Fairbanks (Jerry) ProductionsBrink of Disaster (Part II) (1972)

How 1960s activism "threatens" American moral, religious and ethical principles.

This item is part of the collection: Prelinger Archives

Producer: Fairbanks (Jerry) Productions
Audio/Visual: Sd, C
Keywords: Cold War; Social issues: 1960s

Creative Commons license: Public Domain

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Reviewer: ubihubi - - June 29, 2007
Subject: "There's no drag like the U.S. drag."

"there's no drag like the U.S. drag."

William S. Burroughs

Reviewer: hudgeliberal - - August 11, 2006
Subject: Sad thing is a lot of that persists to this day.

The sad thing about some of these cheesy high handed right wing bs is that many people really think that way. If you listen to a group of southern right wingers talking..it is quite scary. I was born in WV and lived most of my life in South Carolina and NC. While I lived at Myrtle Beach(which is mostly transplanted northerners)it was ok..but living in Hickory N.C and Taylorsville N.C..was like living in Mayberry only the dark side that wasnt shown on television. This was in the 90's mind you. While most racists are really scared to speak out unless they are in a group that outnumber the opposition 20-1,the subversive racism is still rampant in the south. My best friend in NC..was a black guy who never broke any law,worked every day,never touched a drug(even weed)and yet everytime I would ride with him..we would be pulled over and harassed by the redneck cops around Taylorsville and Hickory. Just because he and I had sportscars...guess they assumed we were drug dealers. Amazing. Its sad that people really want to go back to victorian times...good little vid to show what some idiots think is criminal.

Reviewer: Spuzz - - February 16, 2003
Subject: Who's side are you on?

Johnny, one of the leaders in a gang that is against anything and everything breaks into the livrary to study (?) and also to protect the library from the hooligans when they arrive. This already doesn't make sense. When his great-great-great etc Grandfather arrives and starts chewing out Johnny for what has gone wrong in this country, and then his History teacher comes in and joins him in the philosphical beat down of Johnny, you'll realize that this is one big pile of 70's hoohah of blaming everything on everyone (both sides arguements). WHile just the 3 (actually 2) actor in one setting might get a littl boring for some, I found the whole piece rather funny in some places (Religion is the answer!) and high-handed in others (It's the dirty movies that corrupting our youth!) Reccomended viewing!

Shotlist

Film opens with montage of scenes of student protest. Credits occur over this sequence.
Loosely structured as a narrative in which John Smith (a college student) is visited by his great great great (etc.) grandfather John Smith (from 1776), this film works to educate a young audience on the "breakdown of moral, religious, and ethical principles" in the US. With the help of a history professor, John Smith (1776) explains how he gave his life to build the USA and nowadays a "bunch of young houligans" are working to destroy it. Though fairly banal visually (the whole film is set in a library which the "weirdos" have threatened to torch) there are tons of amazing sound bytes regarding student movements (SDS as "students for a dirtier society"), religion, marijuana, sexuality, freedom of speech ("freedom of speech has become freedom of filth"), pornography ("filthy books that no decent people would read"). There is discussion of H. "Rap" Brown (accompanied by archival footage) calling upon student bodies to carry guns. There is also footage and discussion of the riots, burning, and looting done by student activists. The film ends as the student radicals break their way into the library--the image freezes and a title card reads: "will you let this be THE END?".



Drugs Dissent 1960s Social issues Protest Revolution