Say hello to Tommy. One evening, Tommy heads downstairs to ask his parents for more pocket-money. This journey will prove fateful. In the words of the narrator: "Tommy will get to see what Mother and Father do after supper." Veteran American director Ted Peshak (the spearhead behind 'What to Do on a Date (1951)') strikes again with another searing insight into the juvenile mind, as a young boy (played by Skip Peshak) grapples with the topical issue of familial roles in contemporary 1950s society. Will little Tommy come to appreciate his parents? Will he receive that pocket- money increase he so desires? Will you, before this film is over, feel the uncontrollable urge to shoot your television? Yes, yes, and yes.

(r#20)I've always thought that the Mystery Science Theater team is at its peak when Joel and the 'bots get the chance to riff on instructional short films. Honestly, these little films seem to have been made for the sole purpose of a man and two robots riffing them. They're made to be laughed at, wallowing in bad acting, annoying narrators and dated messages ("A Date with Your Family" is the prime example of idiotic preaching).Appreciating Your Parents isn't half bad, actually. Sure, the acting is bad and it's not very entertaining, but the message is actually a good one: we should appreciate each other more and help each other out when we get the chance. Joel, Crow and Tom have a field day with it, but I feel that this movie, like "I Accuse my Parents", really doesn't deserve to be looked down upon. I'll give this short 4 out of 10.

Ah, what is it about instructional films of the 1950's that make them not stand up to the test of time? This one certainly didn't. The narrator is pretty annoying and sounds like an old hick. Avoid this one unless you're watching the MST3K version.