How to Be Popular - 1940's High School Dating Guide | Restored Colour &Sound

Lovely short movie from 1947 on how to be popular. How to talk to girls and date.
A nostalgic look at a very different kind of America, where respect for the other person took precedence over caring about one's self. Being considerate was a first step to being popular and making friends, and a sure fire way of getting a date! The #etiquette principles followed here by Carolyn and Wally seem less and less relevant today.
If you're a shy person, these same tips can be helpful too. You'll learn to worry less about yourself, and how you look and show more interest in other people. If you want to know how to ask a girl out properly, this film's charming example is one of the best you'll find anywhere.
Filmed in Kodachrome in 1947 by Coronet Instructional Films.
Director: Ted Peshak. Cinematography: Bill Rockar. Written by Robert Chapin and Patricia Kealy. Editor: George Wilbern. Educational adviser: Dr. Alice Sowers, Director, Family Life Institute of the University of Oklahoma. With Marilyn Fisher (Caroline Ames); Bill Fein (Larry); Bunny Catcher (Ellie); Lester Podewell (Mr. Ames); Marilyn Fisher's mother (Mrs. Ames); and Shaya Nash (Ginny).

Courtesy of Library of Congress, Motion Picture, Broadcasting, and Recorded Sound Division.

[glamourdaze]

We love this film. American high school life is very different today. Do you think the suggestions here might still work these days?

[lonngel]

Instructions unclear: i tried this in school and they called me a boomer

[munecabonbon]

I like that the boys moved one seat over so that she could sit with the other girl that she's already acquainted with

[Lileiny]

"Caroline keeps a date calendar: she'll never have the embarrassment of forgetting a date". Yeah, sure, I also have so many dates that I could forget some of them... *cough*

[NameePark]

So cool how grandmas still dress the way they did in high school; wonder if all the youth now will be dressing the way they do now even when they’re elderly 😲

[cherryishh]

I got so caught up in the story that I wanted to see the whole date lmao

[stoneydoomer]

It’s cool seeing the guy not pressure her, and politely end the conversation when she said she couldn’t go out

[secretlybees]

"Meow Meow" was a joke where the girl was saying the boys were being catty. Catty is not cat-calling. It's a behavior where people are being petty. If you've ever seen a movie where they have typically women being subtly mean to each other, like a fashionista giving mean compliments like "I love how you'll just wear anything and don't care how you look, " that's being catty.
(just putting all of this in one comment)

[xcelestialsongx]

Guys in the 1950s: "Caroline, I was wondering if you would like to see a movie with me on Saturday night."
Guys in 2021: "u up?"

[spydiscrgame]

This is so weird, like looking through a portal into a world I'll never be a part of. It's so cool we can watch things from this era, it was such a different time.

[nicovargas]

I love how the boy moved over so she could have the seat at the lunch table, instead of ignoring her and making her find her own chair. Such a gentleman.

[CursedDoll_]

I love the way people spoke during this time.

Edit: I mean I like the transatlantic accents that these actors used.

[ShelbyFarrow]

My Mom was in high school in the 40's. Watching these kind of videos kind of gives me a glimpse of what her life would have been like. She graduated in 1944.

[bergamotblonde]

I feel like this was written by somebody's dad to say how teens should be.

[violinlover]

People in the 40's: *having so many dates that they have to keep a calender*
Me now: *maybe being lucky if I get asked out one time in my life*

[dormouse]

my grandmother sounds like how these people speak, it's actually nostalgic for me

[JustTwoSpaces]

People were so respectful back then, I’m in highschool now and literally no one is like this anymore

[cjr]

I see a lot of comments along the lines of, "I wish dating could be like this nowdays."

So ask someone out the old-fashioned way! You could be pleasantly surprised.

Be the change you want to see. Life is too precious for you to resign yourself in pessimism.

[Brisingr]

This is not only about being popular, this is also about being a proper human in society.

[mollymay]

“A pretty adult attitude to telephone conversations”
Me, three hours into a video call to my bff where we can only see each other’s five chins: “so anyway, I forget why I called you.”