Web Page  No 2194

15th September 2015

Top Picture: The Queen Mary leaves Southampton for the last time.

Second Picture: Donald Duck lecturing!

Sex Education with Donald Duck!

We have all done it, turned out a cupboard or drawer and discovered an old newspaper that you have just got to sit down and read. Well it happened to me the other day the newspaper was a double page spread of the Daily Mirror from 1^st November 1967, complete with the cartoon “The Perishers”. The centre fold featured the very last departure of the RMS Queen Mary from Southampton on her way to retirement as a floating hotel in Long Beach California. The article had pictures, like one above and was very moving. I am sure that many a tear was shed that day!

I then turned the paper over and was amazed to read:-

DONALD DUCK GROWS UP - TO A CAREER IN FAMILY PLANNING

Having read the piece I just had to reproduce (no pun intended) it for you to read. Remember this article is almost fifty years old, attitudes have changed but it is well worth a read it went like this:-

Donald Duck, the squelchy-voiced hero of a thousand Walt Disney children's car­toons, is really growing up. He is to star in a film about birth control, which is to be shown in the developing nations in Asia, Africa and also Latin America. The ten-minute colour film is now being made at the famous Walt Disney studios in Hollywood and should be ready for distribu­tion by the end of the year. (1967)

The film which will feature Donald’s frank advise about birth control will be dubbed by a lucid interpreter in twenty five or more different languages. The production of the film is being paid for by the Rockefeller Population Council, an American foundation group which is oper­ating this year on a budget of more than £3,000,000. It is envisaged  that the film will be shown all over the developing World. 

Donald's co-stars will be what the Population Council describe as "a couple of Afro-Asian and Latin-American cartoon types." A council official ex­plained : " Donald Duck acts as the narrator for the film. He does not go into any detail about birth control methods he just tries to impress upon people that there is nothing wrong with practicing it.  He points out that there are millions of people using it all over the world.

"We hit on the idea of using Donald Duck because he is so well known" Also that in this cartoon form he will be able to explain things very, very simply.'

The family planning advice in the film was at best vague and the film carefully avoided anything explicit and perversely only the male characters get a voice in the film. One critic stated that ‘this family planning film goes on for a very long time about why family planning is important and then gives absolutely no information about how to do it.’

For us who were brought up in the 1960’s I know that sex education was rather hit and miss, our parents would leave significant books around for us to read and inwardly digest. As far as I remember nothing was ever mentioned at school or at the doctors or the clinic but there again have you ever wanted Donald Duck teaching you all about sex? After all he doesn’t even wear trousers!

I wonder what would Daisy Duck, Minnie Mouse and Hortense Horsecollar have to say about all this!

Mind you this is not the only public service film that Donald Duck made, there were several wartime ones and one which was called “Donald Duck wants you to pay your taxes”.

None of them were Oscar winning material.

Keep in touch

Peter

DUSTYKEAT@aol.com

You Write:

Griff Writes:-

Seeing Peter's article on The Cyclemaster brought back the memories for me.  I couldn't wait to be 16 so that I could tax and insure and ride my 32 cc 2 stroke Cyclemaster.

This machine was going to help overcome the steep ride up Portsdown hill on a Saturday and Sunday to my milk bottling job at Gauntlett's Dairies in Stakes Rd. Purbrook (now a housing estate! ). I had been working at Gauntlett's for around 18 months during the weekends and school holidays and the cycle ride was certainly keeping me fit.   Up the Eastern Rd turn right, along the Havant Rd and then left up the steep hill that was Gilman Rd. to join Crookhorn Lane over the top of the hill and then free wheel all the way down to Stakes Rd. It was all grass fields either side of Crookhorn Lane back then in 1962 belonging to Mr. Gauntlett himself and full of dairy milking cows.

       Anyway my Cyclemaster was bought off Mr. Hoddgson our next door neighbour in Station Rd. for the princely sum of just £2 as he hadn't used it for a number of years and he wanted rid of it. I cleaned it, polished it  and oiled it and checked it over as best as any 16 year old could do. 

 The great day came and it was just magical for me scooting along at around 15 miles an hour. Gilman Rd. of course was assisted pedaling required to get to the top but it was brilliant to have the freedom. I kept this bike for around 6 months and traded up to a Vespa 125 but that is another story.

The picture of the Cyclemaster is exactly the same one that I had. A converted Raleigh type Gents bike. These now fetch around £400 for pristine working bikes on eBay.   Amazing!  That's inflation for you.

Regards to Everyone  Griff.

 

News and Views:

On this day 15th September 1960-1965

On 15/09/1960 the number one single was Apache - The Shadows and the number one album was Down Drury Lane to Memory Lane - A Hundred and One Strings. The top rated TV show was No Hiding Place (AR) and the box office smash was Psycho. A pound of today's money was worth £13.68 and Tottenham Hotspur were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 1/09/1961 the number one single was Johnny Remember Me - John Leyton and the number one album was South Pacific Soundtrack. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was One Hundred and One Dalmations. A pound of today's money was worth £13.25 and Ipswich Town were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions. The big news story of the day was First Mothercare shop opens in Surrey and this was the week that Manor Court School opened.

On 15/09/1962 the number one single was She's Not You - Elvis Presley and the number one album was Pot Luck - Elvis Presley. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was Lawrence of Arabia. A pound of today's money was worth £12.89 and Everton were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 15/09/1963 the number one single was She Loves You - The Beatles and the number one album was Please Please Me - The Beatles. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was The Great Escape. A pound of today's money was worth £12.64 and Liverpool were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 15/09/1964 the number one single was You Really Got Me - Kinks and the number one album was A Hard Day's Night - Beatles. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was Dr Strangelove. A pound of today's money was worth £12.24 and Manchester United were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 15/09/1965 the number one single was (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction - Rolling Stones and the number one album was Help - The Beatles. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was The Sound of Music. A pound of today's money was worth £11.69 and Liverpool were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.