Coronet Films
Encyclopedia
Coronet Films was a producer and distributor of American
educational films from 1946 to the early 1970s founded by David A. Smart
. The company, whose library is currently owned and distributed by
The Phoenix Learning Group, Inc., produced instructional short films
aimed at young teenagers and high school students which were produced by dozens until the mid-1950s when production tapered off. Social guidance on topics such as dating, family life, courtesy and citizenship were typical themes of the films with occasional educational topics such as the solar system
and the human body
.
Coronet was active during the 1973-1974 school year when they placed over sixty titles for evaluation with Project METRO of the Capitol Region Education Council (CREC), in central Connecticut. Titles included "A Is For Alphabet", Color, Color Everywhere", "Dating Scene", and "Understanding Shakespeare: His Stagecraft." Many of the titles in their catalog were produced early in the post-war film boom; they were typical of the quality, production values, and content of media of the period: no better, no worse, and often humorous in the context of the post mid-1960s sexual revolution
, but true artifacts of their time.
After the earliest films entered the public domain (a large percentage of the library is still privately owned), the films of Coronet were recognized by many as notable kitsch
, especially after a few became shorts
for the cable TV show Mystery Science Theater 3000
which mocked the films' production values and underlying messages. Shorts featured on Mystery Science Theater 3000 include Are You Ready for Marriage? and What to Do on a Date. The 1947 film
Shy Guy featured an early appearance of a 19-year-old Dick York
. Many films were directed by Ted Peshak. Many of Coronets other films were later riffed by Rifftrax
, a successor to MST3K, created by former MST3K cast member Michael J. Nelson
.
resources, here are a few examples:
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
educational films from 1946 to the early 1970s founded by David A. Smart
David A. Smart
David A. Smart , co-founder of Esquire magazine, and , with his brother Alfred Smart , co-publisher of Esquire and Coronet.-Birth:...
. The company, whose library is currently owned and distributed by
The Phoenix Learning Group, Inc., produced instructional short films
Short subject
A short film is any film not long enough to be considered a feature film. No consensus exists as to where that boundary is drawn: the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes or less, including all...
aimed at young teenagers and high school students which were produced by dozens until the mid-1950s when production tapered off. Social guidance on topics such as dating, family life, courtesy and citizenship were typical themes of the films with occasional educational topics such as the solar system
Solar System
The Solar System consists of the Sun and the astronomical objects gravitationally bound in orbit around it, all of which formed from the collapse of a giant molecular cloud approximately 4.6 billion years ago. The vast majority of the system's mass is in the Sun...
and the human body
Human body
The human body is the entire structure of a human organism, and consists of a head, neck, torso, two arms and two legs.By the time the human reaches adulthood, the body consists of close to 100 trillion cells, the basic unit of life...
.
Coronet was active during the 1973-1974 school year when they placed over sixty titles for evaluation with Project METRO of the Capitol Region Education Council (CREC), in central Connecticut. Titles included "A Is For Alphabet", Color, Color Everywhere", "Dating Scene", and "Understanding Shakespeare: His Stagecraft." Many of the titles in their catalog were produced early in the post-war film boom; they were typical of the quality, production values, and content of media of the period: no better, no worse, and often humorous in the context of the post mid-1960s sexual revolution
Sexual revolution
The sexual revolution was a social movement that challenged traditional codes of behavior related to sexuality and interpersonal relationships throughout the Western world from the 1960s into the 1980s...
, but true artifacts of their time.
After the earliest films entered the public domain (a large percentage of the library is still privately owned), the films of Coronet were recognized by many as notable kitsch
Kitsch
Kitsch is a form of art that is considered an inferior, tasteless copy of an extant style of art or a worthless imitation of art of recognized value. The concept is associated with the deliberate use of elements that may be thought of as cultural icons while making cheap mass-produced objects that...
, especially after a few became shorts
Shorts
Shorts are a bifurcated garment worn by both men and women over their pelvic area, circling the waist, and covering the upper part of the legs, sometimes extending down to or even below the knee, but not covering the entire length of the leg. They are called "shorts" because they are a shortened...
for the cable TV show Mystery Science Theater 3000
Mystery Science Theater 3000
Mystery Science Theater 3000 is an American cult television comedy series created by Joel Hodgson and produced by Best Brains, Inc., that ran from 1988 to 1999....
which mocked the films' production values and underlying messages. Shorts featured on Mystery Science Theater 3000 include Are You Ready for Marriage? and What to Do on a Date. The 1947 film
1947 in film
The year 1947 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*May 22 - Great Expectations is premiered in New York.*November 24 : The United States House of Representatives of the 80th Congress voted 346 to 17 to approve citations for contempt of Congress against the "Hollywood Ten".*November 25...
Shy Guy featured an early appearance of a 19-year-old Dick York
Dick York
Richard Allen "Dick" York was an American actor. He is best remembered for his role as the first Darrin Stephens on the ABC television fantasy sitcom Bewitched...
. Many films were directed by Ted Peshak. Many of Coronets other films were later riffed by Rifftrax
RiffTrax
RiffTrax are downloadable audio commentaries featuring comedians Michael J. Nelson, Kevin Murphy and Bill Corbett heckling films in the style of Mystery Science Theater 3000, a TV show in which Nelson was the head writer, and later the host. The RiffTrax are sold online and delivered by digital...
, a successor to MST3K, created by former MST3K cast member Michael J. Nelson
Michael J. Nelson
Michael John Nelson is a U.S. comedian and writer, most famous for his work on the cult television series Mystery Science Theater 3000 . Nelson was the head writer of the series for most of the show's 11-year run, and spent half of that time playing the on-air host, also named Mike Nelson...
.
Listing of Coronet Educational Films (Incomplete)
- Act Your Age (1949)
- Alaska: A Modern Frontier (Revised) (1948)
- Am I Trustworthy? (1950)
- American Square Dance (1947)
- Ancient Egypt (1976)(?)
- Ancient Rome (1949)
- Ancient World Inheritance (1946)
- Appreciating Your Parents (1950)
- Aptitudes and Occupations (1941)
- Are You a Good Citizen? (1949)
- Are You Popular? (1947)
- Are You Popular? (1948)
- Are You Ready for Marriage? (1950)
- Attitudes and Health (1949)
- Banks and Credits (1948)
- Basketball for Girls Fundamentals (1948)
- Basketball for Girls Game Play (1948)
- Beethoven and His Music (1953)
- Beginning Responsibility (1951)
- Beginning to Date (1953)
- Better Use of Leisure Time (1950)
- Bookkeeping and You (1947)
- Build Your Vocabulary (1948)
- Capitalism (1948)
- Choosing Your Marriage Partner (1952)
- Choosing Your Occupation (1949)
- Citizenship and You (1959)
- Clothes and You: Line and Proportion (1954)
- Communism (1952)
- Control Your Emotions (1950)
- Date Etiquette (1952)
- Dating: Do's and Don'ts (1949)
- Developing Friendships (1950)
- Developing Self-Reliance (1951)
- Developing Your Character (1950)
- Earning Money While Going to School (1950)
- Everyday Courtesy (1948)
- Exercise and Health (1949)
- Facing Reality (1954)
- Family Life (1949)
- Forest and Conservation (1948)
- Friendship Begins at Home (1949)
- Fun of Being Thoughtful (1950)
- Fun of Making Friends (1950)
- Fun that Builds Good Health (1950)
- Getting Ready Physically (1951)
- Going Steady? (1951)
- Goldilocks and the Three Bears (1958)
- Good Eating Habits (1951)
- Good Sportsmanship (1950)
- Good Table Manners (1951)
- Gossip (1953)
- Health: Your Posture (1953)
- High School: Your Challenge (1952)
- How Billy Keeps Clean (1951)
- How Do You Know It's Love? (1950)
- How Friendly Are You? (1951)
- How Honest Are You? (1950)
- How Quiet Helps at School (1953)
- How to Be Well Groomed (1948)
- How to be Well Groomed (1949)
- How to Develop Interest (1950)
- How to Keep a Job (1949)
- How to Say No (1951)
- I Want to Be a Secretary (1941)
- Improve Your Personality (1951)
- Improve Your Spelling (1948)
- Introduction to Electricity (1948)
- Introduction to Foreign Trade (1951)
- Joan Avoids a Cold (1947)
- Keeping Clean and Neat (1956)
- Law and Social Controls (1949)
- Let’s Play Fair (1949)
- Let's Share with Others (1950)
- Let's Share With Others (second edition 1967)
- Life in the Central Valley of California (1949)
- Lunchroom Manners (1960)
- Making Word Pictures (1973)
- Marriage is a Partnership (1951)
- Mind Your Manners! (1953)
- More Dates for Kay (1952)
- Mother Goose Rhymes (1958)
- Mozart and His Music (1953)
- Nature of Sound (1948)
- Office Practice: Your Attitude (1972)
- Our Wonderful Body: How It Moves (1968)
- Our Wonderful Body: How We Breathe (1968)
- Our Wonderful Body: How We Keep Fit (1968)
- Overcoming Fear (1950)
- Personal Hygiene for Boys (1952)
- Plantation System in Southern Life (1950)
- Powers of Congress (1947)
- Punctuation Mark Your Meaning (1948)
- Puritan Family of Early New England (1955)
- Rest and Health (1949)
- Right or Wrong? (1951)
- Rivers of the Pacific Slope (1947)
- Safe Living at School (1948)
- School Rules: How They Help Us (1952)
- Schubert and His Music (1953)
- Secretary’s Day (1947)
- Self-Conscious Guy (1951)
- Selling as a Career (1953)
- Service and Citizenship (1951)
- Sharing Work at Home (1949)
- Shy Guy (1947)
- Snap Out of It! (1951)
- Social Courtesy (1951)
- Southwestern States (1942)
- Spring Comes To The City (1967)
- Starting Now (Are You Ready for Service? No. 4) (1951)
- Taking Responsibility for Your Actions (1953)
- The Apache Indian (1945)
- The Benefits of Looking Ahead (1950)
- The Mighty Columbia River (1947)
- The Solar System (1950)
- Trading Centers at the Pacific Coast (1947)
- Understanding the Dollar (1953)
- Understanding Your Emotions (1950)
- Understanding Your Ideals (1950)
- Ways to Settle Disputes (1950)
- What is a Corporation? (1949)
- What is Business? (1948)
- What is Money? (1947)
- What Makes a Good Party? (1950)
- What to Do on a Date (1951)
- Where Does Our Meat Come From? (1960)
- Who Are the People of America? (1953)
- Why Punctuate? (1948)
- Why We Respect the Law (1950)
- Writing Better Social Letters (1950)
- You and Your Family (1946)
- You and Your Parents (1949)
- You and Your Parents (1950)
- Your Family (1948)
- Your Thrift Habits (1948)
Production
Select Coronet productions are now available as public domainPublic domain
Works are in the public domain if the intellectual property rights have expired, if the intellectual property rights are forfeited, or if they are not covered by intellectual property rights at all...
resources, here are a few examples:
- Communism (1952) at DailymotionDailymotionDailymotion is a video sharing service website, headquartered in the 18th arrondissement, Paris, France. According to Comscore, Dailymotion is the second largest video site in the world after YouTube....
- http://www.archive.org/details/DatingDo1949Dating Do's and Dont's (1949) at Internet ArchiveInternet ArchiveThe Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It offers permanent storage and access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public domain books. The Internet Archive...
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