A student suffers the consequences of cheating.A student suffers the consequences of cheating.A student suffers the consequences of cheating.
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Did you know
- TriviaIn her first scene, Mary is reading her lines off her notebook.
- GoofsThe phone continues ringing after Johnny picks up the receiver at the beginning.
- Quotes
Mrs. Granby: Did you really earn that 92, John? I wonder.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Wild World of Batwoman (1993)
Featured review
To cheat, or not to cheat? That is the question.
Johnny's got a problem. Algebra just doesn't compute in his head, but he needs that math grade or his position on the student council is kaput. Rather than doubling his study time or approaching his teacher for help, he immediately hits on the idea of cheating and runs with it.
In keeping with the sense of nihilism conveyed by the gloomy cinematography, it feels like everyone in this short is out to screw everyone else over. Johnny shamelessly pries test answers from his friend Mary, Johnny's friend Jim pulls him away from his studies despite his protestations, and when Johnny's cheating comes to light, the entire student body exiles him to the farthest reaches of social pariahdom. And the student council? These Young Americans try, convict, and execute Johnny in absentia, thus showing that the status quo of the early 50's must be maintained even at the cost of due process (a subtle but daring criticism of the then-contemporary House Un- American Activities Committee).
Though not as prominent as their handling of the main theme, the filmmakers include a cursory subtextual exploration of guilt and its effects on the psyche. While it's never given any voice other than an incorporeal appearance by Johnny's teacher as he contemplates his crossing of the line, there are hints that the pressures weighing on Johnny have pushed him to the breaking point. His final act of cheating clearly doubles as a cry for help. As humiliating as it surely was to be exposed as a scholastic criminal, a profound sense of relief must have accompanied Johnny on his long walk to Miss Granby's desk to receive his destiny.
In those staid early days, it's possible that cheating on a test may have erupted into the kind of scandal depicted here. Though we leave him at a crossroads (Will he redeem himself? Drop out of school and hit the road a la Jack Kerouac? Start selling drugs on campus?), the implication of this short is that it's all over for Johnny.
Let the MST3k crew guide you through this existential wasteland. You'll love it.
In keeping with the sense of nihilism conveyed by the gloomy cinematography, it feels like everyone in this short is out to screw everyone else over. Johnny shamelessly pries test answers from his friend Mary, Johnny's friend Jim pulls him away from his studies despite his protestations, and when Johnny's cheating comes to light, the entire student body exiles him to the farthest reaches of social pariahdom. And the student council? These Young Americans try, convict, and execute Johnny in absentia, thus showing that the status quo of the early 50's must be maintained even at the cost of due process (a subtle but daring criticism of the then-contemporary House Un- American Activities Committee).
Though not as prominent as their handling of the main theme, the filmmakers include a cursory subtextual exploration of guilt and its effects on the psyche. While it's never given any voice other than an incorporeal appearance by Johnny's teacher as he contemplates his crossing of the line, there are hints that the pressures weighing on Johnny have pushed him to the breaking point. His final act of cheating clearly doubles as a cry for help. As humiliating as it surely was to be exposed as a scholastic criminal, a profound sense of relief must have accompanied Johnny on his long walk to Miss Granby's desk to receive his destiny.
In those staid early days, it's possible that cheating on a test may have erupted into the kind of scandal depicted here. Though we leave him at a crossroads (Will he redeem himself? Drop out of school and hit the road a la Jack Kerouac? Start selling drugs on campus?), the implication of this short is that it's all over for Johnny.
Let the MST3k crew guide you through this existential wasteland. You'll love it.
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- johnny_burnaway
- Jan 27, 2017
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- Discussion Problems in Group Living: Cheating
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- Runtime12 minutes
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