A plea for even further repression, 'Perversion for Profit' is an unintentionally hilarious and horrifying piece of propaganda. In the 1960's, the obsessively conformist values of the 50's were shapeshifting into a confused world forced to face with very progressive countercultural movements, and 'Perversion for Profit' is a perfect example of the hysteria some extreme conservatives must have found themselves in. The script is comically over-the-top and just plain foolish, and the delivery of George Putnam (who the credits call the "outstanding news reporter") is perfectly melodramatic. This entire short is the bizarre ramblings of a paranoid and hateful old man refusing to come to terms with natural sexual desire, and to look at the film through such a lens makes it even more fascinating. The unintentional comedy and entertainment value one can get out of this fear mongering and blatantly anti-free-speech short film makes it worth watching for those who can enjoy the campy quality of awfully unsuccessful and dated propaganda.
Review of Perversion for Profit
