Walk Safe, Young America

In a saltbox cape with attached garage, a small boy is having nightmares about his German shepherd Sandy running into the street and getting hit by a truck. The next day he goes to school. Along the way is crossing guard June Lockhart, who lectures the entire audience. She doesn't say German shepherds are dumb and everyone should have a collie. Instead, she goes over the rules of how to walk on the street, cross the street, and get out of a car at the side of the street.

Miss Lockhart will turn 100 in a few months as I write this. She comes from a distinguished family of actors. Her father, Gene, appeared in more than 150 movies, and was nominated for the Oscar. Her mother, Kathleen, appeared in forty films. June hasn't been seen onscreen since 2021, but from her first appearance in 1938 -- playing a Cratchitt to her father's Bob in A CHRISTMAS CAROL -- on, she has almost 180 big and little screen credits. Depending on your age, you may know her as Ruth Martin in LASSIE, Dr. Craig in PETTICOAT JUNCTION, or Maureen Robinson in LOST IN SPACE. A long career like that has a lot of big roles, little roles, and in-between. I guess this counts as an in-between.

Our story begins one mid-1970's night in a suburban Los Angeles Metro Area household, with a young boy named Tommy seeming to have a nightmare. Soon we find out what that nightmare is. It's of him chasing his German Shepherd named "Sandy" through a park, trying to keep him from getting into trouble. He runs between two cars on the street and gets hit by a previous generation GMC pickup truck, and poor Sandy is injured. The only problem is, this nightmare is real. His mother (who is unfortunately uncredited) comes into his bedroom and tries to comfort him. His family recently moved from the farms of California to the Los Angeles suburbs, and he and his dog are apparently not used to walking in urban or suburban environments, but he knows that he shouldn't dart in front of traffic. Nevertheless, his mom tells him that the school he goes to is assigning him two older boys to teach him how to walk safer here rather than in his previous residence. Tommy already knows the rules of pedestrian safety, so I can't imagine why he has a pair of older kids teaching them to him. It seems like they're unknowingly setting their son to be tormented by school bullies, but thankfully, that's not the case.

The crossing guard narrating this movie is none other than legendary actress June Lockhart, but you won't find any Lassie or Lost in Space references here. Considering how many people have described her, it would be easy to believe that she actually volunteered as a school crossing guard for the Los Angeles Police Department in real life. The film which was made by Lee Stanley is an educational short aimed at teaching children how to walk safely in urban environments. Tommy was played by his sone Shane, who himself is a writer, director and producer now.

Throughout the movie, Lockhart emphasizes the importance of being aware of traffic, following safety signals, and using crosswalks. The film covers various scenarios, including crossing streets, walking at night, and the proper way to exit vehicles. It stresses the need for vigilance and caution to prevent accidents. And believe it or not, occasially Tommy joins her in the narration.

It's the kind of short educational movie that they used to make for kids of the baby boom, and like to pretend they stopped doing for kids of the 1970's. But this movie is no 1970's version of "Last Clear Chance" or "Signal 30," and it doesn't have to be those movies either. There's a scene where three girls are crossing a street, and the youngest one is towing a little red wagon with a doll wrapped up in a blanket who lags behind for some reason. Maybe the blanket got caught in the wheels or something, but whatever the case may be, a motorcycle turns at the corner and one of the older girls pulls her out of the way before the bike bumps into the wagon and damages the doll. Lockhart doesn't have to tell us, but she does it anyway. That doll could've been us. During one of the scenes Ms. Lockhart tells the audience that "streets are for cars and trucks and motorcycles and other vehicles," a message that the anti-automotive "new urbanist" movement doesn't want to face. She also urges kids to get out of the car only on the sidewalk side, though such a rule was easier to follow when most cars had front and rear bench seats.

Instead of adding spoilers to this review, I'd like to add some statements and questions. Nothing about this movie is remotely Oscar-worthy, but that doesn't mean it isn't good. It's also easy to believe that Lockhart was offered the role in this movie because she played Ruth Martin and Maureen Robinson. But would it be any better if the crossing guard were played by Barbara Billingsley, Donna Reed or Harriett Nelson? We'll never really know. But one thing that's certain is that not all educational and ephemeral films of the past were bad, even in their heyday. And thanks to the rise of the internet since the 1990's it's much easier to find this one.