# Dropout, The

A warning to would-be slackers, The Dropout shows the loneliness and frustration that develop in Robert, who drops out of school and tries to find a job before he is qualified to compete in the highly competitive world of modern work. Told in Davis' inimitable voiceover style, this film retells the classic "downward spiral" tale. "More than ever before, competition is keen," says the narrator. "The work force is made up of skilled personnel." Attracted by the world of work and eager to leave the regulated society of high school behind, Robert begins to pound the Santa Monica pavement. But no one wants to hire a dropout. And, what's worse, his schoolmates seem to be getting along just fine without him. "There used to be an order in your life. You belonged. You had an anchor in a social institution. Now you feel adrift. You're on the outside, looking in," comments the narrator, who throughout the film addresses his words to Robert. And that's not the end of it. Alice, Robert's girlfriend, has to meet him in secret, as her parents don't want her seeing a dropout. In an attempt to keep her, "you downgrade your image one more step and take a job as busboy." This improves things, but not for long, and one night Alice shows up at the restaurant with another date. Robert begins to crash and burn. He cannot even get an unskilled job, as employers want an older, more reliable hand. "You begin to drift in earnest...much of your day is spent wandering aimlessly in the less desirable…

- Kind: Film
- Year: 1962
- By: Davis (Sid) Productions
- Genres: Industrial and advertising
- Archive: [Internet Archive](https://archive.org/details/0763_Dropout_The_02_26_58_24)
- Licence or status: none stated by the archive
- Who can watch: Tweens profiles and older (the archive gives no rating; placed by Invisible Network from its collection and subjects)

[Watch now](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/watch/archive/ia/0763_Dropout_The_02_26_58_24?play=1)