Understanding Your Ideals (1950)

[Music] you might say our ideals are like headlights they like the way ahead without them we are lost unable to make decisions with them we have a good chance of success we need clear strong ideals let's consider popularity the ideal of Jeffrey Moore if I only had a car like that I'd really be popular everybody want to be friends with me then what I'd be the most popular guy at school nothing like a flashy car to make a big impression how about that St I know one thing June had sure look good driving with me in a car like that Jun knows how to dress not the best looking girl in town but well everybody likes her going around with her is B to make me popular too well good old mother and dad now dad keeps his promise about letting me have the car tonight oh but he will dad never breaks a promise yes sir FKS you can be proud that's one sure thing you need to become popular H to I'll bet at Anderson's proud of his folks gee I wish I had his popularity if people only crowd around me like that maybe maybe if I kept his photo there and and I tried to imitate him well then I'd be popular too the only difference between us is that well he's captain of the football team well someday I'm going to be just as popular pretty Snappy stuff well so's mine let's see shirt right tie right and coat right now can't be popular unless you know how to dress boy with this new sport code in June I'll be the H of the Class party well Dad I'm ready how about the car keys oh Jeff Grandma fell and H us so well will'll have to go and stay with her a few days are you ready mother here I am ready to go well Dad you promised that I could have the car I'm sorry Jeff this is an emergency you'll just have to use the bus tonight it'll take a couple of hours to drive down dad won't be back in time Dad you're not going back on the promise are you Jeff you can't have the car and that's final well how can I take Julie out in the bus what do my friends say I'm sorry Jeff don't stay out too late goodbye goodbye yeah but your promise upop they just don't want me to be popular that's all how can you take a girl out without a car you'd keep your word wouldn't just stupid I'll never be popular I guess well there's only one thing to [Music] do hello hello J this is Jeff oh hi Jeff I'm almost ready listen Jun we can't go tonight I um I don't feel well I'm sick see and and it it happened all of a sudden and i' I've got to go to bed oh I'm sorry Jeff of course we won't go if you're not feeling well I hope you feel better soon bye well I'm going to find some people who keep their word if ideals are weak or poor or vague difficulties become frustrations judgments are hard the road the head is lost too bad when it seems your parents let you down interfere with an ideal but what about an ideal like popularity oh but isn't the Freshman having a night out stag hey don't you guys ever have dates maybe if we had fancy clothes like you we could go out yeah that's a pretty shark jacket he's wearing you're right trouble with you guys is you don't know how to dress if you wore the right clothes you'd be popular too you popular you didn't know tell me if you're so popular how come you're not at your class party tonight tell new bow tie or something poor quart of vanilla please [Music] you're quite ill I see now listen Jun I can explain about that with another lie I suppose well uh I had to come down here to get some medicine what medicine well uh I can't understand the way you're acting Jeff all right Juna was this way I couldn't get the car for tonight and well I didn't want to take you on the bus what would people think really Jeff we could perfectly well have gone on the bus lots of people did you're not making yourself very popular popular well that's just it how can you be popular without a car you don't know what the word popular means [Music] sick huh now you really will be sick she sure told you off boy you're washed [Music] [Applause] [Music] up [Music] this is a pretty nice looking coat to be left on the stairs clothes don't make you popular you didn't go to the party I wanted to explain about breaking my promise it was an emergency cars don't make you popular either I see you know son I've always looked on keeping promises is a sort of an ideal but I've begun to realize that it isn't possible all the time I figured you knew that sometimes even promises can't be kept oh what difference does it make it seemed to make a lot of difference well if you can't be popular with the right clothes in a car how can you be popular if you can't keep your promises to your own son can you be an honest man Dad I'm all mixed up what can I do now Jeff I was mixed up tonight too when I was driving your mother I kept thinking about you and about the promise you thought I would keep I wondered how I could face you I wondered what you would think of me you see what happens when we have ideas that aren't clear and sound but why well Jeff think about some other ideals some big ideals that all men share what about Freedom isn't that an ideal we can all agree on but what does it mean are you free to Rob or free to kill no we need a clearly defined idea such as freedom of speech freedom of the press freedom of religion even these may need to be clearer for ideals must be clear and when they are how much they can lead us to achieve men with clear ideals have looked at prairies and transform them into great cities clear ideals have seen energy in rivers and put that energy to work only clear ideals could lift science from simple crude experiments to the knowledge that serves Mankind and clear compelling religious ideals have lifted men from primitive tribes to Great rich Whole Living so you see when ideals are sound and clear they can help us to do some wonderful things even simple ideal such as keeping promises or being popular help us in the tremendously important business of getting along with other people they help put things in the right perspective and they serve as a challenge for us always to do better I think I see about the card so okay how's grandmother grandmother's going to be all right oh Dad don't worry about me I'll work out my ideal good night Jeff you know something Stu I wanted to be popular but I never asked myself what it means no what I've got to be clear about it I've got to figure it out just what do I mean by popularity and why is Ed Anderson so popular let's see I've never thought about it but he doesn't wear fancy clothes maybe it's because he's captain of the team no no it isn't that alone and he hasn't got a car either uses the bus no it's something else that makes Ed popular and Mom and Dad why are they popular loyalty sincerity and good sportsmanship now I'm beginning to understand to be popular I've got to have ideals like honesty and good sportsmanship and sincerity and loyalty those are ideals that I've really got to work for how about that to do old boy to be honest and sincere I've I've got to write June an apology it won't be easy but well I know what to do now she was right I did know a popularity man Jeff is on the right track now he has found the road yes the way out of our difficulties is easier to find if our ideals like headlights are strong and clear they lead us to a rich full and happy life can you depend on your ideals for the road that lies ahead