Name: Ask Me, Don't Tell Me
Genre: Documentary, Short
Duration: 22 min
Rating: 5.6
Cast: Stanley Mosk, William Winters, Carl May

An interesting historical curio, but it does seem very dated.

This is a public service film about youth gone wild and a program (Youth for Service) to keep these kids busy doing constructive things with their energy. The film is introduced by one of the squarest and least interesting public officials and these "untamed youth" seem amazingly non-threatening. Narration ranged from super-square and robotic white guys to black hipsters--creating a very strange mix indeed! Some of the stuff in the film seems impressive though some seems very naive (such as the program providing no guidance and assuming the teens will figure it out on their own!). Interestingly, when I checked I found that YFS still exists in San Francisco, though what it's currently doing I have no idea.

The documentary is a form of non-fiction storytelling that aims to present factual information, insights, and perspectives on real-world subjects, events, issues, or people. Documentaries can cover a wide range of topics, including history, science, culture, social issues, nature, biographies, and more.

Dziga Vertov in Man with a Movie Camera (1929)

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.

Benedict Cumberbatch in The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar (2023)

San Francisco gang members contribute to society working on community service projects.

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John Bird and Carl May in Ask Me, Don't Tell Me (1961)

Ask Me, Don't Tell Me

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