![]() VD Attack PlanA Disney film about Venereal Disease by Skip Elsheimer I maintain and curate the A/V Geeks educational film archive – more than 8500 films stashed in every nook and cranny in my house. Folks who know about my collection of 16mm films often suggest that I should write a book about some of my favorites in the archive. I assure them that I do have such a project in the works - albeit in the planning stages. I mention that I’d like to write a book about my favorite genre of educational films – the venereal disease film. Most people snicker and don’t take me seriously. That is, until I mention the colorful history of the VD film and how it reflects our society’s views on sex, disease, morality and the role of the individual in the last century. I tell them that I’d like to write about the different films made over the years including a wonderful animated film by Disney called VD Attack Plan. Most folks are incredulous and want to know more (reassuring me that my book idea isn’t so far fetched after all). Even the marketing department at the Walt Disney Educational Media Company acknowledged that it was somewhat incredible for their company to address such a vulgar subject as venereal disease. The front page of their promotional brochure announces; “Yes, it’s true. Walt Disney Productions has made a significant contribution to the war against VD. VD ATTACK PLAN – A fully animated Walt Disney 16mm motion picture.” For the record, VD Attack Plan was not the first treatment of the subject by Disney. Like most motion picture studios during World War II, Walt Disney Studios helped create films for the U.S. Army’s Signal Corps. These short films were shown to troops to educate them on map reading, equipment maintenance and other topics important to U.S. Army. In 1944, Disney produced “A Few Quick Facts #7 – Venereal Disease”. Unfortunately, besides the title, we don’t know much about this film except it was aimed towards adult men in the military. Made in 1973, VD Attack Plan was created specifically for teenagers and young adults, but Disney still has a war theme throughout the film.
The next scene is of an animated germ wearing a spiked Kaiser helmet, the Sergeant (played by Keenan Wynn – perhaps best known for his role as Colonel ‘Bat’ Guano in Dr. Strangelove) briefing his troops of the Contagion Corps. The troops are syphilis and gonorrhea germs that wear berets with their initials on them (‘S’ and ‘G’).
While VD Attack Plan addresses all the important points that seem obligatory for any venereal disease film – the symptoms and effects of syphilis and gonorrhea, the importance of treatment while avoiding phony cures and, of course, the graphic pictures of the ravages of syphilis – Disney introduces some surprisingly progressive messages for 1973. One such message that stands out is the mention that venereal diseases is can be spread through same-sex sexual contact – something that wasn’t addressed in other VD films for almost ten years. Once again, we see why this film is still being shown in classrooms today. Another progressive message not seen in contemporary films is the talk of prevention – particularly condom use. Other films from this time period only mention abstinence as a form of prevention. Most film producers knew that school boards wouldn’t purchase a film that had such a message, thinking it would encourage sexual activity. Disney addressed this by releasing two versions of the film. They might have done this so that the film had a wider appeal – the short version for high school students and the longer version for young adults in college or the military – but the fact they mention condoms at all is still groundbreaking. Say what you will about Disney’s sugary-sweet, revisionist view of the world and I’ll probably agree with you. However stumbling across a film such as VD Attack Plan showed me that Disney was not only capable of being ahead of its time on matters such as sexuality, but also entertaining and sensitive to a topic such as venereal disease. (Editor's Note: Be sure to check out Skip's official website for educational film at http://www.avgeeks.com)
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