Boys Beware (1962)

This public service short film is a cautionary tale to adolescent and young teen boys to beware the kindness of older male strangers, some who are mentally ill in that they are homosexuals preying on them. An easy way for these homosexuals to make their move is to pick up unsuspecting hitchhiking youths. Such is the case of young Jimmy Barnes, who, when thumbing for a ride, is picked up by a strange man - 'Ralph' - who ultimately befriends him, gives him ride after ride, gives him gifts and takes him on outings. It isn't until after Jimmy accepts all these favors that he learns Ralph's true intentions of wanting sexual favors from him in return. Jimmy is lucky in that he ultimately is able to report Ralph to his parents and the authorities. Young Mike Merrick is not as lucky. He is befriended by a stranger at the playground. The stranger ultimately takes him away and kills him. Boys should also beware of strange men who tell what may sound like an emergency situation, such as the strange man who approaches Denny and Jerry in a car saying that some bikes were stolen, and if either would recognize the boys that may have just ridden by. Denny goes off with the man, but is lucky that Jerry stays behind, as when he later learns that Denny never made it home, he is able to tell the authorities the license plate number of the strange man's car. Another popular tactic with the homosexual is to loiter around public restrooms. So boys must be aware of strangers who are too friendly or are hanging around for no seeming reason in places where boys congregate.