Say No To A Stranger

Say No To A Stranger WGR-TV Transcontinent Television Corp., Buffalo, New York Good example of sub-genre of public service film seemingly made to scare kids into never leaving the house due to the hordes of paedophiles apparently lying in wait around every corner. 06:48:07 Second grade kids file into school - INT classroom, police officer arrives to talk to class. Policeman tells class how he found a little boy who got lost & escaped after being picked up by a stranger in a car - narrates ‘flashback’ scene w/ ominous organ music: boy plays w/ stray dog, realises he’s far from home - car pulls up, boy gets in; car turns in opposite direction to boy’s home. INT car, bizarrely shot from driver/paedophile’s PoV, boy looks frightened & grapples for door handle as driver grabs his shoulder; boy jumps out as car slows down - boy runs across field towards policeman. 06:50:56 Cut back to school classroom, policeman says that “some people are funny, really they’re sort of sick but not so that you can see it. Their brains are sick, sometimes their minds make them want to get little boys and girls alone, and sometimes they hurt them, badly...in order to get them to go with you ?? they will be especially nice”. 06:51:36 Policeman narrates another child-in-peril story: little girl pushing doll in pram along sidewalk - “strange” woman in sunglasses & headscarf approaches, gives her candy & tries to take her to “the old building across the street” but mother comes outside to fetch her just in time - VO “Mary-Anne couldn’t understand why the woman was so afraid but her mother said the woman wanted to do something bad to Mary-Anne”. Cut back to classroom, policeman continues lecture about not trusting strangers who “just possibly could be one of these strange people who want to get you alone & maybe sometimes do harm to you, or even hurt you...now let me tell you about another little girl who wasn’t so lucky...” 06:53:20 Susan chases cat into empty building; very macabre scene w/ more inappropriate horror-film music showing Susan backing into corner as large shadow looms towards her - drops kitten & puts hands over face - cut to Susan at home on sofa w/ bandaged head being looked after by mother - VO “she was hurt badly and it was a long time before she was well enough to go back to school..” 06:54:03 Policeman tells kids to remember to be polite to strangers but not accept presents or go anywhere with them - says there are ways to make sure they are “not one of those funny ones”. Yet another example, showing boy refusing to get in stranger’s car & yelling to friends to call police so stranger drives away; even chalks down license number of car on sidewalk. Police give chase & pull him over. Kids nod politely at cop’s advice - “A policeman is never a stranger” - asks kids to practice their yelling. Hamster brought in for Show & Tell escapes cage, kids gather round & policeman puts it back in cage - VO somehow interprets this as “don’t be caught by a stranger who offers you something you like”. Pedaphilia; Rape / Sexual Assault / Molestation; Abduction / Kidnap; Paranoia; Tacky Dialogue; Child Abuse; Elementary School; Neighborhood; Residential; Americana; 1950s; 1960s; Oddities; NOTE: One continuous minute sold at per reel rate.