A Day of Thanksgiving (1951)

Last year's Thanksgiving table at our house,
which I never got around to posting here.

A week ago, M.P. had a sudden whim at dinner and proposed that we should each name three things we are thankful for each night until Thanksgiving.  This is an excellent idea, and I recommend it to my truckbuddies.  It need not be a religious exercise, just a thoughtful moment of honesty and humility:  an attitude of gratitude is a healthy thing to cultivate.

The same thought is contained in this educational film from 1951 - the sort of thing that smug, self-satisfied sophisticated types roll their eyes and snicker at.  But there is a deep truth here that we ignore at our peril.

Having survived three miserable days without electricity or heat - off and on - in last year's Deep Freeze, my heart really goes out to all those poor people now suffering from lack of the most basic necessities in Ukraine on a scale never seen in America; and winter is only beginning there.

Don't think it can't happen here or can't possibly happen to you; sudden calamity or just simple misfortune can happen to anyone at any time.  Count your blessings while you have them. 

 

All good wishes to my truckbuddies for a safe, warm, and happy Thanksgiving.

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Flannel Boards and How to Use Them (1958)

Oh my, does this bring back memories of my early school days, and Sunday School, too.  Your Head Trucker has often wondered in the long years since then just how the little paper figurines stayed there on the flannel.  Do you know?  All is revealed in this charmingly straightforward demonstration film from 1958.

Are You Ready for Service? (1951)

Like most gay boys of my generation, I utterly despised the unremitting torment of P. E. classes, but this 1951 film recalls to mind certain delightful locker-room scenes.



Note to the young'uns:  at the time this film was made, the Korean War was in full swing, and so was the draft; hence the urgency of preparing the boys about to be snagged into the military.

More jock bods from a decade later, when President Kennedy was promoting his physical fitness program:




Gay artist Paul Cadmus used the locker room's erotic potential in a humorously suggestive drawing:

YMCA Locker Room II, Paul Cadmus, 1934;
click to enlarge.

What Makes a Good Party? (1950)

Do you give careful thought to planning your parties? A skillful host ensures that everyone has a good time with well-chosen refreshments and games that everyone can play.

How to Be Well Groomed (1948)

Don't let your slip show!

Are You Popular? (1947)

Tip: Don't go parking in cars with boys at night, it will only ruin your reputation. Better to go on a wienie roast with the whole gang.

Are Manners Important? (1954)

Sixty years ago, a rude little prick learns a lesson about good manners.