Take Your Choice (1964)

so in any average group of fellows in school there's always someone who feels he is far from average someone who feels he's different that's how it is with jeff carter he thinks he bears a charmed life jeff will admit that he's average in many ways he can miss a shot with the best or worst of them [Music] he spends about the average length of time in front of a mirror he has an average interest in girls one in particular patricia pat for short and he gives her an extraordinary amount of attention which is also average as jeff looks ahead across the years to come he figures that what happens to other people will also happen to him like the others he'll graduate like them he'll get a job like them someday maybe even get married [Music] but when it comes to the unpleasant things that could happen [Music] then jeff is somehow different he's not like the others he bears a charmed life pain suffering accidents as far as jeff is concerned those are things that happen to other people not to him well it's nice to be different or is it people like jeff don't have to think of the risks connected with what they do they can concentrate on the pleasant side like the sight of these dancing sparks if a fellow doesn't have to worry about danger he can get closer to his work he can look at the chips of brass to peel off the cylinder or the curls of steel that go shooting into space without being reminded constantly that those metal fragments are as sharp as they are shiny and those pretty sparks dancing off the tube are actually particles of hot steel they would sear the whites of any man's eyes except jeff's maybe a fellow who's immune to danger can be a lot more comfortable the rules in the chemistry laboratory call for safety glasses to be worn at all times at all times may sound kind of sweeping but how else can the eyes be protected it's obvious that safety glasses are needed while acid is being poured or while an experiment is being performed [Music] but how about the many times when nothing is being done that could conceivably harm oneself these times two call for eye protection because one's neighbor might do some unexpected thing that causes the acid or hot liquids to splatter [Music] but when a fellow's immune he doesn't even have to listen he just asks himself whatever could go wrong here [Music] jeff may have a point it looks as simple as mixing a malted and just about as dangerous [Music] but the safest things have a way of turning ugly because of carelessness and circumstance if the test tube is defective as once in a great while it might be it could shatter in the flame if the tube is okay but it's heated a bit carelessly the hot liquid could spurt and do damage who knows [Music] jeff look out [Music] [Applause] what happened what happened to jeff time seems to stand still at this moment nobody knows any of the answers and only the question remains what happened to jeff carter [Music] could it have been something that leads to this is this jeff's future is this where a fellow's luck and his eyesight finally run out is this where he realizes that a moment of carelessness can last a lifetime is this where it suddenly makes no sense to entrust two of the most precious things he has his eyes to a myth of immunity is this the choice jeff has made has he closed his eyes forever to all those things that add up to fun and excitement and make living more enjoyable [Applause] hello is this world of color and action to be shut out forever [Music] is this the charmed life those are the questions how about the answer what did happen to jeff let's go back to the experiment and see jeff look out glasses wise guys [Music] what really happened to jeff was fortunate he trusted in safety the very instant he could no longer trust in immunity plenty of others besides jeff have learned there's only one foolproof defense always to be ready for the unexpected [Music] oh imagine if the glasses had not been there to block the damage others besides jeff reached the conclusion that having the right skills and the right reflexes is not enough you also need the right protection against the one thing that never could go wrong but too often does [Music] molten steel left the signature imagine if the shield had not been there to block the damage it looks so cheerful but those sparks move with blinding force [Music] so it makes sense to let the goggles take the punishment not the eyes because of what happened to jeff the others in his school took a fresh look at themselves so [Music] if the unexpected should happen again as it could at almost any time [Music] they'd be prepared because they'd be protected jeff proved pretty convincingly that acting as if you owned a charmed life could result in the loss of what charm you had [Music] glasses wise guys they made their choice each one of them cast a silent vote in favor of glasses at all times you might say the eyes had it [Music] how about you you