Don't Be Afraid (1953)

★★★★ · Don't Be Afraid · Christine Hennig · 2002-10-22

Billy is afraid of the dark until his mom gives him a long lecture about real fears vs. imaginary fears, giving lots of examples such as Mom being afraid of a grease fire (real), Kathy being afraid of dogs (imaginary), Billy being afraid to climb up a drainpipe to retrieve a ball (real) and Frank hiding in the basement out of fear of his parents' reaction to his bad report card (imaginary). This film takes place in a charming imaginary world where the worst dangers are grease fires and high places, dogs are friendly creatures that never bite and definitely don't have rabies, and a child with…

★★★ · Mother Was a Freudian · whm332 · 2005-09-27

Billy is afraid of the dark. Mother tells Billy that he is only projecting unconscious anxiety about individuation toward the end of his sexual latency. Further, she reassures him that she and his Father both love him equally and unequivocally. In a strange twist, she warns Billy that the Monster under the bed will only attack him if Billy touches 'down there.'

★★★ · Mother! Where is This Music Coming From? · Dodsworth the Cat · 2023-01-13

Billy: Mother! Mother! Mother: Billy, are you calling me? Brilliant deduction there, mom. Why is she wearing a freshly-ironed apron and two strings of pearls at bedtime? Maybe squinty-eye Billy wouldn't be so afraid if Encyclopaedia Britannica got rid of the mysterioso music in the background. Anyway, all-knowing mom (with the help of handy flashbacks) reassures Billy all's well. There's outstanding acting by "Cathy" as she puts her fingers to her mouth in fear of Lassie. The rest of the acting is actually pretty good. Ken Nordine narrates in the beginning and end.

ERD's comment on the button · blakta2 · 2008-07-07

You're right on the money with that comment, ERD. No, children did not run around thinking about the cold war and atomic bombs every day during the 50's and it too saddens me to think that people just aren't willing to belive that there was a better time of life! My mother was an only child who grew up in the 50's and her memories of that time are wonderful ones. Of course not everybody's life was perfect and life wasn't exactly like it was portrayed on film, in magazines and picture books but it really was a kindler, gentler era. I am quite aware that we were not a perfect world then. There…