I got lost in a YouTube hole of these instructional videos on social interactions from the late 40s and 50s ( "How to Ask for a Date," "How to Undress in Front of Your Husband"). Who funded these productions? Where would they have been viewed?

by gqn
jeffbell

You've got two very different films.

"How to Ask for a Date" is from Coronet Educational Films from 1949, and it's genuinely meant to be educational. The company started making training films during the war and branched into short educational films. They covered a lot of subjects, including science, history, math, civics. This one was meant for health class. These days, if the students watch a video in class it's either streaming of DVD. 20 years ago it would have been a tape. 40 years ago it would have been a film. The other ones may have held up better.

"How to Undress in Front of Your Husband" is incorrectly titled on youtube, it's actually from 1937, and it's entirely for comedic entertainment. It was produced for commercial purposes to be shown in a theater. The narration is only superficially educational but mainly serves as a framing device to allow mockery of the fat old woman and make double entendres about the young one.