What is teenfotainment?

Well, you know what a teen is right? If not, look in a mirror. Chances are if you’re cruising this youth culture website you probably yet to celebrate your 20th birthday. And you know what ‘information’ is right? It’s that stuff what books are full of. The final component is ‘entertainment’ (things that make you LOL). Shmoosh them all together and you’re left with the mother of all genres.

Ok, so I clearly just made the word up but teenfotainment films were produced by someone called ‘the man’ in 50s America to keep the youth in check by asking them provocative questions like, are you ready for marriage? Are you popular? And the open ended, right or wrong?

I managed to dig up a whole load of these films and I plan to share their valuable advice with you over the coming weeks. I’ve grouped them together by theme and this week we take a look at the big L, marriage, and something called ‘going steady’.

But hang on, I don’t want you watching this with your modern expectations only to be disappointed - Skins it ain’t. These films don’t tell you the best way to get laid or score drugs, that’s what Platform is for. This was the fifties, not the morally ambiguous and appallingly named ‘Naughties’. It was a time when goofing around wasn’t tolerated, the moral fabric of society was still new and had the tag on, and the most action you could expect as a teen was a bit of back seat bingo at make out point. That’s real 50s slang by the way, ‘back seat bingo’, I couldn’t make that up!

Anyway, enjoy the film and let me know, in an Oliver style, if you want some more…