Drive Your Bicycle (1955)

★★★★ · Makes Even Bike Riding Tedious · Christine Hennig · 2005-09-12

This bicycle safety film from the 50s is incredibly cheaply-made and stilted. In it, some boys are discovered playing in a car. When their dad asks them about it, they tell them that they have been learning at school all about driving their bikes; that is, following all the traffic rules so that they will have less to learn when they finally get old enough to learn to drive a car. Then they go over all the standard safety rules with their dad in a very stilted fashionconsidering Dad was on his way to work, Im surprised that he sticks around for this as long as he does. Perhaps his job is even…

★★★★ · "That sounds like a very good idea" · Steve Nordby · 2004-01-20

A silly little traffic safety film with a dad that seems a little... odd... some might say queer... with his "fancy talk" and all... others might say bad acting. He has a lot of questions for the boys. Overall, it's dry traffic safety advice to behave as a bike rider as if you are driving a car. But I can't believe a 12-year-old would have trouble saying the word "responsibility". In the end "you might not have time to think of a rule" so just act like a driver of a car... so I guess its okay to do whatever you can get away with.

★★ · Just when you thought it was over. · Spuzz · 2003-04-25

Really, this thing should be only 5 minutes long. It seems that the whole point of the film was summed up rather nicely.. Ohhh, ok, coach told the kids they should learn the rules of the road early, so it'll come in handy later on in life! Gotcha! Ohhhh there's more? Dad (who bears a rather bad combover) figure either is stupid, stupid stupid, or realizes the film is 10 minutes and has to carry the film to it's running length. A yawner.

Coach Says... · Yowp · 2020-09-27

"Mr. Wilson," who owns a two-door Studebaker, seems awfully condescending to boys who explain what "coach" told them about bicycle safety. Actually, dad's a little creepy. Some back projection and fairly obvious safety tips. There's a shot of a kid blocking the driver's view of what looks like a '48 Pontiac. A 1949 Ford makes an appearance as well. If these kids are so safety-minded, why are they riding side-by-side in traffic?