Dating Do's and Don'ts is a 1949 instructional film designed for high schools, to teach adolescents basic dating skills. Produced by Coronet Instructional Films and directed by Gilbert Altschul with the assistance of Reuben Hill, Research Professor of Family Life at the University of North Carolina , it is considered one of a number of films produced in the mid-20th Century to promote conservative American middle-class family values, particularly after World War II.
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That same message would later be projected via early television sitcoms such as Father Knows Best and Leave It to Beaver.
In this film, for instance, the boy is the sole initiator of any contact with the girl, and all arrangements are made under the warm supervision of the family, particularly a matriarchal housewife for a mother. As such, the film relays both spoken and unspoken values regarding the structure and hierarchy of the "typical" American family in the post-War era: the mother washes the floors and makes dinner for the family, while the father, who was obviously at work during most of the pre-date scene, helps his wife by drying the dishes after dinner while she washes them, adding a jibe about how he is the perfect man for her. |
The film follows a young adolescent boy, Woody, who receives tickets for "one couple" to the Hi Teen Carnival. At different stages in the film, it offers options on how Woody might respond to various situations:
- What kind of girl should he date?
- How should he ask her out?
- How should he say good night after the date is over?
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