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Camerart PicturesLet's Be Good Citizens at School (1953)

Shows the importance of being neat and careful and of helping in such ways as picking up another's coat and making a new child feel he belongs to the group.


This movie is part of the collection: Prelinger Archives

Producer: Camerart Pictures
Sponsor: N/A
Audio/Visual: Sd, B&W
Keywords: Social guidance; Social guidance: Etiquette; Citizenship

Creative Commons license: Public Domain

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Reviewer: jafran - - September 13, 2005
Subject: Just perfect?
Perfect little boys and girls, perfect little school, perfect little 1950's world. Perfectly unreal! Funny to watch in today's times.

Reviewer: Spuzz - - September 24, 2003
Subject: Let's be conformist!
A group of bad acting students show us all of how they've been brainwashed by the school teacher to pick up after themselves, obey the rules and generally help their fellow students. Who ARE these kids? As I said, these kids are NOT the best actors in the worldm some of it turns out quite funny.

Shotlist

Shows the importance of being neat and careful and of helping in things like picking up another's coat and making a new child feel he belongs to the group.
Ken Smith remarks: What makes a good citizen at school? According to the incredibly irritating, sing-song narrator of this film, good citizenship involves "being careful not to destroy what belongs to other people," "playing safe," "being neat," "minding your own business," and making sure that your pencil has "a good sharp point." As evidence of where these rules can lead us, we are briefly introduced to Harvey -- "the happiest boy in school" -- as this tubby, mongoloid child waddles along an open-air walkway, grinning idiotically and waving frantically at every kid in the school yard, who all cheerfully wave back. It's pretty strange. This film has an actual tracking shot, as Harvey waddles quickly past his happy legions.
If nothing else, this film reflects how "safety," "togetherness" and "citizenship" all served as synonyms for "conformity" in the fifties. It's not a particularly entertaining production, but it is satisfactorily ill.

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