Atomic Age Classics 8: How To Be A Housewife

Hey, ladies, is your husband grumbling about the cleanliness of his home, his clothes and the kids? Is your grocery budget through the roof and, yet, the family just mopes and picks at their plates? Do you know how to handle an aerosol can correctly? And do you ever wonder what problems housewives around the world face? Well, the A/V Geeks are here to help with this compilation of old 16mm films that aim to solve the problems housewives face everyday!

Let's Make a Meal in Twenty Minutes (1950): Did your husband invite his clients for dinner at the last minute? Young Sally Gasco (short for "Gas Company") uses her mother's emergency food stash to turn out a hot meal in a very short time - thanks to the gas range!

How to Pack a Suitcase (circa 1950s): Travel director, Carol Lane, gives ladies some handy tips for packing a week's worth of clothing in a single overnight bag.

Home Management: Buying Food (1950): Are you spending too much at the grocery store? In this primer on sensible shopping, we learn to read canned food labels and get a glimpse at the mysterious grading system for various products.

Fashion in Furs (1964): Why is it that every woman must have a mink? Filmed against the backdrop of the 1964 World's Fair's ultra-modern Unisphere and starring Fran Allison, this film conveys the idea that furs are hip, modern and international.

Now About Lamb (1965): This film reminds the homemaker of the versatility of lamb as a main course with a variety of delicious recipes. Imagine your children hopefully exclaiming, "Mom, are we having lamb-loaf tonight?"

Soft as a Cloud (1955): So you've spent all this money on the latest appliances, but something still seems wrong. Is it because your water is "old fashioned"? This brilliant film shows housewives how hard water is soiling their clothes, dirtying their children and ruining their hairdos

Paging Women (1962): In this SC Johnson short subject, filmed at the stylish NY Airport's TWA Terminal, zany actor Walter Slezak shows women how to tastefully arrange their furniture, care for their house plants and to make goulash with hot dogs.

Women of the World (1975): This film talks with women from Morocco, Yugoslavia, Spain, Kenya and Sweden about the "modern housewife." The sponsor, Pepsi, positions itself as progressive company identified with the Women's Liberation movement.