Revealing Film Shows 1950s Teenagers Talking. They Sound So Weird Today

Please watch this film until you see the scenes with the teenagers. They are really amazing to watch. Don't be fooled into thinking it's scripted. It's not.
In 1956 this ran on National Educational Television. Using "psychiatrists" they hoped to help parents who were struggling with for teenagers and their behavior. Overuse of telephones. Dating rituals. Ignoring adults. Sexual behavior. Gender behavior. Overemotional.
The program attempts to look at teenage behavior from an adult point of view as "rational" - using science. But looked at from today, at least for me, it appears to be using scientific data to prove emotional points without looking deeply into what these 1950 teenagers were expressing or dealing with.
Some of you commentators are stating that this is scripted. There was a style at that time, an early documentary style that I and others adopted. Script outlines were written. Non-actors were used and the dialogue was a mix of scripted (very little) and chat that the non-actors felt matched with the script and with their own experiences. Within 10 years, filmmakers like me were making documentaries that were not just following people around (cinéma vérité), but were planned in advance and worked on with the non-actors- the people in front of the camera. Exact words were not written. But documentary scenes were by classical definition, staged.
Regarding the film, I see a clear relationship between how some parents, teachers, and thought leaders today view teenage overuse of social media. Snapchat etc. It reminds me of how the telephone was looked at back when I grew up in the ‘50s. Girls seemed to spend hours talking to each other on the phone - as my sister did. And as a teenage boy of 16 when this educational film was aired on TV, I found girls enormously appealing and yet an alien species to me. I didn't understand anything about them and my mom, who was a good mom as best she could be, never told me anything about girls. I had to learn all of it on my own.
One fascinating thing about this film is that you can hear when these teenagers talk, are different accents and "teenage speech."
You may be asking yourself if this is a "documentary" or scripted. It is a style that was developing at that time. It is neither scripted nor a cinéma vérité style documentary. The actors were real teenagers. They were told the scene but not with specific narrative language they were to learn. They would do just play the scene they were told to do as though it was real. In some ways, I think it is although some of what appears to be staged today, is just "social speech" from that time.
Remember that this film was made in 1956. 12 years later, in 1968, teenagers were in some ways, radically different, certainly in terms of sexual behavior.
If you found this KZbin video clip of interest, of entertainment, a value, please support my keeping up my effort by clicking the Super Thanks button to the right side of the screen below the video.
Thank you
David Hoffman

[@perishablegoods1344]

My mother was 15 in '57 and kids were raunchy, running around, keeping things well hidden from every one! ~ because everyone did back then! Lumpy rugs because everything was swept under them and closets so overflowing with private home life the doors could hardly stay closed. Although I give credit - folks were trying their best to raise adults then and not children, as people tend to do these days.

[@konberner170]

Well said!

[@GenXfrom75]

Facts!! They tried. Parents today are so different, usually not in a good way.

[@sue5158]

Lumpy rugs indeed!

[@chaserofthelight1737]

It’s a skit, they’re actors, they’re going off a script, and bless their hearts, I’d say not very good ones at that. The two men aren’t acting, they’re the ones in the el na--tur-al. It’s funny, adults wrote a script, to show us, how they perceive, teenagers act. To me it’s no different today… Adults be like, “And teenagers act like….???” Well, no, not all teenagers act like….

[@Psichotica7]

Written by adult's perception of teenagers.

[@marmadukescarlet7791]

Today, we hear *some* older people going on about how all teenagers expect “participation trophies”. *Adults* created these trophies. Never once heard a child say they expect to get one. Also, the trope of the entitled millennial. Of course, they do exist but my child is a millennial, married to a millennial and they’re two of the hardest working people I’ve ever seen. Sweeping generalisations are never a good idea.

[@JWF99]

Also the US Military is full of wonderful selfless hard working young men and women✌

[@ssevkin]

30 yo teenagers

[@danzgalliwag]

(17M) totally agree, old navy commercials are some of the most lifeless things i've ever seen and each one is a made by a bunch of middle-aged men trying to connect with people 30-40 years younger than them. same goes for literally every disney/nickelodeon sitcom nowadays

[@JWF99]

Idk how much reality we can get with cameras on people? Certain aspects for sure, but I can only speak for myself, anytime tape is rolling I always tend to give a performance of expectations, maybe that's just me? These kids definitely did a great job especially for the times, and I gotta give credit for all the scientific insight! Terrific video✌

[@luciehanson6250]

Go with the likes, Gem! I'm so jelly!

[@JWF99]

@@luciehanson6250 Thanks dear Lucie, just luck I suppose, with some of my random comments👍 I usually say whatever 1st comes to mind! Usually! ✌😂✌

[@davidlincolnbrooks]

These girls call the boys "really crude". Good lord, what would they think of high school boys TODAY??

[@jeanhansel5805]

The "skit" was scripted and even though it's an example of how teenagers used language in the 1950's, it wasn't a natural conversation. One might find a more realistic example of how teenagers spoke when not following a script from some old "Dance Party" t.v. episodes when Dick Clark would interview a teenager or two on the show. What I found most interesting is that this video is a good example of how uncomfortable people felt using this new medium of television. The two men having the discussion about teenagers are not even identified. One gets the impression that since this is a University of Michigan presentation produced at the university that they are somehow connected to the university. However, my personal opinion is that the students and presenters are actors following a script. Back in 1960, Richard Nixon had no idea how to manipulate the media, but JFK was light years ahead of him in that respect and their first debate is a good example of who did and who did not know how to use the media to his advantage.

[@markbajek2541]

I doubt it they are actually teen agers.

[@richardlew3667]

@@markbajek2541 Believe it or not, people actually looked older due to different nutrition, lifestyles, and health.

[@tamarrajames3590]

My Aunt was a teenager at this time, and if she was going to the drive-in movies with a boyfriend they had to take my Brother and I to it with them. I’m sure it was to make sure things didn’t go too far lol. The boy would give us a quarter as a bribe not to bug them. The thing I most noticed was how my Aunt would model her Mother’s turns of phrase whenever she was uncomfortable or uncertain with what he was doing or saying. It took me getting a little older to understand how confused puberty can make you, and how complicated it was to walk that line between being a youth and becoming a woman. You have new social situations, and you try on a lot of different models of behaviour. I noticed the graph they showed took that abrupt upturn right around when puberty hits, not a big surprise. Suddenly there is a new social dynamic and structure that you have to find a way to fit into. Boys would start to challenge each other and act stupid, while girls would get bossy and opinionated. Both were exaggerations of observed adult behaviour, both from home…but more often from movies. I think it was easier for my generation in the 60s, because we swung so far from the parental norms they didn’t know what to do. Those young men expected to be drafted, and didn’t question it, where my generation (many of them) resisted the automatic assumption that every young man would want to go to war without questioning the morality of it. It seemed to me that we grew up faster than my Aunt’s generation did, but in retrospect, we grew up differently. Many more of my generation went to higher education, particularly girls, and were out of the parental home sooner. There were Beatniks in my Aunt’s generation, and Hippies in mine, but not all of either generation chose those ideologies. Most tried to find their way into some version of what they grew up with, finding a job, a mate, and a way to make a family of their own. Every new generation seems to stymie the older generation as they approach puberty with different tools of communication, and more information (whether that information is correct or not). Thank you David, for reminding us that every generation deals with the same changes a little differently than the one before, and we all seem to make it through to maturity despite the trials along the way.🖤🇨🇦

[@charissabihl1731]

Well put.

[@tamarrajames3590]

@@charissabihl1731 Thank you.🖤🇨🇦

[@aadamzahoor4683]

I’m 18 years old my generation Z has no values , morals or decency , we’re lost and I don’t know what to expect for the coming generations…

[@charissabihl1731]

@@aadamzahoor4683 I’m a Gen Xer. Most of my coworkers are Gen Z and I raised my Gen Z stepson. I think there is a huge amount of decency in your Generation. I think you all are already more insightful than the older five generations still living. I actually expect you will be the greatest generation in recent history.

[@teechui2401]

With all due respect, I'm a bit bewildered by the suggestion that this was not scripted. To me, all of the segments with the teenagers feel completely corny and scripted, complete with "Leave It To Beaver" style dialogue. By contrast, the interaction between the host and the doctor seems completely spontaneous and natural. Especially that necktie - it's out of control!

[@DavidHoffmanFilmmaker]

These people are not actors. These educational programs were very inexpensive to produce. To learn that much script would have required training in professionals and money that the production team did not have. They know approximately what they are going to talk about but they are performing it like it was real, without a script. David Hoffman filmmaker

[@JMLtwo]

It was improvised and staged.

[@DavidHoffmanFilmmaker]

@@JMLtwo You are correct. David Hoffman Filmmaker

[@luckydave328]

@@DavidHoffmanFilmmaker I am sure you would have the facts right but it certainly comes across as scripted. It also seemed like they were not very good actors. Their language was very stilted and poorly delivered. Each taking their turn etc - it sounded very unnatural. Besides that it is interesting that their appearance seems to be of adults in their mid-twenties to early thirties, not teenagers. Maybe the clothes and hairstyles made them look older.

[@DavidHoffmanFilmmaker]

@@luckydave328 You are correct Dave. If they were actors they were terrible actors. They are real people playing active roles. Kind of what Jay said above - improvised and staged. David Hoffman filmmaker

[@rosalieschneider9347]

I'm seeing a lot of comments critiquing the performance of the 'teenagers,' but my focus was mostly on the two hosts who are presenting the tele-course (which is amazing in and of itself; I had no idea such content was even a thing at that time). And while some of the discussion is dated linguistically and culturally, it still left me smiling and amazed at the accuracy with which their discussion reflects my current experience as a 53-year-old mother of a 12-year-old boy in 2022. With very few adjustments in some terminology and framing, this discussion could be happening among parents and social-science researchers today. Thank you for posting this, David. This video compelled me to join the ranks of your membership program. 🤝

[@brianarbenz1329]

Agree. The adults’ observations are thoughtful and non-judgmental . And the issues are timeless.

[@Auroradiluculum]

I saw a movie like this in middle school. I was the only one in my class who didn't make fun of it. I love everything about these clips. The values, clothing style, hair style everything. It's kinda like a history lesson by going back in time. Even the shadows because of the kind of lighting used and the black and white appearance. Clearly, this is a performance but even that in itself is fascinating to me. Thanks Mr. Hoffman.

[@IndorilTheGreat]

Still that goofy teenager mentality, but the mannerisms and context are different. What a trip!

[@kathybradbury]

Of course this was a skit, so I don’t know how reflective it is of actual teenage behavior back then.

[@IndorilTheGreat]

@@kathybradbury Indeed. I always take these things with a grain of salt. It does feel like one of those, "baby boomers portraying millennials" skits, which is equally as amusing for me, honestly.

[@mrmidnight8975]

I was so taken aback at first. i know they are teenagers but they look and act like my grandparents... 😊

[@luke_morem]

A whole lot nicer than kids today and to be honest, I’m 16 and speak just about the same way with my own friends

[@party4keeps28]

I love this stuff. I miss talking to my grandparents about the old days.

[@poetryjones7946]

Really found this interesting, thanks for posting these 🙏🏼. (Why did teenagers back then look like they were in their 30’s 😹)

[@BLACKPowerSupremePunishment]

this is not scripted...someone is secretly recording them from a cellphone

[@dstorm7201]

🤣😂

[@ducodarling]

This is script written by adults. The teenagers are just acting, as expected of them by the adults. The academic approach of the narrators, and their insistence of the use of the word "primitive" to describe normal teenage behavior is indicative of the adult-adolescent relationships that led to the counter-cultural revolution of the 60's.

[@luciehanson6250]

Nicely put!

[@jimbarrofficial]

Today, 4 kids would be sitting around completely silent thumbing away on their phones. I'll take the 50's over today anytime.

[@classicalhollywood3254]

Like old people don’t go on their phones.

[@theanonymousmrgrape5911]

I’ve always found it weird that back in the day, men used to cross their legs and it wasn’t considered a sign of homosexuality.

[@sondrab2547]

Reminds me how they spoke on Leave it to Beaver. I've noticed even voice over narration from that time - much different manner of speech back then from everyone.

[@audionmusic2787]

Teenage. The time when adult hypocrisy becomes clear. But before wisdom arrives. A dangerous time.

[@sensethevillen]

Your videos from the 50s and 60s are my favorite.

[@DavidHoffmanFilmmaker]

Please become a member. I assume that you are a subscriber. David Hoffman filmmaker

[@pameversole5886]

Can you imagine what these men would think of teenagers today??!! 🤯

[@T.Serrot]

I wish life was still like this

[@GenXfrom75]

My mom turned 9 in 1956. Dad was 7. So they came of age a bit later than this. The coolest thing my mother ever did (besides have me lol) was attend a Jimi Hendrix concert on the Mall in Washington DC, in the rain. It's too bad she was a square. She'd have enjoyed it more if she partook 🤣🤣🤣

[@kw9849]

I find it very hard to believe this wasn't scripted.

[@BLACKPowerSupremePunishment]

This isn't scripted... someone is recording them from a cellphone

[@DavidHoffmanFilmmaker]

It is a live television style that existed back then. We would use non-actors and write an outline which they then they played out using their imaginations.. The complete script would have been too costly in terms of production and training of the actors etc. David Hoffman filmmaker

[@JWF99]

@@DavidHoffmanFilmmaker fair enough good Sir!👍

[@davidlincolnbrooks]

This girl's entire life is shattered because her boyfriend said a teacher had false teeth?

[@daviddevlogger]

Everyone has a story, true success takes time. I pray every hardworking person reap the fruits of their labor.

[@CitizeM]

The title says the teenagers sound weird, but how about how weird the adults sound? Things are much different all around nowadays 😆

[@matthewfarmer6830]

My parents were in their teens back in 1950s, these girls in white Bobbie socks and hush puppies loafers so when they get to the dance party they can take their shoes off and have a sock hop. This video looks script. Thanks for sharing this video David Hoffman film maker. 📸🙂👍👍

[@njaneardude]

You're going off script Betty! Love this 😄

[@Sheerkat7]

At least they learned about the Constitution. People in the future will look back on kids now the same way.

[@gregorycook5305]

Now teen girls twerk on TikTok and boys brandish guns on Instagram.

[@awakened3651]

Twerking is so Miley Cyrus ten years ago. Now they're all "trans" and "NB" with rainbow hair and the boys are now "girls", or "incels".

[@cefdaunce2272]

Very cool! Thank you for posting! Also your video about The Wing was great. Good job all around!

[@DavidHoffmanFilmmaker]

Thank you kindly!

[@DavidHoffmanFilmmaker]

Thank you Cef for your comment. If your resources allow, I would sure appreciate your using the THANKS button under any of my videos including the one you have commented on. It is something new that KZbin is beta testing and would mean a great deal for my continuing efforts. David Hoffman filmmaker

[@Shermanbay]

"Not scripted"? It sure sounds like a Hollywood script, just like screenwriters thought teenagers talked. Not realistic at all, but more like a Coronet film of the same era.

[@SusannahPerri]

Kids haven’t changed, only their jargon and fashion. The awkwardness was just young actors saying their lines with unsophisticated direction.

[@NorthEevee]

I don't think the way they talk is that strange. Might just be me, since I tend to keep up with the way language evolves and adapt words that I like into my daily live. I mean, I'm gonna be 22 soon and I'm using words like 'based', 'drippy' and 'sus'. You'd think that by this point I would only use them ironically but uh... Nope.

[@batman5224]

Teenagers are cringey in every generation. I didn’t even like myself as a teenager.

[@jaredbond7908]

You're fine, man. Youth gets a bad rap, but I honestly think that's the time when people are the sanest. Really.

[@cherylcallahan5402]

*David Hoffman teenager in 1950s talking appreciate your videos Listening 🌟 from Mass USA TYVM 💙David*

[@mikemontgomery5755]

You say unscripted, I beg to differ

[@DavidHoffmanFilmmaker]

You may beg to differ Mike but were you around in production at that time? If so, let me know how you saw it done. I was there for these early productions starting in 1960 I saw how they were done. David Hoffman filmmaker

[@mikemontgomery5755]

I stand corrected

[@DavidHoffmanFilmmaker]

@@mikemontgomery5755 Thank you. But another commentator made a good point. Even though these conversations are semi-scripted if that, they are still very fake conversations. David Hoffman filmmaker

[@brianarbenz1329]

Though the dialogue sounds scripted, the posturing by these performers is realistic. The way they are seated, and the way they lean, the facial expressions, the moods - that’s teen.

[@DavidHoffmanFilmmaker]

Thank you Brian. That is correct. It was not scripted. But the script ideas were outlined and then the not professional actors tried to play the roles. David Hoffman filmmaker

[@Junksaint]

Ah, the teen-ager. Interesting species.

[@troubleondemand7703]

There is an excellent parody album of these types of shows called "Del Close & John Brent - How To Speak Hip" that was released in 1959. It's on youtube if you search what's in the quotes.

[@movingpicutres99]

Social skills seem lacking all around. Then and now even worse.

[@JD..........]

If you think these kids sound weird, you should hear modern teens 😄

[@jamesb.9155]

This sounds wholesome and healthy compared to the Woke monsters of today!

[@JD..........]

@Fundamentally Unorthodox Why did you have to bring color into it? Pretty revealing.

[@GenXfrom75]

They were certainly told what to say... Even if using their own words. Not professional actors, for sure. They tried. ❤️

[@grymhild]

This sounds scripted

[@ujayet]

We went from that to "red asphalt" for driver license classes in high-school in early 88 lol and now none of these kind of videos is being shown in school.

[@MagdaleneDivine]

Wow it's like slow motion watching this. It's tedious. I don't know how people watched black and white TV. It's been 5 minutes and it feels like an hour

[@saqibsheikh2790]

Your clips remind me of the movie American Graffiti. I am sure you have seen it.

[@baronpedro9263]

Everything seemed more structured In this look back in time.

[@chaddydad1]

Thank you David.I am glad I found your channel.This is very interesting.Wee are so off the mark with society of today.2022

[@DavidHoffmanFilmmaker]

You are welcome

[@markbajek2541]

More things than just questions arise at many a school dance.

[@lindaeasley5606]

" In the skit we will be seeing in a moment.. " They are acting . It's not normal talking I wouldn't call the way teenagers talked years ago " weird" . Different is more like it. 20 years from now the way young people talk today will be called weird

[@SorinSilaghi]

Sounds like what the adults who wrote the script think about how teens are like.

[@Gnomelander1400]

Adults were once teens

[@luciehanson6250]

Thanks! Scary! I'd rebel in the 60s, too!I'm so thankful being allowed space and support growing up!

[@DavidHoffmanFilmmaker]

I did rebel as well Lucie. See you tomorrow. David Hoffman filmmaker

[@luciehanson6250]

@@DavidHoffmanFilmmaker It's a 4:30 date! Can't wait!

[@TYGR3T]

Teenagers used to be so obnoxious back then. No wonder their parents beat them.

[@dancroitoru364]

who sounds weird? those in this footage sound more articulate and outspoken than the gen-Zers and millennials of today

[@dancroitoru364]

@@psychedelicpayroll5412 so if it is slowly regressing ... when was the peak ? I hope the answer is not that the peak was in your young years -) food for thought

[@terrasmiley7076]

Sorry, but this teenage reenactmenti skit is not reality...this is a fake Hollywood production with really bad acting, based on truth. And it is very boring to watch! I could only put up with watching the first scene! This was definitely created for educators, not for teenagers to watch and learn from!

[@DavidHoffmanFilmmaker]

Sorry Terra. Hollywood productions were unbelievably expensive and completely out of the price range of this production. This was on national public television for parents to watch, not just for teachers. You are correct, it was not made for teenagers. They were a teeny audience watching national educational television at that time. To think that this is Hollywood in any way is not to understand production at that time. First of all, this production was made in either New York or Boston. That's where they made these kinds of television shows at that time. David Hoffman filmmaker

[@terrasmiley7076]

@@DavidHoffmanFilmmaker I believe that this educational program was shown to public high school students in just about every high school across the United States at that time and for many years thereafter! I definitely would not consider that a small audience! It is not a good film because it was made in the Hollywood "style"...it reads the same as a Hollywood rendered fictional television show and is not an accurate representation of high school students of that time...I am referring to the actual dialogue, not necessarily the speaking style or the mannerisms, clothing or haistyles. If this film was realistic it would have been engaging for the students who watched it back then and it would be engaging for someone watching it now, instead of boring!!!

[@DavidHoffmanFilmmaker]

@@terrasmiley7076 Firstly, the film was not shown in public schools all over the country. The film was shown only on national educational television which very few children watched. It was made for adults. It reached a surprisingly small audience at that time as national educational television was not really national. You might also be interested to know that this film was never a film. It used telecine, complicated and expensive technology that created "live television" programs. David Hoffman filmmaker

[@terrasmiley7076]

@@DavidHoffmanFilmmaker Thank you for responding to my comment! You have a vast knowledge of filmmaking! I am just bothered by the way that they directed the "skit" portion of this program...it's as if the teenagers were having conversations that married couples had, instead of the real interaction that teenagers had! You seem to be interested in the technical aspects, while I am interested in the subject matter of the program!

[@RoscoetheGreat]

I wonder where they were from. I bet if they filmed in the south at the time they would have sounded so much weirder

[@jamesb.9155]

'Different' ! ...maybe even a bit more charming. This sounds midwestern as it is U of M.

[@RoscoetheGreat]

@@jamesb.9155 I was thinking the same, some of their accents reminded me of New York a bit. I live in Florida but was raised in Chicago and everyone from here, are so hard to understand.

[@jamesb.9155]

@@RoscoetheGreat You mean in Fla. 'cause it's a melting pot ~ where I grew up from Canadian and New England parents. Yeah!

[@jamesb.9155]

@Fundamentally Unorthodox Yeah, now only special people can say the word!

[@Super-ew1ty]

The hope was they become responsible adults. Is that the goal today?

[@Boviathan]

My old right cross? What’s that? A punch?

[@movingpicutres99]

Civics. The Constitution. To be an adequate citizen. Used to be understood.

[@brianarbenz1329]

It’d be interesting to see if any of these youths are still around, and what they think of seeing themselves in this.

[@jaredgarden2455]

This really goes to show just how naive adult of this error really were, then again i suppose most of them were old folks as the adults young enough to understand were mostly all dead.

[@thankunext1625]

This is obviously scripted lol I'm sorry. No one talks this fake. There are however videos out there of young people (teenagers/20s) talking authentically and that era, and from even the 20s/30s! Listening to those videos is truly mindblowing because it makes you realize just how similar we are to them, even though it's close to 100 years ago.

[@DavidHoffmanFilmmaker]

Your comment is not only incorrect but it is naïve. Back then when you are talking about, the 1920s and 30s etc., and until documentary filmmakers like me in the mid-1960s began to record more actual film scenes, everything was semi-scripted. There was a crew around whenever anything was recorded and that alone made for a staged presentation. The director told the people what to talk about. Just like in this live TV show where the actors got a basic idea and then went with it. Is it real? Nothing was real until you began to hear the filmmakers, like in some of my films, as they directed the talent before the interview or whatever began. That's more real. Showing what happens behind the camera. David Hoffman filmmaker

[@thankunext1625]

@@DavidHoffmanFilmmaker Hi David! I certainly take your point. But this is the sort of video I'm talking about --> kzbin.info/www/bejne/bJ-5anyKbL95bJY It was literally shot in the 1920s-30s with real college students of the time and does not appear scripted at all.

[@DavidHoffmanFilmmaker]

@@thankunext1625 It clearly is not scripted. But it clearly is staged. We call this "public speech" which is a fake he kind of speech that doesn't exist today quite the way that it did. Real would be how people really feel. Not being public with a crew of at least six around at that time setting up lights and huge cameras. It is not "real" but it is not scripted you are correct. To make something real requires you as a director and the person in front of the camera to agree to get to something called reality. I tried that many times and if you have watched many of my clips you will see my efforts to get to the real person or people not "public speech" in front of a camera that everyone knows is there (and a boom microphone). David Hoffman filmmaker

[@thankunext1625]

@@DavidHoffmanFilmmaker Ah, that makes more sense. Thank you for explaining! And I certainly see how that would be a challenge

[@Thomas-pq4ys]

This is staged, acted out, not real.

[@SMaamri78]

Yes, Mr Hoffman explained it a response to a comment above.

[@byzantiumredpilled5490]

Now many White-American suburban teenagers use African American Vernacular English (Ebonics) in their day to day talk.

[@QUINTBLINT]

They're acting that way for tv. In private, they certainly used curse words and talked about poon all day, just like us. 🙂🙂🙂

[@Shadows_Inc]

Kind of reminds me of a volunteer improve group.

[@liberty2four2]

not sure if it's the sounding system back then but seems like they all have these 'high-pitch-tone' voice back then

[@thea5714]

Shrink #1: "...the young gentleman where they're showing they're under tension, the ah, easiest way for them to handle, ah, such a matter, since they're males, and girls are around, is to show how tough they are..." *slurps straw repeatedly* LOL - that's cute, grade school behavior compared how teenage boys act today.

[@vanitymarks8798]

if you don't think this is scripted then i have bad news for you...

[@DavidHoffmanFilmmaker]

I know that it wasn't scripted. That style continued until I began in the industry in 1962. David Hoffman filmmaker

[@vanitymarks8798]

@@DavidHoffmanFilmmaker that's fair. but i do suspect part of the reason it feels so fake is that many people have an idealized version of the 50s and 60s. especially these kids hanging out in soda shops and living the "american dream" teenager life, when many were living in abject poverty. my parents were from rural alabama, didn't have electricty and had dirt floors. my father quit school to help the family travel and pick cotton. there is a certain surrealism watching these kids. many people didn't live this way. it will be like our grandchildren watching the kardashians hang out and think....this is how people lived, but it's all very fake either way.

[@DavidHoffmanFilmmaker]

@@vanitymarks8798 I agree. This is all very fake either way. David Hoffman filmmaker

[@drmarkintexas-400]

🏆🏆🏆👍🇺🇲🙏 Thank you for sharing.

[@timothygaede277]

3:16 I don't get it. Those girls don't seem high at all.

[@user-hr3tx6uu9o]

One thing I never saw was a girl back talking to her boyfriend. She would have just gotten up and left. In today's world? Most likely yes. Manners still mattered then.

[@jaynenewcomb2094]

Ha ha ha, those crazy teenagers there, the world just going to hell in a hand basket 🙃

[@make_some_noise]

60 years from now we'll see the zoomers of today bussin fr in the tiktok archives

[@apextroll]

I'm not sure the chart would look different today and there does seem to be some behavioral continuity to today.

[@Bageera63]

The Etch-A-Sketch chart was funny!

[@globe2555]

Maybe they are talking so weirdly because they are ACTING.

[@brad9092]

If it were today they'd be dropping the F bomb. Even if an adult we're near. That's where we are, America!

[@valeriepalmer462]

Did you notice the men and women teenagers looked older then....

[@TheGelasiaBlythe]

I know it's scripted, but I love the way the girls whine like children, but talk like adults. And the way one of the guys pronounced Doris ad "Daah-ris" made me think I was back home.

[@caniz80]

at least the had the enchantment under the sea dance

[@HideousKojimbob]

What’s the 1950’s version of bruh?

[@TaxPayingContributor]

Insightful as it is entertaining. History reminds us of ourselves.

[@m4anow]

That was fun, thank you

[@appaapnafurka]

2000s deined says life is a afectation and a mispelling away from your next beg job

[@epaminon6196]

Of course they sound weird today. Speaking with no teeth and degraded vocal cords will do that to you.

[@jasonhatt4295]

Lol! Nothing wrong with being “Not Normal” right?

[@spmoran4703]

It works for me.

[@luciehanson6250]

Our favorite Hoffman MERCH motto!

[@wizarddog]

You know its scripted because the actors are not talking over each other like in a real conversation and we don't have the "ums" and "ahs" people create when thinking and talking. These actors are reciting lines. Authentic my ass.

[@rustynails68]

Apologize? That’s crazy talk.

[@richardlew3667]

This was obviously scripted. The seniors I spoke to told me that they spoke normally like us. They just used less "potty-mouthed" languages.

[@DavidHoffmanFilmmaker]

It was not scripted. If it had been, the words spoken would have been far better written and the actors far better at acting. David Hoffman filmmaker

[@richardlew3667]

@@DavidHoffmanFilmmaker Noted. Thanks for clarifying!

[@yusiyola2011]

This is a scene lol not an actual conversation

[@merryarttoonesakamarysusan559]

sounds staged

[@Coach8687]

If those are teenagers then Biden is still in his 50s 🤣

[@chaserofthelight1737]

And it’s a script, actors…

[@wis1024]

That's completely scripted

[@mgd9151]

yeah, let's just pretend like the world wasn't screwed up and they those kids walked past many people that they were hateful to on the way in. Love how america says those times were better when those people are the ones that ruined the country and some are still here doing it.

[@refundpng113]

i hated myself as a teenager

[@thwb4661]

Not scripted but this may have been ad-libbed