A Blast From The Past: The Gossip (1955)

Posted on November 23, 2012 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Last week, I shared The Snob, an educational film from 1958. Today’s short film — 1955’s The Gossip — is from the same people who gave us The Snob and it has also become something of a personal obsession of mine. While it’s not as intense as the Snob, the Gossip is still a pretty accurate look at the type of people that every girl has had to deal with at some point in her life. If nothing else, The Gossip was the Mean Girls of its day.

(That said, it’s interesting to note that, in the 50s, all the gossip centered on who was cheating on tests as opposed to who was cheating on who.)

Like The Snob, The Gossip was directed by Herk Harvey and stars Vera Stough.

A Blast From The Past: The Snob (1958)

Posted on November 15, 2012 by Lisa Marie Bowman

I love watching the old educational films from the 1950s. Whether they are dealing with the threat of outside agitators, the need for families to eat dinner together, or the importance of obsessive grooming, these films often provide an interesting view into the past.

(Though, as far as I’m concerned, obsessive grooming is a theme that will never get old.)

Two weeks ago, I first came across The Snob on YouTube. In the days since I first saw it, this 13-minute educational film has become something of an obsession of mine. Some of this is because this film deals with a universal subject. Though I don’t think I’ve ever been a snob, I’ve certainly known a few. Even more importantly, everyone in this film is just so intense. If Edward Albee wrote an educational film, it would have been a lot like The Snob.

Also, is it just me or is the kitchen scene between Sarah and her father kind of creepy?