The Bottle and the Throttle (1961)

★★★★★ · Drinkin N Drivin with President Bush · MediaWhore · 2005-09-08

This film like most on here is still relevant today even though it might appear long outdated with style and dress. In this film a teenager who has been drinking hits a mother and daughter (killing the daughter and crippling the mom). He is given a roadside sobriety test by blowing into a ballon. I assume that back in these days they took the ballon back into a lab to process the results (unlike todays instantaneous breathalizer devices). Also way back when you bad to measure .15% Blood Alcohol Content to be convicted of a DUI (more than twice the legal limit of most states today). On a…

★★★★ · maybe they'll live and maybe they'll die. · Spuzz · 2003-10-13

Pretty classic Sid Davis scare film has it all, foolish teenagers, a tern narrator, and of course, racks and racks of guilt. We somewhat follow Bill. who had a couple of beers and then goes driving with his girl, he hits a mother and a girl. Inbetween the story, we are shown what happens to alcohol once it enters the human body and some nice actual crash scenes. But man oh man, poor Bill, not only does he have to do the 'blow this balloon up' test which I've never seen, or having to deal with the death of the young girl 'for the rest of your life', but you have the most guilt-rodden, angst…

★★★★ · How To Ruin Lives · dan b · 2004-01-03

This sobering film is interesting to watch. The early 60's scenery is neat, especially the teen beer party. There is the usual scientific demonstration of why we get loaded when we drink too much, and also what appears to be footage of a real car accident. The narrator has no sympathy for Bill, the driver of the car that has ran over a mother and daughter. The message is as valid today as it was back then, that alcohol and gasoline don't mix. The movie does, however, imply that it's okay to have one an hour. Neat to watch.

★★★ · The Bottle and the Throttle · Christine Hennig · 2003-05-25

Bill has a few too many "beach party beers" before driving, and ends up running over a woman and her little girl, killing the girl and paralyzing the woman for life. His punishment: he is relentlessly harangued by Sid Davis' narrator for the rest of the film. Fortunately, he doesn't have to watch any gory footage, but then, he's only 18. Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: ***. Weirdness: **. Historical Interest: ***. Overall Rating: ***. Also available on The Educational Archives, Vol. 3: Driver's Ed.

★★★ · "they couldn't convict you" · uniQ · 2011-04-17

I believe that 0.08 BAC is legally under the influence now. Anyway, since Sid didn't could only really give one piece of advice (Don't drink and drive) he spent the time giving various examples and statistics. While boring now, I'm sure at the time it was highly necessary to forcefully get across that you're unsafe, not drunk.

★★★ · Maybe. Or Maybe Not. · Dodsworth the Cat · 2025-11-06

You can't disagree with the common sense suggestion to not drink then drive, but Sid Davis infuses this film with the world's oldest-looking teenager and a drone-on narrator who runs his sentences together. It's another Davis film where the narrator talks to the person on the screen, pouring on the guilt (You loved him in "Boys Beware"). As usual, when someone drives toward a person in a Davis film, they come to a complete stop and face the camera. All we're missing is a shot of a solitary hubcap rolling along after an accident. Someone picked out bongo and saxophone music to open and close…