Name: Willie and the Mouse
Genre: Short
Released: 1941-05-17
Duration: 11 min
Rating: 6.4
Cast: John Nesbitt, Robert J. Anderson, Hillary Brooke

How exeriments with mice helped educators learn about child behavior...

A rather tame, boring short subject from John Nesbitt's "Passing Parade" purports to show how the behavior of mice can be studied in relation to the interaction of school children. It begins with a 1910 schoolhouse scene to show old-fashioned teaching methods and soon reverts to the '40s to show what a difference there is between today's manner of instruction with the knowledge that "all children do not learn in the same way"--tracing the new knowledge to experiments made with white mice who are rewarded for finding food by finding their way through a maze.

There's even the suggestion that an inferiority complex can develop when one of the mice realizes that he's going to lose the competition for the third time and stays within his confines. It's an interesting theory and it's sufficiently developed within the short running time of this short.

Should appeal to anyone in the psychiatric or educational field, but not likely to impress anyone else sufficiently. Directed by George Sidney, who later became one of MGM's workmanlike directors of film musicals like "Show Boat".

The short form refers to creative works characterized by their brevity and concise storytelling. Unlike full-length feature films, short films have a running time of less than 45 minutes, while TV shorts have a running time of less than 22 minutes.

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Proving mice are as intelligent as humans. The parallel in reactions of mice and children to various approaches in education, such as conquering a potential inferiority complex by proving to the child their own ability.

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Passing Parade No. 23: Willie and the Mouse

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Willie and the Mouse

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