One Got Fat is a short educational film released in 1963. The film is a cautionary tale about bicycle safety and is directed towards children. Ralph Hulett Jr., Charles Hagens, and Dick Hutto are credited as the actors in this film. The film starts with a group of ten children donning monkey masks and riding their bikes around a suburban neighborhood. In the beginning, they all follow the rules of the road and use hand signals when turning. However, things take a dark turn when one of the children stops to inspect a butterfly, ignoring the others' calls to wait for them.
One by one, each of the other children meets a gruesome end in what can only be described as a series of bike-related accidents. The children's carelessness and failure to follow basic traffic rules are the root causes of each of their accidents.
The accidents range from a lack of signaling turns and riding too fast to colliding with objects and people. The accidents are often comically exaggerated, with some children being violently thrown from their bikes, and others coming to a sticky end with postboxes, trees, and telephone poles.
In every instance, the children's actions are contrasted with a safe alternative. For example, one of the children, who fails to see a car coming before crossing the street, is shown in a split-screen comparison with a child who stops, looks both ways, and then crosses safely at a pedestrian crossing.
The soundtrack of the film is an upbeat, catchy tune, with lyrics warning children of the dangers of breaking bike safety rules. The chorus of the song repeatedly warns: "One got fat, and then there were nine" after each accident, driving home the childish sing-song nature of the film.
Throughout the movie, the children are shown cycling in a single-file with proper spacing between each other, stopping at crossings, signaling turns, and many other important safety measures to prevent accidents. Other valuable safety tips include wearing helmets, obeying traffic signals and stop signs, and riding defensively.
The film's imagery is also effective at getting the message across. For instance, when one child's bike collides with a car, the shot freezes on the point of impact, and a red shadow appears before being replaced by the child's fate.
By the end of the movie, only one child remains, the one who stopped to see the butterfly at the start of the film, and is now too scared to continue cycling. The message of the movie is made clear when a police officer appears and tells the last child, "You're smart to play it safe, buddy. That's what we want all you guys to do."
Despite being aimed at children, One Got Fat is a genuinely dark and disturbing film. The exaggerated accidents and body count are likely to leave an impression on young viewers. However, the film's commitment to teaching essential bike safety rules cannot be dismissed.
In conclusion, One Got Fat is an effective educational short film about bicycle safety that uses comical yet gruesome imagery to drive home the message of the importance of following bike safety rules. It may be shocking in places, but this might help to make it memorable for the intended audience. If you're looking for a creative and impactful way to teach bike safety to children or revisit educational films of yesteryears, One Got Fat is a movie that can deliver the message brilliantly.
