Mom and Dad (1945)
Director: William Beaudine
Honors:
Falling within the category of little known feature films
that had cultural impacts during its period, yet quickly forgotten lies the
1945 exploitation picture Mom and Dad.
The film delves into the subject of sex education, taking advantage of an
American society that was remained naïve on the subject and deciding to inform
an under-educated public on a serious, but then taboo subject. Outside the
realms of mainstream motion pictures, and being condemned by many ethical
organizations during its time, the film used its niche and cleaver marketing to
quietly become one of the most profitable films of the decade. However, as an
educational feature its impact was cultural, lacking any artistic merit, and
would be swiftly forgotten.
Mom and Dad is an
exploitation feature on the subject of sex hygiene shared through a cautionary
tale of a naïve teenage girl of heavily conservative parents who finds herself
pregnant, but is greatly unprepared and ashamed at not knowing what to do. The
young and innocent Joan (June Carlson) becomes pregnant after her first sexual
encounter with a handsome pilot shortly after passes away in a plane crash.
Shocked at the turn of events Joan is afraid she cannot turn to her parents for
advice as her mother (Lois Austin) is a heavily conservative, and keeps her children
from such worldly subject matters. Meanwhile local teacher, Carl Blackburn
(Hardie Albright), attempts his own crusade for sex education that leads to him
being barred from the school. Blackburn confronts Joan’s parents for their poor
parenting on the subject and reveals their daughters predicament, which begins
the change in the community on the subject of sex education and the support of
Joan as delivers her healthy child.
The narrative story of Joan and her pregnancy is blandly
assembled tale that purely serves as a conduit in which various educational
shorts are shared to the audience, much in the manner of the young men and
women watching within the feature. These shorts educate the youths of the
process of reproduction from conception to birth with graphic recordings of
childbirth, both natural and Caesarian, to a female audience. Later on is
shared the effects of venereal disease to a male audience, to manifest the
repercussions to the sex that does not give bear children. Altogether the narrative
and educational films are edited to go hand in hand to share the possible
results of carelessness of intercourse.
First and foremost, it is clear that this feature film is
not for entertainment and lies on a very different plain from just about
everything else reviewed in this film study. What made this picture
relevant to this humble student of the
cinema is its cultural impact as well as it supposed massive profit, making it
one of the highest grossing pictures of the 1940s, and of all independent films
for decades to come.
Mom and Dad is an
exploitation film in the sense of its produces taking advantage of trends of
the period and seeing an opportunity to profit with a low budget production on
subject matter not being dealt with at that time. The picture was the brain
child of Kroger Babb, an independent exploitation film producer, who was
inspired by the alleged rise of pregnancies of young ladies by a nearby
military base. His cautionary and educational tale was a subject mainstream
movie makers would touch leading Babb to seek many low money investors to help
fund his picture and hired long time veteran filmmaker William Beaudine to direct.
Shot in under a week within various studios on Hollywood’s “poverty row” Babb’s
production would be produced for the low cost of $63,000.
The picture did not necessarily star anyone as the cast was
a group of no name actors, most with little to no screen credits to their
names. The two most successful actors in
the cast were Hardie Albright and George Eldredge. Albright portrays the
Blackburn, moral center of the picture and its educational tone. His career
highlights had included the vaudeville stage before his acting career in
various small roles in Hollywood and a
drama instructor at the University of Southern California. Eldredge plays the father in the picture who
feels indifferent about his wife’s holding back of their children’s maturation
that leads to the tale’s conflict. A bit actor, Eldredge would have a long
acting career that spans over 180 credits, this being perhaps his most
impactful role.
Medical footage and stills fill the movie’s educational
segments, including very graphic images of childbirth, both natural and
C-section. For 1940s America this would have been jarring to watch, as even
today it is difficult to endure for anyone made uncomfortable at the sight of
blood or the cutting of flesh. The footage leaves nothing to the imagination as
it is straight medical footage being used. For the education of venereal
diseases various stills of people greatly hindered by their sympoms were
displayed with intention to educate and frighten viewers into paying attention
to their sexual health.
The real genius and lasting impact of Mom and Dad comes in the promotion and marketing of the feature. As
an independent feature outside of the studio system, being a film that lacked
the seal of approval by the Motion Picture Association, and being on subject
matter openly shunned by numerous religious and ethical organizations, this
film had to find its audience all on its own. Babb and his production company had
to book theaters on their own and showered the many towns and cities which it
booked with material to get the word out about his feature. Utilizing various angles
in which to get people’s attention, from promoting its controversial subject
matter, to letting communities know what graphic imagery it displayed, while
marketing the film as a must see for all people that care about their health,
the word about this picture was literally showered on the communities it played
in.
The film was packaged together with an intermission-like
lecture with an expert named Elliot Forbes to give a talk about the importance
of the material being covered in the movie. However this Mr. Forbes was a
fictitious person created just to give the movie more validity. Many times Mr.
Forbes was portrayed by local actors flanked with two ladies dressed as nurses
to further push the illusion authority. Also packaged with the film was reading
material and an opportunity to buy a book written for the film’s run entitled
“Man and Boy and Woman and Girl.” Commonly the picture was booked with multiple
viewings where certain viewings were played to men or women only, certain
races, or perhaps special gatherings and organizations. With the film, a
lecture by a supposed health expert, and the chance to by his “educational”
book gave the entire package the feeling of a real event to whatever city or
town the film was booked to play in.
Meanwhile it was not uncommon to see articles or protests of
the film in these towns by local ethics of decency leagues in hope to deter populations
from viewing the picture that dealt with sex. However, with all this added
attention these groups only helped to promote the film for the producers,
driving up the intrigued of the movie and treated the film more like a medical
conference than a common motion picture. Meanwhile, in some cities and town the
film was banned all together, but that would not stop people from traveling to
the next city to see Mom and Dad as
to some it felt too important to miss.
In the end Mom and Dad
would be highly success finically fork Kroger Babb. Numbers are very fuzzy on
its box office intake for the picture, but it is estimated to be that the film
netted $40-$100 million in gross, plus thousands more in book sales. It was the
most successful exploitation film of all time. It was the most successful
health film of all time. It is seen the most profitable, dollar-for dollar,
independent film of all time. And yet it is all by completely forgotten.
It is not hard to believe its disappearance form the
cinematic consciousness as it is not a motion picture we most associate with
the theater going experience. Its cinematic qualities are non-existent and
would never be talked about on an educational level. It helped to inspire an
entire industry of health education films for the future, following in similar
style for decades to come. There have been innumerable Mom and Dad-Style films since 1945. This film features no great
cinematic achievement or artistic merit, rather it was a case of good timing, relevant
subject matter, and above all extraordinary marketing that would make less than
B-picture into one of the most profitable films of its day.
Kroger Babb would never achieve anything close to this
profitability again. In time the film’s ban in certain areas would be lifted
with the change in society, releasing the picture for the decent educational
matter. In 2005 the National Film Registry would add Mom and Dad to its list of culturally significant film in American
history for all the purposes we mention here. Noting Mom and Dad in this cinematic journey is not to say that film
lovers should seek out an opportunity to view the picture, as it is not a wonderfully
made movie by any means. After all it is more akin to a classroom educational
film than entertainment. Rather it is worth noting its significance in American
cultural and a study on the power of creative marketing that manifest how
proper people, timing, and subject matter can lead to success and change in the
industry and society.
.jpg)
Comments
Post a Comment