Exercise and Health (1949)

★★★★ · Release Nervous Tension by Vigorously Msting This Film · Christine Hennig · 2006-03-09

Dorky Coronet film that tells the stories of three teenagers who joined the acrobatics club at school for various reasons. Ernie was sickly and illness-prone until his doctor ordered him to get regular exercise. This segment is highly mstable as Ernie has a stereotyped gay way about him, and he suffers from a much more serious illness that is unspecified but seems to involve strange movements under the covers of his bed when he should be sleeping. Jean is shy and awkward until she learns to play badminton and then becomes a girl jock. Hal was a bookworm who studied too much, and we all know…

★★★★ · Odd, yet fun · Victor Von Psychotron · 2013-02-26

The scene of the meek girl becoming popular thanks to badminton is my favorite.

★★★ · Note the Well-Developed Body · Dodsworth the Cat · 2021-09-27

Fans of Coronet's stiffly-read dialogue will be disappointed in this film, which is shot MOS. A narrator connects everything together, suggesting exercise will somehow get rid of problems like colds, unpopularity and overwork. No actual exercise programme is suggested. In one case, you're advised to do one exercise until you're tired. Coronet's low budgets are in evidence. The tumbling club is in what it supposed to be a school gym. It's represented by a solitary basketball hoop. There's no basketball court, just a bare floor like at the back of a sound stage. The narrator urges us to check…

★★★ · "Nervous Tension" · JayKay49 · 2013-02-23

Well well, the mid 20th century codeword for horniness. Maybe has a more specific significance for Hal. Wearing ballet slippers, engaging in touchie feelie gymnastic activities, all in front of a mincing little gym teacher with a body right out of Mans World...well. I guess they DID feel compelled to "go there" in an occasional film so as to make sure nobody felt left out. As for the girls? They want to be cheerleaders of course, so they can flaunt themselves at every game. Nothing unique there. This film is based on dubious "facts" but is interesting in that its recipe of suggestions closely…