifically designed to shape the behavior of their young viewers.
Adults sought help from Ph.D.s and social scientists and embraced a new technology to deliver their guidance: the classroom mental hygiene film. These films covered a broad swath of everyday social behavior, including table manners, date etiquette, personal hygiene, substance abuse, venereal disease, juvenile delinquency, and the awful things that happen to kids who drive too fast on prom night.
Those who created these films were, for the most part, anonymous -- valued more for their ability to grind out product than their talents as filmmakers: the merciless optimism of Coronet, the sledgehammer morality of Sid Davis, the snuff movie blood and guts of Dick Wayman, the smoldering doom of Centron.
With over 400 photos, interviews with surviving filmmakers, and nearly 300 capsule reviews MENTAL HYGIENE: CLASSROOM FILMS 1945-1970 is the first book to take an in-depth look at these forgotten classics, such as "The Last Prom," "Dating Do's and Don'ts," "Lunchroom Manners," "Duck and Cover," "Highways of Agony," and "Girls Beware"!
"Most mental hygiene films have vanished, discarded when their message grew dated, but they live again through Smith's diligent research and witty write-ups, more fun to read than watching them ever was." -- Gordon Flagg, ALA Booklist
"...Smith's informative and often hilarious short essays on classroom film genres like 'Girls Only,' 'Dating,' 'Sex Education' and 'Fitting In' illuminate the social indoctrination of American teenagers." --Publishers Weekly
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