“A Trip Thru a Hollywood Studio” (Warner Brothers, 1935)

Come with me and sneak a peak of some Hollywood stars going about their day. On the way, we’ll visit some major studios, and then get a chance to go behind the scenes to learn how movie equipment of its day captured the sights and sounds of the movies. So, let’s go via a Warner Brothers short film called, A Trip Thru a Hollywood Studio (1935).

First, we’ll get a quick look at some major studios of the mid 1930’s. Up high with some great aerial shots, we can see Fox, RKO, Warner Brothers, Paramount, MGM, and Universal!

Stopping at Warner Brothers, we spot the great choreographer Busby Berkeley and dance director Bobby Connolly directing some hard-working chorus girls!

Next, we catch comedic actor Hugh Herbert putting on his make-up. “A little powder, a little paint, make little Hughie look what he ain’t!”

Let’s wave to heartthrob Rudy Vallee as he leaves Warner Brothers studio!

Watch out as Hollywood dogs take their owners for a jaunt: three Scottish Terriers enjoy Jean Muir and Warren William while Alice White’s sheepdog begs to be her lapdog.

Don’t throw in the towel yet; watch actor/boxer Pat O’Brien and actress/manager Ann Dvorak as Pat spars with former welterweight champion Jackie Fields.

Hold on a minute as “regular guy” James Cagney gets a light for his cigarette.

Let’s be a bit quiet here while Dolores del Rio poses for a still photographer.

Now, back to Hugh Herbert as he hams it up in a scene with a Hollywood harem!

On the last bit of the tour, Hugh runs through his scene while we visit all the amazing film equipment used for creating a Hollywood movie. From the microphone, to the disk recording machine, to the editing and printing rooms, to the movieola, and finally to the projection room to watch Hugh’s completed scene.

See ya on the next tour!

Thanks to Victoria Mentz for making this short subject available.

 

Tough times, tough guy … “The Hard Guy” with Spencer Tracy.

Don’t miss this six-minute short subject with a young, dark-haired Spencer Tracy! Only eight years before he “was listed as the fifth biggest money-making star of 1938,” and twelve years before his partnership began with Katharine Hepburn. “The Hard Guy,” a 1930 Warner Brothers “Vitaphone Varieties” is a must for Tracy fans!

The film begins with Guy, a despondent WWI veteran, battling unemployment in the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood of NY. (Had to look it up: Hell’s Kitchen is the area from 34th to 59th street). Desperate and needing food for his family, Guy protests, “Boy, what a picnic that war was compared to this one. I was a hero once, now I’m a bust!” As he leaves to look for work, his wife discovers a hidden revolver in his coat pocket … will Guy rob for food? Don’t ditch before the plot twist.

Thank you, Eldon Stuhr!

 

“The Prisoner of Zenda”? No! “The Prisoner of Swing”!

“The Prisoner of Swing” with a very young June Allyson singing and dancing with hoofer Hal Le Roy. Only a few minutes of this short subject are here, but it’s worth it to see 21-year-old June Allyson.

Per IMDb, “When she was eight years old, she was crushed by a falling tree limb while riding a bicycle. She wore a back brace for four years and taught herself to dance by watching Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers movies.” So glad June recovered; she gave us many musical hours of movies to watch!

Hal Le Roy is always wonderful to watch too. A talented and distinctive dancer!

A Warner Brothers, “Broadway Brevities,” short of 1938, which was a take-off of the 1937 “The Prisoner of Zenda” movie with Ronald Coleman. Thanks to GoodOldDaysReturns on YouTube!

 

“Believe It Or Not?”

A word that is 184 letters long? A three-story home built by a blind man? A man who can pick up and hold, in one hand, twelve billiard balls? Allow Mr. Robert Ripley to answer all of these burning questions, and more, with a nostalgic look back to 1930 from his “Ripley’s Believe It Or Not” short subject! 

I’m sure you’re familiar with Ripley’s books and television shows. But, did you know that Ripley (and the company bearing his name) produced his syndicated cartoon features in over 200 worldwide newspapers, broadcast several radio series to every world nation, created thirty-two “Odditorium” museums around the world, maintains an website and blog, and made an early talkie film series for Warner Brothers? Believe it or not!

Ripley was an avid artist, an explorer extraordinaire, a tireless traveler, and a generally busy guy, who, if had been a cat, would have surely died too soon from his insatiable curiosity. 

Enjoy more Ripley videos on MrJadedtom’s YouTube channel.

(Source: https://www.youtube.com/)

 

“Bubbles” with Frances Ethel Gumm! Oh, sorry, I meant Judy Garland!

In this clip from a Warner Brothers Vitaphone Varieties short called “Bubbles,” Frances Ethel Gumm, aka Judy Garland, is seen at the age of eight, belting out “The Land of Let’s Pretend.” Young Judy is joined by her older sisters, Mary Jane and Virginia Gumm; all three known to Hollywood as “The Gumm Sisters.” If you want to hear just Garland’s two-line solo and see her in a close-up, skip through the clip to about 1:04. Sorry, that it isn’t a better print.

The 1930 short was originally filmed in Technicolor, but did not survive in that format. However, during the 1990’s, in the Library of Congress, a black & white print was discovered. You can watch the full 7+ minutes on Dailymotion. And, to read more about Judy’s short films, please visit thejudyroom.com.

Warner Brothers made hundreds of short films showcasing many great talents of the 20’s and 30’s. Judy starred in a few more short subjects before making feature films. Isn’t it fun to see our “Wizard of Oz” girl so early in her career?

(Source: https://www.youtube.com/)

 

Gracie – “I have brains I haven’t even used yet.” George – “Well, leave them alone, don’t bother with them.”

Lambchops is a must-see film for Burns and Allen fans! Enjoy this early 1929 sound film from Vitaphone (a Warner Brothers subsidiary). In this eight-minute short, straight man George and comic Gracie will show off their wonderful comedic chemistry, and their whimsical singing and hoofing in a sweet version of “Do You Believe Me.”

Already married by this time, the duo continued to work together for another twenty-nine years. No two were better at banter than these two!

 

“I have traveled in 201 countries and the strangest thing I saw was man.” – Robert Ripley

A word that is 184 letters long? A three-story home built by a blind man? A man who can pick up and hold, in one hand, twelve billiard balls? Allow Mr. Robert Ripley to answer all of these burning questions, and more, with a nostalgic look back to 1930 from his “Ripley’s Believe It Or Not” short subject! 

I’m sure you’re familiar with Ripley’s books and television shows. But, did you know that Ripley (and the company bearing his name) produced his syndicated cartoon features in over 200 worldwide newspapers, broadcast several radio series to every world nation, created thirty-two “Odditorium” museums around the world, maintains an website and blog, and made an early talkie film series for Warner Brothers? Believe it or not!

Ripley was an avid artist, an explorer extraordinaire, a tireless traveler, and a generally busy guy, who, if had been a cat, would have surely died too soon from his insatiable curiosity. 

Enjoy more Ripley videos on MrJadedtom’s YouTube channel.

 

Frances Gumm, aka Judy Garland, in “Bubbles” (1930)

In this clip from a Warner Brothers Vitaphone Varieties short called “Bubbles,” Frances Ethel Gumm, aka Judy Garland, is seen at the age of eight, belting out “The Land of Let’s Pretend.” Young Judy is joined by her older sisters, Mary Jane and Virginia Gumm; all three known to Hollywood as “The Gumm Sisters.” If you want to hear just Garland’s two-line solo and see her in a close-up, skip through the clip to about 1:04. Sorry, that it isn’t a better print.

The 1930 short was originally filmed in Technicolor, but did not survive in that format. However, during the 1990’s, in the Library of Congress, a black & white print was discovered. You can watch the full 7+ minutes on Dailymotion. And, to read more about Judy’s short films, please visit thejudyroom.com.

Warner Brothers made hundreds of short films showcasing many great talents of the 20’s and 30’s. Judy starred in a few more short subjects before making feature films. Isn’t it fun to see our “Wizard of Oz” girl so early in her career?