Line #15 Film/TheDaysOfOurYears


1	[[quoteright:260:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/days_of_our_years_1837.jpg]]
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3	''The Days of Our Years'' was an educational short produced for UsefulNotes/UnionPacific Railroad in 1955. It's best known for its appearance on ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000''. The three depressing stories in the film are warnings about taking life for granted, following safety measures, and [[ComicallyMissingThePoint that there are 70 days in each year.]]
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5	The short starts with a pastor watching an ambulance go by, and musing about how many people around him fail to enjoy their full lifetimes because of carelessness. Thus he focuses on three members of his church, all railroad employees, who have had a tragedy occur to them. The first deals with a pair of young lovers who are eager to get married[[note]][[spoiler:Joe got in a car crash and received a neck injury.]][[/note]]. The second is about two co-workers planning their retirement and [[RetIrony looking forward to spending their last few years happy and with their families]][[note]][[spoiler:George has a heart attack and doesn't stop his train from crushing Fred to death.]][[/note]]. The final tale is about a young welder and father-to-be who is very happy and excited to see his new baby boy[[note]][[spoiler:Charlie caused his own blinding by welding torch when he surprises the welder with celebratory cigars.]][[/note]].
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7	Each story ends in tragedy. And tragedy that Union Pacific Railroad bears absolutely no responsibility for, nope.
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9	For the ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000'' version, please go to the [[Recap/MysteryScienceTheater3000S06E23TheAmazingTransparentMan episode recap page]].
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11	!!Tropes:
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13	* BaitAndSwitch: We're introduced to George, apparently confined to his front porch, and mention is made of some bitterness between him and the young man living across the street. At first it's made to seem that the neighbor is responsible for the accident that befell George; but it turns out that [[spoiler:George himself is responsible for the accident... which killed the young man's father]].
14	* BrokenAesop: Apparently, joy, sex, and old age are the leading causes of death.[[note]]Well, the last one is probably true.[[/note]]
15	* CruelTwistEnding[=/=]DownerEnding: Each story ends horribly for everyone involved.
16	** Joe and Helen are madly in love and can't wait to get married. [[spoiler: Joe is so excited that he crashes his car, permanently injures himself, and has become so traumatized that he's no longer able to enjoy life, and he and Helen end up miserable together]].
17	** Lifelong best friends George and Fred can't wait to spend their retirements with their families. [[spoiler: George accidentally kills Fred in a train accident when he has a heart attack at the controls, and becomes a shut-in convinced that Fred's family will never forgive him]].
18	** Charlie just can't wait for his wife to give birth to their first son. [[spoiler: When he gets a call at work saying the baby has been born, Charlie startles a welder and gets blinded, robbing him of the opportunity to ever see his baby boy like he wanted]].
19	* DontSneakUpOnMeLikeThat: Failing to use "gentle pressure" to get a co-worker's attention while using a blowtorch leads to nasty consequences, as Charlie O'Neil finds out the hard way.
20	* DrivesLikeCrazy: Joe is so happy to be engaged to Helen that he starts driving erratically. [[spoiler: This leads to the car crash that effectively destroys his body and mind]].
21	* EyeScream: [[spoiler: Charlie O'Neil gets his eyes burned out of his sockets when he startles a welder at work.]]
22	* ImagineSpot: In the first parable, the bride-to-be imagines life with her new hubby Joe -- buying a tract house, making out in front of a fireplace, babies...
23	* MadeOfIron: Despite standing in the back of a moving flatbed truck, Joe’s two work buddies survive a crash completely unscathed.
24	* NeverMyFault: Notice that all of the accidents are purely the fault of the workers, never the management or equipment.[[note]]Work safety films are always like this, since the whole point is to pressure workers to follow protocol and not take risks on the job.[[/note]]
25	* OnceDoneNeverForgotten: It's implied that Fred's family blames George for [[spoiler:accidentally causing Fred's death and bears a grudge against the poor guy, even though George couldn't have guessed that his discomfort before the accident was because he was about to have a '''heart attack''' at the controls]].
26	* PanickyExpectantFather: Charlie O'Neil can hardly contain his excitement when his wife goes into labor. Everything goes to pot when he hears that she's actually given birth; poor Charlie gets so excited that [[spoiler: he gets a facefull of a startled welder's blowtorch]].
27	* PoorCommunicationKills: George doesn't feel the need to tell anyone that he hasn't been feeling well lately. [[spoiler: Perhaps if he'd taken a day off to see a doctor, he wouldn't have had that heart attack and Fred would've lived to see retirement]].
28	* ProudPapaPassesOutTheCigars: When Charlie gets the call that his wife has given birth, he hurries to share his cigars with his coworkers. [[spoiler:Unfortunately, this activity startles a welder at work, and a permanent blinding ensues]].
29	* RetIrony: Suffice it to say, lifelong best friends George and Fred don't get a chance to enjoy retirement with their families like they'd planned after 40+ years working at the railyard. [[spoiler: Fred dies a horrific death when George has a heart attack while operating a train, and George spends the rest of his life as a miserable recluse convinced that Fred's grieving family hates him]].
30	* ScareEmStraight: "Follow proper safety precautions or the universe will conspire to ruin your life!"
31	* StayInTheKitchen: The qualities the reverend lists as to why Helen will be such a great wife for Joe are her desire to cook and housekeep.
32	* StopTrick: The "fastest sale on record".

Context Film / TheDaysOfOurYears