Lindsey (1974)

Director	Eric Stacey Jr.
Producer	UCLA Media Center for The National Institute of Mental Health
Contributors
Length	20 minutes
B&W/Color	Color
UO Library Catalog description:	N/A
Call #	FILM Mb202
Genre	Educational
Rare	Yes
Online	No
Copyright status	Public Domain
Physical condition	Fair
Oregon-related	No

Notes:

Lindsey is the second part of the “One to Grow On” film and discussion series produced by National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). The series was produced to be used by teachers in an in service workshop setting, the goal being to catalyze discussions relating to teacher/student interactions. It was decided by the NIMH that a film series would offer the most cost effective way to get the appropriate message to the widest possible audience. Due to the essentially passive nature of the medium of cinema, a guided post-film discussion was “built in” to the “total teacher training package.”

Lindsey depicts communication difficulties between parents and children. The necessity of teachers to be able to connect with students so that they have a “safe” person to confide is a central theme. Separate interviews with Lindsey and her parents show the generational gap in thinking and attitudes towards sex. Lindsey’s teacher is depicted as the only person she reaches out to, if only passively. The goal of the film, as stated in Harris H. Shettel’s final report, “Evaluation of the Impact of the Film Series ‘One To Grow On’ on Selected Teachers and Students” (1974) was to enable teachers “to recognize possible sources of conflict that may be contributing to surface behavior, and to recognize the need to respond with sympathy, empathy, and flexibility to develop a meaningful relationship in such a situation.” (29) Shettel’s full report is available online from the Education Resources Information Center in pdf full text. Although the quality of the uploaded image is poor, Shettel’s report is worth reading as it offers comprehensive background information, a description of the film/discussion program, a description of the study design, data collection instruments, and study sequence as well as conclusions and recommendations about the “One to Grow On” series.

NBC aired an educational public service announcement (PSA) during the Saturday Morning Lineup titled “One to Grow On” from 1983-1989. These PSA’s were shown directly after the end credits of an NBC cartoon. These short PSA’s addressed ethical and personal dilemmas and attempts to teach viewers how to solve them. In regards to the PSA’s title, the Wikipedia entry says, “The name is taken from the custom of putting an extra candle on a birthday cake as ‘one to grow on.'” Although due the parallels between the NBC PSA and the NIMH series, it could be speculated that NBC drew inspiration for the PSA’s, including the title, from the NIMH series.

University of Oregon also owns Sarah, the third installment of the NIMH “One to Grow On” film and discussion series.