Made in 1947, “Human Growth” was the first film about human reproduction to be approved for screenings in American public schools. The film uses a film-within-a-film technique, showing a seventh-grade class as they view and discuss an animated movie which traces human growth and development of the organism from mating through pregnancy and birth, then from infancy through childhood and adolescence to the adult form with differences in male and female structural development emphasized. The film opens with a scene from a typical 1940s nuclear family home with mother and father sitting in the living room as their kids George and Josie prepare for school presentations. George is reading about the native people of Hiwassee Island while his sister Josie thinks of how she will introduce the topic of growth and puberty to her class before they embark on watching the animated film.
Sometimes known as the “Oregon Film,” “Human Growth” was written by Dr. Lester F. Beck, a professor of psychology at the University of Oregon, and produced by Eddie Albert Productions. Sy Wexler directed and shot the film. The film was sponsored by the E.C. Brown Trust, a non-profit foundation associated with the University of Oregon since 1939, whose mission was to promote healthy sexuality and family life. Intended for seventh grade students, the film was seen by millions of schoolchildren in 20 countries, and won numerous awards. At its height of popularity, there were 2,000 prints in circulation, although only a handful currently exist. Two subsequent editions were released in 1962 and one as late as 1976.
The man behind this movie Lester F. Beck, was an Associate Professor of Psychology as well as a Secretary Treasurer at the University of Oregon. Brown University awarded its first ever Ph.D. degree in psychology to Beck in 1933, whose thesis topic was “Manual Skills and the Measurement of Handedness.”
Opening credits and title page (0:10). George reads book on Hiwassee Island on livingroom floor: flips through illustrated drawings (0:40). Josie distracts him, mother, father, and boy all sit in living room (0:53). Close-up illustration from book: Topless woman sits with her two naked children (1:54). Josie stands in front of her middle school classroom and presents film (2:22). Teacher further presents film to Josie’s class (2:35). Camera pans classroom as students jot down notes in their notebooks (3:32). Title page for film-within-film (4:55). Animation of baby in highchair in middle of kitchen (5:00). Animation begins with two babies and charts their growth over the years on a graph (5:33). Graph shows comparison of male and female body in terms of growth from ages 3 to 21 years old (7:08). Zoom into one of the male/female animations: highlights glands in charge of growth (7:15). Animation depicting changes associated with male and female puberty (7:53). Animation of sperm seen under a microscope (8:46). Animation of egg seen under a microscope (9:01). Sperm enters egg (9:10). Illustration of male reproductive system (9:32). Illustration of female reproductive system (10:04). Animation details process of menstruation (10:26). Animation details process of fertilization: sperm meets the egg (12:09). Various illustrations of growth stages of fetus inside uterus (12:55). Animation depicting baby as it moves through birth canal (14:02). Footage returns to live action: middle school classroom (15:14). Students discuss what they saw in the film (15:38). Retro classroom slide projector used to project diagram of female reproductive system (16:30). Montage of clips of students asking rapid fire questions related to reproduction and puberty (18:09).
