Sex Hygiene (1942)

Several servicemen relax by playing pool, but one of them goes off to spend time with a prostitute. Later, he discovers he has contracted a venereal disease. A graphic and frank ... See full summary »

Directors:

Otto Brower, John Ford

Writer:

W. Ulman

Stars:

Kenneth Alexander, Robert Conway, Robert Cornell

Cast

Credited cast:
Kenneth Alexander	...	Soldier
Robert Conway	...	Soldier
Robert Cornell	...	Soldier
Richard Derr	...	Soldier
Herbert Gunn	...	Soldier
Robert Lowery	...	Pool player #2
George Reeves	...	Pool player #1
Robert Shaw	...	Pool player
Charles Tannen	...	Soldier
Charles Trowbridge	...	Medical officer
Basil Walker	...	Soldier
Robert Weldon	...	Soldier

Storyline

Several servicemen relax by playing pool, but one of them goes off to spend time with a prostitute. Later, he discovers he has contracted a venereal disease. A graphic and frank presentation of the types and treatment of venereal disease follows.

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Plot Keywords:

prostitute | gonorrhea | ephemeral film | syphilis | sexually transmissible disease | 

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Genres:

Short | Drama

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

February 1942 (USA)

Also Known As:

Higiene sexual

Filming Locations:

20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

U.S. Army Signal Corps, Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

30 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Paired two up-and-coming DC superhero actors in George Reeves (Superman) and Robert Lowery (Batman).

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Connections

Featured in G.I. Scare Films Vol. 2 (1999)

User Reviews

"In the service of your country…"

In this, among the most cruelly overlooked of his oeuvre, that great auteur John Ford explores his recurring themes of army life and male friendship. He looks frankly at the darker side of camaraderie, and (atypically for him) presents a drunken night out as something that can have dire consequences. But still, his viewpoint is one of overwhelming respect for his characters. These men may have syphilis, Ford seems to be saying, but they're still men.

Some may accuse Ford of misrepresentation in Sex Hygiene, claiming he exaggerates the dangers of sexual intercourse, just as he romanticised the story of Wyatt Earp in My Darling Clementine. But we should remember that this film is a product of its time, and we can overlook these inaccuracies for the sake of the interest that it has for any film scholar.

Sex Hygiene has everything you could look for in a Ford picture – humour, emotion and a kind of rugged honesty about human relationships. If it weren't for the necessities of the war period, he probably would have chosen to set it at a cavalry outpost in the Old West. It is essential viewing for all Ford fans, and deserves to be recognised as one of his best. Francois Truffaut would have agreed.

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