Dating 'Dos and Don'ts' ... from 1949

You have probably, at some time or another, heard your parents or grandparents talk about “the good old days,” as opposed to these bad, new-fangled days. They may even be persuasive enough to make you feel nostalgic for their good old days, which is a little silly because you weren’t there and also because they have edited all the bad stuff out of their memories over the years.

Maybe they told you about courtship and dating in the 1950s and how totally different it was from today’s disgusting and immoral hook-up culture. Well, we know they tell some of you that stuff because why else would there be periodic calls on college campuses to “bring back dating"?

But if you have been sucked into the myth of the “good old days,” you should watch at least some of this dating advice video from 1949. Dating: Dos and Don'ts, by Coronet Films recently entered the public domain. It’s sort of like Leave it to Beaver but creepier. See, “Woody” wants to go on a date, but he really doesn’t know what to do.



We’re guessing “Woody” later became a suave advertising executive, then a divorced, alcoholic father of three children who barely tolerate him today at holidays. And, of course, he tells their kids how good things used to be. You know him?