How to Be a Man: Volume 1

This collection of shorts from the A/V Geeks archive of educational films can be seen either as a fascinating view of how a previous generation prepared its youth for the challenges of the adult world, or it can inspire an endless loop of MST3K-worthy wisecracks. Nearly every situation is treated with deadly seriousness, whether it's a lecture on coping with the frustration of striking out in baseball or the chance of contracting syphilis when losing your virginity. How to Be a Man serves up a skewed view of American society: an all-white, middle class suburban environment where bewildered parents look to wise medical professionals or handcuff-wielding cops to help save them from their child-rearing shortcomings. Nonetheless, it is interesting to see how schools and community groups aggressively used the movie medium to drive home messages of what was then considered solid citizenship and good health. Intended for teenagers and pre-teens, most of the shorts compiled here were made between 1949 and 1961 (one 1970 piece warning against premarital sex was produced by the U.S. Navy). DVD extras include an off-topic 1971 training film for carpet salesman, starring a surprisingly unfunny Jonathan Winters. The companion title How to Be a Woman: Volume 2 is also newly available. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (P. Hall)