Habit Patterns (1954)

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As this film opens, we see "Barbara," a teenager, weeping into her hands. "It's a little late for tears, isn't it?" asks the unforgiving narrator. Barbara, she informs us, has had a bad day -- but because she is sloppy and unorganized, she deserved it. We then travel back in time and see how Barbara's day became a nightmare; how she was invited to an after-school party with an important new social group; and how her poor grooming and unpolished manners sent her straight to Social Hell. The narrator gleefully reminds us "how easy it is not to be invited again," and "how quickly you can be left out of the crowd." "People are going to talk," she adds, and when they talk, "our faults are more easily discussed." By this point we're back to the beginning of the film, and Barbara is on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Happily, she sees the light, and becomes lovely, better-groomed and (we hope) never again the subject of films such as this. Relentless.

Producer: Knickerbocker Productions