johnny_burnaway Nick's in a situation most of us have experienced: he's got a crush on a cute girl but he's too nervous to do anything about it. A little push never hurt in a situation like this, and Nick's friend Jeff is there to goad him into asking Kay out. Before Nick realizes it, he and Kay are off to help set up the local scavenger sale at the community center.During Nick and Kay's Big Night Out, the helpful narrator gives advice on the types of dates young couples might find enjoyable and appropriate. It seems this community center keeps a running list of activities that Nick realizes would be good date fodder, and how he failed to know about it before is anyone's guess.There was no community center list of activities when I was dating. I was on the hook to come up with my own events, so I was less interested in the advice this short had to offer than I was in the way they presented it.Most fascinating is Nick, our leading man and the audience's surrogate on this journey. With his dopey speech and general childlike demeanor, Nick seems to exist in a perpetual state of bewilderment. He probably tested just over the intelligence threshold for public education. I suspect Jeff promised Nick's mother back in first grade to take Nick under his wing and keep him out of trouble. That would explain Jeff's condescendingly paternal attitude toward Nick, a position of power he seems to enjoy. Rather than taking comfort in this association like Steinbeck's Lenny, however, Nick senses he's being patronized and pushes back. Their whole "friendship" seethes with passive- aggressive animosity.Nick also evinces neediness in virtually every situation. Once the date with Kay is scheduled, Nick begins badgering Jeff with questions about the scavenger sale. He asks Kay several times if she is having a good time, if she's glad she went out with him, etc. I was no ladies' man in my single days, but even I knew that bugging your date for constant affirmation is a good way to inspire her to end the night early.Nick pushes hard for that second date, despite the fact that Kay really doesn't seem to be much of a catch. She puts the kibosh on the movie he invites her to because she's already seen it. When she gets called away at the scavenger sale, she goes! No "Sorry, I'm with Nick, who invited me here," she just leaves him there with a hammer dangling in his hand. You can hear the "Where did I lose control?" in his voice as she disappears into the kitchen.I suppose teenagers in the early 50's might have been inspired by this flick to think outside the box when planning a date. I hope it didn't give them the idea to stumble around like someone only dimly aware of his surroundings, constantly at the mercy of others.I've only ever seen the MST3k version and it's wonderful, but I think even standing alone, "What To Do On a Date" has entertainment value that far outstrips its intended purpose.

pinetarrag This short tells of Nick, a shy guy who has long had a desire to ask sweet Kay out on a date. Jeff his buddy, suggests taking Kay to a "scavenger sale" a kind-of indoor garage sale, and Nick does only after his attempt to take Kay to "Wagon Train" is foiled because Kay has seen the film. They end up having a nice time and Nick sees a schedule of things to do, so he sets another date with Kay to go to a weenie roast.Overall this short film was sweet and gave some decent advice for dating, (make sure the other person will enjoy the activity, double date, choose dates that aren't too expensive etc) but the acting is wooden and the styling is badly dated. Still you can do worse for education shorts. "Drugs are Like That" for instance.

rbverhoef 'What to Do On a Date' is a title to probably make you smile already. I can assure you, everything in it will bring a smile to your face as well. But it is not the smile a film wants. Here you do not smile because the guy actually gets the date with the girl he likes, the way it is supposed to be, but because it is so stupid.We see a shy teenager asking a girl on a date after his friend has persuaded him. The girl agrees and while they are on their first date (together with at least ten other friends) the guy wonders what the girl would like for a next date. Funny stuff. The acting in terrible films like this is quite hilarious as well. Although I rate it poorly, I had fun watching it. For the wrong reasons that is.

icehole4 Such as this one. While it was nice and cute in the 1950s, and reflected the morals of the time, today it is viewed as an antiquated piece of dated trash. I found it to be rather so-so. Not bad, but not great either. The story about Nick and his nerves on choosing a date is a timeless one, but how the story is handled is quite dated.