Junior High Schools in New York City (1961)

★★★★★ · Thank you.. for your questions!! · Spuzz · 2005-03-18

A classic of the highest order, JHSINYC presents the geekiest looking students, the deers in headlights teachers, and very shaky camera work to good effect here! At first we see very odd looking 'parents' asking questions, (Check out the lady asking "Why doesn't Arnold read when he comes home from school?" Then, in a TOTAL Amelie moment, Dr. Larentan comes on totally awkwardly and says "Thank you for your questions" while looking bizarrely off to the side. He dictates his speech so strangely, looks at the camera only once or twice, but mostly sticks to his looking off to the side approach…

★★★★ · Now Who Can Tell Us About the Movie We Just Saw? Karma Hawk? Spuzz?...Raise Your Hand and Speak in Complete Sentences · Christine Hennig · 2005-05-15

This early 60s film tries to explain the whole concept of junior high schools to parents who didnt go to them, and thus dont think theyre necessary. It does it in as stilted and controlled fashion as possible, with everything carefully scripted and acted out by people who couldnt act their way out of a paper bag. This gives the film a geeky quality which is rather appealing after a bit. It is sure to bring back lots of memories, not all of them pleasant, in folks who attended junior high during the 50s and early 60s. Gender roles aplenty appear, including boys lining up in the front of…

★★★ · The good old days. · ERD · 2005-09-11

This film was made by the 1961 New York City Board of Education for viewing by the parents of its junior high school students. While stilted and idealistic, it shows the goals of intermediate education during the "Father Knows Best" era.

★★ · School sure was diferent 40 some years ago · Karma Hawk · 2005-03-27

This film starts out with Parents presumably at a Jr High Orientation asking various questions some good ("what do groups do what benefits do programs like Student Counsils provide") to some...well not so good ("Do you let be lazy or do they really have to study") after the montage of questions (a majority of which are left unanswered.) a principal awkwardly introduces the film, we then see the circulum of Jr. High Studends played out, from home room to English to music ("all highscool students are required to take at least one music program") to Health Ed it's all here and each course…

★★ · As thrilling as you remember Junior High being · dynayellow · 2004-07-20

Dimly-lit and stiffly acted look at what these new-fangled Junior High Schools are all about. Using real teachers and students, we're lead through heavily-scripted examples of each of the classes (social studies, science, Spanish). Very tedious, though there is a funny bit at the beginning where concerned adults ask questions about the Junior High ("Do you let them be lazy?")

★ · Buffet of Bad · Cherokee Jack · 2004-08-04

Awful. Wooden delivery of dialogue by everyone, the teachers look scared and out of their element (with good reason!). Cinematography leaves much to be desired--the zooms and pans are often jerky and usually pointless. Notice how the camera pans up towards the ceiling on many shots and then back down. I guess they couldn't decide on how to frame and block the scenes. Funny comment at the end by Joseph Loretan, director of the "Planning Committee" for this film: "Help us to...improve the junior high schools. They are good." There you have it: junior high good, FILM BAD!