Margaret Travis

Leo Beuerman is a 1969 American short documentary film directed by Gene Boomer. It tells the story of Leo Beuerman (1902–1974), a diminutive, disabled man who sold pencils and became a fixture on the downtown sidewalks of Lawrence, Kansas in the 1950s and 1960s thanks to his determination. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Short.

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A classroom training film that promotes a career in distributive management, a branch of retail sales. Through engaging instruction, it highlights the skills, responsibilities, and opportunities in the field, presenting the profession as both rewarding and dynamic.

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A classroom training film highlighting the role of secretaries in the 1960s workplace. Showcasing skills from Gregg Shorthand training, it emphasizes both professional duties and personal attentiveness to their bosses, while humorously hinting at secretaries’ potential paths in life beyond the office.

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A lighthearted industrial short produced by Centron and directed by Herk Harvey, this film promotes the versatility and wholesome appeal of pork. Combining humor with mid-century marketing flair, it highlights pork as an ideal choice for the American dinner table.

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A 1961 industrial film produced by Centron Corporation for Monsanto, illustrating modern herbicide methods and the fight against unwanted vegetation.

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This public health drama follows a small town’s struggle as syphilis spreads among its young people. When local officials turn to the state health department for help, a field investigator steps in to trace the infection, interview those at risk, and ensure testing and treatment. Directed by Herk Harvey (later of Carnival of Souls), the film mixes education with stark warnings: after all, one bad date can change everything.

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This classroom guidance film eases seventh-graders into the realities of junior high. No longer the top students or star athletes, they must adjust to bigger challenges, shifting friendships, and greater independence. The message: fit in with your peers, follow the trends, and don’t forget your gym locker combination.

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A narrator instructs children on the proper way to introduce yourself to and be introduced to strangers and new acquaintances.

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Mel, a high school student who thrives on gossip and stirring conflict, pushes his luck when he targets the school’s star quarterback. Faced with the backlash of loyal classmates, he may finally be forced to reckon with the harm his words cause.

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Don and Nicky head into the city, where a reckless night with two fast girls leaves Don with more than he bargained for. Pressuring his girlfriend Betty into sex, he unknowingly passes along a venereal disease. When the school doctor diagnoses him with syphilis, Don must face the shame of his actions and warn Betty—before it’s too late.

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At East High, students resent the admission of Bruce—an unseen classmate their parents have warned them to avoid. But when an unexpected incident unfolds, they are forced to confront and reconsider their own prejudice.

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Former childhood friends Sarah Inman and Ron Johnson have drifted apart in high school. Ron hosts open parties every Friday, but Sarah never attends, preferring to stay home with her homework and dismissing her classmates—especially popular class president Bill Tyler—as shallow. Her aloofness has earned her a reputation as a snob, though she doesn’t realize it. When Ron reluctantly invites her at his mother’s urging, Sarah agrees to go, setting the stage for a clash between her world of isolation and Ron’s world of popularity.

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At a school social, Jim, a student at Lawrence High, proudly tells his cousin Sally about his school’s spirit. He recalls how enthusiasm once spiraled out of control—until Bob, the senior class president, stepped in to guide it in a more positive direction.

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Larry, a rude and disruptive student, is given detention and told to clean the chalkboard. Instead, he doodles a cartoon character that magically comes to life and points out that Larry’s problems stem from his poor manners and behavior. Realizing the truth, Larry decides to improve himself and become a better student.

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Barbara and her family move into a new neighborhood, and Barbara tries to make friends with her new neighbors. However, soon she realizes that no one wants anything to do with her. She can't understand why, until one day she overhears two of the local girls talking about Barbara's problem: she had bad manners!

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Three friends—one a heavy drinker, one a moderate drinker, and one who abstains—spend a weekend evening that starkly illustrates the dangers of drinking and driving.

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A careless family learns the hard way that neglecting home safety leads to constant accidents. By changing their habits and using proper precautions, they transform their household into a safer, happier place.

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A high school student really likes his shop class...perhaps a bit too much!

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In a classroom discussion on alcoholism, students debate its causes and consequences—dismissing alcoholics as wasteful or weak, yet struggling to agree on how they might return to responsible citizenship.

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During a camping trip, a group of students learns about the importance of science and its role in understanding the world around us.

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Cindy, a 12-year-old tomboy, is devastated when she learns that she hasn't been invited to a neighborhood birthday party. That night in bed, her fairy godmother visits her, tells her enough with this tomboy baloney, gives her a frilly new party dress and some rules on how proper young girls are to behave at parties.

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Jean, a popular high schooler running for Pep Club president, suddenly finds her best friend Laura turning against her. The rift stems from Frieda, a classmate spreading malicious gossip that threatens Jean’s reputation and friendships.

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The dramatized story of a young high school teacher who is falsely accused of communist sympathies is used to demonstrate how baseless accusations can foster the spread of suspicion throughout a community, thus causing insidious and lasting damage.

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A teen drops out of a gang when they mug his father for his pencil.

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Two sisters are trying to decide which classes to take next semester. When one wants to take home economics, the other is stunned. Why should anyone need to study home economics?

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At a teenage party, news breaks that a friend driving with alcohol in the car has struck a pedestrian. The incident sparks a heated debate among the group, with views ranging from total rejection of drinking to peer pressure to join in for the sake of fitting in.

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An educational short teaching children the importance of looking after their toys and treating belongings with care.

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George Johnson and his wife Annabelle move to a farm to pursue 'the good life,' but George’s naïve approach to planting leaves him with a failed corn crop. With guidance from a whimsical character named Mr. N (Billy Barty), George learns how modern fertilizers are transforming farming across the country.

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Betty Ann, a perky high school student, is friends with George, a dour sort who is always complaining about life. Betty Ann's friends can't see how she can hang with a "wet blanket" like George, and eventually Betty finds herself more and more taking on George's attitude.

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When elderly Mary Wilkens falls ill, her husband grows suspicious of Dr. Jacksburg’s questionable treatments. With the help of a trusted physician and the American Medical Association, the truth emerges: Jacksburg is a fraudulent doctor with a revoked license. Mary’s testimony ultimately shuts down his clinic and exposes his dangerous practices.

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The high school junior class is being plagued by the antics of Jim, the class show-off.

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Emphasizes the role of a citizen in a democracy and explains that, before making decisions, all citizens should get the facts, weigh the facts for all possible solutions, and decide on an answer that is for the greatest good of all.

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Ray Medford, newly elected class president and star of the debate team, is used to winning. But when he unexpectedly loses a speaking competition to Marilyn Jackson—a classmate he once coached—Ray struggles with disappointment and considers quitting before the state championship. The film asks whether Ray, and those around him, are handling the loss the right way.

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This classroom training film teaches elementary-school students about the benefits of a neat appearance and good grooming.

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Authority figures lecture school children about good posture until one little girl develops body dysmorphic disorder and hallucinates in front of her bedroom mirror.

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In a student council election deadlock, the principal holds the deciding vote between Lloyd, the model of responsibility, and Hank, a reckless troublemaker. Turning to the audience, he asks which candidate they would choose—reminding them that true leadership requires being capable, educated, and responsible.

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