And Then There Were Four

And Then There Were Four 1950

5.00

Driving safety film sponsored as a public service by oil companies. Of five drivers who leave home in the morning, only four return, and we wait to learn who the victim is. The film gives considerable discussion to careless driving habits and depicts Angelenos from different walks of life as well as their homes, neighborhoods, streets, and freeways.

1950

Under the Law: The Hitchhike

Under the Law: The Hitchhike 1973

10.00

After receiving an anonymous phone call, the cops pick up a young woman who is wandering around alone in the desert. She tells them that she was given a lift by a stranger, who abandoned her there. Or are there more sides to one story? Part of a series of scare movies called Under the Law, distributed by Disney in the 1970s.

1973

Duck and Cover

Duck and Cover 1952

5.90

An instructional short aimed at school-aged children of the early 1950s that combines animation and live-action footage with voice-over narration to explain what to do to increase their chances of surviving the blast from an atomic bomb.

1952

Preventing the kidnapping of elementary school student Yumi

Preventing the kidnapping of elementary school student Yumi 1991

1

This is an educational anime short produced to be shown in schools and designed to prevent child abduction. It follows a young girl named Yumi who dreams about a video game she is playing which teaches her what to do if a strange man tries to force her into a car.

1991

Curious Alice

Curious Alice 1971

6.40

The story “Alice in Wonderland” is used as a metaphor about the dangers of accidental drug use among children. Curious Alice's trip to Wonderland is not through the rabbit hole, but rather through her home, where the medicine and kitchen cabinets hold substances of lure but danger. After ingesting one of these substances, Alice, now in the Wonderland of her mind, has an altered sense of reality. In her new psychedelic world, she is exposed to more and more drugs, which she may take based on her impaired judgment from the initial drug use.

1971

The Burning Hell

The Burning Hell 1974

4.40

Pastor Estus W. Pirkle preaches about hell, where all non-Christians will suffer eternal torment. He's also visited by two self-professed “Christians” who don't believe in hell.

1974

LSD: Insight or Insanity?

LSD: Insight or Insanity? 1967

4.20

Documentary about the potentially dangerous and unpredictable drug LSD. Various experts discuss how LSD is made and the hazards involved in using it while avid users explain why they enjoy taking it.

1967

Case Study: LSD

Case Study: LSD 1969

5.30

A young girl relates what happened during her first LSD trip, when – among other things – her food began talking to her.

1969

Stoner's Night Out

Stoner's Night Out 1970

1

Presented by Voices in Society and Travelers Insurance Indemnity, this untitled PSA-style film from the 1970s is a compilation of various anti-drug use PSAs from National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Abuse Information (NCADI). The films were assembled by a film collector who did public screenings of cult films; he often showed this compilation under the moniker “Stoner’s Night Out”. NCADI is the information service for the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. The PSAs that comprise this film combine footage of drug use as well as interviews. Overall, this film warns of the short-term and long-term effects of drug use with the later segments of the film focusing on marijuana use specifically.

1970

The House in the Middle

The House in the Middle 1954

5.90

Short film that emphasizes the importance of keeping a tidy home when facing an atomic bomb.

1954

A Nightmare on Drug Street

A Nightmare on Drug Street 1989

4.00

Middle class teenagers Jill, Felipe and Eddie, talk about their addiction and drug-related death.

1989

The Finishing Line

The Finishing Line 1977

5.60

When a schoolboy's day-dream of a fantasy sports day includes events where acts of vandalism and trespass are required, dire consequences ensue. Originally created as an educational film, this somewhat surrealist short has a serious message at its core. This won't be a lesson you'll forget in a hurry.

1977

Drugs Are Like That

Drugs Are Like That 1969

2.10

[…] Though the highs and lows of human experience are all here, it's often the gimcrack set design and fashion chops in these vintage clunkers that really wow – the pot-holder sweater vests, ponytails decorated with yarn, hippies with crumb-catching moustaches, banana-seat bikes and a hard rain of Quaaludes and amphetamines to illustrate the dangers of drug addiction. It is hard to believe anyone would buy the goofball cause-and-effect of that pill-popper's weather pattern in "Drugs Are Like That". Co-produced by the Miami Junior League and narrated by Anita Bryant in this cheery little hand-slapper, a kid stealing cookies from a cookie jar is implied to be headed down a bad road to Bowery bum rolls and LSD parties. (from: http://clatl.com/atlanta/av-geeks-greatest-hits-lessons-learned/Content?oid=1268313)

1969

The High Wall

The High Wall 1952

1

Film produced for a coalition of public service groups to combat racial and ethnic hatred. The narrative follows an emotionally insecure Chicago teenager whose bigoted thinking leads him to violence. Explores how prejudices are passed like "a contagious disease" from parent to child, teacher to pupils, and youth to youth, and suggests strategies for breaking the cycle.

1952

The Hole In The Ground

The Hole In The Ground 1962

1

Made at the height of 'cold war' paranoia, this drama-documentary shows the work of the UK Warning and Monitoring Organisation, who's duties included the issuing of public warnings of any nuclear missile strike and the subsequent fallout.

1962

One Got Fat

One Got Fat 1963

6.20

This bicycle-safety film shows children what can happen when bicycles are driven carelessly and recklessly.

1963

Driving to the Edge

Driving to the Edge 2012

6.30

Between 2007 and 2011, 725 Quebecers aged 16 to 24 were killed in car accidents. Excessive speed and alcohol were involved in half of these deaths. To try to understand what is going on in these young drivers' heads when they get behind the wheel, host and documentary filmmaker Paul Arcand met with some of them. On one hand, he gives a voice to these young people who love driving fast. On the other hand, he provides a forum for two accident victims who were injured both physically and psychologically. Finally, the director meets the mother of little Bianca Leduc, who was killed by a drunk driver while she was in the care of her babysitter, and the parents of Michael Borduas, 23, who is severely disabled from an accident.

2012

Alone in the Dark

Alone in the Dark 1993

4.00

Tasha Grant, at age 17, goes to a party and gets drunk, not even realizing the potential consequences of her actions. This film introduces the danger of alcohol to youth.

1993

Case Study: Amphetamines

Case Study: Amphetamines 1969

4.60

A man talks about his addiction to amphetamines and illustrates his struggle by his sudden inability to fix a radio.

1969

The More You Know

The More You Know 1989

1

The More You Know is a series of Emmy Award-winning public service announcements broadcast on the NBCUniversal family of channels in the United States and other locations. These PSAs are broadcast regularly during NBC's programming in primetime, late night, and Saturday morning. The spots feature personalities from various NBC shows. Tom Brokaw was the first person to do a The More You Know spot; it aired on NBC in September 1989. The first 'comet trail' star logo was created by Paul Johnson on an animation stand using a slit scan technique at R/Greenberg Associates in Manhattan. They were later updated using three-dimensional computer graphics. In 2010 and 2011, US President Barack Obama participated in the campaign, encouraging parents to be more involved in their children's education. Several past presidents have also participated, including President Bill Clinton and President George H. W. Bush. "El Poder de Saber" is The More You Know's sister campaign on Telemundo. While the other U.S. broadcast networks have similar campaigns, namely CBS Cares and ABC's A Better Community, The More You Know is likely the most well known.

1989