Charles Cahill and Associates, Inc. present “None for the Road” (1961). This short film depicts the potential dangers of driving under the influence of alcohol. The film opens on a cafeteria tray. A man’s hand pushes powdery eggs around the tray with his fork, lifts up a spoon of watery coffee, and pushes the tray aside. In its place, we see the shadow of prison bars fall across the table. Closeup of a man resting his forehead on his hands against a backdrop of cinderblocks. He slowly looks up, on the verge of tears. He sighs, takes a deep breath, and leans back against the wall. 0:58 Wide shot of a residential neighborhood. The same man (“John Thomas”) is seen mowing his lawn as his wife (“Mary”) shows him a flower from the garden. Their children approach them. The son rides off on his bike, and the mother hands the daughter the flower. The kids swim in the backyard pool while John watches over them and Mary brings out a tray of beverages. 1:49 Scenes of a suburban backyard party at night. Revelers enjoy themselves. John and Mary serve their guests food and drink. They say goodbye to a guest who is slightly intoxicated. As he gets in his car and pulls away, the couple looks on in shock. 2:49 POV of driver in residential neighborhood. He puts his foot on the brakes, and then back on the gas. Closeup of a glass of alcohol being poured. A man and woman in party attire sip their drinks and laugh. Cut back to the scenes from the party earlier. The drunk party guest touches his finger to his nose, demonstrating to his hosts that he is sober enough to drive. Now viewers see him pull out of the driveway and jerking his car onto the road. John and Mary look concerned as they watch him drive away. 4:46 Cut back to John in jail as he forlornly lays down on his cot. Then back to a different party scene, this one during the day. John and Mary and their friends drink cocktails and mingle. Mary is called aside to a rotary telephone, and she learns her babysitter has fallen ill. The couple leave the party early and drive away. Closeup of a light turning red. John presses on the gas and the film cuts to a girl stepping off the sidewalk. The car screeches to a halt and the girl holds her hands up. She is hit. 5:30 The couple steps out of the vehicle and see the girl lying on the asphalt. Mary checks to see if she is okay while John is in shock. 5:53 A policeman performs a sobriety test, demonstrating touching his finger to his nose. John struggles to keep his balance as he stands on one foot and misses his nose. He is unable to walk in a straight line. The officer pulls him away. 6:28 John is laying in his cot. Cut to Mary talking to an attorney. 7:40 She picks another flower from the bushes. Closeup of a sign that says “Sacrifice” in front of the house. Mary sits in front of a typewriter, working. A man scrapes “John Thomas” off of the door of a sales manager. 8:01 Cut back to the young girl looking into the distance as she crosses the street. Then back to her body on the ground. John is in his prison cells and replays from the incident flash on the screen – the party, the couple driving, a cocktail being poured. 8:34 Various scenes of cars driving in residential neighborhoods. POV of a driver as a car backs into the road ahead of him. Another driver opens his car door onto the road and the car swerves around him. POV of a driver running a red light. 9:28 Closeup of drinks being poured. John looks forlorn in his cell, prison bars in the foreground. He lays back down on his cot. The film ends with an overhead shot of traffic on a highway.
