WILLIE'S SECOND CHANCE
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Year Published: 1961
Format: 16mm
Description: This 1961 educational film directed by Dale Smallin and James Willert presents a lesson about bicycle safety set in Covina, California. Special thanks are given to Wayne Allen, Sr., Dean Stevens, Foothill Cycle Shop, Crippen Ambulance Service, Covina Police Department, and Western Auto Covina in the opening credits. The film starts in black and white with a scene of two brothers in a driveway. The older brother is working on a car with the hood popped open and the younger brother is kneeling next to him oiling a bicycle (00:20:19). The older brother narrates the film and recounts the bicycle safety laws Willy breaks and an accident that occurs with him and his friend, Bobby. Willy pedals his bike out of the driveway onto Ruddock Avenue and narrowly misses being hit by a car. He rides past several Oldsmobile cars parked on the street, two men in white shirts and dark pants (1:49), and knocks over a woman carrying a paper grocery bag (2:06). He hitches a ride on the back of a Chevrolet truck (2:27). He splatters mud on an old car (3:29). He rides downtown and drops his bike outside of an ice cream store that has SCPA written on the bottom of the door (3:52). The two boys (Bobby and Willy) eat ice cream outside of the shop (4:09). Bobby is depicted in a new scene riding the new Schwinn bicycle he got for his birthday (4:34) to Willy’s house (number 9205) and knocking on the door. Willy turns a corner onto Banna Avenue past two German shepherds barking out a house window (5:14). The two boys race on the main road until Bobby cuts through an intersection without looking and is hit by a white Royal automobile (6:06). Two men in white pants and dark jackets get into a Crippen Ambulance vehicle (6:10) and drive on palm tree-lined streets to the accident. The ambulance pulls up next to Bobby lying immobile on the ground with a police officer standing over him (6:56). The two men load him onto a stretcher in the back of the ambulance (7:28) while Willy watches. A new scene shows Willy sitting in front of a building with his head in his hands next to his bike (8:13). The narrator explains that Bobby wasn’t seriously hurt, but broke his left arm, and this has made Willy reconsider his bike safety practices. Willy is then shown following various bike safety rules, including looking both ways before wheeling his bike out of the driveway (8:31). He stops at the stop sign on Ruddock Street and looks both ways (8:36). He comes to the scene of the previous accident, stops for a white Royal automobile, and rides on the right side of the road. He hand signals a left turn at the intersection of Jenner and Wingate Street (9:11). He walks his bike on the sidewalk (9:55). He dismounts and talks to Bobby, who is sitting on the curb with his arm in a sling (10:32). He shows Bobby ice cream money from his front shirt pocket. The two boys walk downtown, Willy wheeling his bike beside him (10:44). Willy locks his bike next to a window sign advertising Valentine cards (10:49) and the two boys enter the ice cream SCPA shop. Willy greases his bike chain in the driveway (11:06). The film switches from black and white to color at 11:20, and Willy is shown standing with his bike in front of his house explaining bicycle safety rules. Willy walks his bike through a crosswalk past Beneficial Finance Corporation (11:45). Bobby is shown riding on Willy’s handlebars as Willy’s voiceover warns against riding two people on a bike (12:08) and hitching rides on a Chevrolet truck. Willy holds a bicycle inspection safety card and explains the importance of regular bike inspections (12:33). At 12:48, Willy is standing outside of a bicycle shop with a Schwinn bike advertisement in the window as a man inspects his bike. The reflection of a Texaco gas station can be seen in the window. The film ends with Willy walking his bike off the driveway.
Complete Record:
Transcription
[Music] so [Music] so [Music] that's my brother his real name is william but everybody calls him willie just to look at him you'd never think that willie used to be famous but about a month ago everybody in town knew him he could break more traffic rules in one day than he does dozen bike riders could in a whole week people used to call him wild willy let's jump back a month and i'll show you just what i mean get the idea let's watch walled wooly on a simple trip downtown and see just how many safety rules he used to break in one day [Music] so [Music] [Applause] [Music] willie's best pal bobby didn't have a bike but that didn't make much difference because wooly was always good for a free ride downtown especially when bobby had ice cream money [Music] so [Music] a few days later bobby had a birthday and sure enough he got a brand new bike he could hardly wait to show it to willie [Music] it was willie who suggested that they have a race to see who had the fastest fight bobby was sold on the idea right away [Music] thank [Music] ah oh [Music] oh uh good [Music] so [Music] it could have been a lot worse bobby wasn't seriously hurt but he did break his left arm well he just couldn't forget about it he kept thinking that it could have been him and i guess it dawned on him that he better be careful anyway from that day on he began to pay attention to safety rules he began to look carefully before entering the street he even obeyed all the road signs [Music] and he made sure that he rode on the right side of the road without zigzagging [Music] he learned the proper signals for left and right turns and he used them all the [Music] time he also learned to walk his bike on a sidewalk not only for his own safety but for the safety of other people as well [Music] so [Music] [Applause] so [Music] really sure changed all right nobody calls him wild wooly anymore he learned that bike riders have to follow safety rules the same as cars do and most important he learned never to take chances on a bike next time you see willie just ask him about it hi my name is willie do you know that bike riders have to follow the same track rules like cars do let me show you what i mean first you stay on the right side of the street and don't zigzag the hand signals are the same your left hand down means stop and your left hand straight out is the proper signal for a left turn and your left hand up means that you're going to turn right a pedestrian as a person who walks remember that they always have the right of way especially in crosswalks and even in the middle of the street just to be on the face side i always rock my bike to a crosswalk that's easy to remember and don't forget to obey all the road signs like stop signs and red and green signal lights another thing don't ride your bike on the sidewalk that's only for people who are rocky besides you might hurt somebody maybe even yourself here's something else every ride do on a bike make steering awful heart and you don't have good control either riding double makes it hard to see where you are going you know it's really dangerous hitching rides behind a truck you never know when the truck is gonna stop all of a sudden there's lots to remember when you're riding a bike but here's the most important they all the road signs the school patrol man and the policeman he's your friend i'll tell you something just as important to your safety see this card every month i take my bike down to the bike shop and the man makes an inspection to see if all the parts are working right if everything is okay he puts a mark on the right side if something isn't okay he puts a mark on the left side something's really wrong he fixes it right away because i sure don't want to take any chances especially in traffic remember that it's just as important to have your bike in safe condition as it is to obey all the traffic rules so let's do both okay see you later you
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