Film and Radio Guide (Oct 1945-Jun 1946)

54 FILM AND RADIO GUIDE Volume XII, No. 4 An Elementary Film Script On Good Manners Foreword MilLon ■). Salzburg, I’resitleiit oi' I’ictoi'ial Films, Inc., of 1270 Sixth Avenue, New York City, recently signed a contract with Harmon Studios for a series of entertaining and educational cartoon stories. The first two in this new series. Good Manners and Good Health, should appeal to children and parents alike. The synopsis of Good Manners, presented herewith, is evidence of the value of a story well told in cartoon visualization. The main character, .Johnny, is a “regular” little fellow, but, like many other little boys, is untidy, careless, selfishly thoughtless — not exactly a source of joy to his parents. His two selves, portrayed hy imps “Goodself” and “Badself,” are waging a battle, the decision of which will deteimine whether .Johnny will continue to be a bad boy or whether he will improve. However, things go from bad to worse, and “Badself,” exercising his influence, slowly gives Johnny the physical appearance of a little pig — ears, snout, hooves, and curly little tail. “Goodself” now decides on drastic action and makes Johnny retrace his actions, making sure this time that he will do the best he can. Gradually he is turned back into his old self, but he is now a better “man.” Good Manners The picture on good man iters oiiens on a close-up of a drawing-board and shows an artist’s hand completing the sketch of a little house. The hand then moves over to another section of the drawing-board and sketches eyes, nose, mouth, and the rest of a little boy’s head. The expression frowns, but, at a cue from the narrator, changes into a smile. The narrator begins the story like this : Once upon a time, in a certain little town, on a street that had beautiful poplar trees growing along each side of it, was a nice little house. This was the home of Johnny. He had brown eyes that looked like this . . . ears that stood out a little, like this . . . a nose that turned up slightly . . . and a mouth that always had a happy smile. 1 said — the mouth always had a happy smile. That’s better. The artist’s hand then rapidly draws arms, legs, and a body, as separate entities on different parts of the drawing paper. The narrator says : tVhen you put all these things together. . . The various parts of the anatomy animate around the paper and take their respective places to complete our hero, little Johnny The scene dissolves to Johnny asleej) on his bed in a room that is completely untidy. Clothes have been thrown about the place, and toys litter the floor. The narrator says that it is very easy for anyone to see that Johnny is a very, very untidy little boy. And it is such a shame — because he has been asked repeatedly to take better care of his things and to keep his room in order. But you can see very clearly that Johnny doesn’t think much of this advice. When he awakens, gets up out of bed, and pulls off his pajamas, you begin to get an idea of the cause of the trouble. His Badself, a nasty little imp whose mission in life seems to be to get Johnny into trouble, urges him to throw his pajamas down anywhere. Of course the Goodself pleads with Johnny to do as his mother has asked him to do and as he knows he should do — fold up his pajamas neatly. But the Badself wins the argument, and the pa jamas are thrown on the floor. Let his mother pick them up ! When Johnny enters the neat and tidy bathroom, it doesn’t stay that way very long. At the urging of the Badself, he squirts water over everything, squeezes out the toothpaste, rumples and soils the towels. Badself is in an ecstasy of delight. Goodself reminds Johnny that if he insists on acting like a little pig, he will turn into one. Johnny is scornful of the advice. Lo and behold, as Johnny leaves the bathroom, his hands and feet turn into pig’s hooves! Johnny, however, is quite unaware of this metamorphosis. Badself has won that round, too, and just to rub it in, has imprisoned Goodself in his halo. Then he laughs and laughs at his own mean trick. At the breakfast table, Johnny’s manners are terrible. His mother is most unhappy at his lack of response to her suggestions. Goodself makes frequent and urgent pleas, but Johnny slouches with his arms over the table. He stuffs enormous quantities of food into his mouth, sihlls his milk and slurps and splashes around in his food until pig’s ears pop onto his head. Goodself just has time to caution Johnny about turning into a pig before he is imprisoned under a tumbler by Badself. When Johnny, rudely and brusquely, leaves the table, a snout grows on his face. When he goes out to play baseball with the boys. Tommy, a smaller boy, is at bat. But Johnny decides that he wants to bat. So he takes the bat away from Tommy. The other boys protest