Korean War-era film encouraging high school boys to use the physical training, health and recreational resources of their communities so as to be ready for military service.
Encourages high school boys to use the physical training, health and recreational resources of their communities.
Ken Smith notes: A film that teaches non-deferred high school boys how to get themselves in shape for their involuntary military service (and their all-expenses-paid trip to Korea). Really nothing more than a laundry list of all the expected exercises, including stepping off a ten foot platform into a pool with your clothes on. The fifth of 14 films in the Are You Ready For Service? series, which won a Freedoms Foundation Award in 1951. That didn't make this particular film any less dull.
BOYS EXERCISE RECREATION ARMED FORCES HEALTH MEN BODIES CALISTHENICS MATURITY ARMY DRAFTEES KOREAN WAR MILITARY PREPAREDNESS COMBAT TANKS WEAPONS SOLDIERS SCHOOLS GYMNASIUMS COACHES BASIC TRAINING UNIFORMS BASKETBALL CONSCRIPTION
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Reviewer:
JSBejma
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favoritefavoritefavorite -
January 7, 2015
Subject:
That Physical Exam...
Huh? The doctor doesn't check the kid for a hernia? That's the first thing he'd do. Reach in your underpants and tell ya to cough.
And a boy's swimming class where the boys are wearing bathing suits? Not in my high school. We had to swim bare assed naked.
Check to see if you can dive into a pool fully clothed. And if you can't? I presume it'll be the last thing you'll ever do and the rest is moot.
Notice in the school scenes how girls hadn't a care in the world - just sallying down the hallways, waiting for some man to eventually marry and support her.
A very average film.
Reviewer:
Scotch Tape
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favoritefavoritefavoritefavorite -
July 25, 2005
Subject:
Benign, but racy
These Coronet Instructional Films about life situations (and there are quite a few of them) capture the intrinsic camp value combining unintentional humour, mild language and the propagandizing of social mores. My personal favourite piece of the Coronet collection was of another film, "Are You Popular" (1974). The narrator's ambiguous voice-over, "Is it because she is as interested in girls as in boys?" describing popular girl Caroline's entrance lead many to specualate on the meaning of "interested". My personal immaturity would translate that statement as attributing Caroline's popularity because of her bisexuality. There would be few heterosexual men uninterested in a girl who is not opposed to threesomes. For those who grew up in a cynical, sarcastic 90's slacker pop culture, these pieces satisfy a nostalgic yearning for innocence of attitudes and simplicity of life absent in current culture with the advent of technology. "Getting Ready Physically" (1951) is a no-nonsense Korean War-era intructional film on exercise involving images of virile young men in their prime physical condition bathing, digging ditches, bathing, climbing ropes, carrying loads and running obstacles in basic training. Did I mention that they were bathing? Apart from the standard LP hissing in the background, the picture and sound quality are quite clear. The film advocated one's ability to do 45 sit-ups, run 300 yards in 42 seconds and to step off a 10-foot diving platform into a pool of water with clothing on. The visionals will keep the ladies and gay men-folk interested as the men-in-training prepare a sensible exercise and lifestyle regiment under counsel of the Truman Administration.
Reviewer:
Spuzz
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favoritefavoritefavorite -
June 28, 2003
Subject:
In the navy...
When first viewing this film, I was surprised at the fact that Coronet ever got into the business of war recruitment films. While the first part has some bits of 'action' (methinks they're just training exercises dubbed with 'war sounds') the rest of the film is all about what a student needs to do in order to get ready. Less encouragement and more of a kick in the head, this film bombards the viewer into total pencil-neck-geekery with all the stuff one must do (jump into a pool with your clothes on!) in order to get into the armed forces. This is a curious film as all the scenes in the film seem to be repeated twice. And yes, folks, Being Ready Physically DOES include plenty of shirtless beefcake shots of men digging, getting medically examined, and showering. Of course, all of these scenes are shown twice!