The Days of Our Years

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The Days of Our Years was an educational short produced for Union Pacific Railroad in 1955. The three depressing stories in the film are warnings about taking life for granted, following safety measures, and that there are 70 days in each year.

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. The second is about two co-workers planning their retirement and looking forward to spending their last few years happy and with their families. The final tale is about a young welder and father-to-be who is very happy and excited to see his new baby boy.

Each story ENDS IN TRAGEDY.

For the Mystery Science Theater 3000 version, please go to the episode recap page.

Tropes used in The Days of Our Years include:

• Broken Aesop: See page quote.
• Cruel Twist Ending/Downer Ending: EACH STORY.
• Eye Scream: The welder who gets his eyes burned.
• Never My Fault: Notice that all of the accidents are purely the fault of the workers, never the management or equipment.
• Scare'Em Straight: Kind of effective actually.