User Reviews

Group of schoolboys in their early teens press upon their physical education coach to clue them in on the changes happening to their bodies. With apparently no Health or Sex Ed class at their disposal, where else can curious youngsters turn for the facts? The coach (played robotically, yet amusingly by Joseph Miksak) explains the mystery of puberty, right down to producing a diagram of the penis and testes. After erections and ejaculation are understood, the boys (an inquisitive group!) have questions about girls and menstruation. It gets more complicated from there. Sample dialogue: "Babies and all that...is that the only reason a guy goes out with a girl?" Unsniggering documentary, designed to teach growing boys the facts of life, uses terms like 'wet dream' matter-of-factly, and ends on an upbeat note with boys and girls swimming together at the lake. The ultimate message seems to be: once the mystery of the sexes is understood, everybody can relax and have a good time! One can certainly imagine the eyeball-rolling reactions this received in classrooms throughout the country, but it serves a purpose.

I found this video on an archive site not too long ago. Being public domain, this film is actually really easy to find. It is, however, horribly made.

This is, in effect, a 1950's Sexual Education video, specifically for boys. The cause itself is noble, but scenes between two young men discussing semen is rather amusing in an oh-so-horrid way.

Don't get me wrong, there are some really good parts of this film. First of all, for its time, it was very open and did not beat around the bush. At the same time, it is filled with horrid acting, mind-numbing production quality and overall is a hilarious, tacky and overly embarrassing film to watch.

See it with the whole family.

Movie quality: Crap Humor value: Priceless

Coach Douglas (Joe Miksak) tells a bunch of boys on his team about puberty and sex and such. He even has diagrams that show the male and female reproductive systems and tells the boys in frank language about sex, masturbation, wet dreams, erections, sperm etc etc. Then of course we get all about teenage girl and menstruation. Seen today this is actually pretty funny but, for 1957, this was pretty graphic. This was obviously designed to show teenage boys what sex and such was about. I can just imagine teenage boys of the 1950s watching it in school and fighting not to laugh! I wasn't around in 1957 but I'm guessing most of the kids then knew all about sex and such without some film telling them. The funny thing is is that this wouldn't be shown in schools today! I'll lay even money that if this was shown today parents would get livid and raise a huge protest! So it IS silly but the information is correct and it's all done in a straight forward manner with no sniggering or stupid jokes.

Amusing today, it remains a nice Health Education lesson. Honest, open, strange in few scenes, it must be seen in the context of period who made it almost...revolutionary. A couch, few diagrams, a group of boys and the puberty. An educational documentary, good job of Joseph Miksak and anatomy lesson . All in the flavor of naivety and nostalgia, so far by present terms of Sexual Education.

Even in 2021 I cannot imagine many schools showing this film. Masturbation is considered normal, and the ' boys ' who probably knew all about it anyway ask reasonably intelligent questions. It is in the public domain on YouTube, and is a revelation in that in 1957 such a short film could be made, even with education in mind. The British Censors would have surely banned it, and even films on childbirth had X certificates ( no one under 16 allowed to see it ) when precisely teenagers below that age arguably needed it most. So I give this a 7 for attempting to tell American youth a few facts of life. Needless to say male/male attraction was not mentioned, and would it have been too controversial for female teenagers to be present ? These questions are still relevant today given that society still shields itself around the world on the still subversive subject of sexuality.

As Boys Grow... (1957)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Sex education short has some boys wondering why they bodies are changing so they go to their coach to find out what's going on. If you're a fan of these old sex ed shorts then you should enjoy this one since it's pretty funny. In all reality, these films are mainly entertaining today if they are campy enough to get some laughs. There are some very funny moments in this one as the boys ask a variety of questions about their bodies and why they are waking up to wet sheets. As was the norm, the educational factor was the big thing as we get explanations on a variety of personal issues.

In AS BOYS GROW, a track coach tells us about how his team is developing, but it's not their running he's talking about! Nope, we're filled in on their "filling out", as well as their "nocturnal emissions"! Puberty is discussed as "a time of change", then, out come the diagrams!

Dear Lord! Do these kids' moms, dads, and preachers know they're being "educated" in this way? Just who is this "coach", anyway? Hmmm?

What the...?!

He's brought charts about "female stuff"! Is there no end to his demonic instruction? What next, childbirth?

EEK!

He said the unholy words! As if there were such a thing as a "uterus"! It's certainly not in the bible! Who knew that the 1950's were so full of sinful misinformation?...