Don't Be Scalped

Australia, 1960

Film
Don't Be Scalped thumbnail image.

In this 1960 film, we see female machine operators working in factories. The film focuses on a woman named Judy, describing her outfit and the dangers associated with wearing high-heeled shoes, full skirts, jewellery and long hair while operating a machine. The film then shows Judy dressed in the correct clothing options, including protective shoes, coveralls and cap to cover her hair. It also gives advice on how to lift heavy objects. As opposed to the safety films directed at male workers, the narrator focuses on physical appearance throughout the film, describing Judy as attractive, charming and pretty, and warning against fatigue, wear on clothing, disfigurement and scalping.

Produced by Fortune Film Productions and the New South Wales Department of Labour and Industry.

There are several jumps in the soundtrack throughout the film due to missing frames.

Please note: As this is an archival work, the content does not reflect current practice or standards. Professional advice for up-to-date safety practices should be sought from the appropriate contemporary authority.

Content notification

Our collection comprises over 40,000 moving image works, acquired and catalogued between the 1940s and early 2000s. As a result, some items may reflect outdated, offensive and possibly harmful views and opinions. ACMI is working to identify and redress such usages.

Learn more about our collection and our collection policy here. If you come across harmful content on our website that you would like to report, let us know.

How to watch

This work has been digitised and can be viewed in the display above.

Collection

In ACMI's collection

Credits

editor

Joan Hansen

producer/director

R.D. Hansen

production company

Fortune Film Productions

New South Wales. Dept. of Labour and Industry

Duration

00:09:02:00

Production places
Australia
Production dates
1960

Collection metadata

ACMI Identifier

002963

Language

English

Sound/audio

Sound

Colour

Colour

Holdings

16mm film; Access Print (Section 1)

MPEG-4 Digital File; ACMI Digital Access Copy - presentation

MOV file ProRes4444; Digital Preservation Master - overscan

MOV file ProRes4444; Digital Preservation Master - presentation

MOV file H264; ACMI External Digital Access Copy

MPEG-4 Digital File; ACMI Digital Access Copy - overscan

Please note: this archive is an ongoing body of work. Sometimes the credit information (director, year etc) isn’t available so these fields may be left blank; we are progressively filling these in with further research.

Cite this work on Wikipedia

If you would like to cite this item, please use the following template: {{cite web |url=https://acmi.net.au/works/66877--dont-be-scalped/ |title=Don't Be Scalped |author=Australian Centre for the Moving Image |access-date=5 May 2025 |publisher=Australian Centre for the Moving Image}}