Books
The boys mysteriously disappear. The classroom lights dim. In glorious black and white, Molly Grows Up advises millions of fifth-grade girls that while menstruating, they should avoid square dancing, ''pay more attention to your hair and nails, and wear your prettiest dress.'' Smith, a social historian who fine-tuned his research skills with knee-slappers like Ken's Guide to the Bible and the Roadside America series, here covers a previously unexplored side of American filmmaking. Combining dialogue, rare photos, and behind-the-scenes gossip, he neatly encapsulates 285 short classics such as Highways of Agony, Narcotics: Pit of Despair, Dating: Do's and Don'ts, and Shy Guy. By placing the corny, often grim, always low-budget films in their historical context, Smith almost makes us believe they deserve our respect more than our laughter. A-
