The Palgrave Encyclopedia of American Horror Film Shorts: 1915–1976 3030975630, 9783030975630

Citation preview

The Palgrave Encyclopedia of American Horror Film Shorts  1915–1976 Gary D. Rhodes · David J. Hogan with  Mark Martucci and Henry Nicolella

The Palgrave Encyclopedia of American Horror Film Shorts

Gary D. Rhodes • David J. Hogan

The Palgrave Encyclopedia of American Horror Film Shorts 1915–1976

with Mark Martucci and Henry Nicolella

Gary D. Rhodes Ardmore, OK, USA

David J. Hogan Arlington Heights, IL, USA

ISBN 978-3-030-97563-0    ISBN 978-3-030-97564-7 (eBook) https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-97564-7 © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, expressed or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Cover illustration: The Spook Raisers (1915) (From the collection of Gary D. Rhodes) This Palgrave Macmillan imprint is published by the registered company Springer Nature Switzerland AG. The registered company address is: Gewerbestrasse 11, 6330 Cham, Switzerland

For Forrest J Ackerman, our dear friend who so greatly inspired us, and For Hal Roach and all the brilliant people who worked at his Laugh Factory.

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to extend their gratitude to the various archives, libraries, museums, and universities that kindly offered assistance during the research phase of this project: the Billy Rose Theater Division of the New York Public Library, the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas at Austin, the Library of Congress of Washington, DC, the Los Angeles Public Library, the Margaret Herrick Library of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and the Media History Digital Library. The authors would also like to offer their deepest thanks to a number of individuals who gave so much of their time and support that they proved crucial to this project’s completion: the late Forrest J Ackerman, John Antosiewicz, Matthew E.  Banks, Buddy Barnett, Kevin Brownlow, Mario Chacon, Bill Chase, George Chastain, Ned Comstock, Michael Copner, Robert Cremer, Richard Daub, Kristin Dewey Jack Dowler, Samantha Glasser, Donald F. Glut, the late Phillip Fortune, Beau Foutz, Robert Guffey, Lee Harris, Kim Hogan, Bill Kaffenberger, Robert J.  Kiss, Leonard J.  Kohl, Gary Lassin, Leonard Maltin, Shawn McCracken, Russell McGee, the late Mark A.  Miller, Ted Okuda, Donald Rhodes, Phyllis Rhodes, William Rosar, Robert Singer, Anthony Slide, Carter Smith, John Soister, David Stenn, David Wentink, and Glenn P. White. Particular thanks to Steve Lansdale/Heritage Auctions, for their generous assistance with images. Special recognition goes to Tom Weaver for his extensive help in research and proofreading, as well as to Lina Aboujieb, our editor at Palgrave Macmillan.

vii

Contents

Introduction  1 Entries 1915–76  7 Index653

ix

About the Authors

David J. Hogan  worked as an entertainment journalist in Los Angeles before spending thirty years in Chicago book and magazine publishing. As an executive editor and publisher, he specialized in film, the 1950s and 1960s, the American Civil Rights Movement, World War II, military aviation, and the American West. He has worked with notables who include Walter Cronkite, Myrlie Evers-Williams, Herman Spertus, Tom Hayden, Senator Daniel K. Inouye, Maureen O’Hara, and John S. D. Eisenhower. Hogan is engaged by the aesthetics and cultural significances of vintage horror and science fiction, comic shorts, and film noir. He is at work on his tenth book of film history and has published essays in books devoted to Edgar Ulmer, Joseph H. Lewis, Budd Boetticher, movie expressionism, and neglected B-movies. Gary D. Rhodes  serves as Professor of Media at Oklahoma Baptist University. He is the author of Emerald Illusions: The Irish in Early American Cinema (2012), The Perils of Moviegoing in America (2012), and The Birth of the American Horror Film (2018), as well as the editor of such anthologies as Edgar G. Ulmer: Detour on Poverty Row (2008), The Films of Joseph H. Lewis (2012), and The Films of Budd Boetticher (2017). Rhodes is also the writer-­ director of such documentary films as Lugosi: Hollywood’s Dracula (1997) and Banned in Oklahoma (2004). His latest book, co-authored with Robert Singer, is Consuming Images: Film Art and the American Television Commercial (2020).

xi

List of Figures

Entries 1915–76 Fig. 1 Fig. 2 Fig. 3 Fig. 4

Fig. 5 Fig. 6 Fig. 7 Fig. 8 Fig. 9 Fig. 10 Fig. 11 Fig. 12 Fig. 13 Fig. 14

Pathé trade ad, in Motion Picture News, for Col. Heeza Liar—Ghost Breaker (1915) 10 A supernatural crystal helps a naïve young man avoid fraudulent investments in The Mystic Ball (1915). (Courtesy Heritage Auctions) 36 Unidentified supporting player in costume for The Girl and the Mummy (1916) 68 “Missing link” Wild Willie prepares to do mischief in Willis O’Brien’s early stop-motion piece, The Dinosaur and the Baboon (1917), a retitled reissue of 1915’s inadequately released The Dinosaur and the Missing Link, A Prehistoric Tragedy. (Courtesy Heritage Auctions) 93 Willis O’Brien’s stop-motion dinosaurs provide the thrills in The Ghost of Slumber Mountain (1919). (Courtesy Heritage Auctions) 116 Mack Swain is contacted by souls from “the other side” in Full of Spirit (1920). (Courtesy Heritage Auctions) 124 Haunted Spooks (1920): Lifted from despondency by a new romance, Harold Lloyd is unexpectedly beset by ghosts inside a Southern mansion. (Courtesy Heritage Auctions) 126 Buster Keaton (left) and Joe Roberts, in one of the quieter moments from The Scarecrow (1920). (Courtesy Heritage Auctions) 131 The High Sign (1921): Buster Keaton reluctantly accepts his marching orders. (Courtesy Heritage Auctions) 138 Would-be electrician Buster Keaton meets a peculiar resident of The Electric House (1922). (Courtesy Heritage Auctions) 147 Educational used this 1922 trade ad to promote its lively two-reel Sherlock Holmes series starring Eille Norwood. 160 Treasure Bound (1922), in which fanciful science helps propel a search for gold. (Courtesy Heritage Auctions) 162 Bert Roach (left) and Neely Edwards, Tut! Tut! King (1923) 175 Newlyweds Harry Langdon and Alice Day tussle with a houseful of creepy people in The First 100 Years (1924). (Courtesy Heritage Auctions)178

xiii

xiv 

List of Figures

Fig. 15

A spooky house followed by beach romance: Harry Langdon (from left), Madeline Hurlock, and Alice Day in His New Mamma (1924). (Courtesy Heritage Auctions) 181 Fig. 16 The Our Gang kids try to coax Farina (far right) from certain death in Seein’ Things (1924). (Courtesy Heritage Auctions) 187 Fig. 17 Bumpy romance in The Haunted Honeymoon (1925). (Courtesy Heritage Auctions) 195 Fig. 18 Just Spooks (1925): Cartoon animator Walter Lantz, at odds yet again with Dinky Doodle (lower left) and Weakheart the Dog. (Courtesy Heritage Auctions) 196 Fig. 19 Clyde Cook does night work in Moonlight and Noses (1925). (Courtesy Heritage Auctions) 198 Fig. 20 Animator Walter Lantz’s mischievous Dinky Doodle in Egypt (1926). (Courtesy Heritage Auctions) 204 Fig. 21 Oliver Hardy (center), with handcuffed fiend Noah Young in Do Detectives Think? (1927). (Courtesy Heritage Auctions) 218 Fig. 22 The larcenous Professor Electra (George B. French) mesmerizes the Our Gang kids in Heebee Jeebees (1927). (Courtesy Heritage Auctions)220 Fig. 23 Laurel and Hardy fall into midnight misadventure in Habeas Corpus (1928). (Courtesy Heritage Auctions) 232 Fig. 23a Uneasy moments for Snub Pollard in Koo Koo Knights (1928) 235 Fig. 24 The Our Gang kids’ trip to California becomes a scary disaster in Fast Freight (1929). (Courtesy Heritage Auctions) 244 Fig. 25 Joe Cobb and the rest of Our Gang learn Saturday’s Lesson (1929) when a fraudulent Satan intimidates them into doing their chores. (Courtesy Heritage Auctions) 254 Fig. 26 Stan and Ollie meet Dell Henderson for “old dark house” mayhem in The Laurel-Hardy Murder Case (1930). (Courtesy Heritage Auctions) 268 Fig. 27 On-set photo of Harry Langdon and Thelma Todd with a phonetic-dialogue board used during the shoot of ¡Pobre Infeliz!, the Spanish-­language version of The Shrimp (1930). (Courtesy Heritage Auctions) 274 Fig. 28 Oh! Oh! Cleopatra (1931): Time-travel pills send Bert Wheeler (left) and Robert Woolsey to ancient Rome, where they canoodle with Egypt’s beauteous queen (Dorothy Burgess). (Courtesy Heritage Auctions)296 Fig. 29 Romance and reptiles in Paul Terry’s 2000 B.C. (1931). (Courtesy Heritage Auctions) 308 Fig. 30 Tom Howard (left), with perennial sidekick George Shelton, in The Unemployed Ghost (1931) 309 Fig. 31 Lucien Littlefield (playing dotty Professor Noodle) with Laurel and Hardy in Dirty Work (1933). (Courtesy Heritage Auctions) 339 Fig. 32 Walt Disney and David Hand’s The Mad Doctor (1933), an unusually potent horror cartoon. (Courtesy Heritage Auctions) 345 Fig. 33 David McKay Company’s authorized hardcover retelling of Disney’s Big Bad Wolf (1934). (Courtesy Heritage Auctions) 358 Fig. 33a Wicked Pluto hectors Persephone, The Goddess of Spring (1934). Promotional art by Tom Wood. 362

  List of Figures 

Fig. 34 Fig. 35 Fig. 36 Fig. 37 Fig. 38 Fig. 39 Fig. 40 Fig. 41 Fig. 42 Fig. 43 Fig. 44 Fig. 45 Fig. 46 Fig. 47 Fig. 48 Fig. 49 Fig. 50 Fig. 51 Fig. 52 Fig. 53

xv

Old Man Winter and the change of seasons in Jack Frost (1934). (Courtesy Heritage Auctions) 366 Spanky McFarland, Scotty Beckett (foreground), and the other Our Gang kids uncover hidden treasure in Mama’s Little Pirate (1934). (Courtesy Heritage Auctions) 369 Oliver the Eighth (1934): Incipiently violent romance with (from left) Jack Barty, Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, and Mae Busch. (Courtesy Heritage Auctions) 371 Although this lobby card identifies Balloon Land (1935) with a single-word title, the title as seen on-screen is two words. (Courtesy Heritage Auctions) 377 Lively Cinecolor adventure and scares in Ub Iwerks’s Sinbad the Sailor (1935). (Courtesy Heritage Auctions) 386 Romance interrupted by The Headless Horseman (1936). (Courtesy Heritage Auctions) 393 Dave and Max Fleischer’s Popeye the Sailor Meets Sinbad the Sailor (1936) earned a full page in a Paramount promotional book prepared for the 1936–37 exhibition season. (Courtesy Heritage Auctions) 398 Spooky Hooky (1936): A night inside a dark, locked schoolhouse becomes a hair-raising endurance test for Alfalfa Switzer and the rest of Our Gang. (Courtesy Heritage Auctions) 399 Inexpert ghost catchers Goofy, Donald, and Mickey go to work in Lonesome Ghosts (1937). (Courtesy Heritage Auctions) 407 Farmer Al Falfa’s bovine milk producer goes on strike, and is replaced by The Mechanical Cow (1937). (Courtesy Heritage Auctions) 409 Better living through automation in Modern Inventions (1937). (Courtesy Heritage Auctions) 410 Rustic atmosphere in Walt Disney and Wilfred Jackson’s The Old Mill (1937). This one-sheet promotes a 1951 reissue. (Courtesy Heritage Auctions)413 Ghostly musical revelry at the Midnight Frolics (1938). (Courtesy Heritage Auctions) 424 Amateur sleuth Gandy Goose meets Dracula and Frankenstein’s Monster in G Man Jitters (1939). (Courtesy Heritage Auctions) 433 Larry Fine (from left), Moe Howard, and Curly Howard: detectives turned amateur archaeologists in We Want Our Mummy (1939). (Courtesy Heritage Auctions) 442 Popeye is tormented by a vivid dream in Wotta Nitemare (1939). (Courtesy Heritage Auctions) 443 A deceased police officer’s spirit aids grandson Harry Langdon in Goodness! A Ghost (1940). (Courtesy Heritage Auctions) 447 Cat vs. rodent in The Haunted Mouse (1941). (Courtesy Heritage Auctions)455 The Arctic Giant (1942) is tamed by Superman. (Courtesy Heritage Auctions)464 Walt Disney’s Pluto is The Sleep Walker (1942). (Courtesy Heritage Auctions)475

xvi 

List of Figures

Fig. 54

Simian trouble for Donald in Donald Duck and the Gorilla (1944). (Courtesy Heritage Auctions) 487 Fig. 55 Musical woes with (from left) Larry Fine, Curly Howard, Duke York, and Moe Howard in Idle Roomers (1944). (Courtesy Heritage Auctions) 489 Fig. 55a Jasper and the Beanstalk (1944): Generic Jasper one-sheet with “snipe” paste-on title 490 Fig. 56 The Old Gray Hare (1944) is promoted via a “snipe” image attached to this generic Warner Bros. cartoon poster. (Courtesy Heritage Auctions) 492 Fig. 57 Donald Duck and Pluto are at odds over hypnotism in The Eyes Have It (1945). (Courtesy Heritage Auctions) 496 Fig. 58 The Three Stooges (from left, Larry Fine, Curly Howard, Moe Howard) have sinister visitors in Three Pests in a Mess (1945). (Courtesy Heritage Auctions) 500 Fig. 59 Manicurist Bugs chats up a peculiar customer in Hair-Raising Hare (1946). (Courtesy Heritage Auctions) 505 Fig. 60 Murderous laughs with Tom and Jerry in the Oscar-nominated Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Mouse (1947). (Courtesy Heritage Auctions) 513 Fig. 61 Chronic tippler Leon Errol thinks he sees the spirit of his “dead” nephew in The Spook Speaks (1947). (Courtesy Heritage Auctions) 518 Fig. 62 Hot Scots (1948): Inside a Scottish manor house, the Stooges tangle with spooks and skeletons. 523 Fig. 63 Inside a drafty castle, a suit of armor puts the bite on Shemp Howard in The Three Stooges’ The Ghost Talks (1949). (Courtesy Heritage Auctions)532 Fig. 64 Sociopaths holed up inside a shadowy mansion work hard to murder private dicks Larry, Shemp, and Moe in Who Done It? (1949). (Courtesy Heritage Auctions) 536 Fig. 65 Just another day on the job for Gus Schilling and Richard Lane, in Hold that Monkey (1950). (Courtesy Heritage Auctions) 540 Fig. 66 Throwing one’s voice is a fiendish art in Tex Avery’s Ventriloquist Cat (1950). (Courtesy Heritage Auctions) 543 Fig. 67 Magical Maestro (1952), Rich Hogan and Tex Avery’s manic deconstruction of opera. (Courtesy Heritage Auctions) 553 Fig. 68 Meet the better mousetrap: Push-Button Kitty (1952). (Courtesy Heritage Auctions) 555 Fig. 69 Grisly French history is brought to life in Let’s Ask Nostradamus (1953). (Courtesy Heritage Auctions) 562 Fig. 70 Popeye, the Ace of Space (1953), a “Stereotoon” cartoon released in 3-D. (Courtesy Heritage Auctions) 565 Fig. 71 The Three Stooges, headliners of Columbia’s two-reel unit, uncover a gorilla, a mad scientist, and violent 3-D gags in Spooks! (1953). (Courtesy Heritage Auctions) 567 Fig. 72 Benevolent little ghost Casper flies to space in Boo Moon (1954). (Courtesy Heritage Auctions) 570

  List of Figures 

Fig. 73 Fig. 74 Fig. 75 Fig. 76 Fig. 77

Destination Magoo (1954), in which nearsighted Magoo mistakes Coney Island for the moon. (Courtesy Heritage Auctions) Mild little Dr. Jaekyl [sic] begins his transformation to Mr. Hyde in Hyde and Hare (1955). (Courtesy Heritage Auctions) Martian baby Yob astounds his adoptive Earth parents—and then innocently sets off an existential family crisis in Rocket-bye Baby (1956). (Courtesy Heritage Auctions) Poster art for Disney’s quasi-educational Eyes in Outer Space (1959) alludes to Russia’s Sputnik satellite launches of 1957–58. (Courtesy Heritage Auctions) Mid-sixties 20th Century Fox trade poster promoting Danish theatrical sales of Twinkle Twinkle Little Telestar [sic] (1965), and other cartoons featuring Astronut (top right) and his Fox/ Terrytoons stablemates. (Courtesy Heritage Auctions)

xvii

573 583 594 607

637

Introduction

No area of Hollywood film history is in greater need of additional research and cataloging than the short subject. At the time of this writing, there are no complete encyclopedias of comedy short subjects, musical short subjects, or newsreels.1 While many short subjects are listed in online databases, the number of errors in such entries render them spurious and of relatively little value. Here, then, is the rationale for this encyclopedia. At the outset, it is important to note that the American film industry and its audience had evolving understandings of what constituted a “short subject,” particularly once that terminology came into usage. The first films were “short,” but had no need of that word until they had a comparator, the “long” film, or what became known as the “feature.” In 1915, the New York Dramatic Mirror wrote, “[M]uch has said on the relative merits of the short picture and the multiple reeler.”2 By that point, a “feature craze” was underway.3 Many films, among them D. W. Griffith’s The Birth of a Nation (1915), led to a growing understanding of what a “feature” film was and – by contrast – what was not. As Moving Picture World noted in 1913, “Less than three years ago, the single reel held absolute sway.”4 The publication warned that “the coming of features … will undoubtedly have a tendency to decrease the demand for the single reel.”5 That comment became true of all short subjects, whether they were one, two, or three reels in length. After becoming subservient to the feature, the short subject faced later threats from double feature programs that proliferated in the 1930s and thereafter. Nevertheless, the theatrical short subject trudged onward. At times, as with some cartoon characters (like Mickey Mouse) and live action actors (like Laurel and Hardy), particular short subjects commanded much attention. The same was true of newsreels during World War II.  However, as National Board of Review Magazine wrote sympathetically in 1947, all of these films were usually

© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022 G. D. Rhodes, D. J. Hogan, The Palgrave Encyclopedia of American Horror Film Shorts, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-97564-7_1

1

2 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

seen as less important than features and grouped together under such vague publicity as “And Selected Short Subjects.”6 In 1959, Motion Picture Exhibitor suggested, “Although too long relegated to a filler classification on the program by most exhibitors, and hardly ever receiving their deserved advertising mention, the program rounder short subject has proven sturdy enough in an entertainment and artistic sense to more than hold its own.”7 Then, in 1963, the same publication predicted, “That short subjects will become more important in the next few years appears fairly certain.”8 The reality was much different, much less positive. Exhibitors rented fewer and fewer short subjects during the 1960s, causing them to die a slow death, such that by the late 1970s, the standard movie theater program consisted of coming attractions and a feature film, nothing more. Despite its inauspicious ending, though, the American theatrical short subject had an important history that spanned over sixty years, from circa 1915 to the mid-1970s.9 This history included a large number of short subjects that were part of – or in a dialogue with  – horror. The genre terminology “horror film” (and, by extension, “horror movie”) did not come into common usage until 1931 and 1932, but horror-themed topics appeared in American cinema as early as 1895.10 Before 1915, devils, witches, ghosts, mummies, werewolves, and other characters associated with the later genre populated American cinema, as did adaptations of the works of Poe, Hawthorne, and Irving.11 Of course, what precisely constitutes the horror genre remains the subject of continued debate. For this encyclopedia, we have attempted to be as comprehensive as possible, listing all horror-related subjects that are three reels or shorter in length and that were released in America from 1915 to 1976. We include not only subjects regularly understood to be “horror,” but also horror-adjacent subjects, such as apes, cannibalism, dinosaurs, graveyards, hypnotism, magicians, mysteries, nightmares, psychics, robots, somnambulism, superstitions, and science fiction. Also chronicled are those non-horror shorts in which brief allusions are made to horror or horror film characters, as in the case of Hollywood Steps Out (1941), a Warner Bros. cartoon depicting movie stars at Ciro’s nightclub. Frankenstein’s Monster appears briefly, which merits its inclusion in this book. Our effort to be comprehensive will hopefully benefit readers and scholars who are seeking, for example, to determine the sheer number of times that given subjects – ranging from, say, skeletons to hypnotists – appeared onscreen, as well as in what narrative and thematic contexts. By contrast, we intentionally do not catalog all appearances made by actors associated with the horror film genre, meaning, for example, every single time that someone like Boris Karloff or Bela Lugosi appeared in a short subject. The only such entries we include – in keeping with the remit of this encyclopedia – are those in which the narrative content is horror or horror adjacent. It is also important to note that we catalog only short subjects that were theatrically released in America to mainstream theaters. These shorts range from live action to animated, from fiction to nonfiction.

 INTRODUCTION 

3

That said, we do not include serials, which were released as short episodes but whose total running times exceed most feature films. We have also excluded coming attraction trailers, due to their sheer numbers which continue to the present day. Given the fact that some trailers contain unique footage not seen in the features they promote, they certainly deserve to be cataloged in another volume. Non-theatrical horror short subjects also need to be cataloged elsewhere, ranging from government and industrial films to amateur and home movies. The same is true of sexploitation and pornographic cinema, whether shorts sold for the home market or those projected at non-mainstream venues. To be sure, non-theatrical horror short subjects have value. Consider the fascinating instructional film produced for theater managers about how to promote Psycho (1960), a short that at times has been wrongly identified as a theatrically released newsreel. Collectively, the short subjects cataloged herein meaningfully augment our knowledge and understanding of American horror film history, specifically in terms of the decades prior to the 1930s, during which time many characters and storylines associated with the later, codified horror film genre appeared onscreen, as well as the period from the 1930s through the 1970s, given that horror film historians have largely focused on feature films rather than short subjects. The sheer number of these shorts attests to their importance, as do the topics they covered. For example, contrary to popular belief, for example, White Zombie (1932) was not the first zombie film. Zombies had already appeared onscreen in 1931 short subject called Curiosities. There are also particular eras of note, such as mid-1936 through 1938, when Hollywood generally avoided making horror or horror-themed feature films. The short subjects cataloged in this encyclopedia show that horror-­ themed topics still appeared onscreen during those years. And then there are overarching conclusions to draw. Particularly important is the fact that a predominant number of the cataloged shorts were comedies that treated horror humorously, whether in live action films or in animated cartoons. This encyclopedia is arranged chronologically by year, with films listed alphabetically within each year. Such a structure allows the reader who wishes to gain an overall understanding of these short subjects – including their numbers and specific subject matter over the years – the ability to do so. For those who are using this encyclopedia to find particular types or subgenres of horror, the index will be of assistance, as it includes not only film titles and cast and crew names, but also subjects, allowing one to fin, for example, all of the short subjects that feature mummies or vampires or witches. Individual entries offer basic information such as the films’ titles, release dates, actors, directors, studios, and running times. The titles and release dates are for the American theatrical releases, even in those cases when the same

4 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

short had a different title and/or release date in its country of origin. Running times should be treated as approximate. Notes on the films are written by David J.  Hogan and Gary D.  Rhodes. Depending on the entry, these include plot synopses and production information. The authors have rigorously researched the entries based upon examining thousands of historical documents and viewing hundreds of short subjects. In many cases, modern notations are not possible to provide, given that the specific films are either lost or  – for reasons ranging from being unrestored at public archives to being held in private collections – are inaccessible for viewing. When possible, quotations from period critical reviews are provided. They provide insight into how one or more critics at the time of release responded to these shorts, as well as offering narrative, thematic, and/or production information about them. This is particularly important in those cases where the short subjects are lost or inaccessible. In terms of our reprints of such reviews, it is worth noting that reviews and articles on short subjects tended to be more common and more in-depth during the silent period than the sound era. That was even more true in terms of the period from 1915 through 1917, presumably because the industry tended to view shorts more importantly during those few years than in subsequent eras. Critical reviews were not published for many short subjects, particularly from the 1920s onward, which explains their absence from those entries. It is also worth noting that on occasion critical reviews were published long after a given short’s release, usually the result of its re-release. Publication titles are abbreviated in the entries. Their full titles are listed below: Bill Box DV FD EDR EH Exhib ETR HR IFJ IFSS MA Motog MP MPA MPD MPE MPH MPN MPR

Billboard Boxoffice Daily Variety Film Daily Exhibitors Daily Review Exhibitors Herald The Exhibitor Exhibitors Trade Review Hollywood Reporter Independent Film Journal Inside Facts of Stage and Screen Movie Age Motography Motion Picture Moving Picture Age Motion Picture Daily Motion Picture Exhibitor Motion Picture Herald Motion Picture News Motion Picture Reviews

 INTRODUCTION 

MPW NBRM PE PP PPW PS RL STR TW UW Var WFR

5

Moving Picture World National Board of Review Magazine Philadelphia Exhibitor Photoplay Photo-Play World Pathé Sun Reel Life Showmen’s Trade Review Tullar’s Weekly Universal Weekly Variety Weekly Film Review

For the sake of internal consistency, the same abbreviations are used throughout this volume, even when a publication title changed during its run. For example, prior to 1922, Film Daily was known as Wid’s Daily (1918–21), Wid’s Independent Review of Feature Films (1916–18), and Wid’s Film and Film Folk (1915–16). Nevertheless, FD is the abbreviation used throughout. When entries include both quotations from period critical reviews and modern plot synopses, this is an intentional effort to provide readers and researchers with as much relevant information as possible. For example, the critical review might not have mentioned certain aspects of a film’s plot or characters that our modern text can include. Catalogs and encyclopedias are invariably, perhaps inevitably, incomplete. The sheer volume of short subjects produced and/or released theatrically in America is enormous. For the single season of 1931–32, meaning a twelve-­ month period, fifteen American companies produced approximately 1500 short subjects.12 About 1500 just for a single year. As a result, we anticipate and welcome the need for a second edition as more horror shorts become known.13 In the interim, we sincerely hope this volume adds meaningfully to the body of film history knowledge.

Notes 1. We do acknowledge the importance and value of two encyclopedias, Graham Webb’s Encyclopedia of American Short Films, 1926–1959 (Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2020) and Roy Liebman’s Vitaphone Films: A Catalogue of the Features and Shorts (Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2010). 2. “How Long Should Films Be?”, New York Dramatic Mirror, February 24, 1915. 3. Ibid. 4. W. Stephen Bush, “The Future of the Single Reel,” Moving Picture World, April 19, 1913, 256. 5. Bush, 256. 6. “–And Selected Short Subjects,” National Board of Review Magazine, December 1947, 14.

6 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

7. “The Shorts Parade: A Company by Company Look at 1960 Short Subject Plans,” Motion Picture Exhibitor, Nov. 25, 1959, 22. 8. F.J.A.  McCarthy, “The Long and Short of It for 1963,” Motion Picture Exhibitor, December 5, 1962, 12. 9. The reference to “circa 1915” is to the “short subject” with that name, as judged against the proliferation of feature films. 10. For more information, see Gary D.  Rhodes, “‘Horror Film’: How the Term Came to Be,” Monstrum, No. 1, April 2018, 90–115. 11. For more information, see Gary D. Rhodes, The Birth of the American Horror Film (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2018). 12. “1,500 Shorts for ’31–32 Release,” Film Daily, September 6, 1931, 1. 13. We also hope that narrative information will become available on short subjects with titles that suggest horror-related content, such as two films produced by the Monitor Film Company, The House of a Thousand Spooks (1916) and The Ghost of Mooredown Manor (1917), as well as Spooks and Spasms (Vitagraph, 1917), The Mummy’s Nightmare (Pacific, 1922), and Buster’s Dark Mystery (Century, 1927). The same is also true of a trio of Ebony Film Corporation releases: Devil for a Day (1917), Spooks (1918), and When You Are Scared, Run (1918). Without reliable plot synopses, it is not possible to include these shorts, as titles implying horror content are sometimes deceptive.

Entries 1915–76

1915 Arrow Maiden, The (1915) Dove Eye, a tribal medicine woman, is persuaded by Eagle Eye to cast an evil charm over his rival. Brave Heart dies the next day, and Arrow Maiden follows her lover’s body to the grave. Eagle Eye, gloating in his victory, contrives to be chosen medicine man, but Dove Eye frustrates his plan. She avenges herself and resurrects Brave Heart who later hurls Eagle Eye over the cliff. The lovers are reunited. (Motog, July 17, 1915)

Starring: Billie West Studio: Reliance Running time: 1 reel Bombay Buddha, The (1915) The idol is seen being taken from the Powers family safe, by some unknown. Detectives are employed to recover it and a number of Hindoos are brought into play. Though the plot ingredients in this are very familiar there is still a pleasing novelty in the development of this story. The detective’s ruse for locating the idol was a good one. The photography is good and the story as a whole retains the interest well. (MPW, Apr. 17, 1915) Barnard Power and his wife are made prisoners by Hindoos because of their possession of a golden statue of Buddha, which Power has insured for $100,000. The Powers hide the statue in a pool and plan to collect the insurance on it and still retain the statue. The insurance investigator discovers this. Meanwhile a band of Hindoos make the Powers confess the hiding place of the Buddha. When they

© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022 G. D. Rhodes, D. J. Hogan, The Palgrave Encyclopedia of American Horror Film Shorts, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-97564-7_2

7

8 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

look for the statue it is gone, and the insurance investigator makes his appearance with the information that the statue is in his possession and that the Powers are his prisoners as are also the Hindoos because the latter had stolen the statue originally, and were wanted by the Bombay police for this crime. (Motog, Apr. 17, 1915)

Producer: Stuart Baton Writer: John B. Clymer Studio: Imp Running time: 3 reels Boob and the Magician, The (1915) Burlesque with settings intended to represent a theater in which a magician performs wonderful tricks until the boob comes to his assistance. Then everything goes wrong. While the action is hardly sufficient for a full reel, it is enlivened every once in a while by touches of broad comedy that please an audience. (MPW, Mar. 20, 1915)

Starring: Madge Kirby Studio: Biograph Running time: 1 reel Buried City, A (1915) Starting on a trip with the professor to see how archaeological explorations are made. Homer Croy sees the remains of the ‘kings’ feet,’ done in stone many thousands of years ago. The professor shows Mr. Croy where the digging goes. They walk through the streets of Cairo showing where mummies have been found. Then they come to a former tomb. Later, a miniature railway is shown which is used in making the excavations, and the workmen discover a mummy 4,000 years old. The dust has to be carefully blown aside in order not to disturb the crumbling bones which are shown in a close-up of the picture. The professor shows a bust of a former king of Egypt. The relic is 3,000 years old. A scene follows showing the finds sent to America and our flag floating a few feet from the Great Pyramid over the professor’s house. (MPW, May 22, 1915)

Notes: Nonfiction travelogue, also known as A Buried City as Seen by Homer Croy Studio: Big ‘U’ Running time: 1 reel Cannibal King, The (1915) Willie, who is penniless, sees an advertisement asking for extra people in a motion picture production entitled The Cannibal’s Bride. He secures the position and is all fixed up scandalously when he hears familiar voices and comes face to face with

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

his hated rival and his adored one. All he wants is to get away and in so doing he upsets the cameraman and vaults the fence. Meanwhile Grace has been all upset by the experiences in the studio and when Willie dashes into the library of her home he interrupts a love scene and implores Grace to find a hiding place. He makes himself known to the girl and she hides him under several rugs. After the police have gone he proposes and is accepted. (Motog, July 10, 1915)

Studio: Lubin Running time: Split-reel Cheval Mystery, The (1915) This offering, produced by Harry C. Myers, begins with a murder mystery. In the very first scene is shown the body of a man lying in the woods. A hunter is seen in the distance, nonchalantly looking for game. Then the observer sees a girl running through the woods, minus a hat. She pauses long enough to cast aside a revolver; the hunter then observes her kneeling beside a stream. The girl is in a hysterical state, and after drinking faints upon the rocks. The opening scenes arouse the interest and are commendable for the effective manner in which they present the mystery. There is no padding and any number of possibilities for the crime are suggested. Later the girl appears at the house where the body has been carried, inside the streets of the town. She is searching for her aunt, a Mrs. Streetor, and the lady of the house takes her in. A letter explains that her mother has died, leaving no one to care for her but Gaston Cheval, her father’s stepbrother. The letter from the dying mother expresses distrust of Cheval, and later developments prove that this feeling on her part was by no means groundless. The girl having found a home with her aunt soon has Cheval on her trail. He is a hypnotist of the Svengali type. His power over her was originally achieved while traveling with a side show and is exerted in such a manner that at his command the girl becomes a raging fiend. The hunter, who saw the girl in the woods, appears in due time and charges her with the murder. In the interim Cheval has been exercising his hypnotic influence to suit his own purposes. The scenes in the house during the girl’s paroxysms are of a sensational, uncanny sort. Following the accusation, the girl recovers herself and relates her story, telling the hero and his mother of her own mother’s death and the way in which Cheval has victimized her. The latter is finally brought to confess that he himself committed the murder in the woods in order to rid himself of the girl’s admirer. This frees Nana and at the close she and the hero find happiness together. This story, hinging as it does upon hypnotic influence, is not very new in plot; neither does it possess any great depth. (MPW, June 26, 1915)

Starring: Harry Myers, Rosemary Theby Studio: Victor Running time: 3 reels

9

10 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Club Pest, The (1915) His club mates bet him fifty dollars that he wouldn’t spend the night in a haunted house, and proceeded to make ghostly things happen. Discovering the trick, Mr. Bore pretended to commit suicide, turned the tables on his friends, and won the bet. (MPW, Feb. 6, 1915)

Studio: Biograph Running time: Split-reel Colonel Heeza Liar, Ghost Breaker (1915) Colonel Heeza Liar has returned to our midst again, and we are sure a right royal welcome will be extended to him. The Colonel, who is undoubtedly the greatest rival of his contemporary, Baron Munchausen, enters into a new field of investiga-

Fig. 1  Pathé trade ad, in Motion Picture News, for Col. Heeza Liar—Ghost Breaker (1915)

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

tion — that of psychic research. He is the guest of honor of the Royal Society of Ghost-Chasers, who regale him with tales of hair-raising and harrowing experiences. They look for evidences of fear in his countenance, but only scorn radiates therefrom. Who ever heard of the doughty Colonel fearing a mortal, much less an immortal? To prove his utter disrespect for apparitions, he agrees to sleep at the ancient Castle Clare, owned by his friend, Lord Helpus. He enters his assigned chamber and prepares for a snooze. The magic hour of midnight at last rolls ‘round, and in a moment the air is filled with weird and ghostly sounds. The banshees are at work. The Colonel, from his bed, gives vent to these thoughts: ‘If I could see who makes that din I’d bust his bloomin’ coco in.’ The next moment he does see, and his blood suddenly turns to water and freezes at the dread apparition. Seeking to evade the midnight prowler, the now quaking Colonel rises from his bed and flees for his life; but nothing seems proof against the advances of his awful foe. Should the Colonel lock a door, the Ghost comes through the key-hole … there also follows the shadow demon. Just as the Colonel is about to expire from fright, his life is saved by the ghost’s mortal enemy, ‘One o’clock.’ With a final wail, the banshee [goes] to a neighboring graveyard. The Colonel breathes again. (MPW, Feb. 6, 1915) The Colonel’s experiences in the haunted room, all for the sake of winning a wager, are memorable events. (MPW, Feb. 13, 1915)

Notes: Animated cartoon Artist: J. B. Raby Studio: Pathé Running time: Split-reel Colonel Heeza Liar, Ghost Breaker (Second Part) (1915) After his wild and harrowing experience with the ghosts of Castle Clare, the doughty Colonel vows that it was ‘some time,’ but he is game for another set-to with spooks. Approaching the ancient castle through a graveyard, he quakes with fear on beholding a skeleton rise from a grave. Heeza beats it for the castle, and locks himself in the bedchamber. He slips into bed, and prepares for developments. His unmusical snores reverberate through the castle when, awakening suddenly, he beholds friend skeleton rising from the floor. Heeza hides under the bed, but old ‘bones’ soon has him on the run. Picking up a chair, Heeza prepares to lambast the spook, but the spook is proof against all assaults, so the quaking Colonel decides to retreat. He goes to sleep in another room, but is awakened by the antics of the furniture, which seems to be possessed with life. ‘This is no place for me,’ sighs the Colonel and once more makes a retreat, but ‘Bones’ is on the job and follows him. Heeza scatters the skeleton with a well-directed blow of his club, but it avails him nothing, as the bones refuse to stay scattered. Realizing that he is up against too tough a proposition, Heeza decides that as a ghost breaker he is an ‘onion’ and gives up the fight. (MPW, Feb. 27, 1915)

11

12 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Notes: Animated cartoon, released on a different, subsequent reel from the first Colonel Heeza Liar, Ghost Breaker Artist: J. B. Raby Studio: Pathé Running time: Split-reel Curing the Cook (1915) Cooking in a student’s boarding house is what Sherman thought of war, so thought poor Bridget, and to forget her trouble, she would sit all day with a black bottle beside her. ‘We want lunch—we want lunch,’ quoth the starved-out students. ‘A cook, a cook, our learning for a sober cook,’ said they all. However, the cook had a gentle hang-over and would not move. The landlady finally extricated Bridget from the aforesaid bottle, and set her to mixing some week-old hash. What will the students do? Ah, one has a plan. They will cure the cook by means of a skeleton that they have. They hang it in the coal-bin. Bridget sees it, invokes the aid of seventy saints and runs. ‘Everywhere, here and there, but the skeleton her pursues.’ She falls off the roof and breaks all the new pavement, for which the landlady assessed the students one ‘bone’ apiece. She mixes up the crowded traffic of Bingville by getting run over by an automobile, and then, refusing to collect a crowd, boatmen, policemen, everyone, are skeletons, but she learns her mistake, beats up and ducks the stew-reforming students and then swears off. (MPW, Jan. 9, 1915)

Director: Charles Ranson Studio: Edison Running time: Split-reel Devilish Dream, A (1915) Fritz and his wife have one of their daily arguments and Fritz retires to his room. His wife’s parting words are to the effect that unless he ceases his dissipations, the old Nick himself will get him. Fritz laughs at the prophecy, but is no sooner in bed than wonders begin. He is transported to the lower regions, where he meets not only the Prince of Darkness, but has the honor to be introduced to all the little Princes, with the result that his visit is marked by several unpleasant adventures. Overcome at last by the persistency of their attentions, he makes an attempt to escape. Old Nick and his pet imp follow him through the air and back to the city. Finally, however, Fritz manages to evade them. Awakening in his room, he is again tempted to imbibe, but the vision that appears in the bottle works a complete reformation. (MPW, Mar. 27, 1915)

Producer: Bruce Mitchell Writer: G. C. Peterson Studio: Thistle Running time: 1 reel

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

13

Devil’s Darling, The (1915) The plot is a variation of the ‘Faust’ theme; in this case a woman sells her soul to the devil in order to retain her beauty. This part of Irma is a repulsive one, yet well handled; she entices the girl from her work and tries to procure her ruin. Phillip, a young Minister, arrives just in time to save the girl from a wretched fate. This combines a half-mystic theme with some familiar white slave situations. It is wellconstructed and a fairly strong offering of its type. (MPW, Nov. 6, 1915)

Notes: This film included images of Hell. Starring: Francine Larrimore, Flavia Arcaro, John Reinhard, H. W. Pemberton Studio: Rialto Running time: 3 reels Distilled Spirits (1915) This one-reel MinA film is said to be one of the most advanced examples of trick photography on record. It tells the story of an inebriate and visualizes his delirium, the grotesque horrors of which bring about his complete reformation. Milton Fahrney, against whose name many great successes have been recorded, was the director of Distilled Spirits, scoring thereby the greatest achievement of his long career. Distilled Spirits is a comedy which depends largely upon its situations for humor. An interest larger than the laugh is created by its incredibly skillful mechanics, and in the tenseness of its rapidly developed story. In addition to this, Distilled Spirits points a high moral lesson, and with its many elements of appeal should prove one of the most exceptional releases of the day. (MPW, Jan. 9, 1915) This is one of the finest exhibitions of trick photography that has been shown upon the screen for many moons. The story starts out with a booze fiend husband taking his wife’s wash-money to buy the wherewith to quench his thirst, then he crawls into a barrel and falls asleep and the things that happen to him in his delirium are wild and wonderful. This picture is an out of the ordinary one, and will please any audience in any house. (MPW, Jan. 30, 1915)

Director: Milton Fahrney Studio: MinA Running time: 1 reel Dragon’s Claw, The (1915) Its theme circles around an Indian curio representing a dragon’s claw which is the good luck omen of a certain Indian tribe. Possessed by a little girl’s father at the time of his murder by a bandit gang, this claw was stolen by their leader. Years later the girl, now a woman, finds out that her husband possesses a dragon’s claw and, believing it to be the only one in existence, believes that she has married the murderer of her father. Not able to bring herself to kill this man in cold blood,

14 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

she leaves him alone on the desert to die. He sees that she is being molested by some highwaymen and saves her at the cost of his own life. She again deserts him and comes upon an Indian trader who has a score or so of these dragon’s claws. It develops that they are very common in the neighborhood. Realizing her awful mistake, she goes back to the dead body of her husband to mourn over it. Getting away from both the cut-and-dried western picture on the one hand and the conventional society drama on the other, this feature promises to be a big drawing card. (MPW, Oct. 2,1915)

Writer: Stanner E. V. Taylor Starring: Walter Hampden, Marion Leonard Studio: Knickerbocker Star Feature Running time: 3 reels Droppington’s Devilish Deed (1915) This is a roaring piece of slapstick comedy, which is well done, and will keep any audience in constant laughter. Droppington … is seen as a scene shifter in a theatre. His antics and those of his companion are remarkable, to say the least. A scene supposed to show the devil arising from his home is mistaken by Droppington for a real fire, and he uses the fire hose with telling effect. (MPN, Apr. 24, 1915)

Starring: Chester Conklin Studio: Keystone Running time: 1 reel Duel in the Dark, The (1915) [T]he wife of a prosecuting attorney falls a victim to a hypnotist. Her husband is at the time engaged in routing out the fakers in this and kindred lines. The hypnotist compels her to install a dictograph in her husband’s room and betray him in other ways. The duel in the dark is where she and her daughter fight to free the mother’s mind from the hypnotist’s power. This plot is somewhat similar to previous offerings of the kind and makes an offering of about average strength throughout. (MPW, Mar. 27, 1915)

Writer: Philip Lonergan Studio: Thanhouser Running time: 2 reels Eastland Horror (1915) This picture contains between 300 and 350 feet of film showing the removal of the bodies of the victims of the steamboat disaster at Chicago. (MPW, Aug. 14, 1915) The photography of this film is most clear, which, considering the fact that the pictures were taken during a drizzling rain, is quite remarkable. The film selected

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

15

to make up this one thousand-foot reel shows the rescue work in taking the victims from the wrecked hull; the dragging of the Chicago river for bodies; the enormous crowds gathered on the bridges and in the streets; the loading of the bodies on ambulances improvised from delivery trucks; pictures of some of the survivors; the lines of relatives and friends stretching for many blocks from the second regiment armory, used as a morgue. (MPN, Aug. 14, 1915)

Notes: The apparent discrepancy in running times between the MPW and MPN reviews might not be a discrepancy. It is possible that in 1000 feet of film, only 300–350 feet showed corpses. Other footage of the Eastland disaster appeared in the newsreels Hearst-­Selig News Pictorial, No. 61 (1915), Pathé News, No. 60 (1915), and Universal Animated Weekly, No. 177 (1915). Studio: Mutual Running time: 1 reel Eleventh Dimension, The (1915) Professor Singleton believes that there is existence after death. He disapproves of his daughter’s love for Lloyd Chambers and favors Dr. Lovejoy’s attentions. He spends most of his days and nights in the laboratory experimenting. On one occasion, after a flash, he becomes frenzied. Dr. Lovejoy appears and is chloroformed and strapped to a chair by the professor. When he regains consciousness and pleads for mercy, the professor suggests that they play a game of chess, the loser to give up his life. The doctor cheats and wins. The professor shoots himself, and is surprised to find that he still lives. The police arrive, break open the door to the laboratory, and when the professor, whose life has been saved by the deflection of the bullet on his watch, sees his daughter being embraced by young Lloyd, his reason is restored. He realizes that there is but one real dimension, and that is love. (Motog, July 17, 1915) An attempt at a drama that is hardly worthy of a place on the Universal program. The story shows a demented professor’s attempts to secure a subject to operate on to prove his theory in an after-existence. The photography is poor, there are too many closeups, while the story as a whole is too improbable to entertain. The last scenes, it must be admitted, create a good bit of suspense, but as far as elevating the entire picture, they cannot do the impossible. (MPN, July 17, 1915) Stories of mental infirmity always have an unpleasant tinge. At the same time this plot, which centers around an insane chemist, who tries to kill a man and then restore life, has numerous qualities which are commendable. The girl first suspects her father’s loss of reason and brings aid just as he is in the act of trying to kill a friend named Lovejoy. The game of chess and later the bullet imbedded in the watch were good features. There is considerable suspense in the later scenes. (MPW, July 17, 1915)

Starring: William E. Welsh, Howard Crampton, Allen Holubar, Frances Nelson Studio: Imp Running time: 2 reels

16 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Experiment, The (1915) Max Weldon, college chum of George Foster, is somewhat of a hypnotist and during his stay at the Foster home over the holidays is asked to experiment on Grace, George’s sister. In full view of the family he subjugates the mind of Grace and while she is in the hypnotic state directs that at midnight she shall rise from bed, walk downstairs and get a knife from the table in the living room and carry it back to George’s room. She asks to be told what Max had directed, upon being awakened, but they withhold it from her. In order that he may see his daughter actually following the directions of the hypnotist, Mr. Foster remains up. He dozes, however, and fearing that he will miss the experiment, places his hand on the knife so as to be aroused when Grace takes it. The boys await the result of the experiment upstairs with much avidity. In the interim a burglar enters the living room and in a struggle with the intruder Mr. Foster is hurt, only superficially, however, the shock rendering him unconscious. At midnight Grace wakes up and guided by her subconscious mind, puts on her kimono and slippers and proceeds downstairs. She takes the knife which has blood upon it as the result of the fracas, and returns upstairs. She gives the bloodspattered knife to Max, who immediately wakens her and shows her what she has done. Grace, of course, is puzzled. The three hasten to the room where Mr. Foster is lying unconscious in a chair beside the table. The police had been notified of the trouble at the Foster home when a central office operator became alarmed at hearing what seemed like a tussle, over the phone, which had been knocked from the table. Upon the arrival of the police it is seen that a window is open and one of the officers goes to investigate. The burglar had fallen behind a sofa, weakened from a wound received in the struggle, and he was hauled to his feet by the officers. Mr. Foster regains consciousness and identifies him as his assailant. Thus the experiment worked, but not as disastrously as at first thought. (MPW, Feb. 20, 1915)

Starring: Bessie Learn, Richard Tucker, Saul Harrison, Richard Brower Studio: Edison Running time: 1 reel Fakir, The (1915) He first appears as a travelling hypnotist and she as his unwilling subject. She flees and again comes in contact with him at a social function when he is posing as a Hindu fakir. He forces her to rob the house, but is shot by a policeman and the girl is released from his spell. In spite of jerky construction and lack of suspense in several places where it might have been obtained, this is above the average production of this kind. The story is quite absorbing in its way and well staged throughout. The close is dramatic. (MPW, Apr. 3, 1915)

Starring: Walter Edwards, Rhea Mitchell Studio: Domino Running time: 2 reels

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

17

Foiled (1915) Bud Duncan has a strenuous time in this comedy, trying to wed the girl. Pitted against him are cutthroats, yeggs, gunmen, and scoundrels of every description. Bud succeeds in putting them all to rout, until Reckless Reginald, the arch-fiend, employs an East Indian yogi, who by hypnotism and black art, still further complicates the hero’s plans. (MPN, Oct. 2, 1915)

Starring: Bud Duncan, Ethel Teare Studio: Kalem Running time: 1 reel Fortune Tellers, The (1915) The idea on which the picture is based is a good one, and allows for plenty of good business. The two loafers who have long ago agreed that the world owes them a living have decided to go into the fortune telling business. They get mixed up with a female Raffles, as usual both fall in love with the same lady, especially with her fortune, and through these circumstances some comical incidents arise. (MPW, May 8, 1915)

Starring: Heine and Louie Studio: Starlight Running time: 1 reel Freaks (1915) Herculo, the strong man of the sideshow, showers his attentions on Yum Yum, the beautiful Circassion maid. Hamus, a broken-down actor, is very hungry and tries to steal a handout from the mess tent. The manager notices how thin Hamus is and engages him as a living skeleton. Yum Yum transfers her affections to the newcomer. Herculo starts a riot and gets the worst of it. Yum Yum finds a photo of a woman among Hamus’ effects and, sure that he is false, returns to Herculo. The innocent Hamus pines away, gets thinner, and has his salary doubled. The original of the photo arrives with her ten children and recognizes Herculo as her long-lost husband. Yum Yum collapses in the arms of Hamus. (Motog, July 17, 1915) This is way below Allen Curtis’ standard offering. A great number of the scenes are too dimly photographed to comprehend without eye strain, while the leads, made up as freaks, are anything but pleasant to look at. Milburn J. Moranti especially, as the human skeleton, is quite repelling. (MPN, July 17, 1915)

Starring: Max Asher, Gale Henry, William Franey, Lillian Peacock, Milburn Moranti (aka Milburn Morante) Producer: Allen Curtis Writer: Clarence Badger Studio: Joker Running time: 1 reel

18 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Ghost Fakirs, The (1915) Louie and Heinie find jobs with a village grocer who agrees to pay them $5 a month for the two, the principal inducement, however, being the grocer’s attractive daughter, with whom both fall in love. Their rivalry leads to a fight in which the grocery is wrecked, and Louie and Heinie are fired. In the meantime, the daughter in reply to their proposals of love tells them that she will marry none but a brave man and as a test of love demands that they spend a night in a haunted house nearby, she agreeing to marry the one proving himself the bravest. Louie and Heinie accept the conditions and repair to the haunted house. Her sweetheart learning of this, with two pals, dress in skeleton suits and sneak into the haunted house. Louie and Heinie are awakened by their antics and flee in terror from the house. Outdistancing the pursuers they sit down to rest on a keg of powder. The keg is open. Heinie would smoke a cigarette. They vanish in the explosion. (MPW, May 22, 1915)

Starring: Heine and Louie Studio: Starlight Running time: 1 reel Ghost of Bingville Inn, The (1915) The story of a wife who insisted on taking in boarders, and what happened when her unruly husband came home late at night. The picture does not belong exactly to the first order. (MPW, Jan. 16, 1915)

Notes: The husband returns home drunk and makes nighttime noises that the boarders mistake for ghosts. Studio: Premier-Warner’s Running time: 1 reel Ghost of the Twisted Oaks, The (1915) Mary Randall, a salesgirl, the only support of her widowed mother, loses her position. In vain both Mary and her mother search for work. Mary receives a letter informing her that her late uncle’s estate will be ready for distribution at any time she calls at her lawyers’ office. Mary receives her share of the estate and she and her mother take a pleasure trip to Florida where they make their home on the Old Twisted Oaks plantation. Mary meets Jack Carlton, her neighbor, and they fall in love. The [African-Americans] arrive to work in the turpentine forest of the ‘Twisted Oaks’ plantation. The Voodoo priest, after searching for a Deity, finds a snake and then proceeds to incite his superstitious followers. Mary observes this action and orders the Voodoo priest off her plantation, and he vows vengeance. Mary and Jack become engaged and while at tea at Mary’s home the old [African-American woman] tells them a legend of the ‘Ghost of the Twisted Oaks.’ It is as follows: Miss Madeline, the sweetest little lady in Florida, was loved by all the slaves on the plantation. She was engaged to be married to Master Billy. Billy and Justin, his rival, for Madeline’s hand, fight a duel and Madeline, learning

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

of this, rushes to the spot and is killed by a stray bullet. Ever since then the ‘Ghost’ haunts the Twisted Oaks plantation. At worship the fanatical Voodoos make a sacrifice of blood from the arm of one of their women. This is observed by Mary, who discovered in hiding is dragged to be used as a sacrifice. The vision appears before Jack and he is led to the sacrificial altar and is just in time to save Mary. The priest accidentally sticks his hand into the serpent’s cage, is bitten and dies from the wound. The [AfricanAmericans] are driven from the plantation and Madeline’s spirit rest in contentment, while happiness comes to Jack and Mary in the after years. (MPW, Oct. 30, 1915) It is a story of the South, and a ghost plays an important part in the action. An interesting picture. (MPW, Nov. 20, 1915)

Starring: Valentine Grant Writer: Pearl Gaddis Director: Sidney Olcott Studio: Lubin Running time: 3 reels Ghost Wagon, The (1915) The story is of the conventional Western type, but contains many thrilling situations and is above the ordinary in presentation. Two Indian massacres are pictured. The scenic features, horseback riding and fighting scenes are good. The ghost wagon is an old prairie schooner which is shown moving across the plains by means of a double exposure photography. This lends a mystic touch to the story. It makes a good offering of the old style Western sort. (MPW, Oct. 2, 1915)

Starring: Edyth Sterling, Rex de Rosselli, Sherman Bainbridge Director: Joseph Franz Studio: Bison Running time: 3 reels Ghosts and Flypaper (1915) The Widow Brown strongly disapproves of her daughter Grace’s love affair with Billy Hill, and the young people almost despair. The widow has a house for rent that is reputed to be haunted, and it is a great burden. Billy s father, Silas Hill, and his cousin, Jasper Green, are rivals for the buxom widow’s hand – and property. With an eye for business, the widow coyly suggests Silas and Jasper secure a permanent tenant for the haunted house, promising to marry the one who succeeds Silas nearly wins out, but Jasper plays ghost and frightens the tenant away. Jasper gets a tenant for the house, but Silas happens to hit on the same scheme, and his ghostly antics drive out the would-be resident. Billy sees his dad with the ghostly raiment on and after securing a promise from the widow that Grace shall be his if he locates the spooks Billy tells Silas and

19

20 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Jasper he has a tenant for the house. Both men decide to play ghost, and with the help of flypaper, some rope and some rough and tumble mixing in the dead of night the ‘ghosts’ are captured and brought to the widow. She angrily drives both men out with a broom, then when Billy says he and Grace are the ‘permanent tenants,’ smilingly gives her consent to their marriage. (MPW, Nov. 13, 1915)

Notes: The title was sometimes rendered as Ghosts and Fly Paper. Starring: Anne Shaefer, Marguerite Reid, George Kunkel, Alfred Vosburgh, Otto Lederer Writer: Louis B. Rose Director: Ulysses Davis Studio: Vitagraph Running time: 1 reel Gray Horror, The (1915) Ellis, an English barrister, saves a woman he has formerly loved, from her husband, Gray. In the escape Gray is shot and the affair is witnessed by Parr, an adventurer. Ellis takes Mrs. Gray to America, but on the steamer she dies in childbirth, and asks him to adopt the child. Parr is also on the boat, and knows of the adoption of Betty, Mrs. Gray’s daughter. Years later he comes to purchase a vast estate, as he knows it is rich with ore, and is surprised to find Ellis and Betty living there. Ellis refuses to sell the property. Parr hits upon a scheme to make Ellis either sell the place or leave it. He hires another crook, and they nightly haunt the place. After a while Betty goes to visit her chum, Parr’s daughter, and seeing Parr leave one night with a crook, she follows him. Upon her arrival home she finds her father and a young lawyer grappling with Parr and the crook. The mystery of the spirits is cleared up and Betty’s engagement to the young lawyer is announced. (Motog, May 15, 1915)

Writer: Shannon Fife Director: Joseph W. Smiley Studio: Lubin Running time: 3 reels Great Experiment, The (1915) The acting of Thomas Santschi and Bessie Eyton, coupled with carefully chosen settings and a plot which lends itself excellently to the treatment it receives, makes the two-reel drama entitled The Great Experiment, to be released by the Selig Polyscope Company on Monday, April 19, a picture of great appeal. Mr. Santschi and Miss Eyton are cast for roles perfectly suited to them. The former is a wealthy bachelor with a relative in the country, and the latter a young waif whom he educates without letting her know who her benefactor is. Through their efforts the heart interest is kept at high tide throughout the picture and this at times is supplemented by situations carrying a strong dramatic appeal.

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

The settings are scattered throughout the world, beginning in an American city, going to an African jungle, then to Cairo, Egypt, and finishing aboard a ship bound for the city in which the story began. The jungle scenes, in which wild animals from the Selig Jungle-Zoo are used, are realistic and the streets in Cairo so massive that they will excite admiration. The photography, which is even better than that found in the average Selig picture play, adds a great deal to the film. There is only one criticism in the staging of the production, that being a slight over-use of a certain scene which is faded in on several occasions. As the story begins, John Morning, a rich middle-aged bachelor without relatives, is seen dreaming of the women who have come into his life and passed out of it without causing him to love. An accident to a woman of the slums in front of his home raises him from his reverie and he hurries to her assistance, taking her to her tenement home, where she dies. He then assumes charge of the woman’s beautiful little daughter, Ritta, and determines to try his great experiment, that of making her into a refined woman without letting her know that he is her benefactor. He gives the girl wealth and then for five years buries himself with a scientific expedition in India. At the end of that time his lawyer informs him that Ritta has been sent abroad with his spinster sister. In Bombay, John Morning again encounters Ritta and her chaperon and is introduced to the girl as a friend of the family. He learns to love Ritta, which fact fills him with grief, for at forty-five he knows he is old enough to be her father. Besides, he has learned that a young man wishes to marry her. John and Ritta become good friends on board ship. She confides to John how, years ago, a stranger had taken her from poverty and despair and given her all she now possesses. She declares she would repay him with her life if she could learn who he is. John decides that he cannot honorably disclose his identity, nor can he honorably tell her of his love. He makes up his mind to leave her when the ship docks. He writes a note to Ritta’s chaperon of his determination. Ritta finds the note, conceals herself and overhears their conversation. She immediately devises a scheme whereby she will make John Morning believe that she loves him without letting him know that she has discovered his identity. By writing a letter to the man back home, saying that it is impossible for her to marry him because she does not love him, and that she loves a man who does not seem to care for her, Ritta begins her campaign. She causes John to find this note, and his despair gives way to joy. She shows her benefactor that her love for him is real — that she has found her ideal, and after all, even though he is fortyfive, she loves him. (Motog, Apr. 17, 1915)

Starring: Thomas Santschi, Bessie Eyton Studio: Selig Polyscope Running time: 2 reels Great Ruby Mystery, The (1915) Basil Romanoff, a Russian, plans to sell his celebrated ruby to an American, Mr. Van Allen. Ivan Orloff carries the gem to America in the heel of his boot. Heinrich Von Buelow, a German secret service agent, who has spied on the

21

22 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Russian, follows Ivan. Miss Van Allen, a somnambulist, is Ivan’s sweetheart. On his arrival he tells her his secret. That night in her sleep she takes the boot and secretes it in her room. Meanwhile Heinrich enters Ivan’s room, murders him, and takes the other boot. The girl is him. At the club the boys toast Molly and Astorbilt, and agree that he has won his bet. (Motog, Aug. 7, 1915)

Starring: Herbert Rawlinson, Anna Little, Laura Oakley, William Worthington Writer and Producer: Otis Turner Studio: Universal-Gold Seal Running time: 2 reels Green Idol, The (1915) Dorothy Blake disgusts her father and Ted Bowden, her fiancé, by becoming fascinated with Ahmed Akbar, the propounder of a new cult. She buys from him for a very large sum an idol, and afterwards, discovering it to be a fake, is greatly humiliated at the easy fashion in which she has been buncoed. She goes to the Hindoo’s rooms and demands that he return her money. Meanwhile the police are on the track of the impostor. Akbar, greatly alarmed, puts Dorothy under the influence of an Indian narcotic, giving a note to the driver of Dorothy’s car, saying that he need not wait. The man drives home, where Bowden chances to call, recognizes the note as not being in Dorothy’s handwriting, and drives immediately back to the Hindoo’s quarters. He confronts the rogue, just as he and his servants are on the point of leaving with the unconscious girl. Bowden is overpowered and bound. The police squad, however, arrive, and the Orientals are forced to make a hasty exit. A doctor, who is called in to resuscitate Dorothy, tells Bowden that only a Hindoo will know the antidote for the narcotic. He joins the police hunt. The Hindoo’s automobile is plunged down a steep embankment, killing the two servants and mortally injuring Akbar. Bowden rushes him back barely in time to produce the antidote before he dies. (MPW, Mar. 13, 1915)

Starring: Joseph Henabery Studio: Reliance Running time: 2 reels Ham and the Experiment (1915) Professors X. Periment and R. E. Search discover a liquid which will cause the ladies to fall madly in love with any man in which it is injected. They try it on Ham and Bud. Annette and Muriel are spooning in the dark and when they spy Ham and Bud leave their sweethearts. A policewoman is called and she also falls in love with the two men, and so does Miss Highbrow, head of the school which Muriel and Annette attend. The two men try to escape, but the rest of Miss Highbrow’s pupils appear and they also make love to Ham and Bud. They call a policeman, but the girls make it hot for him. Finally, taking advantage of the battle between the policeman and their admirers, they hit the high spots in racing out of town. (Motog, Aug. 28, 1915)

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

Starring: Lloyd V. Hamilton (Ham) and Bud Duncan (Bud) Director: Joseph Franz Studio: Kalem Running time: 1 reel Haunted (1915) A comedy essentially of the eccentric comedy type, and sure to please the average audience. It is a remarkable study in ‘nightmares.’ (MPW, Jan. 23, 1915)

Studio: United-Warner-Superba Running time: 500 feet Haunted Attic, The (1915) John Edwards, a traveling salesman, arrives … during the celebration and finds that all the hotels are crowded. He secures a garret room which is reputed to be haunted and, during the night, has many strange and comical experiences. He gathers his nerve toward break of day, however, and discovers that the suspicious ghost is nothing more than a parrot. (Motog, Apr. 24, 1915)

Starring: John and Mattie Edwards Studio: Lubin Running time: Split-reel Haunted Hat, The (1915) A little kitten gets under the boss’ discarded straw hat and goes on a jaunt, hat and all. The town folks had never before seen an auto-hat and seeing this one travel about, think it is a spook. Finally the police and fire department are on the trail of the hat and after many hairbreadth escapes they capture and rescue the cat. (Motog, Sept. 4, 1915)

Starring: Oliver Hardy Studio: Lubin Running time: Split-reel Haunted House of Wild Isle, The (1915) The ghost of John Miller, a suicide, is said to haunt the house which stands on Wild Isle. Warren Kent, an author, falls in love with Ann, the suicide’s daughter. He determines to investigate the haunted house. As he enters the building, a picture falls from the wall. A rifle is shoved through a loophole. Kent drops just in time to escape being shot. Forcing the door, Kent chases his assailant from room to room. He is shot at time and again and finally compelled to retreat when a bullet lodges in his arm. The following night, accompanied by Ann, Kent

23

24 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

returns. Ann is clad in a sheet and plays ghost to distract the attention of the other ghost while Warren enters the house. The plan succeeds. Warren makes his way to the attic just in time to see a white-clad figure aim his rifle at Ann. He engages the ‘ghost’ in a struggle. Ann, unhurt, runs for help. Unknown to the lovers, the girl’s guardian, Doctor Truby, has followed them to the island. Truby wishes to marry Ann, to further his own schemes. The doctor enters the building and makes his way to the attic. Warren finds he is struggling with a madman. Leveling a revolver at Warren, Truby orders him to throw up his hands. The young man lunges toward the doctor, throwing the pistol up just as Truby shoots. The bullet misses Warren, but injures the ‘ghost’ in the head. Ann, accompanied by a number of farmers, arrives upon the scene. Truby is subdued. The ‘ghost’ revives and gazes about dazedly. Seeing Truby, he springs forward and demands an explanation. It develops that the ‘ghost’ is Ann’s father and that he was the victim of a foul plot perpetrated by Truby, who desired to secure control of the Miller estate. So cleverly did the scoundrel play his hand that the truth was never suspected. The doctor confesses and is placed under arrest. (MPW, Apr. 24, 1915)

Starring: Anna Nilsson, Harry Millarde Studio: Kalem Running time: 2 reels Haunting Eye, The (1915) This is a drama which, although it is not exactly convincing in many respects, for instance, the location of the owner of the eye which peers through the doors of a windmill in a picture on the wall of the house where they are living, is very entertaining, nevertheless. The story is of a man and his daughter in the employ of the government, and who are tracked by an east side gangster paid by enemies of the man. The gangster, playing a double role, causes the girl to fall in love with him. Later she falls into an underground passage in time to save her father from being stabbed to death. (MPW, Apr. 3, 1915)

Studio: Premier Running time: 1 reel Heart of Princess Marsari, The (1915) The girl’s father is Gunga Ras, a Hindu student of the occult. The girl’s uncle is found dead and the lover blamed, but she personally investigates the crime. The father is suspected, but it develops that the death was really caused by the use of liquid air in the hands of another. The plot itself is not exceptionally strong, but holds the attention. The liquid air demonstrations break the illusion somewhat, but are nonetheless interesting. The climax is quite strong. (MPW, May 22, 1915)

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

25

Notes: This title was sometimes incorrectly rendered as The Heart of Princess Mirsari. Starring: Marguerite Snow, James Cruze, Harry Benham Studio: Thanhouser Running time: 2 reels Hindoo Creation, A (1915) This educational picture is on the same reel with The Fatal Kiss…. This subject shows a Hindoo high-caste native buying logs of wood to cremate his wife. The wood is weighed on primitive scales. From the woodyard the logs are carried by bullock to the crematory. In the distance a train with English coaches dashes by. (MPW, May 15, 1915)

Notes: MPW repeatedly referred to this film as A Hindoo Creation, but—given its contents—it is possible the title was actually A Hindoo Cremation. Studio: Joker Running time: Split-reel His Bachelor Dinner (1915) At Thornton’s bachelor dinner, the unexpected arrival of an old friend makes thirteen at the table. While Thornton defies the superstition of the unlucky number as silly before his guests, subconsciously he carries the unfortunate impression to bed with him. Meanwhile, Edna Preston, his fiancee, has been entertaining some of her girl friends. Though she has no more dread of a welsh rarebit than Thornton has of thirteen, she has a curious feeling that she would rather not eat any of the chafing dish delicacy which her mother has prepared. However, she is persuaded to do so. That night Edna and Thornton have dreams — which are perturbing, to say the least. However, everything at last works out happily. (MPW, Apr. 17, 1915)

Writer: Albert Shelby Le Vino Cast: Bradley Barker, Luella Gear Studio: Reliance Running time: 1 reel His Egyptian Affinity (1915) A farce comedy, well produced, and enacted in an enthusiastic manner. The play is full of rapid action, and has evidently been produced at some expense. It deals, as would be supposed, with a subject almost wholly Oriental, where a spring touched in a sarcophagus two thousand years later than the period of the opening scenes, causes the dead to return and the feud of the past is recommenced with a flourish. (MPW, Aug. 28, 1915)

26 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Starring: Victoria Forde, Eddie Lyons, Lee Moran Director: Al E. Christie Studio: Nestor-Universal Running time: 1 reel His Phantom Sweetheart (1915) Jack Courtney, a young millionaire, falls asleep at his club while waiting for a friend to keep an engagement. He dreams that in a theater he meets a strange young woman and that later he finds her alone in the lobby. She tells him that she has lost her escort and he takes her home. Within a few moments they are engaged, but her strange affection bewilders him. She leaves the room and returns in a few moments, apparently transformed into a wild beast. Without warning, she rushes at him and begins to choke him. Courtney wakes up at this point and enjoys a good laugh as he realizes it was only a dream. (Motog, Apr. 17, 1915)

Starring: Earle W. Williams, Anita Stewart Writer: Earle Williams Director: Ralph Ince Studio: Vitagraph Running time: 1 reel Hoodoo’s Busy Day, The (1915) The laughs occur with agreeable frequency, the comic business on the painter’s scaffold being an important factor in the chuckle making. (MPW, Nov. 20, 1915)

Starring: Bud Duncan, Charles Inslee, Owen Evans, Ethel Teare Studio: Kalem Running time: 1 reel Horrible Hyde (1915) An actor owing a landlady a board bill, frightens her off by dressing the part of Hyde with big false teeth in his room. (As if any real theatrical landlady would let any such little thing phase her). When this timid dame sees her backward actor 1 at the theatre taking the other role of Dr. Jekyll, the game is all off. She does all sorts of things, even taking the false teeth away from Reginald. (MPN, Aug. 14, 1915)

Starring: Jerold T. Hevener Writer: Epes W. Sargent Studio: Lubin Running time: Split-reel

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

27

House of Fear, The (1915) Attaining the goal which was evidently set, this picture will most surely please lovers of the sensational. It is rife with thrills that are thoroughly legitimate, in as much as causes and effects have been given their proper places and relationships. The more especially pleasing points of the production are the rather startling photographic effects which have been secured, and the clever manner in which the members of the cast have handled the roles allotted them. For instance, Hobart Henley as the lawyer, has depicted the character of the hero who rescues the young heiress from the clutches of her unscrupulous Uncle with all the gallantry that could be desired. Frances Nelson as the heiress has given an intelligent rendering of the part. And as an interesting study in types, Howard Crampton as the Uncle, and Allen Holubar as the butler shine forth with splendid effect. It also cannot be denied that the atmosphere of the picture stays with one, and that the sets for appropriateness and general effect are most commendable. Reverting a second time to the matter of types, Allen Holubar in his makeup as the evil butler, obeying to the letter the dictates of his master, and in so doing making several attempts on the life of the young heiress, whose existence the Uncle hopes to secretly end for the purpose of obtaining the family fortune, deserves great credit. The story has been cleverly handled by Stuart Paton who has written as well as directed the picture. The flashback system has been employed to a large extent, by which method some moments of intense suspense have been secured. The night photography of which a number of fine samples have been presented in this picture, will also attract considerable attention. (MPW, Jan. 9, 1915) This is a fine example of a weird type of story. It begins immediately after the funeral of the girl’s father. The will is read and she inherits his wealth, except that in case of her death, his brother and nephew shall get it. The story concerns the efforts of this latter pair to frighten the girl to death, employing the half-crazed caretaker to do this. The latter makes a grotesque and horrible appearance, and a splendid atmosphere of persecution is maintained throughout the whole production. The hero, of course, saves the girl. The photography is unusually good, likewise the general construction. (MPW, Jan. 23, 1915)

Starring: Hobart Henley, Frances Nelson, Howard Crampton, Allen Holubar Writer-Director: Stuart Paton Studio: Imp-Universal Running time: 3 reels House of Horror, The (1915) Clark’s visit to the money-lender was ill-timed. Drink had made him ugly, and he threatened the man. Then he lapsed into unconsciousness. When he awoke the next morning in a strange room and, wandering through the money-lender’s house, came upon the man dead, with a great gash in his skull, terror seized him. Fleeing from the police, who find his bloodstained stick beside the body, he

28 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

reaches an old house and overhears the real murderers quarreling over the spoils. They discover him, and a fight ensues. When the police arrive, he delivers the criminals to justice. (MPW, Jan. 16, 1915) A picture that is filled with many things which are not so awfully pleasant to view. There is no doubt that it contains in its construction much that might be considered a lesson to those who indulge in drink. It is quite melodramatic in places and the ending, while sensational, is satisfactory. (MPW, Jan. 30, 1915)

Studio: Biograph Running time: 1 reel Hunchback’s Romance, The (1915) A story of the Ghetto, enacted by a cast comprised mainly of Hebrews. The acting is sincere in every case, yet some of the principals overdo their parts. The makeups on some of the extras are bad. The factory fire intended to constitute a thrill in the story is handled poorly, except for the scenes of the employees escaping via the fire escape. Those scenes laid in Russia are the most interesting. The story deals with the great love of a hunchback for a girl who was given into his care at her parents’ death. He explains his love for her, yet she prefers to marry her previously accepted lover. No familiar faces appear. (MPN, July 31, 1915)

Producer: Sidney M. Goldin Studio: Imp Running time: 2 reels Hypno and Trance–Subjects (1915) A good hearty laugh is assured by this William Wadsworth-Arthur Housman comedy. Hypno and A.  Trance, friends, attend a hypnotist’s performance, and decide that they can distribute trances themselves. Their ludicrous attempts are not only unsuccessful but most disastrous for all concerned. (Motog, Mar. 6, 1915) Hypnotism is the base upon which this one-reel farce is based. It contains a number of very amusing situations, but the action can be quickened to advantage–the waits are too long between the laughs. (MPW, Mar. 20, 1915)

Notes: Arrested and taken to jail, the two title characters are able to hypnotically “spirit each other through the bars” to freedom. Cast: Morgan Thorpe (The Great Smelgarlic), James Harris, Saul Harrison. Studio: Edison Running time: 1 reel

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

29

Hypnotic Monkey, The (1915) Ham and Bud fall asleep in the park. Bud awakens and when Pasquale, his daughter Rosa, and a monkey pass the spot, Bud gets Rosa to take a walk with him. Ham dreams that he sees a hypnotist performing wonderful feats. He dreams that he has learned how to change Bud into a monkey and then cannot get him back again. At this time the Italian’s monkey wanders over to Ham and wakes him up. Ham vainly tries to turn the monkey into Bud and when the Italian tries to get possession of his monkey Ham is willing to fight for ‘Bud’ to the death. When Bud finally returns Ham’s grief melts into rage and he chases Bud into the lake. (Motog, Aug. 7, 1915) The excellent quality of the humorous situations in this one-reel farce make it an easy task for ‘Ham’ and ‘Bud’ to register a large collection of laughs. Lloyd V. Hamilton shows keen judgment in not trying to force the fun during his scenes with the monkey. In many respects this is the best number of the series. (MPW, Aug. 21, 1915)

Starring: Lloyd V. Hamilton (Ham), Bud Duncan (Bud), Fernandez Galvez, Ethel Teare Director: Chance Ward Studio: Kalem Running time: 1 reel Jane Eyre (1915) The producers have done wisely in not attempting to stretch the plot out to four or five reels. As it stands as here presented it makes a concise, quick moving and intense story, the like of which is not often seen in productions of equal footage. As other concerns have done with old stories — that is, taken the liberty to modernize their material — so has Biograph done with Jane Eyre. This fact, however, seems not to detract from the dramatic qualities of the offering and as the English atmosphere is particularly well brought out it is safe to state that none will find serious fault with the modernized version. (MPN, July 31, 1915)

Director: Travers Vale Starring: Louise Vale, Franklin Ritchie Studio: Biograph Running time: 3 reels Jones’ Hypnotic Eye (1915) After attending a hypnotic exhibition in his home town and witnessing the marvelous powers of the professor, leaves the ball thoroughly imbued with the idea that he could be a hypnotist himself without much trouble. He determines to try it, studies at home, and, very much to the amusement of his household, attempts demonstrations upon the cat, the dog and even the chickens, with, of course, no

30 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

result, except creating laughter among those watching him. Troubles camp on his trail when he attempts to practice on human beings. His beloved wife finds him stroking his stenographer’s face in an endeavor to hypnotize her, and, misconstruing it, makes things hum for a while. Next he tries his powers on a bold, bad book-agent, and, for once, the latter is actually frightened out of a sale. On the family’s Sunday picnic he has an excellent opportunity to practice hypnotism, and at the same time make a hero of himself, but when he stares into the mild face of the wandering cow and makes passes before her, the animal lowers her head and goes for him. He dodges and Mrs. Cow gallops right through the middle of the lunch carefully spread on the grass. Finally Jones lands in jail on the charge of flirting. With the Magistrate’s assistance, Mrs. Jones makes her husband resolve to leave psychological phenomena alone. (MPW, June 12, 1915)

Director: David Smith Studio: Vitagraph Running time: 1 reel Jungle Stockade, The (1915) Robert Barker, the newly arrived missionary, bears gifts to King Lomba of the Bartosi tribe. The king accepts the gifts, but tells Barker: ‘The bones of our ancestors have told us that white men are traitors.’ Kahma, King Lomba’s younger brother, is being educated at the mission. While hunting one day, he sees Grace, the daughter of the missionary, in line of fire and saves her life. The witch doctor decrees that Kahma be thrown into the jungle stockade. However, the wild animals do not harm him. and the king, after a sleepless night, liberates his brother. He finds the white man’s Bible, which Kahma reads during the terrible night, and asks that his brother’s friends be his friends. (MPW, Apr. 17, 1915)

Starring: Lafayette McKee, Lillian Hayward, Marion Warner Produced by Thomas Santschi Writer: Emma Bell Studio: Selig Running time: 1 reel Lost Secret, The (1915) There is nothing … especially novel in the story of an aged inventor who perfects a high explosive for use in war, and of the spy who tries to secure the precious formula. A touch of irony is found in the climax, showing both of the men being killed by the explosive prepared for the destruction of others. (MPW, Oct. 2, 1915)

Studio: Balboa Running time: 2 reels

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

Lotta Coin’s Ghost (1915) Inspired by the thought of Lotta Coin’s wonderful billion dollar necklace, Ham and Bud turn burglars in an effort to annex it. On the night of the intended burglarizing expedition, the cracksmen peer through the window and see Lotta placing the jewel in the safe. Later, Ham and Bud enter. After placing a can of powder under the safe and lighting the fuse. Ham orders Bud to sit on the safe and keep it down when the explosion occurs. Wadda Coin, aroused by the noise, enters the room. Ham indignantly requests him to stay away until the safe is destroyed. This happens a minute later. The explosion drapes Bud over the chandelier, knocks Wadda Coin behind the table, and blows Ham out of the room. Returning, Ham rescues Bud and the two enter the pantry. There they get into a fight. Coin enters just in time to be hit with a cup thrown by Ham. The man falls unconscious. Lotta is awakened by the rumpus. She resolves to frighten the burglars by disguising as a ghost. Ham gives one look upon the ghastly figure and flees, followed by Bud. The race leads through a back yard where Bud becomes entangled in a bed sheet hanging on a line. Ham, glancing back, sees the sheet-clad figure. Believing it to be the ghost, he proceeds to break all speed records. An extra spurt enables Bud to overtake his pal. Ham drops to his knees in fear and trembling and awaits his fate. Bud gets rid of the sheet. The moment Ham discovers the ‘ghost’s’ identity, he rises and goes after Bud. The latter doesn’t attempt to argue — he just runs. (MPW, Apr. 17, 1915) In this instalment of the ‘Ham’ comedies, ‘Ham’ and ‘Bud’ stray from the path of rectitude, but, even as midnight marauders, the Spirit of Mirth keeps them company. They secure no booty, but bestow a largess of laughter upon all beholders. A welcome release. (MPW, May 8, 1915)

Starring: Lloyd V. Hamilton (Ham) and Bud Duncan (Bud) Studio: Kalem Running time: 1 reel Mechanical Man, The (1915) ‘Phroso,’ who is known the world over for his wonderful impersonation of a mechanical manikin, is featured in The Mechanical Man, a Joker comedy which is to be released on June 28 by the Universal. Director Curtis has assigned Max Asher and ‘Phroso’ to the leading roles, and together they have produced a film of the most interesting character. ‘Phroso’s’ imitation of a walking manikin has been seen in Cape Town. Africa, and in Nome, Alaska, in Hong Kong, and New York, and everywhere experts have pronounced his work wonderful. Not once during the entire projection of the film does he flicker an eyelash; not once does a muscle of his face twitch. He moves like a veritable automaton and one wonders at times whether he is not actually being imposed upon by a real mechanical toy instead of by a skilled artist of the stage. All through the picture there is not the faintest indication that ‘Phroso’ breathes, and his fall, in which he simulates the breaking of the manikin, is without doubt one of the most realistic episodes of the unusual comedy. He falls flat on his face with no attempt to break the force of his tumble and one expects to

31

32 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

see him picked up with a broken nose, as that prominent feature of his face strikes the floor first with stunning force. How he does it only ‘Phroso’ himself knows. The Mechanical Man is the first of many sensational vaudeville acts around which the Universal will weave stories for presentation in photoplay form. (MPW, June 16, 1915)

Starring: Max Asher, ‘Phroso’ Studio: Joker Running time: 1 reel Melody of Doom, The (1915) Occultism and a strain of weird music figure largely in this two-reel drama. A beautiful siren ‘who lured men’s souls to the shores of sin, by the light of her wanton eyes,’ as George R. Sims puts it in ‘Ostler Joe,’ is forced to confess to murder by novel means. The theme is played with the tremolo stop drawn out, and the picture will please lovers of the drama of mystery and crime. (MPW, Aug. 21, 1915)

Director: Frank Beal Writer: W. [William] E. Wing Starring: Eugenie Besserer Studio: Selig Running time: 2 reels Miss Jekyll and Madame Hyde (1915) Madeline Jekyll meets Barch Stana. a distinguished looking man, and finds her father has promised her in marriage to Daggerts, a politician, who, in reward, has agreed to see that Jekyll is elected governor. Madeline is already in love with Robert Mayhew, and rebels at the prearranged marriage. Later Madeline overhears Baron Stana and Daggerts threatening to expose Jekyll because he has forged Daggert’s name to a note, unless he gives his daughter’s hand to Daggerts. To save her father she stops Daggerts with the demand ‘What is your price.’ He replies, ‘You !’ And she agrees to marry him in return for which he hands over to her the incriminating note. When Jekyll learns of his daughter’s sacrifice he is almost crazed with grief, and that night dies of a broken heart. Madeline, in her boudoir, dreams that Stana appears before her. He tells her that Daggerts loves her for her purity and innocence and to escape him, she must become the antithesis of this: hard, sophisticated and reckless. Stana then takes her to a luxurious dance saloon. Horace, a young gentleman of leisure, falls in love with her, but meets only ruin and death, while she and Stana continue on their way until, finally, Madeline sees herself old, dissipated and forlorn. Then Stana taunts her and she kills him. Awakening from her dream Madeline learns of her father’s death. Daggerts and Stana quarrel and the former is frightened to discover that bullets have no effect on the Baron, who, with a sardonic laugh says, ‘I am Satan, and you are mine!’ Daggerts drops dead from heart failure, leaving Madeline and Mayhew to their complete love and happiness. (MPW, June 12, 1915)

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

Starring: Paul Scardon (Satan), Helen Gardner (Madeline Jekyll) Studio: Vitagraph Running time: 3 reels Missing Mummy, The (1915) Bud and his pal secure jobs as guardians of a valuable Egyptian mummy. A jealous professor steals the mummy, and it is decided that Bud Laust take the mummy’s place for a demonstration on the next day to save the guardians’ jobs. The fun that follows may be imagined. It reaches a climax when the demonstrator declares, ‘To show that this is a real mummy I will drive a spike through its nose.’ (MPW, Dec. 25, 1915)

Starring: Bud Duncan, Charles Inslee, Ethel Teare, Jack McDermott Studio: Kalem Running time: 1 reel Mission of Mr. Foo, The (1915) Mr. Foo, a mandarin of the lost Empire, in his underground abode at Washington, D. C., prays to the Buddha that the newborn Chinese Republic be overthrown and the Empire restored. Florence, the young daughter of a man high in official circles at Washington, has a hobby for settlement work, and she is seen constantly in the Chinese quarter at Washington. Mr. Foo meets her there, and, secretly in love with her, invites her to his place under the pretext of teaching her something of his country, because she has been so zealous in teaching the Chinese of America. She goes to his dwelling the next day, and Mr. Foo gives her a necklace, which he tells her was given him by the Empress of China herself. Florence leaves and, upon returning home, tells her parents of her experience. They are unable to translate the inscription on the necklace, and invite Tu Sing, the Chinese Ambassador, to dinner, with the hope that he will translate it for them. He tells them that the owner of the necklace is a great soldier of the old Empire, but a traitor to the Republic. Rather than create the impression that they are in league with Mr. Foo, Florence and her parents give the necklace to Tu Sing. The ambassador employs a spy to locate Mr. Foo and his followers, who are kindling a rebellion which they intend to fan into a blaze in their own country. The spy gets into the secret underground abode, and after he has reported to Tu Sing, the latter goes to Foo’s place and tells the traitor that he can either return to his own country and die as a traitor or take poison where he is. Mr. Foo calmly sits down and drinks the tea containing the poison. (MPW, Mar. 6, 1915) The struggle between the imperialists and the republicans of China, is the foundation of a dramatic film rich in oriental color, although the scenes are laid in Washington. Mr. Foo, capitally impersonated by Carleton King, wants to overthrow the new government at Peking, his antagonist being the Chinese Ambassador to this country. A beautiful American girl also figures in the plot. A series of highly dramatic incidents, staged with intelligent regard for correct detail, and ending with the death of Foo, result in a novel and worthwhile

33

34 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

photoplay. T. Tamamoto in the part of the Ambassador and real Chinamen in the mob of Orientals, add materially to the verisimilitude of the scenes. (MPW, Mar. 27, 1915)

Starring: Carleton King, T. Tamamoto Director: John H. Collins Studio: Edison Mr. Jarr Takes a Night Off (1915) Mr. Jarr Among the Freaks would also be an appropriate title for this instalment. At any rate, he gets mixed up with a large and varied collection of sideshow stars, experiences a lurid evening in their company and all land in a police court. Good fun for the onlooker. (MPW, Apr. 24, 1915)

Notes: Fourth film in the “Mr. Jarr Family Series” Director: Harry Davenport Writer: Roy L. McCardell Starring: Rose Tapley, Harry Davenport, Nicholas Dunaew Studio: Vitagraph Running time: 1 reel Mystery of Dead Man’s Isle, The (1915) Plot: When a fisherman spots a young woman on a purportedly uninhabited island called Dead Man’s Isle, he rows out to investigate. The woman, though paralyzed by fear, eventually tells him that she’s been held captive by a family of counterfeiters, who force her to spread bad money on the mainland. Smitten, the fisherman loads the woman—and the counterfeit money— in his boat, only to sit helplessly when she’s shot dead by the criminals. The film features a mysterious secret, a demented family, a victimized woman, a lonely grave, a face looking through a window, and an armed man prowling around with a shovel. Starring: Clyde Benson, Edith Johnson Director: Giles Warren Studio: Selig Polyscope Running time: 15:50

Mystery of the Silent Death, The (1915) Within less than five months after the mysterious death of her mother. Adene Maintland wakes in the early morning to learn that her father has also died silently and mysteriously. She suspects her step-father, Wainwright. A glance at her mother’s will, which she has obtained from her lawyer and which is made out in

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

35

Wainwright’s favor, increases her suspicions and she confides them to her friend Lewis Courtland. He tells her to be careful about accusation and undertakes the investigation. Under cover of darkness, one night, he meets Adene on the front porch of the house of mystery and goes to her room while she silently transfers herself to another room. He falls asleep and is awakened with the sense of suffocation. Gas is escaping through the fireplace. It is carbon monoxide. Courtland steals down stairs and discovers Wainwright in the act of making it. He turns him over to the police. (MPW, Apr. 17, 1915) The villain in this one-reel drama is the real thing, and the diabolical way in which he attempts to gain possession of his wife’s fortune is worthy [of] the invention of Edgar Allen [sic] Poe. (MPW, May 8, 1915)

Starring: Lester Cuneo, Beverly Bayne, and Albert Roscoe Studio: Essanay Running time: 1 reel Mystery of the Tapestry Room, The (1915) Mable Brooks is the ward of Tom Sharpleigh, a detective. There are love interests between Mabel and Sharpleigh’s nephew, Frank. Sharpleigh is assigned to the Addison case, in which family there have occurred several murders. By reason of evidence, the butler of the family is suspected. The butler proves to be Sharpleigh’s estranged brother, but before arresting him the detective decides to await developments. Tom Sharpleigh spends a night with Howard Addison in the ‘Tapestry Room.’ At midnight a masked intruder comes out of a panel-door and in the struggle that follows, the man is victorious, and escapes. The second night, however, one of the detective’s bullets brings the man down as he is making another dash for liberty. The man is brought back into the tapestry room and unmasked. It is none other than Frank Sharpleigh, son of Adam, the butler, and nephew to old Tom. Frank dies and Tom and Adam, now reunited, return to Tom’s home, where they break the news to Mabel. (Motog, Sept. 4, 1915)

Starring: Murdock MacQuarrie, Frank MacQuarrie, Frank Newberg, Kingsley Benedict Writer: H. G. Stafford Producer: Murdock MacQuarrie Studio: Universal Running time: 3 reels Mystery Woman, The (1915) Berta, ‘the crazy girl,’ as they term her, lives in the haunted house, a quarter of a mile from the town. She had come to the town two years before, but none knew from whence. She goes to the gambling hall, a usual custom, and is successful at the gaming table. She throws the money away to children in the street. A stranger, named Boyd, arrives in the stagecoach and sees the girl as she passes. He recognizes her and follows her. She does not remember him and repulses him. He

36 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

returns to the notary and bribes him into performing a marriage between himself and Berta that night. When it is dark he goes to the haunted house and asks the girl to walk with him. She agrees and he takes her to the notary’s house and there the marriage is performed. The girl does not realize what she is doing. (MPW, Jan. 23, 1915)

Starring: Cleo Madison Studio: Bison Running time: 2 reels Mystic Ball, The (1915) The underhand methods of a disreputable bucket shop are unmasked …. A touch of mysticism is given to the play by introducing a magic crystal during the action. (MPW, Sept. 25, 1915)

Fig. 2  A supernatural crystal helps a naïve young man avoid fraudulent investments in The Mystic Ball (1915). (Courtesy Heritage Auctions)

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

37

Starring: George Larkin, Fritzl Brunette Writer: Wallace C. Clifton Director: William Robert Daly Studio: Selig Running time: 2 reels Mystic Jewel, The (1915) There is nothing out of the ordinary about this two-reel production which is a melodrama with a slight flavor of the Orient. A jewel stolen from a woman of the Orient by a young American is the cause of all the excitement. This woman enters the room where the young man and his friend are seated, infuses poisonous gas into the atmosphere of the room, and attempts to gain possession of her jewel in this way. A portion of the story of the woman is inserted to better explain the circumstances. (MPW, July 31, 1915)

Cast: Seena Owen, Lucille Younge, Charles West, Spottiswoode Aitken, Joseph Henabery, Elmo Lincoln, Jack Conway Director: Jack Conway Studio: Majestic Running time: 2 reels Nameless Fear, The (1915) In a lonely old house lives Dulcene, a girl of twenty, with no other companions than Dr. Ferguson and Meg, an old servant. Ferguson has plotted with Meg to wreck Dulcene’s mind, counting on the fact that he will then be made her permanent guardian and will not have to account for her fortune which he has so long controlled. In the house is a certain room the door of which has always been locked. One day Dulcene finds the door ajar and ventures in. At the opposite end of the room are closed heavy black curtains and as she approaches these Ferguson appears and declares that to look beyond them would be sure to ruin her reason. Dulcene shrinks away, but is still possessed with an insane desire to look beyond those curtains. That night, arising from her sleep, she enters the room and after peering behind the curtains falls senseless. Fred Raymond, a young engineer who has met Dulcene, hears her cry and breaks into the house. After overpowering Ferguson he rushes into the room and finds Dulcene who had been frightened by her own suggested fancies, for only an empty alcove was to be seen behind the curtains. Meg confesses the whole plot and Ferguson is discovered to be insane and is led away by the police. (Motog, Feb. 6, 1915) The production has been well directed, and is a most attractive one. The story deals with the attempt of an old man to frighten a young girl, of whose fortune he has charge, into insanity, that he as her guardian may still have jurisdiction over her money. (MPW, Feb. 20, 1915)

38 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Starring: Louise Huff Writer: Emmett Campbell Hall Studio: Lubin Running time: 1 reel Olive in the Madhouse (1915) Just as Olive is thinking her troubles over, she is abducted by her enemy and taken to a madhouse. Her escape is shown in a series of thrilling incidents, including an explosion. It holds the attention of the audience from the fact that one wonders how she is to escape from the madhouse. An entertaining release. (MPW, Feb. 13, 1915)

Notes: Tenth short subject in the “Olive’s Opportunities” series Studio: Edison Running time: 1 reel Orang-Outang, The (1915) Tom Howard returns from a voyage with an orang-outang and is made comfortable at the home of Mrs. Blake, his sweetheart’s aunt, where there is another roomer, John Horton, an ex-miner. Jim Hand, another seaman, calls on Tom, and later when the orang-outang takes a cane from Horton’s room it is found to be blood stained and Horton dying from blows upon the head. Jim Hand later tells how years before Horton had decamped with his savings; that in the boarding house Horton tried to attack him and that he felled the man with a blow from the cane. (Motog, Aug. 14, 1915) An exciting story with a punch made unusually interesting by the acting of a very human orang-outang. The plot hinges upon the murder of which the orangoutang is apparently guilty. The blame is placed upon the orang-outang’s master until the real murderer, a third person, confesses and the mystery is cleared up. (MPN, Aug. 14, 1915)

Notes: Period publications at times spelled the title as The Ourang-Outang. Starring: Edith Johnson, and “Chang,” the orang-outang Writer: Emma Bell Studio: Selig Running time: 1 reel Orgy, The (1915) It is the creation of a dream, brought about through the study of hypnotic influence. John Pemberton imagines that he obtains control over his ward and involves his household in serious trouble. Matters are more than mildly interesting while the dream lasts. (MPW, Nov. 20, 1915)

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

39

Starring: John Pemberton, Bernard Siegel, Ethel Clayton, and Frances Joyner Producer: Joseph Kaufman Writer: Daniel Carson Goodman Studio: Lubin Running time: 1 reel Oriental Ruby, The (1915) Lola and Charles are serenely happy because of the fact that they are engaged, when their happiness is marred by the fact that their fathers have quarreled over a stone, which one claims to be real and the other man says is but a piece of glass. Charles persuades his father to go to the other man and beg his forgiveness. When he arrives he finds the other man dead, and fearing he will be blamed, he steals away without giving an alarm. In the morning the body is found and on the strength of the quarrel Charles’ father is arrested. Lola has seen him leave the house, but will not testify against him. Charles calls on her and finds her grappling with the Hindoo servant, who turns out to be a notorious crook in disguise, who has stolen the oriental ruby. (Motog, May 15, 1915)

Starring: Augusta Anderson, Charles Perley, Edward Cecil Studio: Biograph Running time: 1 reel Phoney [sic] Cannibal, The (1915) In an effort to dodge their board bill, Ham and Bud depart from Mrs. Mum’s home via the fire escape. The two come to a street corner where the Rev. Salamander Fish is telling of the efforts being made to convert the heathen. The missionary has a cannibal with him. The speaker’s story so affects his listeners that they contribute liberally when he takes up a collection. This gives Ham an idea. Dragging Bud to a costumer he compels his pal to dress up as a cannibal. Ham dons clerical attire. Leading Bud by a chain, Ham takes up a stand on one of the streets and commences to address the crowd. His lecture and the sight of the phoney cannibal causes the crowd to fill the hat which Ham presently passes around. In the meantime, Mrs. Mum discovers her boarders have decamped. Accompanied by several officers, she goes in search, of them. Ham finishes taking up the collection and is about to place the money in his pocket when Bud grabs the cash and flees. Ham gives chase. Mrs. Mum and the officers get on the trail of the two. Ham catches Bud and is compelling him to surrender the money, when he observes Mrs. Mum and her escort approaching. The adventurers flee once more. They hide behind a tree just as their landlady stumbles and falls. The officers run down a side street and disappear. Elated with their cleverness. Ham and Bud come from behind the tree and commence counting their cash. Mrs. Mum sees the two. Pulling a revolver from her shirtwaist, she compels her boarders to fork over. Cowed by the pistol. Ham gives vent to his exasperation by kicking Bud down the street. (MPW, Apr. 24, 1915)

40 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Notes: An altered re-release, with musical score, was distributed by Marlu Telefilms, Inc., the TV arm of Milton Menell’s Manhattan-­based Select Film Library. Starring: Lloyd V. Hamilton (Ham) and Bud Duncan (Bud) Director: Chance Ward Studio: Kalem Running time: 1 reel Picture of Dorian Gray, The (1915) The famous story by Oscar Wilde. Dorian Gray, a favorite in London society, gazes at his portrait and wishes he would always remain young and that the picture would grow old in his stead. As time passes Gray becomes more inhuman and even criminal, and the portrait reflects all these evil changes. But Dorian himself does not alter. At last, facing his real self in the portrait, the libertine picks up a knife and sinks it into the breast of the man on the canvas. A terrible cry rings through the house, and the servants find on the wall a beautiful portrait of their master as they last saw him. On the floor lies a loathsome old man with a knife in his heart. (Motog, July 24, 1915) The plot is unusual, and even though none of the familiar epigrams of the author find their way into the subtitles, there is an artistic flavor to the production. Dorian’s picture shows evidence in the passing years of his selfish, dissipated life, though his own countenance remains unchanged. (MPW, July 31, 1915)

Starring: Harris Gordon, Helen Fulton Director: Eugene Moore Studio: Thanhouser Running time: 2 reels Professor’s Nightmare, The (1915) Convinced by his friend’s glowing account of a play he witnessed the night before, that it must be a real ‘thriller,’ Professor Nicholas decides he will take it in. He phones his wife from the office that he has two tickets for that evening and wants her to go with him. When the thrilling climax to the play comes where the villain chokes the poor girl for not signing the papers, he becomes so excited he makes things very uncomfortable for those around him. Next day he meets a few friends and has a few glasses of light refreshment, with the result that his friends have to bring him home in a taxi. His wife calls him a brute and goes sobbing to bed, while the professor also sobs and falls asleep in a chair by the fireplace. His mind still obsessed with the play he witnessed, the professor dreams that he is the villain and his wife is the heroine. After unsuccessfully attempting to force her to sign some papers, he chokes and stabs her, then hides the body under the diningroom table. He hears the police coming, but seems paralyzed and offers no resistance when they break in and dramatically arrest him. Without delay, he is sentenced to electrocution. The march to the chair begins at once and he is soon

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

strapped in. While the wardens are awaiting the signals to throw the switch, Satan appears, and after giving the professor the ‘Ha- Ha,’ sneaks in and turns on the current. Sparks and flames begin to shoot out from around the professor’s feet and he seems to be burning up. Just then he wakes up to find his feet in the fireplace and his slippers all ablaze. With a yell, he kicks them off as his wife comes in greatly frightened. He tells her of his nightmare while she gets ice water and bathes his aching head. The professor then promises never again to look upon the wine when it is red. (Motog, Feb. 20, 1915)

Director: C. Jay Williams Writer: Arthur S. Ashley Studio: Vitagraph Running time: 1 reel Rajah’s Sacrifice, The (1915) tells the story of a young American girl who falls into the hands of a cunning and barbaric high priest, who pleads with her to marry him. She refuses but accepts the Rajah, whom she truly loves. At the Rajah’s temple the sacred animals are kept and, one day, upon entering the lion’s den the Rajah is attacked and killed. It is the custom of the country that upon the death of a husband his widow is to be burned at the stake. The Rajah’s widow is led to the stake and the funeral pyre lighted, but the high priest, desiring the girl for himself liberates her and places her in charge of the keeper of the sacred animals, who is in love with the high priest. Upon learning of her lover’s inconstancy the keeper dispatches a note to the girl’s friends who immediately organize a rescue party and after a thrilling battle amid the sacred animals take the girl from the place. Enraged at the keeper’s infidelity to her trust the high priest commands that she be thrown to the animals, but before the hirelings can obey the order the keeper springs upon the dictator and kills him. She then escapes and joins the homeward bound rescue party. (MPN, Sept. 4, 1915)

Starring: Capt. Jack Bonavita, Roy Watson Directors: Capt. Jack Bonavita, Frank Montgomery Studio: Centaur Running time: 2 reels Reincarnation (1915) [T]he trial of a young man falsely accused of crime. The judge in the case goes home and thinks the testimony over. While at home, the judge sees himself and all the other principals in the trial in a previous incarnation where a case of exactly the same sort is tried. The costuming of this former period suggested the early Roman days. This vision of the past leads the judge to think the prisoner at the bar is innocent, and later sensational new testimony offered by the girl proves this to be the case. The story is exceptionally strong and makes a good offering. (MPW, Sept. 11, 1915)

41

42 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Studio: Thanhouser Running time: 2 reels Return of Maurice Donnelly, The (1915) Maurice Donnelly is brought back to life after having been electrocuted, his resuscitation being accomplished by means of electricity. Leo Delaney portrayed Maurice Donnelly and to further the cause of science to illustrate the way scientists are now experimenting to again excite the nerve centers of electrically executed persons, allowed a current of two million volts of static electricity to pass through his body, the course of the current being traced by violet ray tubes and electrodes passed over his chest. When the mention of two million volts was first broached Mr. Delaney absolutely refused to even think of lending himself to such a test, but on being told that he would not even feel the current and that static electricity was the unknown force that will, in future generations, revolutionize the accepted axioms of present day scientific theories in regard to organic life, he readily agreed to the experiment. (MPW, Apr. 3, 1915)

Starring: Leo Delaney, Leah Baird, Mary Maurice, Denton Vane Director: William Humphrey Writer: William Addison Lathrop Studio: Vitagraph Running time: 3 reels Reunited (1915) While visiting his sweetheart, Antoine de Vallence, a French lieutenant, is ordered to report for duty at once. Marguerite Du Bois keeps two miniatures, one of Antoine in his uniform and the other of herself, which she places with a bundle of old love letters. Later she hears of De Vallence’s death and, broken hearted, she fades away and dies. Two hundred years have elapsed. They quarrel. Vallery receives a message to come to his dying uncle at once. During his absence Marguerite realizes that she really loves her husband. Arriving at his uncle’s house Vallery finds the old man dying. He is shown over the property to which he is to fall heir and looks with interest at the portraits of his ancestors. He is about to enter a room when the servant tells him it is haunted. Vallery laughs at this nonsense and enters. The room shows traces of having been a boudoir. Picking up two miniatures from a desk he finds them to be pictures of a young officer of the French army and the other a dainty little maid whose face seems strangely familiar to him. All at once the spirit of the lady appears. Startled beyond measure, the young fellow hurries from the room. The uncle dies. The young man returns to the haunted chamber and as the vision again appears, he asks; ‘Who are you?’ She bids him take off the top letter from the old package of love letters and he reads the news of the young officer’s death. At once it occurs to him that the portrait is of himself as he was in a former

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

life. The vision points to the skies. He sees his present wife waiting for him to return. At last he understands and makes haste to return to his wife. She greets him with renewed love and that night before the fireplace he tells her the story of the miniatures and the love letters. As the picture fades, they are clasped in each other’s embrace. (MPW, Jan. 9, 1915)

Starring: Erma Earl, Fred Sumner Studio: Eclair Running time: 2 reels Secret of the Dead, The (1915) This story, pictured in the ‘painted desert’ section of the San Diego Exposition, is decidedly novel in both plot and settings. It is one of the best Western productions shown in some time. The body of the petrified Indian contains a treasure map, and the professor and his students dig up the lost gold. Fighting scenes with Indian tribes are graphically shown. There is also a pretty love story. The photography is fine and this makes a very attractive production. (MPW, Feb. 20, 1915) Donna Carrillo and her daughter, Maria, are descendants of an old Spanish family reduced to poverty. Their notes are held by Don Jose Domingo, who insists upon the payment of the interest or Maria’s hand in marriage. Both mother and daughter hate and fear Domingo. A party of excavators from the East discover on the estate of the Carrillos a petrified Indian. They make Donna Carrillo an offer, which she accepts eagerly, meaning to pay off the interest to Don Jose. He finds out the situation and by night riddles the preserved body of the Indian with shots, destroying it. However, already the excavators have taken from the breast of the mummy a paper revealing the hiding place of an immense treasure. Tom, the son of the professor at the head of the expedition, is especially anxious to find this treasure as he is in love with Maria. Don Jose incites the Indians to waylay the excavators, who are rescued by Mexican rurales. They return in time to save the Carrillos from the extortionist, Don Jose, who loses his life at the hands of an Indian chieftain. Tom and Maria share the treasure, and are married. (RL, Feb. 6, 1915)

Starring: Thomas Chatterton, Walter Edwards, Clara Williams Studio: Domino Running time: 2 reels Secret Room, The (1915) Never was a happy ending more welcome than in this picture by the Kalem Company, The Secret Room. It is one that demanded some relief at the close; for it builds up a veritable nightmare and would have been almost insufferable if one couldn’t wake up from it  — insufferable from sheer horror. ‘The hardened reviewer’ has no shield to protect his nerves from such a theme as is pictured here. He is only hardened to often repeated themes, like the public to a new song

43

44 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

growing old; a new theme such as this will get as effectively under his skin as any normal man’s. People have thought up situations of terror before this and even put them into pictures  — psychological, devilish situations that were born on some blasted heath where the soul loses its grip and becomes the naked prey of dominions — but in this picture the showing is made real. We have seen only three or four other five offerings portraying horror that were as effective. When the spectator sees it he will know whether he has strong nerves or not. If some spectator happens to be blue and dyspeptic it may be to him like some ‘hysterico passio,’ some King Lear’s ‘climbing sorrow’ for a while. No one will call it dead or flat or sloppy or any other of the names disgruntled spectators have abundant store of to give the worried exhibitor. As a nerve-thriller, it wins with both feet. The author of the script new or classic is not given; but Tom Moore produced it and plays the Mephistopheles role as a doctor learned in Eastern lore. The honors for acting go to Ethel Clifton as his wife, although every one of the entire cast plays ably and in first-class professional style. Robert Ellis plays a derelict whom the doctor buys. The man was about to commit suicide on account of a girl and the doctor wants to use his life and promises to give him a good time for a few weeks. The doctor’s house is fitted up in Oriental style; he has a Hindoo servant (Paton Gibbs) and his wife has a great unexplained sorrow. There is a mysterious room in the house. The wife’s niece, Marguerite Courtot, comes on a visit and wonders what is in the closed room. The ‘time’ of the bought derelict is now up and he comes to the house. We soon see that the girl was once his sweetheart and that it was for her that he was about to commit self-destruction. But they now make up; the man for the moment forgetting that he is sold. Now we find that the doctor has an idiot son and that his purpose is to take the mind and intellect he has bought and give them to his son. If some unforeseen thing had not happened just at the right time he would have done it too. (MPW, Feb. 20, 1915)

Starring: Tom Moore, Robert Ellis, Marguerite Courtot, Paton Gibbs (aka Robert Paton Gibbs) Studio: Kalem Running time: 2 reels Secret Room, The (1915) Julian Louis Lamothe has written a two-reel mystery drama that holds the interest to the end. The story is rather improbable, and it has been capably produced by Paul Powell. (MPW, Nov. 20, 1915) Amos Lee, a gambler, loses everything, including his home, to Robert Duncan. Lee shoots himself and his body falls into the river. His son, who is in love with Dorothy, Duncan’s daughter, is told by Duncan that the ghost of Lee appears to him in his study. Duncan discovers Dorothy and Arthur together and in his fright at the appearance of Lee, he overthrows a lamp and Fairview Manor is burned to the ground and Arthur is missing. Later Dorothy finds an iron door covered with the debris and through this she descends and finds Arthur and Jasper, the Lees’ [African-American] servant. He tells of how Lee had been hidden in the cellar

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

45

and burned in the mansion the night of the fire, but how he had saved Arthur’s life. Later Dorothy and Arthur are reunited. (Motog, Nov. 13, 1915)

Starring: Melvin Mayo, L.  C. Shumway, George Routh, Velma Whitman, Sidney Hayes, and Robert Gray Studio: Lubin Writer: Julian Louis Lamothe Running time: 2 reels Shorty Among the Cannibals (1915) ‘Did you ever see anything like it?’ said a puritanical lady pointing out a fashionable New York woman who was decollette to the breasts. ‘No,’ said her escort, ‘not since I was weaned.’ Whether or not you have seen something like Shorty Among the Cannibals since you were weaned, I never did, and that is going some. I was even puzzled to subtitle this review. Shorty’s experience is merely that of a dream, a nightmare brought on by assiduous reading of Robinson Crusoe, but that is all a minor consideration. What he experiences has more coherence than the average dream, but all probabilities of time, place and circumstance are so cheerfully violated that we recognize something akin to our own myth-making during sleep. Dreams are true while they last, and Shorty takes all that comes to him with that distressing seriousness we instantly recognize, the acute distress from which we waken with gasping relief. Shorty falls into the hands of pirates, while in dreamland, and is made to serve under a murderous cook in the galley. He devises a scheme of double revenge on cook and pirate chief for the injuries they have done him, and is fiendishly successful; but he is compelled to fire the vessel in order to escape. All this done aboard ship in the open sea. While they are still unaware of their peril, the murderous crew chase Shorty all over the vessel, out on the bowsprit, and back by the martingale, up the shrouds, out on the topsail yards, until he swings monkey-like back and forth at the end of a loose sail sheet, knocking pirates down like so many tenpins as he sweeps the deck, a human pendulum. Shorty is caught, however, and compelled to walk the plank, but, at the crucial moment, fire is discovered and he turns disadvantage into advantage with a skill some European generals might study. He escapes from the burning ship and is cast away on a tropical island inhabited by opera-­bouffe cannibals. His experiences with them constitute a clever satire on theatrical moving pictures. In one case a well-aimed spear is driven straight through Shorty, but he survives, as the villain does a volley from cowboys’ revolvers at short range. One hair-raising escape after another leads to a desperate canoe chase, one very much more exciting than the chase of any melodrama yet shown, involving actual skill and actual peril. He is rescued by Robinson Crusoe and presented to ‘Friday,’ but this brings him no luck. After a desperate battle with the cannibals he is recaptured and put in the pot to make cowboy stew, when he wakes up. Shorty Among the Cannibals is naturally funny, and will, therefore, appeal to all classes and conditions of men, women and children. (MPW, Feb. 27, 1915)

46 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Shorty is first discovered absorbed in reading Robinson Crusoe. He falls asleep near the chuck wagon and has a vivid dream. In this he becomes a stowaway on a pirate vessel bound for the South Seas. He puts a mouse in the captain’s soup and sets the ship on fire, making himself such a general nuisance that he finds it advisable to leave suddenly on a small boat. He lands on a desert island, a la Crusoe, and has thrilling adventures among the cannibals. This has a laugh in it for almost anyone and makes good burlesque adventure. (MPW, Apr. 3, 1915)

Notes: Shorty Among the Cannibals is one of about 31-reel “Shorty” comedies produced during 1914–17. Starring: Jack Hamilton (Shorty), George W.  Platt, W.  E. Cavanaugh, Milton Ross Studio: Broncho Running time: 2 reels Some Nightmare (1915) Ernie would rather dream over his pipe than work and consequently is in rather straightened circumstances. His pal suggests that he attempt to borrow some money from his wife. Foolishly, Ernie tries, but the plan works out badly–and painfully. They rob a blind man, and rent two pipes from Hong Hee with the money. They go floating away on a wonderful cloud and dream of riches, beautiful women, and a life of ease, but always the awful spectre of Ernie’s wife intrudes, getting more fearful each time. They are so glad on awakening to find that their dream is not a reality that they swear off on the pipe forever. (Motog, Mar. 6, 1915)

Starring: Ernest Shields, Eddie Boland Director: Archer MacMackin Studio: Universal Running time: 1 reel Soul of Phyra, The (1915) Phyra is a virgin reserved for sacrifice in an Indian Temple. She meets Capt. Brenner of the English Army, and he persuades her to flee with him and marry him. This flight is accomplished at great danger to them as the Indians lie in ambush and make a desperate fight before the girl can be removed to a ship sailing for England, as Capt. Brenner is returning, having been transferred home. On arrival in England, Phyra is welcomed into society. She and her husband are very happy. Back in India the Hindoo priests, by an occult process, summon the soul of Phyra and threaten her husband unless she returns and fulfills her allotted mission. She is alarmed and does so, leaving Brenner a note informing him they will be united forever in another plane. She returns to India, is burned on the funeral pyre, and her soul ascends to Paradise. Meanwhile Brenner has gone to the dogs. The Scotland yard detectives are unable to locate his missing wife and Brenner is drinking heavily. One day in a club he is drinking when Phyra in Paradise beckons to him, as the girl has read in the Brahmin Philosophy that

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

one soul which beckons another from Paradise will be obeyed. Brenner is shown to die in the club, and his soul ascends and mingles with that of Phyra. (MPW, June 19, 1915)

Starring: Enid Markey, Franke Burke Director: Charles Swickard Studio: Domino Running time: 2 reels Spirit of the Bell, The (1915) Miguel Galvez, a Federalist, loves Dolores, whose heart is with Pedro, a young rebel captain. Miguel and his men demand that Dolores be surrendered to him, but the house has been warned and the girl has been taken to a mission for protection. Thither, after killing her father, Miguel goes, demanding the girl. The fathers refuse to deliver her over. At night, the mission being in great danger of an attack, Dolores disguises herself in white, hides behind the great bell and rises from it like a spectre, thus frightening the superstitious soldiers. Pedro arrives in time to save his sweetheart and the mission from the Federal blackguard, who is killed and his band routed. (Motog, Apr. 3, 1915)

Starring: Enid Markey, Charles Ray, Jack Nelson Studio: Kay-Bee Running time: 2 reels Spiritual Elopement, A (1915) Evelyn has just made a futile effort to gain possession of some papers left by her deceased father. Hughey, her uncle, is loath to give them to her for some reason unknown to her, and locks the safe quickly. Jack, Evelyn’s sweetheart, happens along just as. Hughey is a bit peeved because of Evelyn’s dissatisfaction, and on general principles he is ordered from the house. Jack resolves to get even. He waits outside and sends the butler in for Evelyn; not until he has administered him a light beating, however. Hughey goes out and places a well-directed kick somewhere on Jack’s anatomy. When Evelyn appears, Jack has gone and she suggests that it must have been a ghost the butler saw. Evelyn conceives an idea whereby they can put one over on Hughey, so she calls Jack on the telephone, asking him to come over with a fiddle and a bass drum. After telling Hughey and the butler that it is the night when the ghosts make their periodical visit, she repairs to her room and awaits the advent of Jack. Hughey and the butler arm themselves with axes, revolvers and knives and prepare for the ghosts. Jack arrives, and with the help of Evelyn begins to make it uncomfortable for the butler and Hughey. Bricks drop through the ceiling on to the butler’s head. Hughey slashes the air with his weapon and then discharges the revolvers. But the ‘ghosts’ continue their ravages. So successful has been the experiment that Jack decides to take the place of the statue of Justice near the safe, so that he can get possession of the coveted papers.

47

48 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

He puts on a mantle and holds the scales just like a real Justice. When Hughey takes the papers from the safe the next day, he is felled by a blow from the ‘statue.’ Jack grabs the papers and rushes from the house to the waiting automobile. Hughey is unable to prevent the getaway, and as Jack and Evelyn ride away to the minister’s Jack waves the papers at Hughey. The butler has recovered from his fright and enjoys the situation as much as the two principals. (MPW, Feb. 13, 1915)

Starring: Viola Dana Director: Charles Ranson Writer: E. J. Nerburn Studio: Edison Running time: 500 feet Spook Raisers, The (1915) Ham is the medium and little Bud the latest things in spirits in this comedy. They have all sorts of really funny adventures, which are brought to an end by a materialistic policeman whose wife is a seance habitue. Harry Griffith is the policeman and Ethel Teare is the wife. Myrtle Sterling plays a fake spiritualist and Martin Kinney is her assistant. The co-operation between the medium and assistant furnishes the comedy business which is very good. (MPN, July 24, 1915)

Starring: Lloyd V. Hamilton (Ham), Bud Duncan (Bud), Harry Griffith, Ethel Teare, Myrtle Sterling, Martin Kinney Director: Chance Ward Studio: Kalem Running time: 1 reel Stanley Among the Voo Doo Worshippers (1915) Jack, Ada, and their party, including Andrea (the White King), fall into the hands of the Voo Doo worshippers, who decree that Ada shall be sacrificed to their horrible idol. In the meantime, Stanley, Batty and their party hurry through the jungles. They meet the Voo Doo worshippers, but, being outnumbered, lose the fight, and wait for a more favorable time for action. In the skirmish, Batty is taken. Andrea escapes, disguises himself as the witch doctor and orders Batty and Jack put to death. Andrea then silently releases Ada and takes her with him into the jungles. At the last moment, Stanley’s party arrives and scatters the natives. Stanley’s people are now augmented by Jack and his band, but Ada is still in the clutches of the White King, who drags her through the forest. (Motog, Dec. 4, 1915)

Notes: This was the sixth in a series of “Stanley in Africa” films. Director: Captain Jack Bonavita Studio: Centaur Running time: 2 reels

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

Strange Case of Princess Khan, The (1915) A peculiar sort of a plot, concerning occultism and the exposure of a charlatan. It contains some very realistic and thrilling scenes, also an interesting love story. … It is more than an ordinary offering. (MPW, Jan. 16, 1915) In the making of high class and distinctively excellent picture plays, the Selig Polyscope Company occupies a place it the front rank of quality creators. The Strange Case of Princess Khan, a Selig, Oriental, mystic drama, a number of unusual situations are developed and have been filmed with full regard for their exceptional character. The scenario is from the pen of James Oliver Curwood, and the production was made under the direction of Edw. J. Le Saint. The leading part — that of the ‘Princess Khan,’ is played by Stella Razeto, who is admirably supported by Guy Oliver, Jack McDonald and other well-known Selig players. The picture requires a number of minor characters, including detectives, police, servants, guests, etc. Jack McDonald as ‘Sadi Khan,’ the Hindu mystic, who is in truth a charlatan and impostor, portrays the character with that customary regard for the niceties of detail which distinguish all his work. Guy Oliver as the investigator, who exposes the fraud practiced by the mystic, and who releases the imprisoned princess, appears in his customary form and plays the part well. Stella Razeto is particularly enjoyable in the character of the Princess, and while the part is unusually difficult, she closely follows the required visualization of her part as written in the scenario, with great fidelity. The story tells of a tourist, who becomes enraptured of a beautiful and mysterious Princess, who is claimed by the old charlatan, under whose protection she appears, to be the reincarnated spirit of a Hindu Princess whose body has been dust for two centuries. The tourist is attracted by her beauty and by the strangeness of her environment. He discovers that she is flesh and blood instead of a spirit, and the principal features of the story are connected with his attempts to rescue her. One of the most remarkable scenes ever filmed, is where a large automobile, carrying the fleeing charlatan with the Princess and attendants, dashes through a broken bridge into a river. The picture is full of exciting thrills, and a pretty love story develops at the finish. (MPW, Jan. 9, 1915)

Starring: Jack McDonald, Stella Razeto, Guy Oliver Director: Edwin J. Le Saint Writer: James Oliver Curwood Studio: Selig Running Time: 2 reels Strange Case of Talmai Lind, The (1915) The story, which is a most unusual one, was written by Kathlyn Williams and is well adaptable for screen use. It is written around the life of a little girl, who is born a few days after her mother has been thrust into a cage with a lioness by her drunken husband. The same night that the child is born a little cub is brought into the world. The child has the body of a woman, but the nature of a wild beast.

49

50 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Miss Williams, one of the world’s best known screen stars, takes a double role. She portrays the character of Hilda Lind and later that of Talmai Lind, the daughter of Hilda and Carl Lind, which part is taken by Guy Oliver. These very popular Selig stars are most ably supported by an exceptionally strong cast. Carl Lind is a collector and a tamer of animals. One day while under the influence of liquor he goes out to try to tame one of the lions. As his wife hears the animal roar and hears her husband’s voice raised in anger, she goes out to plead with him not to strike the animal and he becomes infuriated and pushes her into the cage with the beast, locking the cage. Here Hilda faints and is unconscious when her husband, after realizing what he has done, goes in after her and carries her home. Not long afterward a beautiful baby girl comes to gladden the home of the Linds and they call her Talmai. As the girl becomes older her parents notice that she has a very strange temperament. Whenever a certain lioness, which was born on the same night that Talmai was, is abused the girl seems to experience the pain at the same time. Some years later Talmai is a beautiful untamed girl of the mountains and is always happy when alone with her own special lion. Amos Drew, an assistant lion tamer, falls in love with the girl. She repulses him, however. Drew tortures the lioness and this is all simultaneously experienced by Talmai, who attacks Drew and with all the fury of a beast scratches his face. Paul Burnham, a young artist, who is engaged to be married, comes into the mountains to paint and here he meets Talmai. The girl is immediately attracted to him and they spend many happy hours together. Paul paints a portrait of her and on the day it is finished she passionately declares her love for him. Burnham starts to take her into his arms, but suddenly thrusts her aside and leaves her. Talmai is heartbroken and goes to her mother. She tells her mother that he has always been different from other people and now even the man she loves is afraid of her. Hilda Lind then relates to her daughter what had happened in the wild animal arena just before she was born. Talmai later goes into the mountains and there spies Burnham and his fiance, who has come to see him. Amos Drew in a drunken wrath goes toward the lioness’ cage and after some time he deliberately fires his gun. In the mountain Talmai screams, clutches her side and falls senseless. Paul rushes to the prostrate form of the girl and she recognizes him, smiles and then passes away. (Motog, Aug. 21, 1915)

Notes: Released as a “Selig Diamond Special.” The Strange Case of Talmai Lind was labeled “Condemned” by the Pennsylvania Board of Censors for the period ending November 30, 1915 Starring: Kathlyn Williams, Guy Oliver Writer: Kathlyn Williams Studio: Selig Running time: 3 reels

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

51

Superstitious Sammy (1915) Sammy’s belief in omens makes all manner of trouble, especially when he plans to wed. Three times the ceremony is postponed, because of a black cat, because of the day, because he forgot the ring, and for numerous causes, all valid to superstitious persons. Finally the bride-elect sends word that it is unlucky to wait so long, and that she is the bride of the best man. So upset is Sammy when he receives this news that he breaks a mirror. (MPN, Sept. 18, 1915)

Studio: Falstaff Running time: 1 reel Sweedie’s Suicide (1915) Sweedie decides to commit suicide when she is jilted by her sweetheart, the captain of the police department. After writing a note to him, she calmly makes ready for the end. About this time the tricksters arrive and inject ‘dope’ into her which puts her to sleep. They then erect a tombstone beside her. Upon awakening, Sweedie is unable to determine whether she is alive or a ghost. She goes home, but is unable to make herself seen or heard. The family is overcome with grief. She is then certain that she is a ghost. Her note is delivered to the captain, and he goes to the grave followed by his recruits. Here Sweedie determines to make sure whether she is dead or alive, so ‘sails in’ and all but annihilates the entire Department. (MPW, Jan. 9, 1915)

Note: Sweedie’s Suicide is one of 33 “Sweedie” comedy shorts released by Essanay during 1914–16. Wallace Beery, playing in drag, stars as the title character, a Swedish laundress. Starring: Wallace Beery, Ben Turpin, Robert Bolder, Leo White, Charlotte Mineau Studio: Essanay Running time: 1 reel Terrors of the Jungle, The (1915) A splendid story of the African jungle, well-photographed and containing a pleasing array of wild animals, ranging from leopards and lions to a trained elephant which saves the life of the heroine. The story is based on familiar lines. Paula is cast away with the mate after a shipwreck. He pays her unwelcome attentions, and she flees to the jungle, where she has all sorts of adventures. Dick Vedder finally rescues her and they are married. Later the mate, who has degenerated into a wild man, steals their baby and hangs it in a tree, where the beasts leap for it. This is a fine offering of the adventure type. (MPW, Feb. 13, 1915)

Starring: William Clifford, Marie Walcamp, Rex de Rosselli, Sherman Bainbridge, and Lule Warrenton Director: Henry MacRae Studio: Bison Running time: 2 reels

52 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Their Bewitched Elopement (1915) The queen of the fairies gets caught in a bear trap, and Tom rescues her. She gives him a whistle which will call her in a time of stress. Tom loves Sally, but then father has to be taken into account. The lovers are forced to separate but Tom sticks around, sees Silas, an old codger, getting affectionate with his beloved, and decides it is time to get Sally to the minister, at all costs. Silas sees the couple eloping, and they are soon hotly pursued. Tom sends out his S. O. S. and the fairy soon rounds up Dad and Silas in the bear trap, from her money, and marries her. Justice becomes bankrupt and the shock kills him. Becker, keenly disappointed, is unable to complete his term at college, and Elaine secretly obtains work in a factory. Leonia, in love with him, persuades him to leave his wife. A fire breaks out in Elaine’s factory, and she, injured, is carried home just before Becker has a chance to desert. He hears of his wife’s brave struggle to provide for the completion of his education, and a happy reunion ensues. (Motog, Aug. 7, 1915)

Director: Allen Curtis Writer: Clarence C. Badger Studio: Joker Running time: 1 reel Too Much Elixir of Life (1915) Professor Muggles tells Billy, when he asks for the hand of his daughter, that he has never done anything for science and he had better keep away. Billy later wraps Fritz, an apartment house janitor, in a sheet and buries him by the seashore, and has the professor and his daughter come to the place. The professor is delighted in the discovery of the mummy and, taking it to his laboratory, he decides to try the effect of the elixir of life he has mixed. The mummy comes to life all right and the professor starts to give chase. He loses him, but thanks Billy and gives him Rena’s hand. (Motog, Oct. 16, 1915)

Starring: Allan Fralick Studio: Alhambra Running time: 1 reel Two Natures Within Him, The (1915) The Rev. William Morris is the director of a small church near a state penitentiary. He is convinced that a criminal is only a good man gone wrong. Dr. Bishop, a friend of the minister, has made a life-long study of this very subject. The doctor has a daughter whom the minister loves and to whom he is engaged. These three people are all possessed of one idea  — saving criminals. Prisoners leaving the penitentiary often repair to the little rectory where a light burns all night as a sort of beacon to them. The minister reasons with them, the girl pleads and the surgeon performs operations at times to relieve brain pressure which often causes a malversion of character.

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

53

One night a thief creeps toward the rectory. The Rev. Morris is startled by a noise. He turns the light low, hides and awaits developments. Muggsy, a thief, sneaks into the house. The minister confronts the thief, who strikes him over the head with a club. The victim falls to the floor and Muggsy escapes. When the Rev. Morris finally comes to, the blow which has fallen upon his head has transformed him into another being. He prowls through his own home, for the thief’s blow has transformed him into a criminal. He goes to the freight yards, climbs aboard a freight train and follows Muggsy, the thief, into the city. Muggsy flees in terror, believing the minister has pursued him. In the city, the minister becomes a low criminal. At the same time Muggsy, whom the minister has followed, is haunted by him until it is almost an obsession with him. He endures the company of the minister as long as possible, and then he begins to wonder. He tries him out by having him perform several criminal ‘jobs.’ The more they are together, the more Muggsy is terrified. He resolves that he will return to the rectory, to see if this man is really the minister whom he assaulted. Muggsy and the minister, trailed by two detectives, go back to the little town. Muggsy hides in the same place by the shrubbery. There the minister comes up with him. Muggsy is terrified by his appearance, but the minister assures him that it is all right and that they will do the job together. The minister says he will go inside while Muggsy watches without, and the two detectives watch them both. On this night, the surgeon, who has taken possession of the minister’s house, is sitting in the library with his daughter, when the two hear a noise. Again the thief, this time the minister himself, comes furtively in. The lights are turned on and the minister is caught. The doctor stumbles back paralyzed as he recognizes his old friend, and Mary shrieks, but the minister denies knowing either of them. Muggsy, meantime, has been caught by the two detectives and brought into the house. Later, the minister and Muggsy are led away by the police. Mary is heartbroken and her father is puzzled. At Mary’s urging, they go to the cell where the minister is confined. Again they plead with him, but it is of no avail for he does not know them. Finally Muggsy is brought in. The idea that he has been followed by the minister and betrayed has become a sort of mania with him and now, worked up, he tells all that happened. The minister, in a fury of wrath, pounces upon Muggsy, but the men are separated. The doctor suddenly sees the truth. He questions Muggsy, who tells the surgeon how he struck the minister with a black-jack. The surgeon feels the minister’s head and realizes what has happened. He obtains permission and performs an operation upon the minister. After the operation, the crook again becomes the Rev. William Morris, and he is reunited with his sweetheart. (MPW, May 22, 1915)

Notes: More than one contemporary article recognized this film’s story as being similar to Robert Louis Stevenson’s Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1886). Starring: Thomas Santschi, Bessie Eyton Director: Thomas Santschi Writer: Jules Eckert Goodman Studio: Selig Running time: 3 reels

54 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Undertaker’s Daughter, The (1915) Mattie Cook, the undertaker’s daughter, loves John Scott, who has no job. Her father wants her to marry Sime Sloan, who has a job, and it takes all of Mattie’s persuasive power to overcome Dad’s objections, but she is equal to the occasion. She gets rid of John’s two rivals, Sime and Bime, by promising to marry them if they will prove their love for her. To prove it one must sleep in one of her father’s coffins and the other sit by it all night. Unbeknown to one another they come to fulfill their promise. After some hesitancy they settle down to the task. It really looks as if she would have to marry one or both, when she thinks that a little noise would help some. With the aid of John, she manages to get rid of both. In their fright they run through the meeting house presided over by Dad, who gets a couple of spills. He finally decides that John is the most sensible and thinks he can help in the undertaking business. (MPW, May 1, 1915)

Starring: John and Mattie Edwards Writer: Will Louis Studio: Lubin Running time: Split-reel Undertaker’s Uncle, The (1915) The undertaker and Slim are rivals for the favor of the damsel, with Slim a shade to the good. The undertaker, in order to recover ground, pulls a poor hobo into the picture as his wealthy uncle. They visit the damsel and her mother and the ‘uncle’ impresses the women with his wealth. A short time after, the undertaker arranges with the hobo to play dead and he invites the women to see the corpse. But Slim meanwhile gets wind of the plot, and he steals into the undertaker’s rooms and conceals himself under the coffin containing the hobo. When the women appear to look their last on ‘Uncle,’ Slim drills a hole through the coffin and sticks the hobo. Of course the hobo gives everything away and the undertaker is disgraced. (MPW, Apr. 24, 1915)

Starring: Ben Turpin, Harry Todd, Margaret Joslin Studio: Essanay Running time: 1 reel Valkyrie, The (1915) This three-reel production has many charming points, and is based on the belief of the peasantry of certain parts of Europe in the power of these fairy creatures. In the play a young woman who loves to desport on the green in the lightest of attire, becomes the terror of the peasants round about, who believe her to be a valkyrie [sic] girl. A love story is brought in, and a duel is fought between two rivals for the hand of the girl. The production is of medium quality. (MPW, Nov. 20, 1915)

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

Starring: Valda Valkyrien (Baroness Von De Witz) Director: Eugene Nowland Studio: Mutual Running time: 3 reels Vengeance of Rannah, The (1915) Henry Ransori, a soldier, returns home and finds his sweetheart is going to marry another man. He seeks consolation from General Craddock, a retired army officer. Craddock tells, young Ranson his story. General Craddock, years before in India, was very happy with his wife. Captain Alva stole the woman’s affections. On a visit to the temple where the jewels of Rannah were kept, Alva and Craddock’s wife are informed that all those who had attempted to steal the jewels in the past met with a terrible fate. That night Alva arranged with a ship captain to carry Craddock’s wife and him away. Alva returned to the temple to steal the jewels. In the meantime General Craddock ordered a salute to be fired that night in honor of Hassam Bey, the martyred hero. After a terrific fight Alva obtained the treasure and he and Mrs. Craddock started toward the waiting ship in a rowboat after he had hidden the jewels in the mouth of the cannon. Captain Craddock and the soldiers came to the cannon and Craddock personally fired the honor shot. Out on the sea, Alva and Mrs. Craddock fell dead as the shot struck them. ‘Thus through the vengeance of Rannah and the friendship of Hassam Bey, which he pledged to me even after his death, I learned the awful truth about my wife,’ says General Craddock to Ranson, as he finished telling him the story. Then he urges the young man to be thankful for the discovery of his supposed sweetheart’s real character. (MPW, Nov. 13, 1915)

Starring: George Larkin, Leo Pierson, Lafayette McKee, Marion Warner Writer: James Oliver Curwood Director: Thomas Santschi Studio: Selig Running time: 2 reels Vivisectionist, The (1915) The publicity accorded this subject by newspapers and periodicals has naturally excited the interest of the public, and The Vivisectionist should reap the benefit. The principal character of the story is Dr. Jardine, whose experiments in vivisection have made him confident of his ability to emulate the results obtained by Dr. Garel, of the Rockefeller Institute, who is said to have succeeded in transferring a limb from one human body to another. Consequently, when Jardine’s brother loses an arm as the result of an accident, the surgeon determines to attempt the operation. Fearing lest an offer to some person for an arm would excite suspicion. Dr. Jardine looks about him for some person who would consent to the operation. He finds the very man he seeks in Murphy, an escaped convict. Murphy, however,

55

56 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

has decided objections to parting with an arm, even though he is offered a good price for it. Hence, the surgeon is compelled to overpower the man and make him a prisoner. Everything is in readiness for the operation when the police, who have gotten wind of the experiment, arrive upon the scene. Unusual suspense is worked up in the course of the story and the arrival of the raiders comes as a decided relief. (MPW, June 19, 1915)

Starring: Marin Sais, Frank Jonasson, William H.  West, Paul Hurst, Thomas Lingham Director: James Levering Writer: Hamilton Smith Producer: James W. Horne Studio: Kalem Running time: 2 reels Voice in the Night, A (1915) There is always something mysterious and unexplained connected with the darkness of night and its strange noises, and it is through the peculiar circumstance of a cry in the dark and its stirring results that the story of A Voice in the Night, the two-part Eclair drama, grips and holds us. From the brain of Anthony P. Kelly, the versatile creator of original photoplay plots, the story is most strange and interest-compelling. A young reporter passing a lonesome spot hears the sounds of a death struggle and then a voice. The murderer escapes, but the voice remains in the memory of the reporter, and he wagers he will capture the guilty one through it. Time passes, and, sent one day to cover a murder trial, the reporter is dumfounded to hear issuing from the lips of the stern judge on the bench the voice. After the session he goes to the judicial chambers and there hears unfolded a strange tale of a sister in the power of an unscrupulous government agent who has entrapped her husband, a government official. The scoundrel demands his price; the wife, to save her husband, is about to pay it, when she thinks of her brother, the judge. She tells him the story. He sees but one way out of it; the rest the reporter knows. Leaving the judge’s chambers he passes slowly down the steps with the memory of the voice silent forever in his bosom. (MPW, Feb. 13, 1915) In a few vivid scenes the death of a man is pictured, the sole observer being a reporter who afterwards unravels the case. The photography could have been a little better in places, and there are a few minor faults in construction, but the story is well above the average of its type. The solution is surprising and yet accounted for in a natural way. A good mystery production. (MPW, Feb. 20, 1915)

Starring: H. Stanley, Lottye Fowler Writer: Anthony P. Kelly Studio: Eclair Running time: 2 reels

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

Weird Nemesis, The (1915) Dolores Alvarado, after being led astray and deserted by Page Ulrich, a gentleman of leisure, hides her shame in the sea. Her sister Inez is studying hypnotism and determines to use Page as a subject. The only means of identification, is a small kodak picture, but she later meets and recognizes Page. She lures him on and finally leads him to the altar. As he attempts to embrace her, she gains hypnotic control and appears as her dead sister. This is repeated, he becomes frantic and tries to strangle her, but she changes to Dolores and he flees from the house. Later, he recovers from his fear and finds a new victim. Inez hears of it and saves the innocent girl by causing the death of Page. She then keeps her promise and returns to Bob to whom she was engaged. (Motog, July 24, 1915)

Cast: Hazel Buckham, Allan Forrest, Helen Leslie Producer: Jacques Jaccard Writer: Jacques Jaccard, based on a story by G. E. Jenks Studio: Victor Running time: 2 reels When the Mummy Cried for Help (1915) The professor believes that he has found the elixir of life and that with it he can bring back to life even an Egyptian mummy. He buys a mummy from a curio shop. After he leaves, emissaries of the Pasha discover the mummy awaiting delivery and find that it is what they had been looking for — the remains of the Royal Rambastus, 2000 B. C. They are told that the professor has bought the mummy. They offer the professor a big sum for it but he refuses to part with it. Victoria, the professor’s daughter, is in love with Eddie. Eddie asks to marry her but is told by the professor that he can have Victoria only in the event that he is able to revive the mummy with his elixir of life. Eddie calls in his chum, Lee. Together they plan to have Lee pose as the mummy. Lee does so, and the experiment proves a success. The Pasha and his men surround the house and await the opportunity to steal the mummy. When Lee is left alone they pick him up and run off with him, pursued by the professor. Realizing that he had got more than he had bargained for, Lee runs away. He seeks refuge in the professor’s house, where Eddie takes the real mummy, stabs it and throws it out of the window. The Pasha finally gets the mummy and Eddie gets the girl. The professor is satisfied that his elixir works, and Lee is satisfied that he has proved an able medium for the success of his friend’s love affair. (MPW, Jan. 9, 1915) Al E. Christie and his comedy company have here added another highly successful number to their list. The adventures of the sacred mummy as impersonated by Lee Moran, will cause shouts of laughter wherever shown. … The result is highly amusing and the reel exceptionally good throughout. (MPW, Jan. 16, 1915)

Starring: Lee Moran, Eddie Lyons, Victoria Forde Studio: Nestor Running time: 1 reel

57

58 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

When the Spirit Moved (1915) Both the boy and the girl work in ‘The Emporium’ and have become quite chummy. The boy has made quite a hit with the girl, so one day she invites him to her home to meet father. Eddie resolves to go and has quite a trying ordeal getting acquainted with the old folks. The girl’s family are all spiritualists and Eddie arrives in the midst of one of the meetings. The spiritual ‘carrying ons’ are too much for the boy and even a kiss from the girl can’t bribe him to stay. The next day the girl again invites Eddie up to the house and he is about to decline when he takes pity on the girl’s disappointment and promises to go. She tells him that the party is in honor of the famous Dr. Bunk. Eddie regrets his decision but there is no way out of the party. That night Dr. Bunk is the first of the guests to arrive. Eddie sees several unnerving omens, such as a black cat crossing the road ahead of him, and wishes he had not given his promise to be present, but goes on. The party starts and all are intently listening at the table, when Eddie’s knees knock together in terror. The longer the party is in session the more Eddie’s fears grow. Finally he can stand it no longer and says he must go. They all try to persuade him to stay but he gets as far as the front door, when he sees that it is raining ‘pitchforks.’ Baffled in his attempts to escape, he reluctantly agrees to stay and wants to go to bed at once. They show him up to his room and tell him that he and the professor will have to bunk together. Eddie tries to sleep but every creak of the blinds and every flash of lightning is a manifestation of spirits to him. When the professor gets in bed there is more ‘business.’ The bed pitches and jerks, but finally there is a lull and Eddie prayerfully tries to sleep, thinking the spirits have all gone to bed. The girl has a habit of walking in her sleep, and as she has been thinking of Eddie, she unconsciously goes to his room in her nightdress. Eddie uncovers his head long enough to see her and he knows that at last he sees real ‘spirits.’ Nothing can hold him now and, hurriedly dressing, hollering help at every breath, he starts out for home. The old folks try to quiet his fears by telling him that he saw their daughter walking in her sleep, but, nothing doing, he says he will do some walking of his own and joyfully sets out for home and peace. (MPW, June 26, 1915) Victoria is the daughter of a spiritualist, and when Eddie comes to call there is a lot of fun of a burlesque sort. Prof. Bunk causes so many spirits to walk abroad that Eddie beats it home. This is full of laughs. (MPW, July 3, 1915)

Starring: Eddie Lyons, Lee Moran, Victoria Forde Producer: Al E. Christie Studio: Nestor-Universal Running time: 1 reel White Goddess, The (1915) Mystery enshrouds Elsie Farnim’s life. The girl lives with Mrs. Nayburne, a matron of Jordan University. Once each year, Khanda, a Hindu, visits Mrs. Jordan and pays Elsie’s expenses. The girl is led to believe that her parents reside in India. Elsie loves Elwin Gordon. In the Temple of Larmar, the High Priest Hassa Dal gazes into a crystal globe. In it he sees a vision of Elsie promising to be Elwin’s

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

59

wife. As the result of the crystal’s revelation, Khanda is dispatched to bring the girl to India. Elsie is astounded when she learns that she is to return with Khanda. Elwin takes an instinctive dislike to the Hindu and places his arm protectingly about his sweetheart. Khanda interferes and Elwin is ordered from the house. As he goes, however, his sweetheart whispers a request that he follow her to India. Elwin secures passage aboard the vessel which carries his sweetheart and Khanda. As they near India, the Hindu discovers Elwin’s presence. He compels Elsie to don native attire and to veil her face. As the result, Elwin fails to recognize his sweetheart when she is taken ashore. Khanda secures the aid of the men who have come to meet him. They attack Elwin and throw him overboard. Elsie is conducted to the Temple of Larmar. There, Khanda makes an avowal of his love and declares that Elwin has deserted her. The timely arrival of Hassa Dal, the High Priest, saves Elsie just as Khanda is about to embrace her. In response to the girl’s plea that she be taken to her parents, Hassa Dal orders her to gaze into his crystal globe. The High Priest’s manner fills Elsie with terror. As she gazes into the globe the story is revealed to her. Elsie learns that she is the daughter of a British merchant. The latter and his wife visited the Temple of Larmar with their infant daughter. The child wandered away and climbed to the sacred altar. This was taken by the superstitious natives to mean that she had been sent by their gods. When the infant’s parents endeavored to rescue her, they were seized by the infuriated natives and burned alive. Believing he was acting according to instructions given him by the gods, Hassa Dal ordered Khanda to carry the child to America, where she was reared and educated. Horrified, Elsie endeavors to escape. The attempt is frustrated and she is compelled to assist in the pagan ceremonies. The worshippers regard her as a White Goddess. To keep her from being defiled by the gaze of the throng. Hassa Dal announces that whosoever looks upon Elsie’s face shall have both eyes burnt out. Khanda, unable to resist the temptation, disobeys the order. He is discovered and his sight is promptly destroyed. Thrown out the temple the man becomes a beggar. As the days pass, the worshippers find that the White Goddess does not answer their prayers. Enraged, they determine to kill her. In the meantime, Elwin, rescued by fishermen, has vainly searched for Elsie. The young man comes upon a beggar and recognizes Khanda. Desiring vengeance. Khanda reveals Elsie’s whereabouts. Followed by the beggar. Elwin rushes to the Temple. He comes just as the natives are about to burn his sweetheart to death. Elwin shoots the leaders of the mob, terrifying the rest. Hassa Dal, fearing to cross his people, cowers behind the altar. Khanda gropes his way to the spot and throttles the High priest, unseen by the worshippers. Hastening from the place, Elsie and Elwin make their way to the docks and board an outgoing vessel. The two are married on their way to America. (MPW, Mar. 6, 1915)

Notes: Luther Buck’s detailed, photo-illustrated short-story adaptation of the White Goddess scenario appears in the April 1915 issue of Photoplay magazine. In some sources, “Khanda” is spelled “Rhanda.” Starring: Alice Joyce, Arthur Albertson, Guy Coombs, Jere Austin Studio: Kalem Running time: 3 reels

60 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Witch of Salem Town, A (1915) The French orphan, Desire, is brought up by an old woman skilled in the use of herbs as medicines. Later Desire is accused of witchcraft because of her knowledge of these things. She is finally burned at the stake. This is well photographed and entertaining in plot, but is not very strong in dramatic quality. The settings and atmosphere of Colonial days is good. (MPW, May 29, 1915) Desire, Goody Margin’s ward, is a waif from one of the French colonies. She is distrusted by the stern Puritans of old Salem. Goody Martin dies leaving her herb lore secrets to the girl who practices them. The old governor meets her and, being struck by her beauty, tries to kiss her. She slaps him and he never forgets. Later the fear of witchery spreads through the colonies. Desire’s hut is burned and she is pursued and stoned until saved by Margaret Maiden, for whom she becomes a maid. Here Margaret’s fiancee, John, meets and falls in love with the little maid whom he calls a very witch in all truth. Later he sees her dancing wildly and freely in the wood and his love cannot bo [sic.] repressed. He catches her in his arms and kisses her. She admits her love for him, too, but then remembers Margaret. Fearing to spoil the love of one who has been so good to her, she goes back to the woods. It is forbidden for any woman to practice what is called black magic in Salem. Desire, on a visit to the town, sees a woman burned and is horrified. Margaret falls ill. The doctor cannot help her. Desire comes back to see her. She knows the herb that will make her well, and, despite all protest, goes ahead. Margaret recovers, but Desire is arrested as a witch. In her cell she is sentenced to death as a witch. John and Margaret visit her and say good-bye. Later the old governor comes in. He says good-bye and taunts her. Finally he offers her freedom if she will yield to his love. She laughs in his face. Later she is led out to execution. John comforts Margaret, but he thinks of the other girl, who goes to her martyrdom in that hour. And, as the flames creep about her, Desire bows her head in prayer. (MPW, May 22, 1915)

Starring: Mary Fuller, Curtis Benton Director: L. J. Henderson Studio: Victor Running time: 2 reels Woman of Mystery, The (1915) In this adaptation of a novel by Georges Ohnet we find a reasonably diverting and generally dramatic story, based on the experiences of secret agents of a government in their efforts to get the formula for a high explosive that is destined to revolutionize warfare. Here is a familiar theme, indeed; one that has been treated by many companies In as many ways, but even at that the Biograph has succeeded in finding enough unexpected plot turns to make an Interesting picture. There is a fair degree of suspense and the acting opportunities afforded an able cast are ample. Louise Vale is Sophia, ‘the Woman of Mystery,’ called upon to get the formula for a coveted explosive invented by General Tremont. The role is admirably suited

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

61

to Miss Vale, who can be very alluring at times, without allowing an audience to forget the purpose behind her blandishments. When the general is killed and the formula passes into the hands of Marcel, a young chemist, Sophia transfers her attentions to him and has little difficulty in arousing his love. But she makes the serious mistake of falling in love, too, and the passion is strong enough to overshadow her sense of duty to her country. Having stolen the formula, she relents and summons Marcel to her apartment that she may return it, prior to ending her life by drinking poison. The dramatic action, in these final scenes is especially tense. If Miss Vale’s acting attracts first attention, there are at least two other performances that contribute materially to the story, those of Franklin Ritchie as Marcel and Charles Mailes as Hans, the secret service agent, whose right hand is blown off in an explosion. Through the remainder of the picture he uses what passes for a wooden arm to good purpose. Attractive California locations and the rich settings characteristic of Biograph pictures are to be numbered among the assets of this offering. (MPW, Dec. 18, 1915)

Starring: Louise Vale, Franklin Ritchie, Charles H. Mailes, Herbert Barrington Director: Alice Guy Blaché Studio: Biograph Running time: 3 reels

1916 Bogus Ghost, The (1916) Ethel Teare has the leading role in this one-reel comedy. A young woman in need of a job, she secures a position with a pair of fake mediums and plays ghost for them. A love affair in which the lady medium takes part and tried to capture the ghost’s young man is another comedy motive. The picture is spiritedly acted and contains a number of laughs. (MPW, June 10, 1916) Jennie and Ted journey to the beach in high spirits, but they meet Claude and his attentions cause Ted to start a jealous quarrel. Jennie cries, ‘Your jealousy is sending me to a watery grave,’ and a second later falls from the end of the pier. As she does not reappear Ted dismally wends his way home certain that she has drowned. He does not know that Jennie had reached shore further down the beach. In a fit of pique of the still fresh quarrel she keeps away from Ted. The ad of Madame Ghroan for a young lad to assist in her seances catches her eye and she applies successfully for the job. Meanwhile, Ted has been in a fit of despair, and finally he decides to test Madame Ghroan’s claim to put him in ‘communication with the departed.’ As Jennie is the ‘professional ghost,’ Madame Groan makes good in this case, but Jennie’s appearance brings on laughable incidents that have a whirlwind finish. (MPW, June 10, 1916)

Starring: Ethel Teare (Jennie), Victor Rottman (Ted), Myria Sterling (Madame Ghroan), Freddie Fralick (Claude) Director: Harry Millarde Studio: Kalem Running time: 1 reel

62 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Brave Ones, The (1916) Plot: Caught stealing food, Plump (Oliver Hardy) and Runt (Billy Ruge) are sentenced to spend a night in a haunted house. But the sheriff (Billy Bletcher) doesn’t know that the place is a hideout teeming with counterfeiters. Note: The Brave Ones is one of thirty-seven Plump and Runt comedies featuring Hardy and Ruge, and produced by Vim during 1915–16, for release during 1916. Starring: Oliver Hardy, Billy Ruge, Billy Bletcher, Elsie MacLeod Producers: Louis Burstein, Mark Dintenfass Director: Will Louis Studio: Vim Comedy Film Company Running time: 1 reel Casey’s Ghost (1916) Notes: During 1916–17 Reserve Photoplays produced a “Casey” series, with these released in 1916: Casey the Wizard (first in the series), Casey Goes Shopping, Casey in a Pawnshop, Casey the Millionaire, Casey the Farmer, Casey’s Dream, Casey’s Pal, Casey’s Monkey, Casey’s Servants, Casey the Cop, Casey the Bandmaster, Casey the White-Wing, and Casey the Detective; and these from 1917: Casey the Fireman and A Laundry Mix-Up. Director: James A. Fitzgerald Cast: Johnny Ray (as Casey), Emma Ray (Casey’s wife) Studio: Reserve Photoplays Running time: 1 reel Clever Collie’s Comeback, A (1916) A clever collie, whose home always has been a city apartment, objects strenuously to the family moving to the country. He tells the other dogs that he is going to queer the new home with his owner. The family moves and finds that it has taken a haunted house. One night Mandy, the old [African-­American] servant, wakes everybody, screaming. She declares a ghost has pulled all the bed clothes off her, and another ghost has blown out the light. Her master and mistress laugh at her at first. But when the candle goes out in the hand of the head of the house, and when the baby’s carriage runs away all of itself, and when a beef-steak turned into a pair of corsets — well, the next day the family moves back to the city. Then the clever collie tells the other dogs all about it. And mysteries too deep for humans are explained. (RL, Jan. 29, 1916)

Notes: Motography (February 5, 1916) gives this film’s title as A Clever Collie’s Come Back (two words). MPW reports title as A Clever Collie’s Coming Back and as A Clever Collie’s Come-Back (two words, hyphenated).

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

Starring: George Mario, Frances Keyes, and “Lady,” a collie Studio: Falstaff Running time: 1 reel Crystal’s Warning, The (1916) Henry Chadwick arrives in Washington with his wife, Florence, to take up his duties in his newly-appointed post in the State Department. A mysterious woman, Madame Nadra Darak, known as The Sphinx, is the talk of all Washington. Henry meets The Sphinx, and immediately loses interest in his work and his wife. Previous to his association with The Sphinx, Henry became acquainted with Baron Haddad Haig, a high class Indian diplomat. One night while Henry is alone with The Sphinx Baron Haddad Haig arrives. Henry attacks the Baron and is advised to leave at once by The Sphinx. The next day Henry attacks the Baron in his club, vowing to kill him, but his friends manage to hush up the incident. That evening Henry goes, as usual, to visit The Sphinx. A face appears in at the window and The Sphinx puts out the light. It is the face of Baron Haig, but it soon disappears. She leads Henry into a vault-like room, where we see the God Visnu, and in front of the image lies an enormous ruby looking like a flaming eye. She asks Henry to take the ruby with him and keep it until she sends for it. Henry goes home, and The Sphinx sits thinking under the spell of her Hindoo crystal. The vampire sees in the crystal that she loves Henry. Henry arrives home, and while seated in front of the fireplace, gazes intently at the huge ruby eye. The window opens behind him and a figure slowly approaches his bent form, while a hand slowly rises over his head with a long Hindoo knife. Suddenly the figure straightens and reels backward. Henry switches on the lights, and sees a corpse, shot through the heart and with a red circle on one wrist. Florence overhears a detective making a reference to a murder. She recalls that her husband’s name has been associated with The Sphinx’s and also knows of the rumor that after his encounter in the club, Henry has threatened to kill the Baron. Florence hurries to the house of The Sphinx, and tells her that she is responsible for the charge of murder that has been brought against her husband. The Sphinx angrily dismisses Florence. Later, after brooding over the danger that threatens her lover, The Sphinx writes a note to Florence and sends it to her by a messenger. In the State Department the investigation is proceeding in regard to Henry’s connection with the murder. Florence receives the note from The Sphinx and immediately returns to the house of mystery. She enters the Oriental room, which is in semi-darkness, and to her horror, she finds her husband’s paramour lying dead on the divan. Florence starts from the room in terror. Looking back she sees a letter in the hand of the dead woman. She reads the letter and runs from the room in a daze. At the office of the Secretary of State Henry’s guilt seems to have been established and he is about to sign his resignation. Suddenly the Baron Haddad enters, his clothes in rags, and his eyes betraying wild consternation. Presently he explains that it was his twin brother, Nassib Haig, who was killed. His brother had taken one of the ruby eyes of Vishnu and given it to The Sphinx back in India. (MPW, July 22, 1916)

63

64 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Starring: Hobart Henley, Sydell Dowling, Clara Beyers, Sydney Bracey, Joseph Granby Director: Robert F. Hill Studio: Gold Seal Running time: 3 reels Devilish Business (1916) This comic number, by Thos. Delmar, pictures the devil and his imps in hades. The scenes are cleverly pictured, though they may shock orthodox religious people somewhat. The story itself is harmless enough, being a sort of burlesque on Faust. An entertaining novelty. (MPW, Apr. 8, 1916)

Notes: This short also featured a witch character. Starring: Rube Miller, Arthur Moon, Madge Kirby Director: Rube Miller Studio: Vogue Running time: 1 reel Ducking a Discord (1916) Rube’s wife is an expert at the Dutch In and Out. The house is filled with the music of the old accordion from dawn to dark. He decides to get rid of her, puts her in a bag and throws her in the river. She is rescued by Ben, who loves her devotedly. Together they plan to give Rube a scare. They cover their faces with flour, and she walks in on her husband in the midst of his lovemaking with Lillian. He thinks she is a spirit. Another time, when the pickpocket gang to which Rube belongs meets at their rendezvous, she appears again, and succeeds in crabbing the game forever for her erring husband. (MPW, Oct. 21, 1916)

Starring: Rube Miller Studio: Mutual-Vogue Running time: 2 reels Elixir of Life, The (1916) Doctor has an elixir of life, and desires to borrow a mummy to try it on. His friend, a keeper of a museum, refuses to lend the mummy. The friend gives a dance and his fiance [sic] dresses as Egyptian girl to dance for the party. Meantime, doctor hires a crook to steal the mummy. A janitor takes a mummy from its case to clean the case and forgets to return it. The Queen exits from the platform, falls in a faint and drops into the casket. The crooks arrive, steal the casket and take it to the doctor’s house. He gives it some elixir and the Queen recovers. She thinks the doctor a bug, and pretends to revive like a mummy to humor him. The doctor’s wife sees this and then sees the Queen dancing for

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

65

hubby. Finally she catches the Queen and doctor, places them over burning powder chamber to get revenge for doctor’s perfidy. Meanwhile the crowd in the museum have missed the dancer and are out looking for her. They find the cops, who explain crooks’ confession. All return to laboratory just in time to save Doctor and Queen from the wrath of wify [sic]. (UW, Aug. 19, 1916)

Notes: Originally titled The Queen of the Nile. On Aug. 5, 1916, MPN reported, “All the mummies of the Universal mammoth prop department have been brought into use.” Starring: William Franey, Gale Henry, Lillian Peacock, Milburn Moranti Writer: Harry Wulze Studio: Universal Running time: 1 reel Fear (1916) This is a somewhat gruesome [sic], particularly in the latter scenes, yet splendidly handled. It shows how a young grocer’s wife runs off with his assistant; also a fortune in money. The wife then proves untrue to the assistant and casts him off. The assistant, still possessing the money, becomes haunted by fear and keeps recalling an old gypsy’s prophecy that he would die at the hands of the man he robbed. The casket feature will bring shivers to some observers, but the moral of the piece gives it appeal. The conception has a touch of Poe in it. (MPW, Apr. 8, 1916)

Starring: M. M. Mitchell, Bob Walker, Peggy Burke Director: Lloyd Lonergan Studio: Thanhouser Running time: 3 reels Frilby Frilled (1916) Edwin McKim directs this broad farce or burlesque as its name implies, on Trilby. Davy Don is Svengarlic, the wonderful ‘hyp’ who gathers his singular power from surrounding sizzling electric cocktails and inhaling ‘juice’ from dynamos. The show goes to smash when the engineer, bribed by Frilby’s lover, shuts off the power. The picture contains absurdities that will move to mirth. (MPW, June 17, 1916)

Starring: Davy Don (Svengarlic), Patsy DeForrest, Bernard Siegel, George Egan, and Charles Ebbinger Writer: Edwin McKim Director: Edwin McKim Studio: Selig Running time: 1 reel

66 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Germ of Mystery, The (1916) The plot of this three reel drama is unusual. It has something of the weird touch that Edgar Allen [sic] Poe gave to his stories, and the author has handled his theme cleverly. It deals with high explosives, poisonous spiders and a mysterious assassin whose capture is brought about in an unexpected manner. The production has been made intelligently, and the sets are impressive, especially the laboratory scenes. Guy Oliver’s performance of the scientist is a character study of merit, and Frank Clark and Fritzi Brunette add strength to the cast. There is a refinement of feeling and a naturalness of method in Miss Brunette’s work in this picture that indicates a healthy growth in her artistic stature. (MPW, Sept. 2, 1916)

Notes: One synopsis notes, “A poisonous spider figures in the action.” Starring: Guy Oliver, Frank Clark, Fritzi Brunette, Lillian Hayward Producer: William Robert Daly Writer: L. V. Jefferson. Studio: Selig Running time: 3 reels Ghost of the Jungle, The (1916) Albert DeWitt, a South African miner, has a daughter, Anna. Charles Egbert, a young prospector, passes the miner’s home and meets Anna. In the course of time Egbert learns through the girl that the old man has quite a score of valuable rough diamonds. Egbert obtains the diamonds and runs away with them and Anna. The father is grief-stricken, and finally goes in search of his daughter. Egbert and the girl become lost in the jungle. He builds a small hut for temporary shelter for them, for the girl has developed a fever which grows rapidly worse. Egbert, seeing she cannot live, deserts her. After days of horrible suffering, Anna dies. A year passes. One day, while riding along the road at the foot of a cliff, a hunter and Egbert see what is apparently a wild man poised on the edge of the cliff in the act of raising a huge rock to hurl down upon him. Just as the rock leaves his hands the ground upon which the wild man is standing gives away and he is pitched forward and falls to the bottom of the cliff. Though unconscious, the man still lives, so Drake picks him up and carries him away to his cabin. The fall has restored the old man’s memory, which for the past few years has been an utter blank. He tells his story to Drake and his partner. It is the story of the elopement of his daughter years ago. Into the face of Drake’s partner comes a look of horrified terror as he stares at the face of the old man. We then get a flash of the old man searching for his beloved one. He is seen wandering through the jungle. Darkness overtakes him. Morning dawns. Through worry and the terrors he has experienced, the old man has lost his memory and his reason. The old man makes friends with a baby leopard, which, when grown, shares his prey with the old man, even as the old man shares with the leopard what food he may himself obtain. The old man tells how that day he had been roaming about in search of

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

food, when suddenly far below him he saw a horse and rider. Instinctively he sought to kill them. He was about to hurl a rock down upon them, when-Here the story fades back to the scene showing the old many lying unconscious at the foot of the cliff, of Drake hastening to aid him and of the old man regaining consciousness. As the old man finishes his story Egbert is seen to [stare] with a look of guilty fear. Drake busies himself with the old man, steals over to the corner of the room and reaches out his hand for the bag of diamonds in their hiding place. But just as he is about to touch it, a vision fades in, showing Anna, the poor, deserted sick girl, dying of fever and thirst on the rude bed in the jungle hut. The vision fades away, leaving Egbert faint and sick with horror. When the story is all told the old man lies back on the bed, weak and exhausted. As he lies there, there fades in a vision of [Anna’s] spirit as it appeared when leaving her body in the little hut. She reaches out her arms toward her father and he weakly holds out his arm to her; then he dies. As he dies, his spirit is seen to leave his body and float toward the spirit of Anna. Meanwhile the old man’s pet leopard strikes a scent. He follows the trail down the hill, stops at the foot of the cliff where the old man had lain and finally goes to the cabin where Drake carried the old man, and then into the room where the still form is lying on the bed. The leopard jumps up onto the bed and lies down beside the body of his old comrade and friend. Egbert leaves the cabin and stumbles aimlessly along. In the path ahead of him there appears the vision of Anna’s spirit, seeming to lead him ever on and on. He comes to a stream and gets into a canoe which is lying near the shore. As he drifts idly down the stream, the spirit of Anna can be seen floating slowly ahead of him, leading him on. A scene fades in showing a waterfall, with ragged rocks below. Then it fades out and again is shown a scene on the stream, with Egbert drifting silently and aimlessly along in the little canoe. Next morning, with the break of dawn, an upturned canoe is found on the rocks below the waterfall, and with this scene the picture closes. (MPW, June 24, 1916)

Starring: Rex de Rosselli, Edythe Sterling, Bud Chase, T. D. Crittenden Writer: Allen Watt and Rex de Rosselli Producer: Jay Hunt Studio: Bison Running time: 2 reels Girl and the Mummy, The (1916) Notes: A surviving still shows a woman wrapped in mummy bandages. Starring: DeWolf Hopper Director: Eddie Dillon Studio: Fine Arts-Triangle Running time: 2 reels

67

68 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Fig. 3  Unidentified supporting player in costume for The Girl and the Mummy (1916)

Ham and Preparedness (1916) Ham and Bud set out for Mexico to study athletes, but when bullets sing around their ears and bombs burst above them the place becomes too warm. One bursting shell sends Bud up in the air and he lands far out at sea. Meanwhile Ham, by proving he was ‘a hero of Cow’s Run’ has been welcomed into the home of the captain of the regiment and his pretty daughter. Ham’s jealousy when the periscope shows Bud being rescued by a charming mermaid, and the disappearance of some important papers start a whirlwind mix-up that ends with Ham and Bud swimming for dear life, hard pressed by army, navy and police force. (MPW, May 6, 1916)

Starring: Lloyd Hamilton (Ham), Bud Duncan (Bud), Norman Nichols (The Regiment), Juanita Sponsler (His Daughter) Director: William Beaudine Studio: Kalem Running time: 1 reel

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

Ham the Explorer (1916) The … queen of a cannibal island, who combines grace of person with a scant but becoming wardrobe and a mastery of the latest dance steps, as exhibited in Broadway lobster palaces, set Ham and Bud to fighting for her favor during the progress of this lively farce. The lady’s royal consort also displays a more than rudimentary knowledge of the arts of civilization, as applied to ‘rollin’ de bones,’ but Ham is a better player and strips the monarch of his crown, queen and royal robes. He has barely become accustomed to his new dignities and his want of covering for his nether limbs, when he falls a victim to Bud’s superior skill with the ivories. A rebellion, headed by the dethroned ruler, threatens to put an end to the laugh-making of Ham and Bud, but ‘Uncle Sam’ demonstrates that he can protect the subjects of this glorious nation, in the most remote part of the world. Whether the finish is intended for a bit of gentle satire is not stated. The reel’s amusing qualities are never in doubt. (MPW, July 8, 1916)

Starring: Lloyd V. Hamilton (Ham), Bud Duncan (Bud) Director: Lloyd Hamilton Studio: Kalem Running time: 1 reel Haunted (1916) The Newlyweds are given the use of a friend’s bungalow for their honeymoon. With suitcases bearing the inevitable ‘Just Married’ labels, they arrive at their destination and begin on a period that bids fair to be full of bliss. But Fate sends Montmorency, a stranded actor, striding down the railroad tracks with his partners, Nap and Sallie, the chimps, and he and the Newlyweds are drawn together by a queer coincidence. Montmorency is seen by a circus man who covets the chimps, and the actor is forced to sell his partners. The circus man sends the chimps in an express wagon to the station to be shipped away but the express man is more interested in his book Pity the Laboring Man than in his charges, and the box with the monkeys … falls to the pavement before the house which shelters the Newlyweds. Nap and Sallie emerge from the broken box and take refuge in the nearest haven they find – which chances to be the attic of the Newlyweds’ bungalow. Then commences a reign of terror. Mrs. Newlyweds thinks that her husband is perfect except for his smoking, and he thinks that she is perfect except for her excessive eating so that when his cigar and her lunch vanish, each blames the other and a quarrel is the result. As a matter of fact, the chimps have made a raid from the attic and even at the time of the quarrel, Nap is smoking peacefully behind the hall rack and Sallie is enjoying a lunch in the attic. Finally mysteriously opened doors, laundry baskets that sway to and fro, a syphon that sprays them in the face as they open the kitchen door, and the noise of soft footfalls where no persons are, lead the couple to the conviction that the house is haunted. They decide to leave, only to find that the house has been mysteriously fired by the stolen cigar which Nap has left on Mrs. Newlywed’s best hat on the rack

69

70 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

in the hall. The two rush to pack their suitcases. But Mr. Newlywed’s umbrella persists in dancing about the room, carried by some unseen thing, and they flee into Mrs. Newlywed’s room to find her nightgown waving aloft upon the arms of what is apparently an apparition with its head hidden in the white folds. Mrs. Newlywed faints at the continued horrors, and Mr. Newlywed is at his wit’s ends. But help comes in the shape of the circus man and the careless delivery man. The circus man has waited in vain for the chimps at the station and has found the driver, compelling him to drive him back over the road he has just traveled in order to try and find some clue to the missing animals. They ring at the Newlyweds bungalow and Mr. Newlywed, in fright, drops his wife on the floor and she revives. They both rush to the door and upon hearing of the loss of the chimps, see an expatriation of the uncanny happenings of the past several hours. The chimps are located in the attic and everybody is happy. (MPW, June 10, 1916)

Notes: The cast included two chimpanzees known as Napoleon and Sally (or “Sallie,” dependent on the trade publication). Starring: Lillian Brown Leighton Studio: E. & R. Jungle Film Co. Running time: 1 reel Haunted Bell, The (1916) A pleasing two-reel mystery offering, based on a story by the late Jacques Futrella. … It is rather a relief from stories depending entirely upon swift action for their interest. (MPW, Apr. 22, 1916) It concerns a bell, to which great importance is attached by the Hindus. It is in the possession of a novelist and one morning it disappears and a curio dealer is found murdered on the floor. It develops that a Hindu committed the crime. The story is really in two distinct episodes and while a little obvious at all times, it stimulates the interest to an average degree. (MPN, Apr. 22, 1916)

Starring: King Baggot, Edna Hunter, Frank Smith Director: Henry Otto Writer: Jacques Futrelle Studio: Imp Running time: 2 reels Haunted Symphony The (1916) Dr. Andrew Smiley, a brain specialist and a hypnotist, is the guardian of Wilfred and Marcia Redmond, brother and sister, and both rich in their own right. Smiley wishes to marry Marcia, as he is badly in need of money, but when he proposes she rejects him. Smiley has a secret mistress in Sarah Kayton, the head nurse of his sanitarium, and she has borne him a son, Paul Kayton, who is Smiley’s secretary, without knowledge of the fact that his employer is his father. Wilfred Redmond,

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

71

a musical genius, writes a musical composition which his sister Marcia calls The Haunted Symphony. Wilfred incurs the enmity of Paul, who loves Marcia also. That same night Norman Brice, a student of mental science and a musician, is injured in his laboratory by a chemical explosion and on his way home he is overcome by temporary blindness. He is forced to appeal to a drunken passerby for assistance and the intoxicated man leads him to the wrong house, which proves to be Dr. Smiley’s sanitarium. His key fits the door and he feels his way up the stairs to the second floor, thinking he is in his own home and intending to phone his physician, Dr. Barstow. At this instant Wilfred is murdered in a mysterious manner, and Marcia, coming upon his body, loses her reason and her memory. Brice, the blinded man, hears her screams and bursts into the room. He stumbles over the body of Wilfred and in groping about finds a photo on the table which he clutches in his hand as he rushes from the house in an agony of horror. When Brice recovers his sight and reason several days later he finds himself in a hospital under the care of his friend, Dr. Barstow, and in the papers he reads of the murder of Wilfred Redmond and the confession of his sister, Marcia, who seems to have lost her reason and memory. Comparing the newspaper cut of Marcia with the photo in his possession Brice knows that he was in the room just after the murder was committed, and he realizes that this Marcia Redmond was the girl whose screams he heard. He falls in love with the photo, and feeling that she is innocent of the crime, he determines to solve the mystery and clear her name. The coroner has adjudged Marcia insane and committed her to the care of her guardian in his sanitarium. Brice has Dr. Barstow commit her to the sanitarium as a patient suffering with melancholia. There he finds a copy of The Haunted Symphony, and with the aid of the melody he recalls Marcia’s memory and proves Dr. Smiley to be the real murderer. (MPW, July 29, 1916)

Starring: Crane Wilber, Claude Mortenson, Frederick Montague, Jessie Burnett, John Oaker, Lloyd Holton, Mae Gaston Director: Robert B. Broadwell Studio: Centaur Running time: 2 reels Haunts for Rent (1916) With all the charm of fantasy and fairy tale visualized in living form on the screen. Haunts for Rent follows Inbad the Sailor as the second release of Bray-Gilbert Films, through the Paramount Pictures Corporation. February 9. L. M. Glackens, the animated cartoonist, who is connected with Mr. Bray in the production of his cartoon comedies, made the drawings in connection with this combination of penned and real character. The story deals with two gentlemen … who love the same girl. She agrees to marry the one who shows the fewest ill-effects after a night in the haunted chamber of a road house. Each engages the aid of a spirit expert in frightening the other. In the end, after many an adventure, Jim wins Lilly and Sam is left to his fate of batchelordom [sic]. (MPW, Feb. 19, 1916)

72 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Notes: This film freely combines animated figures and live-action characters photographed in silhouette. One character, Sam, falls in love with a female “haunt” and “implores” her to “haunt him for life.” Starring: C. Allen Gilbert Writer: C. Allan Gilbert Studio: Paramount-Bray Running time: 1 reel He’s a Devil (1916) Eddie dreams that he has a visit from the devil and sells his soul, a la Faust; some masquerade visitors help the illusion. The situations are amusing and the number quite entertaining as a whole. (MPW, May 20, 1916)

Starring: Betty Compson, Eddie Lyons, Lee Moran, Ethel Lynn Writer: A. E. Christie Studio: Nestor Running time: 1 reel Hicks in Nightmareland (1916) Two subjects are given in the number of The Animated Grouch Chaser, Hicks in Nightmareland and Cook vs. Chef. The ‘Hicks’ cartoon is particularly amusing. A Trip Through Uganda, British South Africa is on the same reel. (MPW, June 17, 1916)

Notes: Animated cartoon Studio: Edison Running time: Split-reel Hoax House, The (1916) The Hoax House is the title of a neat two-reel comedy written by Raymond L. Schrock, in which King Baggot plays the role of a psychic fake, being very ably assisted by Edna Hunter, who again demonstrates her versatility by playing in comedy in a most, pleasing manner. King Baggot plays ‘Frank King,’ a salesman for the ‘Nearly Every Kiss Company.’ While wending his way to a confectionery store one day, he meets Belle Adair (Edna Hunter), and a mild flirtation ensues. Belle is a vaudeville actress and that night King meets her at the stage door. Together they celebrated and as a consequence the company King works for as well as the manager of the theatre where Belle is appearing find fault with the conduct of their people, and both get fired. Thereupon they consult each other and King suggests that they become partners in some business that will afford them a living. They become mind readers, and at once insert an advertisement in a newspaper, announcing that ‘Bobo, the Seer,’ gives advice on matters of business, life and society at the Hotel Carlton.

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

73

There are many genuine complications in which King succeeds in obtaining large sums of money from several victims. When the victims are about to fall on the faker, having procured police assistance, the salesman and the actress skip down the fire escape, and when the police force an entrance in King’s room, find that the birds have flown with several thousands of dollars. (MPW, Feb. 26, 1916)

Starring: King Baggott, Edna Hunter Producer: Harry McRae Webster Writer: Raymond L. Schrock Studio: Universal Running time: 2 reels In the Moon’s Rays (1916) Meredith Blake, a gentleman crook, learns that the millionaire, Robert Hamilton, has just obtained a priceless scarab. He decides to get it. Accidently [sic] his accomplice, ‘Spider,’ finds an invitation to attend a reception at the Hamilton home. Blake poses as a detective and also attends. He secretes himself in Hamilton’s apartment while ‘Spider’ awaits outside to aid in the flight. After Hamilton has retired, Blake emerges from his hiding place and by the light of the moon shining through the windows obtains the scarab. Hamilton awakes and the ‘Spider’ leaps in and knocks him senseless. Judith, Hamilton’s daughter, hurries into the room at the noise and Blake, infatuated with her, has ‘Spider’ carry her out into a waiting taxi. When Judith recovers from her faint she notes the number of the license. Tightly clasped within her hand she holds a fountain pen, which she unconsciously carried with her when disturbed in writing. On her white slipper she makes a plea for help and hurls it out the window of the cab. The slipper strikes Richard Neal, private investigator, who was on his way to the Hamilton home at the behest of the millionaire. He forms a connection between the two incidents and at the house learns of a heel print of peculiar markings. He discovers this to belong to the driver of the cab and finds that this driver is none other than ‘Spider.’ By a ruse the crook is compelled to lead Neal and Hamilton to the hiding place of Blake where after a battle the girl is released and the scarab returned. The ending suggests that a love story will be the continuation of the exciting incidents. (MPW, May 6, 1916)

Notes: Trade publications also referred to this film as In the Moon’s Ray. Starring: Francis X.  Bushman, E.  H. Calvert, Bryant Washburn, Rapley Holmes, Gerda Holmes Studio: Essanay Running time: 2 reels Inbad the Sailor (1916) The first Bray-Gilbert silhouette picture released by Paramount, a fantasy with a strong ‘Arabian Nights’ flavor, entitled Inbad the Sailor, justifies fully the enthusiastic advance notice issued from the Paramount press department. The great

74 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

possibilities of the silhouette picture are recognized before Inbad the Sailor has run half its course, and when the last scene has faded, a point of first importance in any form of entertainment seems to establish itself, and that is that the picture contains the elements which make for popular appeal. To begin with, these single-reel subjects fit nicely into The Paramount program. Offered in conjunction with a five-reel feature, a fantasy of this kind will go far toward accomplishing that much talked of ‘rounding out the program.’ Being truly artistic effects, the silhouette, besides appealing generally, can follow a feature of the highest order and still win the approval of an audience just given the best that the screen has to offer either in drama, spectacle or straight comedy. The pictures have individuality, and consequently will not conflict with the other offerings on the program. Of course, the silhouette has its limitations. Fantasy is its foundation, upon which must be built humorous incidents. In this direction its possibilities are remarkable. In Inbad the Sailor there could be more humor. But Inbad the Sailor will impress people with the fact that if the stories to follow are not funny, as long as Bray and Gilbert produce them, silhouettes will not bore one, for the pretty effects obtained are a source of pure delight. The drawn figures are united with the actual ones perfectly. At the advance showing of Inbad the Sailor the reviewers were challenged to discover when the substitution took place. By the time the change was noticed the substitution had taken place. At such times, as when Inbad is carried on the magic rug from the desert island to wonderful Bagdad, the animated drawing is used. This picture shows a sailor alone on an island, his only possession being a bottle of tabasco sauce. By chance he finds a buried treasure chest wherein he discovers a wishing ring. His first wish is granted. He is magically presented with a man servant. Then he is transported on a flying rug to Bagdad, where he is taken before the sultan, who promises the sailor his daughter in marriage if he recovers a rare pearl, long since swallowed by a dragon. The animal encountered, Inbad uses the tabasco to make him cough up the jewel. When he sees the princess, Inbad uses his last two wishes. He asks for the return of the pearl and to be back once more on Broadway. Arrived there, he attempts to pawn the gem, but is told its value is thirty cents, if that. The silhouette is a distinct novelty, but its bid for public approval is more substantial than that. The pictures will attract people for a time greater in length than a mere novelty ever could. (Motog, Feb. 5, 1916)

Notes: An advertisement in MPW (Jan. 22, 1916) notes that this film represents a “strange combination of drawing and acting, making a wonderful picture and delighting young and old. … This is a type of moving picture made entirely by Artists. After painting his backgrounds or settings, a moving picture camera is used to put living models into the picture. The remarkable result is a living illustration.” Studio: Bray-Gilbert Running time: 1 reel

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

75

Luke, Crystal Gazer (1916) An amusing farce comedy in which Luke happens into the house of a spiritualist and substitutes for a pretty girl, whose place is behind the curtain. Discovered by a pal, Luke is hauled out and from here on quick action characterizes the picture. This will be found extremely amusing. (MPW, Aug. 5, 1916)

Note: Luke, Crystal Gazer is one of a series of “Lonesome Luke” comedy shorts starring Harold Lloyd. Starring: Harold Lloyd, Snub Pollard, Bebe Daniels Director: Hal Roach Studio: Hal Roach-Pathé Running time: 1 reel Midnight at the Old Mill (1916) Plot: Hired to look after the gardens at the home of creepy Doc Sawbones, Ham and Bud ignore their duties while competing for the heart of the doctor’s pretty daughter. When Sawbones orders Ham to fetch a sack at the old mill and bring it back, Bud races to the mill first and inserts himself inside the sack. Bud is momentarily on Sawbones’s operating table, before cleverly contriving to put Ham there in his place. As Bud elopes with the daughter, Sawbones gets a surprise when his “corpse” raises a fuss. Starring: Lloyd Hamilton, Bud Duncan, Albert Edmonson Director: Lloyd Hamilton Studio: Kalem Company Running time: 1 reel Midnight Mystery, A (1916) Simon Dudsbury is found dead on the veranda of his home by his butler, Hatch. Dickson Fay, a newspaper reporter, answers the butler’s call for help and together they carry the body into the house. Dr. Adams, Dudsbury’s physician, is sent for and attributes the death to heart-failure. When the undertaker arrives, the corpse is taken to Dudsbury’s bed- room and Dr. Adams descends to the library. The reporter is just leaving the room, when he distinctly hears a woman’s voice urging him to remain, as she fears that her uncle has been murdered. Fay then asks Adams to give him some facts for the newspaper, and the doctor begins to tell about Dudsbury and his wonderful collection of antiques. Elsie Wheaton, Dudsbury’s niece, has hastened home and arrived that day, the housekeeper, Mrs. Weed, being the only one who knows of her coming. It is she who asks Fay to remain. The doctor thinks she is still in Europe. When Hatch goes to the bedroom he is horrified to find neither the undertaker nor the body. They have completely disappeared, and though he, Adams and Fay search the house, there is no sign of them. As Fay and Adams enter the museum to look about, the doctor quickly goes out and locks the door, thus holding the reporter a prisoner.

76 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Elsie is terrified by the sight of her uncle who passes by her without speaking. There is blood on the side of his head. She thinks she has been the victim of an hallucination. She hears the hammering of Fay against the museum door and hastily opens it, but faints upon seeing Fay. Adams and Hatch continue to search for Dudsbury and the undertaker but, unsuccessful, they return to the museum. Fay and Elsie hear their approach and hide behind a mummy case. When the two men cannot find the reporter, they begin to look behind the large objects and soon come to the mummy case. They try to pull the door open and as it gives with a jerk. Fay and Elsie are thrown back, causing them to fall through a trap-door and disappear. Adams tells Hatch, the butler, that they will take anything valuable they can carry and make a get-away. Fay and Elsie land in a room where they confront Dudsbury and the undertaker, who sits in a chair, tied hand and foot. Dudsbury then relates to them his story. Becoming suspicious of Dr. Adams, he began to watch him. Finally he saw the man drop some powders in a glass of wine, and although Dudsbury merely touched the liquor to his lips, he fell as he was entering the house and regained consciousness only to find the undertaker working over him. They grappled, but Dudsbury at last forced him to enter the secret room, and fearing that he was an accomplice of Adams, tied him securely in the chair. Hearing a noise in the museum, Fay and Dudsbury discover Adams and Hatch as they are loading themselves with priceless antiques. At the sight of Dudsbury, Dr. Adams recoils in horror. Hatch is afraid to look his master in the face. When the policemen arrive, Dudsbury tells them to watch Adams carefully and pays the undertaker and the police a large amount of money to keep the affair quiet. So the mystery is solved. (UW, Apr. 28, 1917)

Starring: Thomas Jefferson, Betty Schade Studio: Universal Running time: 2 reels Milk White Flag, A (1916) A lot of ingenious business, much of it unhackeneyed [sic], is brought in during the enacting of this farce. While Charles Hoyt’s original comedy of the same name is credited as the source of the plot, the film version is a disconnected series of moderately humorous episodes. A good deal of the footage is devoted to slapstick, so Otis Harlan, the principal, is not given the chances for legitimate funmaking he had on the stage. …In the little town of Godforsaken there are two rival military organizations — the Black Guards and the White Guards. O. Whatter Mann is taken into the fold of the White Guards, and by his original ideas does much to give his club prominence. He hires a pretty uniformed girl to act as barmaid, turns a fire-hose on a parade of the Black Guards, and in other ways distinguishes himself. To make some money, he insures his life for $100,000 and then pretends to be dead. He spends several hours on the morgue ice-cakes, and then is put in a hearse and carried to the cemetery. But the horse runs away, and the casket falls into the river. Mann’s duplicity is discovered, and he is threatened with arrest, but a million dollar legacy arrives for him, and everything is smoothed over. (MPN, July 15, 1916)

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

77

Starring: Otis Harlan, James Bradbury, Grace Darmond Director: T. N. Heffron Studio: Selig Running time: 3 reels Mr. Vampire (1916) The son of a disillusioned woman inherits her suspicion of the fair sex. He is known as Mr. Vampire. He falls in love finally with a girl he thinks is married – but the man in the case turns out to be her brother. The story is developed in rather a vague way, but the cast is pleasing and in spite of the faulty construction the subject proves entertaining. (MPW, Dec. 30, 1916) Edna’s husband is unfaithful to her and has been accustomed to going out with the other woman. She is about to become a mother and broods over her loneliness. She finds a woman’s card in her husband’s pocket and becomes suspicious. She watches his office, sees a woman enter, and follows her in. The husband is caught in a compromising position with the woman, so the wife demands a large sum of money to spend on the expected child. Twenty-five years later the son is known as the Vampire because of his hatred of women. Born while his mother was embittered by her experience, his hatred for women is almost uncanny. The Vampire attends a house party, and is shunned by the men, but much sought after by the women. It is strange that though he hates women they invariably seek him out. One of the married women at the party takes a violent fancy for Mr. Vampire, which causes comment. The maid at the house has taken a liking to the strange Vampire, who, on several occasions has spoken kindly to her. Mrs. Brooks, the married woman in the case, goes to his room, intending to leave a note for him. The maid, too comes in and hides. Brooks forces his way into the room and threatens to kill the Vampire Man, telling him that he knows that Mrs. Brooks is hidden there. He is about to shoot, when the maid comes from behind the curtains. Brooks thinks that he is mistaken and apologizes. The wife realizes her wrongdoing, and, after her husband’s departure, sneaks out, unseen. The Vampire Man sardonically smiles at the ways of women and reiterates his hatred for them. (MPW, Dec. 30, 1916 [This is a different article than the other that MPW published on the same date])

Starring: Pete Gerald (The Husband), Dena Maison (The Wife), Francis Ford (The Vampire Man), Mme. Bourgeois (The Other Woman), Jack Holt (Mr. Brooks), Roberta Wilson (His Wife), Elsie Maison (The Maid) Writer: Grace Cunard Producer: Francis Ford Studio: Rex Running time: 2 reels

78 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Modern Sphinx, A (1916) This fascinating subject has a strong imaginative interest and, while containing a tragic note, Is given a light, graceful handling that makes it very appealing. It is called a ‘love story of the ages’ and the plot is one of pronounced mysticism. The opening scenes occur in Egypt. Asa, the daughter of Ram, an astrologer, becomes jealous of a servant in the house because he loves another. She poisons him, but the father restores him by speedy use of an antidote. The astrologer then puts his daughter to sleep for 3.000 years, to be awakened only when she has been redeemed by true love. These Egyptian scenes are artistic and attractive and at once place the production on a high level of interest. In the modern scenes the same artistic care has been used. Asa is reborn and appears as a girl named Zalda. She is cold-hearted and has not yet felt the power of love. At a garden fete she meets a young artist named Francis Passmore, who awakens the divine passion in her breast. She gives herself to him and learns too late that he is married. She then takes poison and dies. In the closing scenes, the cycle of 3,000 years having passed, her father reawakens her in Egypt and her entire nature has been transformed. (MPW, Feb. 19, 1916)

Starring: Winifred Greenwood, Edward Cox, Robert Klein, George Field Studio: American Running time: 3 reels Mystery of the Leaping Fish, The (1916) I. M. Keene, the chief of police, receives a letter informing him of a mysterious gentleman about the neighborhood who is rolling in wealth. Unable to solve the mystery, he sends for the celebrated detective, Coke Anneyday [sic], and he agrees to undertake the job. In locating the gentleman of wealth, Coke unearths a great opium plot. Two [Japanese men] ride leaping fish, which are swimming machines, out to a bellbuoy, where they get opium which has been left there by a smuggler’s ship. The plot thickens rapidly. The villains discover they are being watched, and try to make their getaway, observed by the little girl whose duty it is to inflate the fish. Coke, meanwhile, in eating some of the opium requires an opium jag. He recovers, however, and takes up the trail with thrilling results in which he has a terrible duel in the dark with the gentleman of wealth, overcomes his enemies with a mysterious drug, and claims the little fish-blower for his own. (MPW, July 29, 1916)

Starring: Douglas Fairbanks (Coke Enneday), Bessie Love (The Little Fish Blower), A. D. Sears (Gent Rolling in Wealth), Alma Rubens (His Female Accomplice), Charlie Stevens and George Hall (The Two Japanese Accomplices) Studio: Keystone Running time: 2 reels

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

79

Parcel Post Pete’s Nightmare (1916) Plot: While on his delivery route, Pete discovers a large animal tied to a lamppost. (The animal may be a lion, though it more resembles a dog with mouse-like ears.) When the creature breaks free, it chases Pete all over town: up and down buildings and across power lines, giving him a good beating before finally becoming wild-eyed and magically expanding to enormous size. In two gulps, Pete is devoured. Witness to the mayhem, and posing in the lower left foreground, is a small figure labeled “DESPAIR.” But as Pete struggles from within the animal’s belly, he awakes in his own bed. Notes: Animated cartoon Studio: Vitagraph Running time: 1 reel Percy the Mechanical Man (1916) Herr Professor Doodlepoodle, N. U. T., famed in both hemispheres – and New Jersey, after many years of earnest effort and – short rations and long expectations, finally succeeds in completing the mechanical man, that is more than human. This contrivance he christened ‘Percy.’ I don’t know why he named it Percy, nor does the Professor. He says that it looks as if its name were Percy, and he’ll leave it to anyone if it doesn’t. The sudden climax of his hopes and efforts was almost too much for the gentle Professor. He grasps the child of his skill in both arms, inadvertently pushing many buttons at once. Now Percy works by means of buttons. By pushing the ‘Walker Button’ Percy is made to walk; by shoving the ‘Dish-washer Button’ Percy is made to wash dishes. But the result of pressing a number of buttons, as did the Professor when he impulsively threw his arms about his invention, was unknown – for a second, or a small fraction thereof. Then there was a disturbance commonly known as a ‘rough house’ – it is the only term properly descriptive. The Professor flies through the roof, interrupting an innocent cat who has had her eye on a sparrow luncheon. On landing he hits the roof, then Percy. As he gazes around the wreck of the shop, he realizes that he is ruined. But he has Percy! Percy shall recup [sic] the Professor’s fortune! He will hire him out at a good salary, for Percy can do anything a man can do – and most of the things a woman can. They pass down street and a sign in a dry goods emporium arrests the attention of the Professor: ‘Window Dresser Wanted.’ Percy is taken inside and introduced to the manager of the store. The manager wishes a demonstration and suggests that Percy dress [as] a dummy to prove himself fitted for the job. Percy picks up the dummy, carries it behind the screen, and emerges with the fully and tastefully dressed figure. He is a Success! He is hired on the spot and the Professor leaves – with the Dresser Button still working. Percy gives a few spasmodic starts, and grabs the store manager, carrying him behind the screen! Soon articles of personal wear appear from back of the screen, then an enraged and outraged manager appears. That starts the fun – the rest is a riot. Lady customers are dressed in the latest styles for men; even the clergy is not

80 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

exempt. When you see the Reverend Fiddle, D.D., beating it through the various departments dressed in  – but we won’t give it away, we’ve said more than we should now. (MPW, Dec. 23, 1916)

Director: J. R. Bray Studio: Bray-Paramount Running time: 1 reel Pretender, The (1916) This is an improbable but interesting tale of Wall Street intrigue, capably acted by Robert Klein, Lizette Thorne, Edward Coxen, and George Field. The suspense element is well developed, and while some of the situations strain the credulity, the quick succession of tense episodes diverts the attention. Robert Arnold, a successful speculator, is entirely governed in his operations by the advice of his daughter Phyllis. Lane, an unscrupulous adventurer, plans to ruin Arnold by influencing Phyllis’ judgment. He hires a bogus yogi, and Phyllis is astonished at the mystic’s knowledge of her past. The girl’s fiancee [sic], Kendall, realizes that something is wrong, and shadows Phyllis to the medium’s office. One day the medium advises Phyllis to persuade her father to put all his money in a scheme that Lane is promoting. She telephones her father to do this, but Kendall tells her of the plot, and together they reach Arnold before he puts his money in the venture. Kendall and Phyllis then look for a minister. (MPN, May 20, 1916)

Starring: Robert Klein, Lizette Thorne, Edward Coxen, and George Field Studio: American Running time: 2 reels Professor Bonehead Is Shipwrecked (1916) Plot: After being shipwrecked, Professor Bonehead is chased by a half-man, half-duck before falling into a cannibal’s stew. Director and Writer: Harry Palmer Studio: Gaumont American Running time: Split-reel Professor Jeremy’s Experiment (1916) Prof. Jeremy, an eccentric old scientist, compounds a liquid which, if sprinkled on a person’s face, will cause that person to speak the truth-and nothing but the truth. He first experiments on the cook, whose sweetheart, the policeman, hears her tell the professor that she gives him the professor’s whiskey and cigars. Then the professor’s daughter and her lover, Thorpe Willis, a young newspaper man, appear upon the scene, and Thorpe accidentally getting a spray of the liquid on his face, begins to lay bare his soul. The professor kicks Thorpe out and the next

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

81

morning reads an account in the paper of his discovery. ‘Smoothy’ Smithers, a crook also reads the notice. The professor is finally so pestered by requests for the formula that he destroys it and locks the liquid in the safe. Smithers manages to get the liquid from the safe, but drops the bottle, allowing some of the liquid to spatter in his face. He then emerges from the house declaring to the world that he has just burglarized a house. The professor is finally so harassed by requests that he turns to Thorpe for help. The reporter writes up the whole affair as a hoax on the public and then is accepted as Jeremy’s son-in-law. (MPW, Nov. 4, 1916)

Starring: Orral Humphrey (Prof. Jeremy), Vivian Rich (Janet), Alfred Vosburgh (Thorpe Willis), George Gebhart (“Smoothy” Smithers), Louise Lester (Bridget) Studio: Mutual Running time: 2 reels Psychic Phenomenon, The (1916) The ambition of Sis Hopkins to have all the sciences and many of the arts breaks out in a new channel in this one-reeler. She tries her hand at hypnotism and is pronounced a great success until it is disclosed that a sleeping powder can claim the credit for the somnambulistic state of Miss Hopkins’ subjects. A clever hypnotist can always be depended upon to make an audience laugh, and in this particular at least Sis’s efforts are crowned with success. Henry Murdock bounces about through the reel as if closely related to a rubber ball. (MPW, July 8, 1916) Sis turns hypnotist in this one-reel comedy and performs some remarkable feats with the aid of a sleeping powder. Rose Melville’s creation of Sis Hopkins has added a unique figure to moving pictures. Her embodiment of the awkward country girl is the cause of much wholesome laughter. (MPW, July 22, 1916)

Starring: Rose Melville, Henry Murdock Studio: Kalem Running time: 1 reel Sammy’s Semi-suicide (1916) Sammy often has suicidal fits, that is, whenever anything goes wrong he sets about to kill himself and end it all. However, he is always prevented from doing himself harm by unforeseen circumstances. Finally Sammy’s friends decide to cure him_ of his suicidal tendencies and this they do by ignoring him so utterly that he thinks he is dead and walking around in ghostly form. Then they make him witness many heart-rending spectacles, and when he comes to (or thinks he comes to) Sammy is fully persuaded that he had better remain right here on earth and tend to his affairs. (Motog, May 27, 1916)

Starring: Walter Hiers, Francis Keyes Studio: Falstaff Running time: 1 reel

82 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Shadowed by the Devil (1916) Plot: Three disparate types—a self-centered rich woman, a poor but earnest young man, and a well-fixed young fellow possessed by the devil—illustrate the right and wrong ways to conduct oneself. Director: Miles M. Webb Studio: Unique Film Co. Running time: 3 reels Shadowed Shadow, A (1916) A comedy telling of a young woman who decides to meet the condition of her uncle’s will that she live alone in the large house for several months. The cook and butler plan to scare the young girl. One of them dresses as a ghost and meets in the dark room another ghost; the latter a crook. Alonzo, the detective, comes upon the scene and arrests the crooks. His reward is the girl. (Motog, Nov. 4, 1916)

Starring: Milburn Moranti (aka Milburn Morante), Charles Conklin, Lillian Peacock, William Franey, Gale Henry Director: William Beaudine Studio: Joker Running time: 1 reel Silent Man, The (1916) The man is a mystery in the little town. Her lives alone in his cabin and will not meet the advances of his neighbors. One night he talks and tells the story of his life. He had been a prosperous lawyer in an eastern town and was engaged to be married to the sweetest of girls. The night before the wedding day she died and in his anguish he called up the devil. The devil said that he would bring back the departed life, but that if the man laughed he would lose his love again. And in the man’s joy at his sweetheart’s recovery he forgot and laughed and straight the girl died. ‘Here is Satan now,’ said the man, as he fell over dead. (MPW, Aug. 12, 1916)

Starring: King Baggot (The Silent Man), Irene Hunt (The Dance Hall Girl), Frank Smith (The Doctor) Writer: Frank Smith Director: King Baggot Studio: Universal Running time: 2 reels Skelly’s Skeleton (1916) The ghost party, at which the skeleton appears, makes a novel feature, and some good night photography is shown. This avoids the grewsome [sic] and keeps the comedy side uppermost, in spite of the weird settings. The number is quite entertaining. (MPW, May 20, 1916)

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

83

Skelly is a clever Irish lad whom Fortune has cast in an office along with two of his pals, both good fellows, who would go the limit for him — and in this story they do. Betty is the pretty daughter of the hard-hearted father who insists that she marry one of many millionaire-fops whose most strenuous exercise is the international game of croquet. Betty does not see them and pines for the red-blooded Skelly whom she loves. She dispatches a note to him and he breaks in on the proceedings but is stopped from doing much damage by the father, who informs him with no little ceremony that Betty must marry one of the millions and link two great fortunes. Skelly is told to leave the grounds, but before doing so he informs Betty’s dad that he will win his daughter, and also his admiration. Skelly returns to his office and plans father’s undoing. He gets a great idea and phones Betty to give a ‘ghost party.’ She carries out his instructions and a happy gathering of ‘fops’ and pretty girls enjoy themselves in the semi-darkness of a well decorated living room. As the party sits in a circle, listening to a recital an enormous skeleton head falls from the chandelier and between its teeth is a note instructing the party to come to the vastness of the forest where the sacred magician will choose from their midst the true lover of Betty. Thinking it is merely an effect, they start out, father well out in front. By torch light they stroll through the darkness and soon come to the source of the flickering light. Here in front of a fire stands the magician who bids them sit in a semi-circle. The magician makes many mysterious noises and then tells them that the ‘Skeleton of Fate’ will select the lucky one. The party thinks it a good effect until a skeleton does appear in the blackness. Cold sweat creeps out on their brows, especially on father’s brow, when the apparition starts an insane dance. Slowly he comes forward on the party who can stand the strain no longer and break for the woods. Father goes into a dead faint and is alone save Betty, Skelly, the skeleton and the magician. They pick him up and carry him home. Here he revives sufficiently to thank Skelly for his bravery. Then his eyes travel to the portieres from behind which peers the skeleton’s head. Father almost dies of fright but Skelly pacifies him and calling in the skeleton and the magician introduces them as his friends and co-workers. Father rages but gradually comes to the realization that Skelly has cleverly outwitted him. His frown breaks into a smile and he blesses the happy lovers. (MPW, May 20, 1916)

Starring: Carol Halloway, John Steppling, John Sheehan, Dick Rosson, John Gouch Director: Archer McMackin Studio: Mutual Running time: 1 reel Sold to Satan (1916) John Merrill, an outcast, finds himself, on New Year’s Eve, outside a gay cafe. He goes to his garret room and declares he would give his soul for youth and gold. Then appears His Majesty, the Prince of the Nether Regions, who agrees to grant his desires if, in return, Merrill delivers to him one soul each year. Merrill consents, and the bargain is on.

84 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Merrill meets Ruth Ashton, daughter of a banker, and falls in love with her. Ruth’s brother, Archie, is weak-willed, but good at heart. A year goes by. Merrill receives a communication from His Majesty, demanding Archie’s life. He is in a quandary, but decides to obey. Through Merrill, Archie is found cheating at cards and feels disgraced before the club members. Merrill takes the boy into the next room, but there his manner changes and he advises suicide as the only way out. The boy takes the revolver and His Majesty claims his first victim. Ruth, grieved at her brother’s death, postpones the marriage, and Merrill begins to be troubled by visions of Archie. The end of the second year comes and His Majesty demands Ashton as the next victim. Ashton’s bank is weathering a panic by the assistance of Merrill’s promise not to withdraw his funds. But Merrill forgets his promise, and soon there is a run on the bank. Ashton tries in vain to reach Merrill, and finally chooses the same death as his son. His Majesty has claimed the second victim. The memory of the part he played in the death of the two men soon preys on Merrill’s mind. He begins to drink. Ruth, although poor now, will not think of marriage. As the end of the third year approaches, he is in a state of collapse. The dreaded letter again falls into his lap. He opens it. On it is the name of Ruth Ashton. Merrill looks up and sees the leering face of His Majesty. He defies him, but His Majesty merely mocks him. Finally Merrill sinks into a chair and now he changes to the old man again in the garret room, where he dies, while His Majesty laughingly claims the soul of his latest plaything. (MPW, Feb. 12, 1916) There is no attempt to relieve the situations by any flashes of wit such as Franz Molnar employed to lighten up his drama, The Devil. (MPW, Feb. 26, 1916)

Starring: Edward Sloman, L. C. Shumway Director: Edward Sloman Writer: R. P. Rifenborich Jr. Studio: Lubin Running time: 3 reels Some Detective (1916) Lazy Lukins and Fat Perkins are in love with Widow Farmer. Lazy’s nickname doesn’t appeal to the lady in question as she is of a decidedly industrious character. Lazy is a detective but his ability to ferret out clues is lost upon the widow. She prefers the fat, but frugal, Perkins, who runs the delicatessen store. Nap and Sallie, the chimps, are Italian street venders. One afternoon, they get into a scuffle and run off, leaving the contents of their trays scattered over the pavement. Lazy happens along. He tries to solve the mystery of the trays but finally stops his deductions to gloat over a necklace which he finds among the contents of one of the trays. He decides to forget the mystery in the case and bear his trophy to the fair widow. Meanwhile the chimps have made a raid on the delicatessen to the terror of the customers, the widow, and Fat Perkins. Lazy comes up but is scorned alike by the widow and Perkins. That evening Lazy endeavors to take the necklace to his love, but Fat sees him as he lights a cigar before the delicatessen with the necklace

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

hanging from his pocket. Fat thinks Lazy has been robbing the delicatessen and gains possession of the necklace after a squabble. He then hurries off with the jewelry, determining to beat Lazy to the widow with it. Lazy returns home. As he sits brooding, he decides upon a [sic] which he carries out with the aid of Nap and Sallie. Nap steals a pair of Fat’s shoes as he dreams of the widow. Sallie enters the widow’s room by stealth, and steals the necklace which the widow has put away with kisses. Nap and Sallie meet in the old barn behind the widow’s house and the necklace changes hands. Sallie returns to Lazy, but Nap takes the necklace and, with Fat’s shoes on his feet, returns to Fat’s bedroom where he stuffs the necklace in one of the shoes and leaves. The next morning the loss of the necklace is discovered. The widow is in despair but Lazy comes to the rescue with his detecting paraphernalia, and he and the chimps succeed in  locating the criminal. The widow refuses to hear Fat’s protestations of innocence, and her heart turns to the clever detective who has recovered her necklace for her. (MPW, June 10, 1916)

Starring: Napoleon and Sallie (chimpanzees) Studio: E. & R. Jungle Film Company Running time: 1 reel Some Kind of Vampire (1916) She was a beach vampire. Moranti, one of her discarded lovers, sells pencils and shoestrings for a living, and another of her lovers is the owner of a peanut stand. Moranti finds his lovely ideal on the beach one day and pleads with her to accept his love, but she flouts him and goes to the stand of Heinie, and while he makes love to her, she eats his peanuts. Detective Binks has a wife and two children, but is inclined to flirt. He is taking his two kids out for an airing and they beg for peanuts. He comes up to the stand and, pulling out a large roll of bills, starts to get them a sack. The vampire sees the roll and sets her cap for him at once. Binks is not so bashful, either. He and the vamp, find a deserted spot on the beach and sit beside a boat. While the kids are playing in the sand the vampire uses all her arts on Binks. They make a date for the next day, which the little Binks overhear. Heinie and Moranti see the vampire’s fresh prey and resolve to revenge themselves. They plot dire things. Next day Binks prepares to meet the vampire. His wife notices his indifference to her, and after Binks leaves she learns from the children that father has a date to meet a woman on the beach. She starts out for the scene of activity. Lillian is parading the beach and the two ex-lovers, mistaking her, rush her to a nearby boat. They row out and dump her overboard, believing they are rid of a wicked woman. One of the children has seen the abduction, and rescues his mother. He takes her to where the appointment was made and Binks and the vampire are found. The vampire is unmasked, and all is serene. (UW, July 15, 1916)

85

86 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Starring: Gale Henry (The Vampire), Milburn Moranti aka Milburn Morante (The Discarded Lover), Charles Conklin (Heinie), William Franey (Detective Binks), Lillian Peacock (His Wife) Producer and Writer: Allen Curtis Studio: Universal Running time: 2 reels Spooks (1916) Judab Paradise and his itinerant spiritualists visit Bloom Center. They rent apartments at Constable Plum’s home and hold a seance. Chubby Green frightens all those going to the meeting by covering himself with a sheet and walking through the graveyard. Then he is himself frightened to death by a real ‘spook.’ The spiritualists are getting the Bloom Center money in great shape until the spirit of Constable Plum’s former wife invades the meeting. The spiritualists realize they have started something they can’t finish and flee in disorder. One of their number falls into mortar and is covered with white. His co-workers mistake him for a ghost and flee before him down the railroad tracks. (MPW, Jan. 1, 1916) The Bloom Center players bring in a touch of the supernatural in this picture. The action is more interesting than the last few of this series, and there are some good laughs in the film. … A band of itinerant spiritualists visits Bloom Center, and Chubby Green frightens those going to the seance by dressing up as a ghost. The mediums are going in great shape, when some real spirits invade the meeting and precipitate a riot. One of the spiritualists falls into some mortar, and is covered with white. His coworkers mistake him for another ghost, and flee before him down the railroad tracks. (MPN, Jan. 8, 1916)

Notes: Seventh in the series entitled Chronicles of Bloom Center Director: Marshall Neilan Studio: Selig Running time: 2 reels Terrible Tragedy, A (1916) Emile Scribbler, a reporter, is assigned to the job of reporting the hiding place of some Nihilists. He runs down Zola, the chief’s daughter, with his automobile and learns the whereabouts of the rendezvous. He is made a prisoner and is about to be put to death when Zola, who has fallen in love with him, comes to his rescue. He is recaptured, however, and placed in a huge box. Professor Foddletop, a collector of mummies, who lives above Emile, is preparing to ship Queen of Sheba to a museum, and while he goes for a dray the box disappears, having been taken by the Nihilists, thinking it the one containing Emile.

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

87

When the professor returns and finds his mummy gone he rushes down to Emile and finds the box in which Emile is nailed fast. After releasing the reporter they both start out after the Nihilists and after a rough and tumble fight with the Nihilists the professor finally secures his mummy. (Motog, June 8, 1916)

Studio: Lubin Running time: Split-reel Twin Souls (1916) A rather absurd three-reel drama in which R.  Henry Grey is featured, and in which he plays three characters. There are several good double-exposure scenes. The story concerns a girl who believes in reincarnation and ‘twin souls.’ She marries a respectable man, is abducted by her husband’s twin soul in the person of Bad Lonie, and later, in Egypt, runs away with a third man who she believes to be the real soul of her husband. Her husband fights the Egyptian and they are reconciled. (MPW, Dec. 9, 1916)

Starring: R. Henry Grey, Lillian West, Mollie McConnell, Charles Dudley Studio: Knickerbocker Star Feature Running time: 3 reels What Darwin Missed (1916) Prof. Alonzo Bozzle, an eccentric zoologist, has taken up the study of evolution as promulgated by Darwin and is pondering especially on the idea that there is a ‘missing link.’ One night he dreams that he is an explorer, and that he has just landed upon a foreign shore; he secures the aid of a mahout and an elephant to move his tent and belongings to the jungle, where he will take up the study of trying to find the ‘missing link.’ He builds his tent and establishes himself as comfortably as can be, and then with his trusty rifle starts out to explore the jungle. Then it is that he encounters the wise orang-outang, Joe Martin; the two are attracted mutually and the professor takes Joe to his tent and there commences his education along the lines of table etiquette. That night while the two are in bed a couple of lions come prowling about the tent. This startles the two and Bozzle takes his gun and with the help of Joe fires upon the lions. At this juncture Bozzle awakens to find the papers on his desk burning and in extinguishing the flames his own clothing starts burning so that he is compelled to rush from the house and immerse his body in a barrel of water. (MPW, Aug. 12, 1916)

Starring: Victor Potel (Prof. Alonzo Bozzle), Joe Martin (A Wise Orang-Outang) Writer: Frank Wiltermood Producer: Beverly Howard Griffith Director: Beverly Howard Griffith Studio: Victor Running time: 1 reel

88 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Witch of the Mountains (1916) A curious mixture of good dramatic material and wildly improbable incidents enter into this three-reel drama. The picture is overstocked with story, and is not always well played. Marguerite Nichols makes everything possible of the character of Trixie, and Gordon Sackville and Corenne Grant act with intelligence and skill. The rest of the cast is not up to standard. (MPW, Apr. 8, 1916)

Starring: Marguerite Nichols, Gordon Sackville, Corenne Grant Studio: Knickerbocker Star Feature Running time: 3 reels With the Spirit’s Help (1916) Jed and Emily are in love and are happy until Professor comes to town. The Professor claims to have control over the spirits and Father thinks that Emily had better marry him. When he catches Jed still hanging around he forcibly ejects him and tells him never to return. That night the Professor is to give a seance at the home of Emily and the couple plan to elope while it is going on. So, although they make a great deal of noise, they are not caught, as the folks think that the noise comes from the spirits. One of the old ladies wants to hear from the spirit of her dead guide, White Ball. At this time the elopers drop a pan in the kitchen and the people in the other room think that it is the war dance of the Indian spirits. They go to the kitchen to see and Jed, who has hidden in a flour barrel, rises like a ghost and tells them to go. By this time the Professor, who is really a fake, is frightened at the spirits that he thinks he has unwittingly called to life. He takes to his heels with the other folks after him. While they are gone Jed and Emily leave a note explaining what the spirits were, and when they come back from the minister’s they are forgiven and receive Father’s blessing. (MPW, Oct. 1916) A first-rate farce dealing with the surprise of a fake medium and his dupes when spirits unexpectedly respond to appeals for signs from the other world. An eloping couple is responsible for the deception. (MPW, Oct. 21, 1916)

Starring: Lee Moran, Priscilla Dean, Eddie Lyons, Fred Gamble Writer: Virginia Kirtley Director: L. W. Chaudet Studio: Nestor Running time: 1 reel Wraith of Haddon Towers, The (1916) In an adaptation of an old English story the American Film Co. have presented to the public a production that is modernly attractive, and at the same time brings us in touch with the ghostly legends of a couple of centuries ago. Exceptional

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

judgment has been used in the filming of this story. A fine breadth of perspective characterizes many of its exterior scenes, adding charm and delicacy to the double exposure work of which a great deal appears in this production, and to good advantage. Arthur Maude in the role of Phillip Drummond, who is summoned from America to England to attend the bedside of his dying uncle, is entirely satisfactory. There seems to be no room for adverse criticism, for Mr. Maude impersonates the character with an ease and grace that leaves with the spectator no sense of effort. Constance Crawley plays the role of the spirit of the sweetheart of the long dead ancestor and imbues the action of the character with the charm and intelligence with which her work has always been associated. In a room in the castle which is always kept locked Phillip first comes in contact with the spirit of his ancestor’s sweetheart. His interest in psychic phenomena causes him to seek the haunts of the ghostly personage, during which he discovers that he himself is the reincarnation of the former Phillip Drummond. His wife, arriving from America, comes just in time to find his body still warm after his spirit has departed with the ‘Wraith of Haddon Towers.’ The production is a very interesting one, founded as it is on an old-fashioned story mingled with a belief of the present day. It has the peculiar grip of the old style novel that lures us by its improbabilities. (MPW, Jan. 1, 1916)

Starring: Arthur Maude, Constance Crawley, Beatrice Van, Leslie Reed Director: Arthur Maude Studio: American Film Co.-Clipper Star Features Running time: 3 reels

1917 Aladdin Up-To-Date (1917) One of the ‘Black Cat’ Features. Bryant Washburn is the featured player in this two-reel offering which is quite entertaining. There is considerable humor in the piece. A young man comes to the city to get capital to operate a mine. He goes broke and is down and out. He has a chance to put through a big deal, but has no good clothes. He goes to his room and finds there a complete outfit. That is the Aladdin part, but in the film it is done plausibly and well. (MPW, Mar. 31, 1917)

Starring: Bryant Washburn, Patrick Calhoun Director: Arthur Berthelet Writer: H. Tipton Steck Studio: Essanay Running time: 2 reels

89

90 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Barnyard Frolics (1917) The Jabs and Jenks farms adjoin one each other and Jennie Jenks and Jabs are sweethearts, much against the wishes of their fathers. However, it take[s] a lot of watching to keep the lovers apart. Pokes, rudely tossed from his side-door Pullman, arrives on the Jabs farm as old man Jabs, who is stuffing a scarecrow, has gone to the barn for more hay. He takes the scarecrow’s place and nearly scares the old man into fits. From then on the place is in an uproar. An article in the paper concerning spooks convinces the village[r]s that devils infest the Jabs and Jenks farms. The police force is summoned and a lively chase follows, but Pokes gets away by converting one of the farm implements into a motor cycle. Jabs and Jennie get married and all live happily ever after. (MPW, Nov. 24, 1917) A Pokes and Jabs comedy of rural life in which Pokes disguises as a scarecrow, and later is mistaken for a ghost. He does his usual acrobatic stunts and gets several laughs. (MPW, Dec. 1, 1917)

Studio: Jaxon-General Film Company Running time: 1 reel Bobby, The Magician (1917) Bobby is given a magician’s wand in this one-part comedy and he attempts a number of tricks. His efforts are the means of his getting a new mother and his father a new wife. (MPW, Dec. 8, 1917)

Notes: Child actor Bobby Connelly (1909–22) starred in ten “Bobby” comedy shorts released by Vitagraph in 1917: Bobby, Movie Director; Bobby, Boy Scout; Bobby and the Home Defense; Bobby’s Bravery; Bobby to the Rescue; Bobby’s Country Adventure; Bobby Takes a Wife; Just What Bobby Wanted; When Bobby Broke His Arm; Bobby, the Magician. Starring: Bobby Connelly Writer: Katherine Reed Director: George Ridgwell Studio: Vitagraph Running time: 1 reel Butcher’s Nightmare, The (1917) Ben Turpin poses as the proprietor of a futuristic butcher shop where goat meat is sold as lamp chops. (Motog, Feb. 24, 1917)

Starring: Ben Turpin Studio: Vogue Motion Picture Company Running time: 2 reels

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

91

Canning the Cannibal King (1917) Bobbie Mack is the king, and Lillian Peacock the very interesting queen of the cannibals. Franey and Morante arrive at the island and after a narrow escape from being the principal ingredient of a stew, escape. This is a very interesting comedy, with an elephant and an orang outang in the jungle scenes toward the close. (MPW, July 28, 1917) Inbad is shipwrecked on a cannibal island and meets Priscilla Pots, the missionary, and her native servant, Snagtooth. She falls in love with him at once, but he is scared of her and runs away directly into the presence of LooptheLoop, the cannibal queen. Her bodyguard seize[s] him and he fully expects to be boiled in their great pot. LooptheLoop becomes jealous of Priscilla, and Inbad prefers boiling to life with the missionary. LooptheLoop, however, saves him and takes him to her hut. Snagtooth then enters furtively and forces the sailor to accompany him to Priscilla, for she has promised him a plug hat if he could corral the sailor for her. Inbad escapes and is pursued by everybody. At last he jumps into the ocean and swims out of sight. (MPW, July 28, 1917 [This is another article published in the same issue of MPW])

Notes: The character name Inbad is a take-off on Sinbad. Starring: William Franey, Lillian Peacock, ZaSu Pitts, Milburn Morante (aka Milburn Moranti), Bobbie Mack Writer: C. B. Hoadley Director: William Beaudine Producer: W. W. Beaudine Studio: Joker Running time: 1 reel Castles for Two (1917) Patricia tires of the sham of New York society life and revolts at the futile pursuit of pleasure which constitutes its chief occupation. There is enough of the love of Old Ireland, and of her belief in the good fairies to send her over the seas in search of real romance. This delightful romance is rendered all the more effective by engaging a number of children to play the roles of fairies, and by the employment of an interior decorator to design all of the interior settings for this production. Although the interior decorator has been permanently engaged by the Lasky Company this is the first production in which his art will be displayed upon the screen. (Motog, Mar. 3, 1917)

Starring: Marie Doro, Elliott Dexter Director: Frank Reicher Studio: Lasky Running time: 1 reel

92 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Clever Dummy, A (1917) Plot: In pursuit of a woman, a “Romantic Janitor” pretends to be a mechanical man, a robot with gears in his chest cavity. He ends up performing onstage. Director: H. Raymaker Starring: Ben Turpin (A Romantic Janitor), Chester Conklin (A Playful Property Man), Wallace Beery (A Vaudeville Manager), Juanita Hansen (A Leading Lady) Studio: Triangle-Keystone Running time: 2 reels Defective Detectives (1917) The first reel is given up to some quite amusing scenes in the office of the Star Detective agency, where two rube sleuths operate. Sliding doors and a number of tricks prove interesting. The action is swifter in the second reel, where the detectives are employed in a hotel. Scrambling over the roof tops and across telegraph wires are included in the action, which becomes quite amusing in places. (MPW, Mar. 24, 1917)

Starring: Phil Dunham, Lucille Hutton, Merta Sterling, William Irving, Charles Inslee Studio: Universal Running time: 2 reels Dinosaur and the Baboon, The (1917) This ‘tragedy’ of prehistoric days is a clever manikin play by Willis H O’Brien. The figures are perfectly built, have a corresponding joint for every joint in the human body, and in appearance are life-like. The Duke discovers that his hated rival, Stonejaw Steve, has also come to call upon his beloved Miss Rockface. In the midst of a thrilling argument between the rivals, our unassuming hero, Theophilus Ivoryhead, arrives at the lady’s cave. Meanwhile, Wild Willie, the missing link and the terror of the countryside, is hovering near. Miss Rockface sends her admirers off to hunt for the delicacies for the family board, and all set out bent on bringing home the prize. (MPW, Aug. 18, 1917) This is a half reel manikin play by Willis H. O’Brien. The figures are very jerky in their movements. The comedy is low, but not vulgar. It is not especially interesting. (MPW, Sept. 1, 1917)

Note: Dinosaur and the Baboon (typically cited as The Dinosaur and the Baboon) is likely a retitled Edison reissue of Willis O’Brien’s independently made 1915 stop-motion film, The Dinosaur and the Missing Link: A Prehistoric Tragedy (produced by O’Brien and an exhibitor named Herman Wobber).

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

93

Fig. 4  “Missing link” Wild Willie prepares to do mischief in Willis O’Brien’s early stop-motion piece, The Dinosaur and the Baboon (1917), a retitled reissue of 1915’s inadequately released The Dinosaur and the Missing Link, A Prehistoric Tragedy. (Courtesy Heritage Auctions)

Missing Link, although completed in 1915, did not see wide exhibition until purchased by Edison in 1917 (when it was reviewed MPW, which noted the film’s “first public presentation.”) Missing Link’s commercial success prompted the newly titled reissue. Director: Willis H. O’Brien Studio: Edison Conquest Running time: 500 feet Efficiency Experts (1917) Bessie resorts to subterfuge to meet her lover, Jack. Ham and Bud are asleep on their steam lawn mower. Dad, taking a nap on the lawn gets free shave, while Bessie amuses herself with her callers. Bessie calls for the electrician. He sets to work in the basement repairing broken wires and finds a note, stating that the family jewels are buried beneath the chestnut tree. Leaving the live wires sparking against a water pipe the electrical worker rushes out, filled with the visions of riches. Seeing Ham and Bud asleep on the lawn Bessie gives them a shower bath

94 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

from the garden hose, and when her hand strikes the metal pipe a volt of electricity leaves her senseless. Thinking the lawnmower has killed her Ham and Bud bury her in the grass. That night the electrician comes back for the treasure and while digging he unearths Bessie. Ham and Bud are frightened at the ghost of Bessie and stumble over the electric. Before many seconds elapse the whole house is under the influence of the ‘juice.’ (Motog, Mar. 10, 1917)

Starring: Lloyd V. Hamilton (Ham), Bud Duncan (Bud) Director: Al Santell Studio: Kalem Running time: 1 reel Egypt (1917) Notes: Famed travel lecturer Burton Holmes presents nonfiction images of Egypt. According to a trade advertisement published in MPN on Dec. 1, 1917, the short subject depicted the pyramids, the Sphinx, and the “mummy of a clubfoot Pharaoh [sic] and the tombs of the Pharaohs [sic].” Also known by the title British Egypt. Studio: Paramount Running time: 1 reel Evil Sag, The (1917) A two-reel drama of mystery and considerable plot action. The offering is acceptable. The story, which is played by a capable cast, tells of the happenings of a family that lives on a farm with an ‘evil sag.’ This ‘evil sag,’ it develops, contains odorless but deadly natural gas, which accounts for the fact that several men have been killed there. The complicated family plot leads to a happy ending. (MPW, May 19, 1917) James Stanley becomes the owner of the Mitchell farm through his marriage to the mother of Howard Mitchell, and his children, Helen and Dick, live with him. Howard, who comes of age after the death of his mother, accuses Stanley of marrying his mother for the farm. They quarrel despite Howard’s love for Helen. Edward Hale, the county attorney, also loves Helen. There is a depression of the land in one corner of the farm, and the spot has a sinister reputation, for several men have been found dead there. Edward Hale, after an investigation, discovers that the evil influence is odorless natural gas. He realizes that a gas well means wealth to the owner of the land, and Hale redoubles his courting of Helen. Howard and James Stanley have another quarrel, and Howard leaves the farm. The next day Stanley’s lifeless body is discovered, and Howard is arrested. Hale, however, knows that it was the gas that caused Stanley’s death but tries to fasten the crime of murder on Howard. He fails.

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

95

When Howard takes possession of the farm, Helen refuses to remain as his wife, and she leaves, accompanied by her brother Dick. Howard, deserted by everybody, becomes known as the Hermit of the Sag. Hale still plots against Howard and induces Dick Stanley to join with him. The two entice Howard to the deadly spot on the farm, believing that he will be overcome by the poisonous gas. Helen overhears the plot and decides to save Howard. Hale and Dick endeavor to stop her, but she gets to Howard in time to save his life. In the excitement Dick lights a match near the dangerous spot and in the explosion of the gas Hale is killed and Dick injured. Howard and Helen thus learn of the gas, which ultimately is to make them rich, for they marry and Helen forgives her brother for the harm he tried to do. (MPW, May 19, 1917 [Another article published in the same issue of MPW])

Starring: Howard Mitchell (Casson Ferguson), James Stanley (Jim Fulton), Dick Stanley (M. C. Von Betz), Edward Hale (Edgar Murray), Helen Stanley (Byrdine Zuber) Writer: John B. Langan Director: Otis B. Thayer Studio: Selig Running time: 2 Reels Ghost Hounds (1917) The high cost of hens’ eggs prompt Ham and Bud to rob a hencoop in Ghost Hounds. The owner of the coop is the sheriff of the county. He captures the pair, tries them himself and sentences them to pass the night in a haunted house. The ghosts are a band of thieves that make the old mansion their headquarters. Ham and Bud are given a large-sized scare. With such material the big fellow and the little ‘un, Ethel of the smile (in spite of the teare in her name) and Henry Murdoch, who sits up nights inventing new and facetious facial adornment. (MPW, Feb. 24, 1917)

Note: The working title of this short was The Gallant Ghost Hounds. Starring: Lloyd Hamilton, Bud Duncan, Henry Murdoch, Ethel Teare Director: Lloyd Hamilton Studio: Kalem Company Running time: 2 reels Ghosts (1917) The good-natured [African-American] who plays the ghost in this picture is a very amusing ghost and, seeming to feel the dignity of his role, adds much to our enjoyment of the film. This is also a chase picture. (MPW, Dec. 8, 1917)

Studio: Ebony Film Corporation Running time: 1 reel

96 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Gift of the Fairies, The (1917) Marion was a little crippled girl who lived with her grandmother. One day the grandmother told her a story about a little lame boy who was healed by the fairies. Marion went out to look for the fairy queen to heal her. She entered a garden and asked the girl if she was a fairy, telling her the story of the lame boy. The girl made a plan to help the little girl. The next time she came there was a man with the girl, whom Marion took for a magician. He gave her a flower to smell and she went to sleep. When she awoke she found that she could walk. Marion returned to her grandmother and said that the fairies had made her well. In reality, the magician was a famous doctor, who had cured her of her lameness. (Motog, May 19, 1917)

Starring: Babe Early, Elise Albert Studio: Rex Running time: 1 reel Happy Hooligan in a Trip to the Moon (1917) Plot: A scientist straps Happy Hooligan to a moon rocket; once on the moon’s surface, he’s welcomed by the Man in the Moon and entertained by a variety of performers. When Happy becomes too stimulated by a pretty ballerina, the Man in the Moon prepares to conk Happy—but the instrument that cracks Happy’s head is a policeman’s billy club. The whole adventure has been a dream. Notes: Animated cartoon, also known as A Trip to the Moon and The First Man in the Moon. Starring: Happy Hooligan Director: Walter Lantz Studio: Pathé Running time: 1 reel Hash House Mystery, A (1917) A two reel number, by John Clymer, featuring Harry C. Myers and Rosemary Theby. The former appears as an eccentric loafer who falls heir to an old boarding house. He hires the girl as cook and poses as a fortune-teller in order to sell the place at a big figure. The scheme works and they flee with the money. Some of the low comedy in this is amusing and there is some originality in the plot. The night shirt parade is rather frank in treatment. Though not strong, this is quite entertaining in numerous scenes. (MPW, Mar. 24, 1917)

Starring: Harry C. Myers. Rosemary Theby Studio: Victor Running time: 2 reels

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

Hindu Hoodoo, A (1917) The double life of the city editor of a newspaper by day who assumes the role of ‘Swami Swobodi,’ crystal gazer, by night to fool his wife and the public, is the entertaining plot of A Hindu Hoodoo. (Motog, Oct. 27, 1917)

Notes: The title was sometimes rendered in the press as Hindu Hoodoo. Starring: George Binns, Maude Wayne, Dale Fuller Director: Herman C. Raymaker Studio: Keystone Running time: 2 reels His Cannibal Wife (1917) This is a one-reel comedy in which the lazy husband of a moving picture star tells a wonderful story to a friend about where he got his wife. He tells him of a ship wreck where he and his pal are left stranded on a cannibal island, of how they believe they are to be killed and eaten and are surprised to find that instead of being devoured by the cannibals they had been married to a couple of cannibal maidens. His wife overhearing the story proceeds to cause him trouble. The comedy is only fair and is hardly suitable for a first class audience. (MPW, June 16, 1917) As Zona is the star of a film company and Otto, her husband, only an ‘extra’ man she treats him with scorn. One morning she has been aggravating and Otto, while sulking, meets the scenario editor who asks him how he came to marry such a brilliant star as Zona. Otto, seeing an oportunity [sic] to get even, invents a blood-curdling tale of his adventures upon a cannibal island where he was expecting death at the hands of a mysterious veiled figure to whom the native kowtowed but instead found himself married to her, and had rescued the maiden and brought her back to civilization. As Otto completes his story, the scenario editor pronounces it a great find and gives him a handful of gold for his idea. (MPW, June 16, 1917 [Another article published in the same issue of MPW])

Starring: Jean Otto, Zona Porter Studio: La Salle-Mutual Running time: 1 reel His Little Spirit Girl (1917) This is one of those truly comic Drew comedies which most of us like to see. It treats of how a husband cured his wife of her spiritualistic ideas. After several seances having been held at his house, and his wife receiving a message telling her that her husband has a secret in his past, he breaks into the game and succeeds by dint of a bribe of hard cash to the medium in creating an imaginative feminine spirit which he calls Edith. To this spirit he persists in talking and offering candy and flowers. A promise from his wife to relinquish spiritualism is the cure for him to show Edith the door. (MPW, Feb. 10, 1917)

97

98 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Starring: Sidney Drew, Mrs. Sidney Drew (Lucille McVey) Studio: Vitagraph Running time: 1 reel House of Mystery, The (1917) It bears a resemblance to a photoplay seen two years ago in which there was a circular staircase with a secret chamber at the top. The story of this picture is quite incoherent. (MPW, Sept. 15, 1917)

Starring: John Cossar Studio: Universal Running time: 2 reels Jerry’s Big Mystery (1917) A farce comedy in which Jerry, running from the policeman, takes refuge under the coat tail of a tailor’s dummy. With all but his legs concealed, he runs about with the dummy; the fact that its head is knocked off by the policeman adds a gruesome touch that enhances the comedy of the situation. Quite an amusing number. (MPW, Mar. 3, 1917)

Notes: Jerry’s Big Mystery is one of a series of fifty-six one-reel “Jerry” films starring George Ovey, made during 1916–17. Starring: George Ovey, Claire Alexander Producer: David Horsley Studio: Cub Comedy-Mutual Running time: 1 reel Jerry’s Brilliant Scheme (1917) Terry hires four burly ruffians to kidnap his sweetheart’s father, who has had him kicked off the place. Father is taken to a deserted cabin and there divested of his clothes, while one of the ruffians makes up to represent him. The ruffian goes to Tiny’s home and there is put to bed, as he is under the influence of liquor. Now it is easy sailing for Jerry to make love to Tiny. Her father, however, also imbibes some liquor and returns home. Then much excitement follows as they are all sure that they see ghosts when the two men appear on the scene. (Motog, Feb. 24, 1917)

Starring: George Ovey, George George, M.  McCarty, Arthur Munns, Claire Alexander, Helen Gilmore Producer: David Horsley Director: Milton H. Fahrney Studio: Cub Comedy-Mutual Running time: 1 reel

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

Jewel of Death, The (1917) The story opens in a Hindu temple of Buddha in Northern India, where six priests are performing the rites of their ancient religion. A band of Tartar coolies steal in and attack the devotees. The sacred eye of Buddha, a magnificent emerald, flashes fire, and the coolies fall back in awe. One overcomes his fear and gouging the stone from the head of the idol escapes. One of the priests, just as he is dying, curses the despoilers and pronounces a malediction upon the possessors of the stone. Djalma, the high priest, discovers the dead bodies and vows to devote his life to the recovery of the sacred stone. The curse soon shows its effects. The coolies, who have reached the desert, quarrel, and one kills the others. In the jungle he becomes a madman, and throws the emerald away. It hangs suspended in the air, and as he dies it settles on his breast. It is found by a caravan who take it to Sir Hugh Wheeler, the English commandant, who purchases it for his niece. The merchant who sells it dies suddenly. The evil power still follows the stone. On the parade ground at the English headquarters, a priest harangues the Sepoy troopers, telling them that they are being defiled by using greased bullets. They throw down their arms and begin the Sepoy rebellion. Nana Sahib offers safe conduct to all English troops and residents, then villainously slaughters the soldiers, including Sir Hugh, while the women and children are taken back inside the gates. Djalma, the high priest, sees the fate of Sir Hugh, and smiles as he observes the fatal toll of the stone. All of the white people are slaughtered, except a little baby, which a native woman secretes, and gives to the high priest for adoption. Djalma names him Afga and swears that he will eventually restore the stone to its sacred resting place. Twenty-five years elapse, and each owner of the emerald has some calamity befall him. Colonel and Mrs. Van Alston give their daughter, Nellie, the emerald. This is observed in a vision by the high priest, Afga, shortly after he has promised the dying Djalma that he will work unceasingly to restore the stone. Afga’s astral body journeys to London, while Nellie sleeps and worships the gem. Nellie, in a dream, sees him and the idol, and connects the absence of the idol’s eye with her emerald. he awakes, to find the stone suspended in mid-air, and faints from fright. Nellie’s illness puzzles the doctors. Colonel Van Alston is ordered to India, and takes his wife and daughter with him. In viewing the sights at Cawnpore they come to the Temple of Buddha. Afga and Nellie meet, and Afga gaining the Colonel’s consent to cure Nellie, lays his hands on her brow and she becomes well. Meanwhile native devotees of the Goddess Thug, observing the valuable stone on Nellie’s neck, attempt to strangle her. Afga observes this in a vision, and saves the girl by turning the leader into a dog. The following day Nellie goes to the temple, and meets Afga. He takes her before the idol and tells her the story of the emerald. She returns it and he replaces it in the head of the Buddha, where it flames with fire. Then Afga folds Nellie in his arms. (MPW, Jan. 20, 1917)

Starring: William Clifford, Paul Machette, Belle Bennett Director: W. J. Fahrney Writer: James Dayton Studio: Big U Running time: 2 reels

99

100 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Missing Link, The (1917) Plot: A mother who wishes to appear younger to a college professor persuades her grown son put on a Little Lord Fauntleroy outfit and impersonate a boy, unaware that the professor’s daughter is her son’s sweetheart. And the daughter impersonates a boy in the same class. Starring: Lupino Lane (as Nipper), Winifred Delevanti (Kitty), Blanche Bella (Mother), Will Kellino (ape) Writer: Reuben Gillmer Director: W. P. Kellino Studio: Globe Running time: 36 minutes Monkey, Maid, Man (1917) Kate, a maid in the household of Mr. and Mrs. Trude, is in love with Billy, the Iceman. One morning, while serving breakfast. Billy appears, and Kate entirely neglects the family, giving all her attention to the little iceman. Their love-making disgusts Mr. Trude, and he leaves for the office without his breakfast. Later in the day he is induced by a friend to have a drink. Meanwhile Kate and Billy continue to make violent love, and finally Kate escorts him out to the Ice wagon. Still unable to separate, they sit on a cake 1 of ice. and the horse starts carrying through the busy streets and finally returns them to their starting point without either of them knowing it. At length Billy succeeds in tearing himself away, promising to return in the afternoon and take Kate to the movies. He enters a saloon with a cake of ice, and clumsily drops it on the foot of a man at the bar who proves to be Mr. Trude, who is not exactly sober. A quarrel ensues, but Billy buys the drinks, and they become friends. An organ grinder enters with an educated gorilla, which creates so much amusement that Mr. Trude and Billy buy the animal, and Mr. Trude decides to take it home. Cautiously approaching the house they see Kate all dressed waiting to be taken to the movies, and Mrs. Trude awaiting her husband’s return to dinner. The men stealthily go upstairs to a bedroom. The gorilla’s actions cause such a commotion that the women downstairs start to investigate, and entering the bedroom find Billy and Mr. Trude in the arms of the gorilla. Horrified, they rush to a nearby police station, and a squad of policemen are sent out. They rush into the house expecting to find a burglar, and, when they behold the gorilla, make a swift retreat. Finally the owner of the gorilla appears and buys it back. As he leaves the women rush upstairs, and, discovering their dear ones unhurt, all is forgiven. (MPW, Dec. 8, 1917)

Starring: Kate Price, Billy Ruge Studio: Sparkle Running time: 1 reel

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

101

Mummy, The (1917) Notes: Advertisements referred to this film as a comedy. Studio: Melies-General Film Co. Running time: 2 reels Mystery Ship, The (1917) While Gaston and Betty and their party are prisoners in the Temple, Gaston is hit on the head by Harry. Betty is given permission to get water for the injured Gaston and returns to find him gone. While in the mummy room she hears someone coming, and hiding behind a mummy sees it is the natives coming to pray for safety from the erupting volcano. When the natives see Betty they believe her a sacrifice to be offered and take her to the mountain to throw her in the burning lava. Gaston and Jack allow the people to pass from the Temple and find Betty is missing. From a frightened native they learn what has become of her and rush to her assistance. Just as they are ready to aim at the chief who is going to sacrifice Betty, they look up and stand rigid amazed at the sight. (Exhibitors Herald, Jan. 5, 1918)

Notes: This text refers to episode five of the serial The Mystery Ship, which was titled The Fire God. Studio: Universal Running time: 2 reels Out Again, In Again (1917) Professor Quince was sure he could restore life to the dead if he could get a current of electricity strong enough. The Warden was willing for him to try as the electric chair was to be idle that day. Prisoner No. 13 forces the porter of Prof. Quince’s museum to change clothes with him. Before he could make his getaway, some one enters the place. He hides in the mummy case, which is carried away to the prison. Dumfounded he finds himself back in the chamber from which he had recently escaped. He decides to do the job himself. The nearsighted professor believes he is witnessing a miracle. Bill escapes, but is finally brought back to jail. (Motog, Aug. 18, 1917)

Starring: William Franey, Harry Mann Director: William Beaudine Writer: Tom Gibson Studio: Joker Running time: 1 reel

102 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Pullman Mystery, The (1917) Drake Dunn was admitted by Kathleen and sat down beside her. ‘I have some wonderful news for you,’ he said. ‘I have been offered the post of factory superintendent at the Crallen works in Los Angeles. Will you go with me as my wife?’ Kathleen said yes and was just about to call her mother, when Jean Hardy knocked at their door. Jean, a chemist in the factory in which Drake was employed, had long loved Kathleen, but his connection with the disaffected element in Robert Cheney’s vast factory had frightened Kathleen. On the way he met Paul Dustin, Cheney’s secretary, whom he had long wished to see attached to the cause of the striking workmen. Hardy carried him off to the meeting of the men’s club. Here his disappointment caused him to break out into wild threats of violence, but Dustin said that he would see his employer and try to plead their cause. He then left for Cheney’s house, where he had an appointment. Cheney was not in when he arrived, and as he sat waiting he began to put some of his ideas of the justice of the workmen’s demands into the form of a speech, writing it down on the typewriter Cheney came in, looked over his shoulder and read words accusing employers in general and himself in particular. Furiously angry, he told Dustin that he was a traitor and threatened to call the police He then lost his temper altogether, and attacked the young man, who tried his best to keep him off without doing him harm. Cheney was slowly backed toward the door of the conservatory, when suddenly he relaxed in Dustin’s grasp, his body became limp, and with a groan he fell to the ground. Mrs. Cheney, attracted by the noise, rushed in. She saw the body of her husband on the floor, with Dustin bending over it. ‘You murderer!’ she cried. ‘You have killed him!’ The police at that moment entered and Dustin, just managing to make his escape, leaped through the French window and rushed for the station. In the drawing room of a Pullman on the train approaching the station was Kenneth Post, reading over a letter from his cousin, recommending him to the care of Thomas Crallen, head of the big factory in Los Angeles, to which Drake Dunn had just been appointed superintendent. Post was desperately discouraged. He had vainly sought health so long and felt that his days were numbered. He shrank from the continued effort, and, taking out a revolver, put it to his temple. A moment later Dustin, reaching the train, fell against the door, which opened with him. ‘Another body!’ exclaimed the haunted man, feeling as if an evil curse were pursuing him. He picked up the letter lying beside the body and read: ‘His doctors are trying to frighten him to death. Give him something to do to keep his mind off himself.’ The letter was addressed to Thomas Crallen. The temptation was too great for Paul. Reverently he removed the clothes from the body, and looking out the window saw that the train was passing over a long bridge. Shuddering at the necessity, he opened the window and threw the body into the river. Then he covered his face with his hands. Some weeks later Paul, as Kenneth Post, was established as a member of the Crallen company, having met his daughter Lucille, Drake Dunn, already tiring of Kathleen, was more than half in love with the charming daughter of Crallen. Kathleen’s lot was a hard one. She was neglected by Drake and had no friends.

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

103

Hardy had not been able to resist the temptation to follow her to Los Angeles and she feared the consequences of his meeting her husband. Drake, however, was rapidly becoming suspicious of Dustin. For one thing. Miss Crallen was too fond of him to suit the superintendent. He happened to see a picture of the suppose slayer of Robert Cheney, whose unrecognized body had been found in the river. The picture was the image of the so-called ‘Kenneth Post.’ He, therefore, planned to introduce Hardy and to watch the two men. Their meeting confirmed his suspicions and he went straight to Crallen with the story. By this time Lucille was engaged to “Kenneth.” and her father refused to believe the story without proof. In the meantime Hardy crazed by Kathleen’s unhappiness. plans to kill Drake. Paul finds out his plans and follows Drake in the hope of warning him. He misses him and Hardy succeeds in breaking into Drake’s house, where he fires, wounding Drake in the arm. Paul has followed with the police who are just too late Hardy exclaims: ‘You’ll never get me!’ and shoots himself. As he is dying he confesses to the murder of Robert Cheney. He was in the conservatory and fired through the window into Cheney’s back. This clears Dustin, who then confesses for having taken the name of Kenneth Post. He returns all the property found on the train and Crallen accepts him as a son-in-law. Drake’s love for Kathleen revives under her tender care of his wound. (UW, Sept. 8, 1917)

Starring: Frederick Montague Studio: Gold Seal-Universal Running time: 3 reels Seeing Things (1917) Vic has been in a sanitarium for some time for the ‘cure,’ he having had ‘too many mornings after the night before.’ He is almost well and his doctor is about to discharge him, hoping that the change will also cure him of an optical delusion that he has. It seems Vic has a delusion that a certain ‘Gloomy Gus’ looking creature is always following him wherever he goes and this serves to get him into no end of trouble. The doctor wires this fact to Vic’s wife and prepares to start Vic on his way. Vic after bidding good-bye to the other inmates goes, only to be so he thinks followed by his friend ‘Gloomy Gus.’ He feels that he is with him all the way home, and he certainly has his troubles with him. Vic arrives home much to the delight of his wife but much to the disgust of his mother-in-law. It is not very long after his arrival home that the ‘optical delusion’ again starts working, and poor Vic gets himself into lots of difficulties, and the finish gives it up as a bad job. This comedy is unlike anything that Moore has made, and is distinctly novel. It should more than please the ‘Moore fans,’ and give them lots of laughs. (MPW, Sept. 15, 1917)

Starring: Victor Moore Studio: Klever Pictures-Paramount Running time: 1 reel

104 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Seeing Things (1917) Eddie and Edith quarrel and he goes home, gets his valet and leaves for Lonesome Lodge. Eddie is greatly disturbed by strange happenings that convince him the place is haunted. Two counterfeiters take possession of the lodge for their illegal operations. Edith and her girl friend arrive, Edith having decided to make up the quarrel. The counterfeiters lock her in a room, but she is rescued by Eddie. He sends for a minister and a policeman, the former to perform the ceremony that he and Edith have agreed upon, and the latter for the two crooks who are now captured and bound. (Motog, July 25, 1917)

Starring: Eddie Lyons, Lee Moran Director: Harry Jackson Studio: Nestor Running time: 1 reel Shorty Lays a Jungle Ghost (1917) Shorty is grieving over the mysterious disappearance of Anita Keller, which prevented their wedding, and while the boys of the ranch play tricks on him he receives a letter telling him that Anita is in the Philippine Islands on a secret mission. Shorty goes to the Islands and learns that Anita has met her death through a mysterious person known as ‘The Jungle Ghost.’ While investigating he uncovers a plot of the revolutionists to steal the plans of the fortifications. The General of the Islands believes Shorty is guilty of this very crime and imprisons him. His wife is really the guilty party and it is she who releases Shorty. He goes to the camp of the rebels and, finding the plans, brings them back in time to warn the American camp. In the big fight that follows Shorty kills the leader with the same spear that brought death to Anita. (Motog, Apr. 21, 1917)

Notes: Shorty Lays a Jungle Ghost is the fourteenth in Monogram’s “Adventures of Shorty Hamilton” series. Starring: Shorty Hamilton Director: Bob Gray Studio: Monogram Running time: 2 reels Shorty Unearths a Tartar (1917) The Chief of the Secret Service sends Shorty to Egypt to find Professor Watts, an archeologist [sic], and notify him that the Egyptian government objects to his desecrating the ancient tombs. Shorty finds the professor is at Arrowhead ranch, and being taken to the professor’s tent to sleep, lies down among a lot of relics. Among the other antiques Shorty discovers a mummy which the professor says is Peopat, a wicked dancing girl. Falling asleep, Shorty dreams he discovers in a vase a note stating that within the folds of the mummy cloth there is a phial of liquid which will bring the mummy to life. Shorty tries it and Peopat comes to life as a

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

105

beautiful vampire dancing girl. The lost tribe of Egypt, hearing what the Americans have done, attack the camp and kill all but Shorty. Peopat makes him her slave, and takes him to the palace of an Arabian priest. In attempting to escape Shorty swims through a stream filled with crocodiles and is slowly drowning when he wakes up and finds the cowboys have placed a bucket over his head to stifle his snoring. Shorty is relieved to find that it has all been a bad dream. (Motog, Apr. 28, 1917)

Starring: Shorty Hamilton Director: Bob Gray Studio: Monogram Running time: 2 reels Slave, The (1917) Billy is a slave in the palace of the Sultan of Bacteria. Horatius Crabbe and his daughter, Susie, are sojourning in Bacteria. During their visit, the Sultan takes a great fancy to Susie and resolves to add her to his harem. Knowing Dad’s fondness for antiques, they get a mummy case and place in it one of their warriors. Billy overhears the plot and resolving to save the girl, he scares the warrior away and takes his place. The Sultan discovers that Billy has taken the warrior’s place and their plot will not work. So he invites Dad and Susie over to the palace for lunch and leaves Billy heavily guarded. Arriving at the palace, he throws all pretense aside, and has Dad put in a dungeon and starts to take possession of the girl. Billy escapes from his captors and rushes to the palace to save the girl. The Vizier shoots him through a trap-door into the dungeon with Dad. Both escape from there and Billy fights his way to the tower while Dad is again captured. Billy and Susie try to escape and the entire army take after them. Billy knocks out the entire army and saves the girl. (Motog, Dec. 22, 1917)

Notes: Oliver Hardy plays the Sultan of Bacteria. Starring: Billy West, Oliver Hardy, Leo White, Bud Ross, Leatrice Joy Director: Arvid E. Gillstrom Studio: King Bee Running time: 2 reels Strange Adventure, A (1917) Luther T.  Van Horn, a young man of leisure, is smitten with the charms of a beautiful girl, a new arrival at the resort, and asks one of the servants to find out who she is. At dinner the coffee percolator boils over and Luther arrives opportunely and wins a smile from the girl of mystery. He goes bathing and is seized with an inspiration. He makes it appear that he is about to drown and the girl goes to his rescue. Just as she is about to reach him another swimmer saves Van Horn and his plan to become acquainted with the girl is circumvented.

106 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

A Hindu that night gives the girl a note reading: ‘If you would save your throne come to the House of the Striped Awnings.’ She accompanies the Hindu and when she enters she is confronted by a prince, who says: ‘Marry me or you will never leave this house alive!’ The girl has been followed by Van Horn, who enters just in time to save her life. Then Mr. Van Horn suddenly awakens and realizes that it is all a dream. (MPW, Mar. 3, 1917)

Starring: Bessie Eyton, Jack Pickford Writer/Producer: Marshall Neilan Studio: Selig Running time: 1 reel Temple of Terror, The (1917) “How would you and Jack like to spend your honeymoon with me in Africa?” asks Vail of his daughter Millie. He has just received an offer from the Government to fiance [sic] an expedition into the forbidden country. ‘Oh, Daddy! That would be ideal!’ cries Millicent. A short time later the expedition starts. In Africa, Mara has become queen of the village in which there is a mysterious idol in the temple. She is unmercifully cruel and rules her subjects with a hand of iron. A native tells her that the full moon is near and asks who is to be the sacrifice. He is told that he must find a white person or be the sacrifice himself. Vail’s party leaves for the interior, but the two men leave Millicent with Gonga, the leader of the natives, thinking it will not be safe to take her farther inland. After a day’s march, Vail and Jack arrive at Mara’s village and find their way to the temple, where they are taken prisoners by Mara. She notices Jack’s youth and good looks and covets him. She mentions her lions’ den where she sacrifices all white people and then tells him that their only means of saving their lives is for Jack to marry her. Jack laughs and she slaps him across the face. Just then Millicent is brought before Mara. When the girl screams, Jack starts up in horror, and Mara understands the situation. She orders Millicent sacrificed. The natives carry Millicent to the temple where the lion [sic] den is; Vail and Jack accompany the Queen. Meanwhile, Charlie, the elephant belonging to Vail and a great favorite of the whole party, has wandered away from camp and has approached the village. He hears Millicent’s screams and enters the temple as Mara is torturing the girl with the sight of the hungry lions. Mara’s natives flee in terror, but Mara pushes Millicent into the den. Seeing this, Vail and Jack overpower their guards and try to get into the den. Charlies [sic] takes up a rope that was around Millicent and lets it down into the hole. Millicent starts climbing up the rope, while Mara, seeing what is happening, draws a knife and starts toward Charlie, who is pulling up the rope. Jack and Vail enter the room and Jack grabs Mara’s arm as she is about to strike Charlie. Jack and Mara fight and the latter is thrown down into the den. Coming from the temple. Vail, Jack and Millicent mount Charlie and hasten from the horrible village. (UW, Oct. 6, 1917)

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

107

Starring: T. D. Crittenden, Eileen Sedgwick Studio: Bison-Universal Running time: 2 reels To Oblige a Vampire (1917) Harold and Willie are broke. Harold finds a Russian dancer’s purse and returns it to her. She takes quite a fancy to him. When he refuses a reward, she offers him a rose. Harold is delighted, but Willie is disgusted. The next day the boys are invited to the home of the dancer. She shows Harold the picture of a man whom he is to kill for her. Harold manages to stab the man, is chased by the servants, but escapes them and returns to the dancer. Here he finds her making love to Willie. She tells Harold to fade away. The boys begin to fight, and then Harold wakes up. It has all been a terrible dream. (Motog, May 19, 1917)

Starring: Lee Moran, Eddie Lyons, Olive Adair Studio: Nestor Running time: 1 reel Trip to the Moon, A (1917) One of the most interesting of the Mo-Toy Comedies which are being released by the Peter Pan Film Corporation is that entitled A Trip to the Moon. Children especially will be pleased with it and will no doubt have perfect faith in its authenticity. Jacko, a toy monkey, and his friend likewise a ‘toy’ person, take unwarranted liberties with an aeroplane which in a resentful mood carries them far beyond the pale of earth, into the region of the moon and stars, finally leaving them with a jolt in the heart of moonland. Here they still retain their wonted boldness, and in so doing find many interesting things. Finally what looks like a volcano explodes and they suddenly find themselves on their own back-door step again. (MPW, Aug. 4, 1917)

Studio: Peter Pan Film Company Running time: 1 reel Valley of Beautiful Things, The (1917) Zamba, a wicked witch, finds a beautiful fairy child, Sea Foam, and brings her up after a fashion of her own. Zamba uses her as a lure to draw travelers to her to rob them. News of Sea Foam’s unhappiness reaches the Fairies and Prince Happy Day is sent to rescue her. After many mishaps the Prince is successful, the spell is broken, fire consumes Zamba and Sea Foam and Prince Happy Day are free. (Motog, Feb. 10, 1917)

Starring: Peggy Custer Director: Lule Warrenton Studio: Victor-Universal Running time: 1 reel

108 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

With the Mummies’ Help (1917) Conventional plot, well done on the whole and containing a number of good laughs. It shows the manner in which the wife cures her husband of his craze for collecting antiques by employing two of her friends to pose as mummies. They come to life and scare the wits out of the faddist. (MPN, June 16, 1917)

Notes: While this was the most common title to be used in the industry trades, the film was on occasion referred to as With the Mummy’s Help. Starring: Eddie Barry, Ethel Lynne, George French Director: Al Christie Studio: Christie Running time: 1 reel

1918 Among the Cannibal Isles of the South Pacific (1918) Plot: Explorers Osa and Martin Johnson return to the New Hebrides island of Malekula to meet cannibal chief Nagapate. Although the Johnsons claim to be particularly wary of Nagapate’s tribe, the pair freely interact with residents of Malekula and the other islands on their itinerary. Notes: Intertitles include “Going over the crest of a hill we suddenly came upon hundreds of savages dancing in a weird frenzy”; “These savages are treacherous and impulsive”; “The most savage tribe of cannibals in the South Pacific”; “Cannibals stalk their human prey in the jungles”; and “Human heads are the trophies of war.” Starring: Osa Johnson, Martin Johnson Director: Martin Johnson Studio: Robertson-Cole Pictures Corporation Running time: 16:07 Black Sherlock Holmes, A (1918) The main feature of this reel, the first Ebony comedy, also a new brand on the General Film program, is the fact that the cast is composed entirely of [AfricanAmerican] players. It is a burlesque on the Sherlock Holmes stories, and, while there are some amusing scenes, there is a tendency among all of the players to overact. Its strongest point is the novelty of the cast. (MPW, May 4, 1918)

Starring: Sam Robinson (as Knick Carter), Rudolph Tatum (Reuma Tism), Yvonne Junior (Sheeza Sneeze) Director: R. G. Phillips Studio: Ebony Film Corporation-General Film Company Running time: 1 reel

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

109

Cannibals and Carnivals (1918) Spareribs Alvicious and Little Spring Fever were sweethearts, and their papas were friendly old hayseeds. This busy quartette hiked themselves over to the Zig Zag Circus. After galivanting around, the sweethearts finally forsook their papas and went canoeing. They suddenly found themselves in Hula-Land surrounded by Hickydoolas. The Hicky King took a sudden flight into Little Spring Fever’s heart. The King commanded Little Spring Fever to become his bride, but she was obdurate and would not consent, so the king grew revengeful and ordered Spareribs cooked, baked and served on a platter. The object of her love was tied to a tree, but Little Spring Fever uprooted the tree and carried her lover away from the mob, but they were followed, and down the side of the steep mountain went the Hula Jitney. This almost broke the lover’s heart, so he parachuted down the mountain after her. They were a tough bunch, and as hard to get rid of as the smallpox, but the determined pair gave them the slip, and awoke on the knees of their papas. (MPW, Jan. 12, 1918)

Studio: L-KO Running time: 2 reels Ex-Cannibal Carnival, An (1918) Amusing and interesting scenes from the Fiji Islands showing how modern has become this spot where once the white man feared to roam. The dances of the Fiji Islanders and of their sisters, the Samoans, are entertaining. The reel also includes the copra industry, and gives splendid views of the gathering and preparation of the cocoanut [sic] for its destiny. Having seen this picture no one will doubt that civilization has reached the Fijians. (MPW, July 13, 1918)

Studio: Outing-Chester Running time: 1 reel Haunted House, The (1918) The Haunted House contains a love interest, a heart interest and logical thrills of suspense. In addition, there are puzzling delusions, mystical illusions and wierd [sic] magic, together with a screen visualization of theatrical ‘Black Art’ never before accomplished in motion pictures. Behind all is a feasible plot that does not insult the intelligence of audiences by inaneness. The production is an interesting entertainment. (Advertisement, MPN, July 20, 1918)

Starring: Edwin Frazee Director and Writer: Edwin A. Frazee Studio: Frazee Films-Ernest Shipman Running time: 2 reels

110 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Hyde & Seek, Detectives (1918) It is not to be expected that the ingenuity and fun-making ability of Sennett will always flow in a torrent, though the font has seemed inexhaustible at times, but he manages to introduce some new features in each release, even if compelled to rely on older situations for his rough and tumble style of production. Turpin and Lynn have the title role in this parody on the detective story, but the big part in [the] action goes to strong Tom Kennedy, whose feats constitute the amazing part of the farce. Exaggeration that it is, there is some humor, and it is to be hoped that the human element, that of characterization, will broaden in future releases. There is not enough of it, and almost too much activity by trick work with the camera for a modern audience. There is, however, plenty of material in the farce for good laughs. (MPW, Dec. 14, 1918)

Notes: Some contemporary sources refer to this short as Hide & Seek, Detectives. Starring: Ben Turpin, Tom Kennedy, Charles Lynn aka Charles “Heinie” Conklin (as Seek), Marie Prevost, Al McKinnon, Charlie Murray, Del Lord Director: Eddie Kline Studio: Paramount-Mack Sennett Running time: 2 reels Magic for Home Use (1918) The second of the demonstrations of how certain sleight-of-hand tricks are accomplished will be found in the 105th issue of Pictograph. It is fully as interesting as the first installment of the subject and shows how garden seeds planted in the crown of a silk hat are reproduced in a few seconds of time in the shape of a posey of roses. It also explains a sleight-of-hand card trick, and a trick in which a certain number of pennies placed in a box mysteriously adds to its number when recounted. (MPW, Feb. 23, 1918)

Notes: “Magic for Home Use” is a recurring umbrella title of a series of four live-action shorts released during 1917–18 as elements of the ParamountBray Pictograph/Pictographs series (studio used both singular and plural), comprising Pictographs no. 105, 106, 108, and 109, released during late 1918 (nos. 105, 106, 108) and early 1919 (no. 109). The Pictographs series in toto comprised 139 installments, released during 1917–19. (After the summer of 1919, the Pictographs continued, as the Goldwyn-Bray Pictograph series.) The Pictographs are general-interest magazine-style compilations, comprising discrete live-action and cartoon-animated films. Magic for Home Use No. 1 (Pictograph 105) was released with Young America in Winter Time and an animated cartoon, The Peril of Prussianism. Studio: Paramount-Bray Running time: 1 reel

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

111

Mercy, the Mummy Mumbled (1918) Plot: Dotty Professor Pushee, who has created a serum that can reanimate the inanimate, advertises a reward for delivery of an Egyptian mummy “for experimental purposes.” A pair of young hustlers see the ad and wrap a local shoeshine man in bandages for delivery to Pushee. The motive isn’t just money but romance, for one of the connivers is in love with the professor’s daughter, and dreams of marrying her. Complications are caused by two visiting Egyptians, who are on the trail of the stolen mummy of Royal Rambunctions. Comedy has mild scares when the faux mummy moves and frightens a pair of deliverymen, and when the professor jabs the “mummy” with an enormous hypodermic needle. Notes: On two occasions, MPW referred to this film as Mercy! The Mummy Mumbled. Starring: Mattie Edwards Writer: Bob Horner Director: Ralph G. Phillips Studio: Ebony Film Corporation Running time: 1 reel Sleuths (1918) A gentleman crook, who walks into a private detective office and gets away with all of the money belonging to the proprietors and also with their pretty stenographer, is one of the characters in Sleuths, a two-part Paramount-Mack Sennett comedy featuring Ben Turpin and Charles Lynn as the two gumshoe men. Tom Kennedy plays the part of the crook, and [Marie] Prevost is the good looking typwritist [sic]. The ability of Mssrs. Tupin and Lynn to do the funny falls, pull comic faces and keep the nonsense moving and the spectator on the broad grin, is given continuous proof during the action of this comedy. (MPW, Sept. 21, 1918)

Starring: Ben Turpin, Charles Lynn (aka Heine Conklin), Tom Kennedy, Marie Prevost Director: F. Richard Jones Studio: Mack Sennett-Paramount Running time: 2 reels Slippery Slim and His Tombstone (1918) Slippery Slim takes out some life insurance. Shortly after, he decides to see something of the world, and sallies forth. Mustang Pete, his rival for the hand of Sophie, immediately begins to press suit, and when Slim returns he finds Sophie and Mustang mourning at his tombstone which they bought with his insurance money. Thinking Slim a ghost, they flee, with Slippery in hot pursuit. Slim never hesitates until he proves that he is really alive, thus defeating the wily Mustang Pete and his evident intentions of taking over the comely widow, Sophie Clutts. (Motog, May 4, 1918)

112 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Starring: Victor Potel, Harry Todd, Margaret Joslin Studio: Essanay Running time: 1 reel Spider and the Fly, The (1918) Plot: Happy ignores his assignment to chop wood and climbs a lattice-like spider’s web all the way to heaven, but because he doesn’t want to work, God flings him to hell. But Happy doesn’t want to work there, either! In a timely aside, Happy’s companion in hell is a bearded bomb-thrower—a reference to “bearded anarchists” of the day. Starring: Happy Hooligan Director: William C. Nolan Studio: Goldwyn Running time: 1 reel Spirits (1918) This shows the entertaining Katzenjammer Kids in some new tricks they play upon the Captain. His efforts to hold spiritualistic converse with the supposedly dead dog are amusing. (MPW, Mar. 16, 1918)

Notes: Animated cartoon Director: Gregory La Cava Studio: Pathé Running time: Half-reel Spying the Spy (1918) Plot: In Chicago, restless Sambo Sam imagines that a local fellow named Schwarz, who eats frankfurters and reads a German-language newspaper, is an enemy spy. Natty in plaid jodhpurs and affecting a Holmes-like meerschaum, Sam imprisons Schwarz in a cloth bag—only to discover at “Spy Headquarters” that Mr. Schwarz is black rather than German. (In a secondary joke, the German-­language “schwarz” means “black.”) Sam is subsequently terrorized by a secret fraternal society called the Coffin Club. Hooded and clad in black robes decorated with the skull and crossbones, the Coffin men (who are also Black) terrorize Sam with a skeleton and then threaten to execute him in a medieval-style torture dungeon. Notes: Some latter-day sources identify producer Luther J.  Pollard as J. Luther Pollard. Starring: Samuel Jacks (as Sambo Sam), Sam Robinson, Yvonne Junior Writer: Leslie T. Peacock Director: R. W. Phillips Studio: Ebony Film Corporation Running time: 1 reel

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

113

Superstitious Girl, The (1918) The superstitious girl presented in the picture is the most rabid of her kind – no superstition that we have ever heard of seems to have escaped her, from the drinking of bubbles off of her coffee to the breaking of seven perfectly good mirrors to avoid the ill-luck which is supposed to follow the breaking of an individual mirror. The girl’s uncle and aunt, not knowing of her failing, invite her to visit them and from the moment of her arrival at the railroad station are pestered with her continual harping on the same thing. Finally, after throwing salt over her shoulder into the butler’s eyes and doing various other seemingly outrageous things, she perpetrates the mirror-smashing act, which not only leaves the house almost mirrorless, but ends in her being shipped home by the next train. (MPW, Feb. 9, 1918)

Notes: Third film in the Girls You Know series Starring: Hazel Adams Studio: Edison Running time: 1 reel Twins, The (1918) One of the ‘Original Katzenjammer Kids’ cartoons in which these mischievous youngsters make a gorilla drunk and dress him to impersonate a female cousin who is coming to visit. Old man Katzenjammer, in full dress for the occasion, makes love to the creature, which fails to remove its head gear, and is only made wise to the trick when the animal strikes him a blow over the head. Quite amusing. (MPW, May 11, 1918)

Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: Katzenjammer Kids Studio: Educational Running times: 1 reel

1919 All Bound Round (1917) Eddie and Lee daily visit the museum, to see Eddie’s dream of a girl, who visits the museum every day with her father who is in search of a Rameses mummy. The near-sighted father mistakes Lee for a mummy as he stands gazing at a skeleton. Eddie butts in and tells the old man that he has the very mummy he is looking for. The old man introduces the boys to his daughter and tells Eddie to bring the mummy to his house at eight o’clock. Eddie and Lee return to their apartment. Eddie worried about getting a mummy and gets a sudden idea. He uncovers an old camphor chest in his room that resembles a mummy’s coffin, forces Lee to be bound up with cloth and two expressmen deliver the mummy and the coffin, with Lee in it, to the old man’s house.

114 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Trouble starts when the old man tells another friend of his that Rameses was known to have hidden precious jewels in the stomach of his [mummies]. While Eddie sits in the conservatory with the girl, making love, the two old codgers sneak out and get knives and saws to cut open the mummy. The butler, having overheard their plan, proceeds to beat them to it, but Lee, now in the coffin with the cover off, boots the butler out of the room and the chase starts with Lee running about the house, followed by the old man, the butler and the others. The maid faints when she sees the mummy; so does the girl. The boys leave the house, run up the street, where they are caught by a policeman and taken off to jail. (UW, July 19, 1919)

Starring: Eddie Lyons, Lee Moran, Mildred Moore Studio: Universal Running time: 1 reel Beresford of the Baboons (1919) This is a burlesque on the recent Tarzan pictures, with a fling of fun at the Darwin theory. Beresford of the Baboons is the missing heir of the Duke of Swank, and he lives in a jungle with baboons for his companions and a strange assortment of other animals, among which are chickens that lay square eggs. He has a taxi-crab which he uses as a vehicle and numerous other odd and ludicrous impediments. Into the jungle comes Professor Choate, with Lord Archy and Cissy, in search of the missing heir. Beresford falls in love with Cissy, and having been her rescuer from danger, he marries her. The whole story is pre-eminently funny; filled with absurd incidents and situations. Without a doubt it will be a favorite with children and the grown folks who like real fun. (PPW, June 1919)

Starring: Olin Howland, Beatrice Tremaine, Joseph Burke Studio: Paramount Running time: 2 reels Bobby Bumps and the Hypnotic Eye (1919) Plot: Bobby sneaks Fido into a vaudeville theater, where a stage hypnotist successfully commands a volunteer to bark like a dog. Bobby gives the same command to Fido—who barks, naturally enough. The friends are tossed from the theater, but Bobby successfully hypnotizes a streetcar conductor into giving him change for a fare he never paid in the first place. Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: Bobby Bumps Director: Earl Hurd Studio: Bray-Paramount Running time: 1 reel

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

115

Call for Mr. Caveman (1919) This features Snub Pollard and a lively band of assistants, all attired in skins. They depict amusing scenes from the days of the caveman, when the male animal made love with a club. This is unique and contains some laughable slapstick situations. (MPW, Nov. 15, 1919)

Notes: Some contemporary sources referred to this film as Call for Mr. Cave Man. Starring: Snub Pollard, Mildred Davis, Ernest Morrison Producer: Hal Roach Director: Alf Goulding Studio: Pathé Running time: 1 reel Detectress, The (1919) Plot: Lizzie, the “almost detectress” in this comedy, attempts to catch the Chinese person who stole a scientist’s secret formula. The trail leads her to Chinatown, where she encounters numerous villains and secret panels before recovering the formula. Starring: Gale Henry, Eddie Baker, Hap H. Ward, Milburn Moranti Studio: Gaumont Running time: 2 reels Double Hold-Up, The (1919) In this [‘western’] the hero impersonates a ‘spook’ bandit and aids in bringing the band to justice. This is full of exciting action and contains some new tricks. It runs ahead of the average. (MPW, Dec. 20, 1919)

Starring: Hoot Gibson, Josephine Hill Writer: Elizabeth Logan Running time: 2 reels Ghost of a Chance, The (1919) An O. Henry story relating to the traditional ghost in a newly rich family, where a young member seeks to carry out the tradition and enters the bedroom of a fascinating widow at night, only to be recognized and warmly kissed as a consequence, this two-reel story is prettily presented, well typed, and fairly interesting on these accounts. (MPW, Nov. 8, 1919)

Starring: Edward Earle, Agnes Ayres Studio: Vitagraph Running time: 2 reels

116 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Ghost of Slumber Mountain, The (1919) The Ghost of Slumber Mountain is a one-reel dream play with its leading actors the named and nameless creatures of forest and stream of the ages of the earth when the old ball was in the first processes of its cooling stage and life in the spawn was beginning to come out of the mist. The idea is a big one, capable of infinite extension, and, even as achieved in the initial attempt, embodied in the present sketch, of strange and shuddering interest. If its projector [sic], who is also its author and leading player, Herbert M. Dawley, had not in the novelty’s transition given us anything but the primeval glades he uses as backgrounds for his recreated colossal and queer shaped denizens of the wilds before the dawn of man, he should be accredited with an achievement that the lover of beautiful landscapes must hail with gratitude.

Fig. 5  Willis O’Brien’s stop-motion dinosaurs provide the thrills in The Ghost of Slumber Mountain (1919). (Courtesy Heritage Auctions)

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

117

But the pathfinder to a new thing in the films has done more than this. He has succeeded in re-creating through animated properties the external forms and approximate proportions of some half dozen of the jungle horrors of early animal and reptile life, as the records of the antiquities preserve them for us. And [the] dinosaurs that suggest impossible lengths and heights, as well as the horned animal hobgoblins of the period that he shows, walk, twist, gaze, and eat, as we might imagine they must have done in the long, long ago. Told in the form of a dream to children, the novelty grips grown-ups with authority. (Var, Apr. 18, 1919)

Starring: Herbert Dawley (as Uncle Jack), Willis O’Brien (Mad Dick) Writer and Director: Willis O’Brien Studio: World Cinema Distributing Corporation Running time: 2 reels In Pyramid Land (1919) In Pyramid Land, a tour of the mystic land of the Ptolemies, fakirs and Pyramids, mummies and camels. (EH, Apr. 19, 1919)

Notes: Nonfiction travelogue Studio: Rothacker Running time: 1 reel Jungle Gentleman, A (1919) Dr. Cutup paid so much attention to sport that his bank-roll was getting low and he was forced to devise an unusual means for getting business. Baseball was his great diversion and when the Female Giants hove into sight he deserted business for the ball grounds. But his wife and baby needed the money, so he hired Mrs. Joe Martin to carry out his pet scheme of filling the office with business. He made Mrs. Joe Martin dress up as office boy and sent her out for a dozen bananas. ‘Eat them and scatter the peels right in front of my door.’ The scheme was successful beyond even his expectations, and the accidents which happened on the banana paved sidewalk brought a golden trickle into his till. Highly satisfied with the business. Dr. Cutup put on his hat and decided to go out for an evening’s entertainment, when kerflop! he went broke on his own business scheme. (UW, Nov. 29, 1919)

Starring: Mrs. Joe Martin, Jimmie Adams Writer-Director: Fred Fishback Studio: Universal Running time: 2 reels Rajah, The (1919) Starring: Harold Lloyd, Bebe Daniels, Snub Pollard Studio: Hal Roach-Pathé Running time: 1 reel

118 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Scared Stiff (1919) Eddie and his future brother-in-law, Lee, attend a farewell bachelor party at the club in honor of Eddie’s coming marriage. Eddie awakes first in the morning. He and Lee are on a divan in the club, each with a gun in hand and blood on their shirtfronts. Eddie, thinking he has murdered Lee, faints. Lee comes to and, thinking he has murdered Eddie, rushes from the club to escape. Eddie revives and, without looking at the spot where Lee had been, flees. Each believes he has murdered his pal, and in their efforts to escape they rush into the arms of the police, having several narrow escapes. Lee reaches his home and finds there a mysterious stranger with a sack supposed to contain a body. Lee hides the man and the sack in the bathroom. Eddie arrives at Lee’s home and runs into the silent stranger with the sack. Both boys try to get rid of the man carrying the body, and by a strange quirk of fate they do not meet each other. After harrowing experiences with the police and the man with the body, the boys are finally caught by officers and taken to Lee’s home, where they confront each other, almost unable to believe the other is alive. The stranger with the big sack walks in. The sack is opened and in it is found a silver set for Eddie’s future bride. The whole thing was a joke planned and executed by the boys at the club, and the sack-bearer is one of their best friends heavily disguised. (UW, Apr. 19, 1919)

Notes: Scared Stiff is one of a series of Star Comedies produced by David Horsley’s Nestor Film Company for Universal and released during 1918–20. Starring: Eddie Lyons, Lee Moran, Harry Nolan, Mildred Moore Studio: Nestor-Universal Running time: 1 reel

Seeing Things (1919) Neal is one of the fashionable ones who at some time or other in their existence are awaiting the call of having their appendix removed. As he waits, he notices the other – an [African-American] man turning white almost causes Neal to swallow the thermometer with which the doctor is taking his temperature. He nervously arises and walks to the door–staggers through into the operating room. They put him on a table and as he looks, the doctor’s face turns into that of a devil’s, the nurse turns into a toothless old hag, and as the ether mask is attached, Neal feels like a pair of ice tongs are stuck in his ears and a wrench is applied to his nose and little devils with pickaxes are hammering on his forehead. They fade into oblivion and darkness becomes light again. Neal sits up and finds the place empty. He goes to the door and in the corridor, to his astonishment, is himself. He asks his double what he is doing here and it replies: ‘The same as you are.’ Neal cannot understand. They sit on a bench and the double takes from his pocket a clam shell and starts sobbing. Neal asks what that is. The double tells him ‘It’s my poor little appendix’s house. He was such an affectionate little appendix. Every morning he would wake me up, and he was so patriotic. Why every time I played the national anthem he used to wave the American flag.’ Neal asks him what became of his appendix and the double tells him a wicked doctor cut it out.

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

119

As they talk the nurse passes along the corridor and the double tells him that she is his reincarnated appendix. Neal takes a fancy to the nurse–the double sits jealously and watches the proceedings. The nurse is quite coquettish and as Neal is about to steal a kiss, the double interferes. Neal is angry–[he] starts to administer justice to the double when he comes to and finds he is struggling with the doctor and the nurse. (UW, Dec. 27, 1919)

Starring: Neal Burns, Josephine Hill Studio: Universal Running time: 1 reel Sinbad, the Sailor (1919) In Bagdad, Sinbad goes to a cabaret and there becomes enamoured of a dancer. He becomes slightly intoxicated and a fight ensues. A free-for-­all battle takes place, and in the confusion, Sinbad manages to escape. Believing that he would be better off away from Bagdad, Sinbad determines to sail on the next ship. After many experiences on board the boat, a terrific storm breaks, and the ship is wrecked. Sinbad has managed to find an old tub, and in this he is set afloat on the sea. At last he reaches an island, and there he seeks shelter in a rook’s nest. The bird returns, however, and Sinbad, frightened, realizes that he must adopt unusual measures to get away. He clings to the rook’s foot, stabs the bird with the knife, and the rook flies over the tree tops with Sinbad hanging to its foot. Near this island is a kingdom which is searching for a worthy husband for the Princess. The King announces that the man who can go to the country of the Diamonds, and bring back the most valuable, can marry the Princess. Heiron, a villainous character whom the Princess cannot love, determines to get the jewels and the hand of the Princess. With his aides, Heiron finds the valley of the Diamonds, but is unable to gain access to the country. Sinbad, meanwhile, is carried clinging to the bird’s foot, into Fairyland. He watches the fairies at play, and finally the Fairy Queen shows him the location of the diamonds. He takes the most valuable of the jewels, carrying them away. Then he happens to meet Heiron, who is consumed with jealousy that this stranger has accomplished what he himself has failed to do. Sinbad learns, however, of the offer of the King, and hastens to show him the jewels. According to his promise, the King accords Sinbad all honor and the hand of the Princess. Sinbad immediately falls in love with the Princess and she with him. Heiron is insane with jealousy, and plans revenge. Heiron then mobilizes all his followers and plans an attack upon the palace and upon Sinbad. The attack takes place, and amid a terrific battle, Sinbad attempts to defend the Princess and the King. At last, however, Sinbad and the King are victorious. The troops are disbanded, and Sinbad and the Princess are married. They live happily ever after. (UW, Sept. 6, 1919)

Starring: George Hupp, Raymond Lee Studio: Universal Running time: 2 reels

120 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Spirit of Cabin Mine, The (1919) Notes: A Native American man kills a baby girl’s mother and raises her himself. To keep the baby from being seen, he spreads the rumor that the mine is haunted. Besides her fame as a performer, Texas Guinan became notorious during the 1920s as the co-owner/hostess of numerous speakeasy clubs. Starring: Texas Guinan, J. Montgomery Carlyle (aka Jack Carlyle) Director: Cliff Smith Studio: Frohman Amusement Corporation Running time: 2 reels

1920 Alias Aladdin (1920) For lavish staging, few one reelers that compare with this one have been seen. Alias Aladdin is the second of the Vanity Fair Maids series and throughout, elaborate sets and costumes, or lack of costumes, stare the spectator in the eye. And there is much in it that will hit him in the optic. When Eddie Boland, principal comedian, finds himself on an Oriental throne with a light and exposed-limbed harem of attractive maids, all males seated in your house will probably be thrilled. Fred Newmeyer, who directed the piece, has arranged a cross between a modiste’s display and naughty production which, wile [sic] spicy is not objectionable. It all concerns Boland’s entry into a curio shop with his strong-­minded spouse. Boland dreams that he is presented with a lamp like the one that Aladdin used. And then the fun starts. Boland finds the fair damsels soothing, and, as everyone expects, wakes up to find it all a vision. His order to his wife that she ‘Salaam’ him is complied, the latter taking for granted that he means it in the English sense. And Boland is ‘Slammed.’ All in all, a corking offering of its length. (FD, Oct. 17, 1920)

Starring: Eddie Boland Director: Fred Newmeyer Studio: Rolin-Pathé Running time: 1 reel Another Goldwyn-Bray Comic (1920) Using the Ouija board as a source from which to draw humor, a timely theme has been selected for the cartoon portion of this Bray Comic, the second one of the series. It concerns some of the exploits of the Shenanigan Kids, whose pranks, familiar to newspaper readers, cause confusion and finally result in their being spanked. The Lampoons chosen for the closing footage–gags and comments on current topics selected from publications, are in most cases funny, and the material generally better than that employed in the preceding release. (FD, Apr. 25, 1920)

Studio: Goldwyn-Bray Running time: 1 reel

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

121

Arabian Nightmare, An (1920) Plot: After attending a circus and meeting Hughie (who claims to be a Caliph of Baghdad), Dot dreams that she rides a magic carpet and becomes a member of his harem. The dream turns nightmare and she awakens after being fed to the lions. Starring: Hughie Mackie, Dot Farley Studio: Elephant Comedies-Producers Security Corporation Running time: 2 reels Bray Photograph, No. 433 (1920) Romantic economical young people who see this Bray reel will appreciate the wisdom of their ways. ‘The High Cost of Courting’ as the part that opens is called, offers carefully computed figures as to the prices that must be paid for entertainment. These are a trifle exaggerated perhaps, but can be depended upon to maintain interest. Mary Roberts Rinehart, noted woman author, faces the spectator thereafter while camping and in a picture studio where a scene from some of her writings is being reproduced. Closing is a cartoon by Milt Gross called Frenchy Discovers America. (FD, Apr. 18, 1920)

Notes: The depicted “writings” of Mary Roberts Rinehart might have included her horror/mystery tales, such as The Circular Staircase (1908). Studio: Goldwyn Running time: 1 reel Bray Photograph, No. 442 (1920) Max Fleischer’s ‘Out of the Inkwell’ cartoon which closes this Bray reel is the brightest spot in it. Three portions make it up, the first being devoted to the work of a large excavating shovel and the second to Maurice Maeterlinck. Everyone has seen the steam shovel at work so that the initial section is hardly likely to create an unusual amount of interest. Maeterlinck, on the other hand, is an unusually prominent figure and the scenes in which the poet, dramatist and philosopher is seen can be depended upon to hold attention. Fleischer’s little clown is sure to provoke much laughter in the cartoon appended. This incidentally represents the height of elaborateness to which the animated caricature has been developed. The figure is seen manipulating a Ouija Board, parading about among the fixtures and doing other little tricks, the reproduction of which must have required a considerable amount of care. It is a credit to Fleischer and the Bray organization. (FD, June 27, 1920)

Notes: The Fleischer section of this short, which combined animation and live action, is also known as The Ouija Board. In it, the clown approaches a haunted house, from which numerous ghosts emerge, the result of liveaction characters playing with a Ouija board. Then the clown plays with the game, and makes a hat appear to move on its own, which frightens the liveaction characters.

122 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Director: Dave Fleischer Studio: Bray Studios-Goldwyn Running time: 1 reel Chemist, The (1920) The Chemist is not so original. Jeff drinks a concoction which gives him unusual strength and proceeds to beat up Mutt for the remainder of the reel. However, bits of the super-exaggerated action presents [sic] some good laughing matter. (MPN, Apr. 10, 1920) As usual, the shorter of the two is forced to suffer impositions upon his inferior physique, but with the aid of a strength-giving liquid announces his independence. His happiness is marred, however, when he wakes up to find it was all a dream. The dream gag has been used frequently before and does not come as very much of a surprise, but as a whole, the reel should prove desirable. (FD, 4 Apr. 1920)

Notes: On Apr. 4, 1920, FD referred to this animated cartoon as The Chemists. Starring: Mutt and Jeff Studio: Fox Running time: 1 reel Cleopatra (1920) Mutt and Jeff are equipped with an amusing subject in this animated. They visit a necromancer who induces them to enter a mummy case. They are instantly transported to ancient Egypt, where Jeff becomes ‘Anthony’ and Mutt a dancing girl. Cleopatra is introduced and Jeff’s overtures to the beautiful queen are laughable. (MPW, Dec. 4, 1920)

Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: Mutt and Jeff Studio: Fox Creation’s Morning (1920) Every new producer of scenic strives to get away from the ordinary, to treat his subject just a little bit different from the next fellow. This is a difficult job inasmuch as straight scenes, no matter how beautiful they themselves may be, offer little opportunity for originality in the way of presentation. The Storyart Company has hit upon an idea that bids fair to be successful. In this single reeler which made a fine impression at the Rialto last week, a slight theme is interwoven in a series of highly beautiful scenes. Basing their theme on an old legend concerning the source of man and woman, the producers have traced the courses of man and mate herein and the results are appealing to a degree. The scenes showing the wonderings of the couple are aided and abetted by a number of subtitles taken,

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

123

among others, from the works of Shelley and Bryant. The photography is admirable and the tints and tones the best. (FD, July 25, 1920)

Studio: Storyart Running time: 1 reel Departed Spirits (1920) This Mutt and Jeff number can go down with the best in the series. Jeff consults the Ouija board and learns that Mutt has stolen his precious bottle of alcohol content. Further consultation with the board reveals the fact that the departed spirit of the bottle will aid Jeff in having his revenge. At the call the spirit emerges and informs Jeff that it will do his bidding, although it will remain invisible. Of course, Jeff requests the invisible one to pound the daylights out of Mutt, and this is subsequently done, and the laughs resulting are profuse. The spectacle of Mutt getting the worst of it, eventually having his clothes torn off him, by an invisible opponent is truly very funny and the manner in which the artist has handled the subject is praiseworthy to the minutest degree. (FD, July 25, 1920)

Notes: Animated film Studio: Fox Running time: 1 reel Do the Dead Talk? (1920) Plot: A young boy and girl, separated in the aftermath of a flood, go on to lead very different lives: Robert is adopted by a physician and Dorothy is raised by a sea captain. The two finally meet as young adults. Unaware of their blood relationship, they fall in love and plan to marry. But just as Robert (Willard Burt) is about to sign the marriage certificate, an unseen spiritual force compels him to write that he and Dorothy (Herminia France) are brother and sister. The siblings recall that as children they befriended an old woman, who promised to help them later in their lives. Starring: Herminia France, Willard Burt, Grant Foreman, Elizabeth Yach Producer: Luther J. Pollard Director: Jack MacCullough Writers: Jack MacCullough, H. A. Cross Studio: Ebony Film Co. Running time: 1 reel Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1920) Notes: According to MPN (July 21, 1920), this short subject was a “comedy burlesque” on the Stevenson story. It was also known as Burlesque on Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

124 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Starring: Hank Mann Producer: Morris Schlanck Studio: Arrow Running time: 2 reels Full O’ Spirits (1920) The first picture of this two-reel series in which ‘the one and only Ambrose’ is being starred, it is said to be timely in dealing in a humorous way with the spirit world which is gaining a great deal of attention right now. (EH, Aug. 21, 1920)

Starring: Mack Swain Running time: 2 reels

Fig. 6  Mack Swain is contacted by souls from “the other side” in Full of Spirit (1920). (Courtesy Heritage Auctions)

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

125

Grab the Ghost (1920) Slapstick, seldom rising above the commonplace, is in evidence throughout this single reeler in which Snub Pollard occupies the principal role. From the very start, where Snub as the groom sits on the rear of the auto in which his bride rides in state until the finish where the ghost hoax is exposed, this fails to arouse more than passing interest but for one original scheme in the big chase that comes at the climax. A number of coppers arrive suddenly for no reason whatsoever, one of their number being exceedingly stout. When the policemen in single file endeavor to mount a flight of stairs and the portly member of the force blocks their way, the big laugh is sprung. Pathé some time ago turned out a spook comedy starring Harold Lloyd. Naturally, this being issued by the same organization invites comparison, and it must be said that it ranks a poor second to the other. (FD, June 20, 1920)

Notes: Scares include a person under a sheet and a talking bird who—thanks to onscreen lettering—shouts words like “Murder.” Starring: Snub Pollard, Marie Mosquini, Ernest Morrison Studio: Hal Roach-Pathé Running time: 1 reel Great Mystery, The (1920) Most of the laughs in this Mutt and Jeff cartoon come in the early portion, and although the latter part is not quite as clever as that which comes before it, the comedy towards the beginning should be enough to put this over. In this. Mutt is a detective and the scene in which he displays the various disguises, only to have it all turn out to be a hoax will get a smile from almost anyone. Thereafter, the manner in which Jeff is attempting to solve the mystery himself, the scene in which the trouble is described and others all serve to keep this going in good style. There are some clever bits of animation and as a whole, this is up to the usual standard set in these productions. (FD, June 27, 1920)

Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: Mutt and Jeff Studio: Fox Running time: 1 reel Haunted Spooks (1920) Harold Lloyd’s latest two-reeler Haunted Spooks attains the supreme heights of short length eccentric comedy. Few have been made that have contained more laugh provoking gags and business than this. Moreover, Lloyd and his company hinge their stunts together with a coherent plot. The one in Haunted Spooks provokes real interest. The picture is splendidly directed and put together. There is not an inch of wasted film. Every scene counts as a laugh or leads up to one. The gags they’ve doped out for it are startling, original and sidesplitting. The ones in which Lloyd tries to commit suicide all finish with big laughs. He tries jumping

126 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Fig. 7  Haunted Spooks (1920): Lifted from despondency by a new romance, Harold Lloyd is unexpectedly beset by ghosts inside a Southern mansion. (Courtesy Heritage Auctions) off a bridge and lands in a few inches of water and then jumps from a higher bridge and lands in a boat. Lloyd himself gets the laughs and the climax of the gag brings an outburst and a big surprise. That seems to be the formulae followed. The biggest laugh in the offering comes when Lloyd and his bride attempt to pass an automobile in their flivver. Each time they try an arm is projected out the side. Finally, Lloyd puts on speed and dashes past, and looks around and discovers that the machine two gentlemen of Jewish persuasion talking. Hence the gestures with the arms. Get ready to see this imitated a dozen times in the next few weeks. The spook stuff is also very funny and extremely well cut; the action keeps up with its laughs and surprises until the very finish. Lloyd is a big league comedian; his company is big league and whoever dopes out the gags and does the directing and cutting is big league. (FD, Mar. 21, 1920)

Starring: Harold Lloyd, Mildred Davis, Wallace Howe, Ernest Morrison Director: Hal Roach, Alf Goulding Studio: Pathé Running time: 2 reels

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

127

High and Dizzy (1920) The keynote of Harold Lloyd’s comedies is original work executed in a masterly way High and Dizzy is among his best pictures. Nothing can be surer of entertainment value than what appeals to audience love of variety. Either Lloyd or Hal Roach asks himself four questions: ‘What shall I do?’ ‘Is it worth doing?’ ‘To whom am I addressing it?’ ‘How shall it be rightly done?’ The idea is to observe what is going on in front instead of trying to go straight ahead with the head turned backward. All that Lloyd does is not new, but everything is presented from a new angle. High and Dizzy does not show the hero getting soused in the fashion of antiprohibition days. He is led up against a quiet little office distillery. Some of the ‘stuff’ is in the making. The maker displays with pride his bottled ‘hootch,’ but, to the dismay of both, it pops out the corks and begins to run over. The only way to save it is to drink it. Thereafter the fun is fast and furious. The two modern boozologists [sic] stagger through constantly ascending comedy adventures until a clever crisis is reached by the star on the ledge of a skyscraper. Hundreds of feet above the street he makes a drunken attempt to rescue a fair sleepwalker. It is a nerve-chilling effort until he looks down with hair-raising horror and sobers up. High and Dizzy is thrilling and funny. (MPW, July 24, 1920)

Notes: While inebriated, Lloyd’s character attempts to rescue a somnambulist who walks on the ledge of a skyscraper. Starring: Harold Lloyd, Roy Brooks, Mildred David, Wallace Howe Writer: Frank Terry Director: Hal Roach Studio: Pathé Running time: 2 reels Hip Hip Hypnotism (1920) Mirth-provoking bits are to be found in abundance in this Gayety one-reeler in which George Ovey is featured. The laughs start coming early in the production and continue right up to the finish, making this one of the best offerings turned with Ovey in a long while. The start finds him at a boarding house, where he is in disfavor with the lady who runs the establishment for his failure to pay his rent with sufficient promptness. When he secures a book on hypnotism and starts practicing on the various people in the house, who think him crazy and humor him, the fun results. (FD, May 23, 1920)

Notes: Contemporary sources sometimes rendered the title as Hip–Hip Hypnotism. Starring: George Ovey, Lillian Biron Director: James Clemens Studio: Gayety Running time: 1 reel

128 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Hoodooed (1920) Hoodooed, a two-reel light comedy featuring Mr. and Mrs. Carter de Haven, is conceived around a flock of ‘superstition gags.’ The husband believes in all the old tricks, such as throwing salt over his shoulder, picking up pins, four leaf clovers, etc. His employer comes to his house for dinner and tells him he has decided to promote him and this happens despite the fact that the young man has just smashed a mirror and that the date is Friday, the thirteenth. Reforming he proceeds to throw a horseshoe from his house, but this connects with his employer’s head and he is brought back unconscious–a surprise finish indeed. The comedy is throughout mildly amusing, but the superstition gags have been considerably worked specially of late and they seem in danger of being over-worked. (FD, Feb. 29, 1920)

Starring: Carter de Haven (aka Carter DeHaven) Director: Charles Parrott (Charley Chase) Studio: Paramount-de Haven Running time: 2 reels Kickaroo (1920) This one features Ed (Hoot) Gibson, and while it is classified as a western, it is comedy from start to finish, and very funny comedy too. Whether or not you have heretofore used short features of this kind, this one is well worth considering as it is almost sure fire for any kind of an audience. Gibson shows a good sense of comedy values and the subject, while it is the overworked prohibition stuff, is an entirely new angle of it, and furnishes real amusement from start to finish. Gibson is seen as a young cowpuncher, somewhat addicted to liquor (when he can get it). His sweetheart, the rancher’s daughter, tells him that if he ever takes another drink, their engagement is at an end. Hoot’s rival overhears this, and the very next day meets him on the road and offers a delicious smelling drink. Hoot falls for it, and arrives at the ranch unconscious. The liquor was doped, but the girl doesn’t know it, and she and the boys plan to cure Hoot for all time. When he comes to he is lying in state on a funeral bier, covered with flowers and wreathes. The folks talk about digging his grave and no one pays any attention to him when he wanders around the house, until Hoot thinks he is dead. Then he goes out and sees his grave with the headstone already prepared. He then watches his own funeral procession. Hoot’s rival then appears, thinks he has killed Hoot, and almost loses his mind when he sees what he thinks is the ghost. Scared stiff, he confesses, and then they have a hard time to convince Hoot that he isn’t dead. The thing is done in a most amusing way that makes this an especially good tworeeler. (MPW, Feb. 5, 1921)

Starring: Hoot Gibson Director: Albert Russell Writer: Ford Beebe Studio: Universal Running time: 2 reels

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

129

Mary’s Nightmare (1920) Little trouble will be found outguessing the story of this. Mary’s Nightmare explains just what it is all about, and thereby detracts somewhat from the suspense in the offering. Billy Rhodes is featured, and Cullen Landis occupies the only other prominent role. It has a few bits of footage that will cause titters, but, as a whole, is not up to the best Christie standard. Two young lovers are dealt with in it. They are about to be married (they hardly look old enough) on the following day. While strolling about on the beach, they see a girl having two of her front teeth broken. Mary asks her escort if he would continue to love her should her front teeth be removed, and he replies in the affirmative. Thereafter, she dreams that two of her teeth are false, that she loses them and faces being wed without them. The groom discards her upon seeing her in such a state, and she is most unhappy until she wakes up. (FD, Mar. 14, 1920)

Starring: Billie Rhodes, Cullen Landis Studio: Christie Running time: 1 reel Monkey Shines (1920) Eddie Barry is featured, together with Earl Rodney and Helen Darling in a fairly clever comedy, built on the ‘Monkey Gland’ theory, the granted glands causing both Barry and his ancient wife to cut capers and embark on a second honeymoon. Most of it is rube comedy and hokum, in which Barry is prominent. It is slapstick stuff combined with an acceptable theme and should satisfy the average audience. (FD, Feb. 14, 1920) Monkey Shines features the idea of monkey glands  — a perfectly good comedy idea, incidentally. An old gentleman goes to the doctor’s office and becomes youthful again after the operation. He cuts up several didoes in a cabaret and his nephew, the doctor, is worried that the old man’s fortune will be gone before he can inherit it. So he gives his aunt the monkey treatment too, and she lures her husband back to the ‘straight and narrow,’ although she has to show considerable pep to woo him away from the young girls. In the end the doctor gets his reward. This idea is capitalized for its full value. The comedies are restful to anyone who has been slapsticked too often. They are good fillers on any exhibitors program. (MPN, Feb. 21, 1920)

Starring: Eddie Barry, Earl Rodney, Helen Darling Director: Frederic Sullivan Writer: Scott Darling Studio: Christie Running time: 1 reel

130 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Mystic Mush (1920) Plot: Promoted as a “cereal in two bowls,” this comedy film spoofs movie serials. The villain kidnaps an inventor’s daughter and threatens to kill her with an electric chair. Starring: Hank Mann Studio: Arrow Running time: 1 reel Pathé Review, No. 82 (1920) This latest number opens with a Travelaughs of the lower East Side of New York — a good one of the series. Various recipes of the chef to the late Queen Victoria are then taken up. A broad jump from this subject comes next. Views of the home, with its furnishings, of Annabel Lee, the original of Edgar Allen Poe’s famous poem, are shown, preserved intact for over half a century. Following this, a trip through a pipe factory is made, showing the manufacture of briar pipes, from beginning to end. There is a good shot of lathe work in this. The reel concludes with scenes in the Swiss Alps, on and around Mt. Blanc. Some clear long snow shots are offered, but nothing unusual. As a whole, mildy [sic] interesting. (FD, Dec. 12, 1920)

Studio: Pathé Running time: 1 reel

Phantom Butler, The (1920) Living a sort of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde life, a convicted and escaped forger is apprehended by Herbert Rawlinson, secret service man extraordinary, who supplements the haul with the round-up of another schemer. This is one of the William J. Flynn series of two-reelers in which Rawlinson plays the featured role. Although it does possess an element of suspense, it is at times rather obvious. Except for the lightings in some places, this is up to the mark technically, the players perform in an acceptable style and the direction is satisfactory. As a whole, a reasonably good offering of its kind that should go well where they like mystery, for although many of them will outguess it, they have kept this moving at a reasonably fast rate and it has much in it that will go over with a punch. (FD, Feb. 22, 1920)

Starring: Herbert Rawlinson Studio: Republic Running time: 2 reels

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

131

Scarecrow, The (1920) There’s not an awful lot to it, but The Scarecrow measures up to the standard of short reel subjects. The first reel is by far the best portion inasmuch as it gets over something a little bit new in the comedy line on the screen, although it has been done in vaudeville to a lesser degree inasmuch as the opportunities afforded in pictures are greater. The second reel is just straight slapstick that doesn’t register many laughs. Laughs a-plenty come in the first reel, which shows the home of Keaton and his pal — the home consists of one room which is rigged up to serve the purpose of dining room, bedroom, kitchen and bathroom. The way the couch becomes a bathtub and how the water from the tub spills out the side of the house and forms a pond for the ducks, together with other tricks along this order afford considerable amusement. (FD, Oct. 3, 1920)

Starring: Buster Keaton Director: Buster Keaton and Edward F. Cline Studio: Metro Running time: 2 reels

Fig. 8  Buster Keaton (left) and Joe Roberts, in one of the quieter moments from The Scarecrow (1920). (Courtesy Heritage Auctions)

132 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Screen Snapshots, No. 9 (1920) As in most of the preceding issues of this series, this one has just the proper blending of personalities of screen celebrities and scenes showing how different varieties of action are taken. One scene is of especial merit, that showing how a thriller in the picture, Go and Get It [1920], directed by Marshall Neilan, was shot from the top of a train, being worthy of mention. It shows how one of the members of the cast stepped from a rope lowered from a flying machine to the top of a moving train. Another bit of interest shows Al Christie directing an elaborate cabaret scene, with several dancing maids. Rubye De Remer has the honor of opening the reel, being shown board a motor boat and strolling along. Gale Henry and Bruno Becker, her husband and director are seen making a scene after the tall and thin comedienne is shown as she appears off the silver sheet. Herbert Rawlinson strums a banjo for the benefit of some who would dance at the studio in another section, while Grace Darmond, Helen Jerome Eddy, the late Robert Harron and Paul Frederick, who occupies quite a few feet, all smile at the onlooker. It might have been a good idea to shift the section showing Neilan at work further towards the finish, for it is by far the most interesting bit of footage in the reel. Otherwise, the production is up to the mark. (FD, Oct. 10, 1920)

Studio: C.B.C. Film Sales Corp. Running time: 1 reel Simp and Satan, A (1920) Story material of quality, commendable direction and a generally satisfactory production make this two reel comedy, starring Milburn Moranti, worthwhile. Hades, the home of Satan, is the scene of what is in the nature a prologue, effectively staged. After that the footage is devoted to the evil one’s picturization of the future existence of a couple about to be married. The two about to undergo the matrimonial process are summoned to the regions below and after listening to Satan’s tale, in which the wife is pictured as an atrocious vampire, the groom decides to ‘take a chance anyhow!’ What comes before lags a trifle perhaps, but the gag coming at the climax is a sure-fire laugh–one that will get a guffaw from almost any audience. (FD, May 16, 1920)

Starring: Milburn Moranti (aka Milburn Morante) Writer and Director: Grover Jones Studio: Reelcraft Running time: 2 reels Spooky Spooks (1920) Plot: Feeling mischievous, bathing beauty Daisy (Alice Doll) sends her lovestruck suitors, diminutive Bud (Bud Duncan) and corpulent Hugh (Marvin Loback), on a mission to retrieve her pearl necklace from haunted Waverly Mansion. Before the boys can get to the old house, Daisy and her girlfriends rig the place with “spook” gags. Soon, the boys are scared silly by

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

133

peculiar noises and a veritable flock of sheeted ghosts. Bud hangs on to Hugh with such vigor that Hugh’s pants fall down; Hugh gives Bud a good shove and causes a vase to crash onto Bud’s noggin. And that’s good, because Daisy’s pearls are inside, and drape themselves around Bud’s neck. Daisy is delighted with the pearls, and with Bud. Starring: Bud Duncan, Alice Doll, Marvin Loback Director: Harry Lewis Writers: Harry Lewis Studio: W. T. Lackey Productions-Artclass Pictures Corporation Running time: 1 reel Tell Us, Ouija (1920) Ouija Boards have become a national hobby and in turning out a two-reeler in which the medium whereby spirits may be communed with figures prominently, this organization has indeed been wise. Ordinarily, this would be classed just a little above the general run of short comedies, consisting of a series of bits of business held together loosely by a theme that does not lead up to any particular climax. Many of the incidents are funny, the Ouija Board stuff being certain to register. One scene in which a child is seen first in a derby hat, only the sky-piece being visible at first, provokes a giggle. When, however, they employ a similar scheme showing a pair of large and well-worn shoes protruding from under a bed, what actually amounts to the same gag is offered again, for the youngster soon appears wearing them. The subtitle reading ‘The Spirit of 1920’ is sure to make any audience smile and the boarding house material ranks with that used in the productions made hitherto. In view of the popularity of spirit theories just at present, this should get over in good style. (FD, May 30, 1920)

Notes: It is unknown as to whether the onscreen title card featured an exclamation point, as in Tell Us, Ouija! The film was an entry in Jack and Harry Cohn’s Hall Room Boys comedy series. Cast: Neely Edwards, Hugh Fay Studio: C.B.C. Film Sales Corporation Running time: 2 reels When Quackell Did Hide (1920) Plot: This comical “travesty of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” offers its “apologies to Robert Louis Stevenson” in an intertitle. Doctor Quackell [sic], who sells liver pills, experiments with a formula that will make a mad “bad.” The “home brew” even changes the doctor’s clothes. He adopts the name “Hide” and terrorizes several characters. Notes: Also known as When Dr. Quackle Did Hide. Starring: Charlie Joy, Edgar Jones Studio: Gold Seal Film Corporation Running time: 2 reels

134 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Wild Night, A (1920) In Joe Martin, the trained ape, Universal has an asset. The animal possesses an unusual amount of natural intelligence, performs his different stunts in a manner that suggests thought rather than the following of a routine, and injects the element of novelty into the two reel comedies in which he is the center of attraction. In this production, in addition to Joe, they have a lion which does quite a bit of work, and an elephant also appears, adding color to the two reeler. As far as the story is concerned, this does not rise very much above the ordinary, and the portion in which the lion appears has been drawn out a trifle longer than was wise. Al Santell who produced it, has seen to it that a sufficient variety of bits of business was furnished the stellar performer, and this makes A Wild Night worthwhile. The scenes in which Joe Martin consumes a large quantity of punch, is angered by his reflection in a mirror, proposes to a stout woman, plays checkers and others are all funny. (FD, Feb. 14, 1920)

Starring: Joe Martin Studio: Universal Running time: 2 reels

1921 Book Agent, The (1921) The Book Agent is an amusing comedy, but even a burlesque on ‘Hell’ isn’t likely to bring forth any big laughs. They don’t resort so much to slap-stick but there are some of the old gags employed, the main one being the requirements set forth by a father which must be complied with before he will consent to the marriage of his daughter. In this case the hero is required to sell a book written by the father. His adventures trying to sell the book are presented. He has a dream in which the devil kidnaps the girl and takes her to hell. A few of the titles are funny and the burlesque on the lower region may get some laughs. Hero wins the girl when, before saving her father from drowning, he asks for her hand. (FD, Oct. 9, 1921)

Studio: Fox Running time: 2 reels Charles Urban’s Movie Chat, No. 45 (1921) Archeological excavations in Egypt, transporting to Museum of Cairo, statues, Rameses II between two deities, decorated coffin containing mummy case, the sphinx; at the zoo, brown and white bears, lion; seeing Washington from above the clouds, business section, Arlington wireless towers, monument and capitol; soldiers from Fort Lorenz, iron shackles found in Spanish dungeons; growing cocoanuts [sic]; from egg to chick, a diagram showing how a chicken is formed in an egg and the different stages of its development for 21 days until it is hatched. (MPA, June 1921)

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

135

Notes: Nonfiction Studio: Kineto Co. of America Running time: 1 reel Dying Detective, The (1921) The production wastes no time in getting underway, and introducing a deep mystery about a doctor who was a specialist in Asiatic diseases and had killed a young scientist whose will was made in favor of the doctor. Sherlock Holmes calls on the doctor, but is recognized, and ordered out of the house. Some time later he receives a small box, so arranged that when opened a small pin stuck the finger. This pin was coated with the bacteria of tampanule [sic] fever. Holmes pretends to be ill in order to trap the criminal, but when you think they have him, you discover that they have taken only the butler. The far sighted Holmes, however, knew this would happen and planted his men outside the house where the doctor is finally captured. The suspense is held to the very end in this thrilling two-reel drama of mystery and crime. (FD, Dec. 18, 1921)

Notes: This film was produced by the British company Stoll Picture Productions and initially released in the UK in 1921. Starring: Eille Norwood (Sherlock Holmes) Studio: Educational Running time: 2 reels Edgar Allan Poe (1921) Edgar Allan Poe, America’s great tragic writer, is the subject of this single reel novelty. A few facts about his life are told and the little cottage in Fordham, N.Y. where he lived is shown. The greater section of this reel is devoted to illustrating Poe’s famous poem Annabel Lee. Two children act out the lines which are given in the titles. The photography is good and some splendid shots of water breaking upon rocks are recorded. This novelty will please a high grade audience and make an artistic program filler. (FD, Dec. 4, 1921)

Notes: This release was part of the “Great American Authors Series.” Producer: Charles Urban Studio: Kineto-W. W. Hodkinson Running time: 1 reel Edgar the Detective (1921) One of the series of Booth Tarkington’s ‘Edgar’ stories. It is certain to appeal to all intelligent people, and in particular to all those who enjoy and appreciate Booth Tarkington’s ‘Boy’ characters. The author’s personality and individual style of humor is apparent all through this number, and is further emphasized in the titles. It’s good, clean wholesome fun from start to finish, and should be an excellent comedy for high class houses. As may be imagined, Edgar conceives the

136 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

dream of being a detective, and invests in a correspondence course in the art. When he and his country cousin go on a visit to their farmer-uncle, Edgar imagines that Ole, the hired man, is bent on murdering the hired girl, and proceeds to ‘detect’ him according to the teachings of the book. It is good stuff, with a big laugh at the finish, and some very humorous action introduced in the form of some of Edgar’s day dreams about his future as a detective. (FD, Apr. 17, 1921)

Notes: Edgar the Detective is one of twelve “Edgar” shorts released during 1920–21. Starring: John Cossar, Edward Peil Jr. (title character, credited as Johnny Jones), Lucille Ricksen, Buddy Messinger, Lucretia Harris Director: Paul Bern Writer: Booth Tarkington Studio: Goldwyn Running Time: 2 Reels Edgar’s Feast Day (1921) Edgar and his friend are just plain boys on a farm. They get tired of eating and are not very particular as to what or when they eat: Sour pickles, ice cream, gum drops, cake, pie, apples, and a dozen other things are eaten and munched by the boys in one afternoon. Result – stomach-ache and comedy. … An amusing bit towards the end shows the food that the boys devoured turned to life and chasing one of the boys across the landscape. Slow motion photography is used to make this effect more dreamlike. This nightmare gives the production a suitable and amusing ending. (FD, July 17, 1921)

Starring: Edward Peil Jr. (title character, credited as Johnny Jones), Cordelia Callahan, John Cossar, Marie Dunn Director: Mason N. Litson Studio: Goldwyn Running time: 2 reels Egyptian Museum in Cairo (1921) This reel will be entertainment to archaeologists, and people interested in things ancient, but will provide only fair entertainment for the big majority. Most of it is made up of views of relics of Egyptian civilizations, on display in the museum at Cairo. … Mummies, statues of the great kings of Egypt, furniture, and domestic tools and articles found in the graves are shown. Ornaments, examples of their sculpture in granite and bronze, their stone carvings, mummies of sacred animals, and samples of their ‘stone’ literature, are all studied at some length. (FD, Feb. 13, 1921)

Notes: Nonfiction short, also known as The Egyptian Museum at Cairo. Studio: Kineto Co. of America Running time: 1 reel

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

137

Friday the 13th (1921) The idea of this comedy will please all those who have ever laughed at anyone who was superstitious. Finding horse shoes, walking under ladders, and all the other signs of fortune or misfortune are used to get a laugh in this comedy. There is a very funny part, though perhaps a little overdone, where the Hallroom Boys find a pocketbook stuck to a policeman’s heel. After all the fun that can be extracted from this idea is exhausted, the boys pay a visit to a chiropractor and get a straightening-out treatment. Sid Smith does a good many acrobatic stunts in these shots and after he is all straightened he attempts a similar treatment on the doctor’s wife. A chase follows in which Sid flies off the top of a tall building and floats throat the air with an umbrella for a parachute. There are a good many laughs in this series of comedies and it might be well for you to look into them. (FD, July 3, 1921)

Starring: The Hallroom Boys, Sid Smith Studio: Federated Film Exchanges Running time: 2 reels Haunted House, The (1921) Buster Keaton in The Haunted House, adds another to his list of smile getters. This comic, written and directed by Buster Keaton and Eddie Cline for Joseph M.  Schenck, is a hilarious tale of ghosts and counterfeiters with the slapstick cracking merrily in characteristic Keaton style. (MPN, Feb. 19, 1921)

Starring: Buster Keaton, Virginia Fox, Joe Roberts, Eddie Cline Writer: Buster Keaton Director: Eddie Cline, Buster Keaton Studio: Metro Running time: 2 reels High Sign, The (1921) Buster Keaton’s newest product, and one that certainly furthers establishes Buster very near the top of the list as a creator and deliverer of original style in comedy. Eddie Kline and Keaton wrote this one, and they have again knocked off about double the number of new gags and tricks that are usually found in two reelers. If you play Hard Luck (Keaton’s last one before this) and then show this, some people may not think The High Sign as funny, but because Hard Luck was a riot, it ought to be a cinch to pack them in for this, and there will be mighty few who won’t get a flock of laughs out of every piece of business in the picture. Buster gets mixed up with the toughest gang of cutthroats in the world and is immediately assigned the duty of killing his sweetheart’s father. Father has been warned of the danger and learning that Buster is a good shot, hires him for a bodyguard, so that Buster has sort of a ‘dual personality.’ The old man is also taking no chances on getting cornered, and he has his house all chopped up by trap doors

138 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Fig. 9  The High Sign (1921): Buster Keaton reluctantly accepts his marching orders. (Courtesy Heritage Auctions) and sliding panels. This gives Buster a splendid chance to make use of his acrobatic ability when the big chase starts. It runs along very fast, and as smooth as clock work. Altogether a first-class comedy. (FD, Feb. 27, 1921)

Starring: Buster Keaton, Bartine Burkett, Charles Dorety, Ingram B. Pickett. Al St. John Producer: Joe Schenck Director: Buster Keaton, Eddie Cline Writer: Buster Keaton Studio: Metro Running time: 2 reels Hobgoblins (1921) Eddie Boland plays the lead and in attempting to escape after selling fake booze he and his [African-American] assistant get into a deserted house in which several girls, members of a sorority are holding an initiation. Every one manages to be disguised as ghosts before the film is finished, and a general mix-up with considerable slap-stick and humorous results ensues. (MPW, Apr. 16, 1921)

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

139

Starring: Eddie Boland, Ethel Broadhurst Director: Bruce Gordon Writer: Hal Roach Studio: Pathé Running time: 1 reel Invisible Ink (1921) Notes: This short, part of the Out of the Inkwell series, combines animation and live action. Invisible ink causes various animated props to disappear. Director: Dave Fleischer Studio: Max Fleischer-Paramount Running time: 7:32 LaRue of Phantom Valley (1921) This is a Tom Santschi offering, and, like the preceding number of this series, it is a thoroughly high class picture of its type. The locations, all outdoor westerns, are splendid and the photography, too, is especially good. The whole cast is a capable one, and Santschi, in one of his accustomed parts, gives his usual performance. The story is a good one. Santschi is a mysterious character living in the desert, and is reputed to have hidden wealth. A dance hall girl and a gambler frame a plot to rob him. They follow him into the desert where the girl pretends to be dying and is taken in by Santschi. He falls in love with her and she with him, and eventually tells him of her plot. After a proof of her love, Santschi forgives her and they are happy. If you use short westerns at all, this one will be very acceptable. (FD, Mar. 27, 1921)

Starring: Thomas Santschi Studio: Pathé Running time: 2 reels Monkey Schoolmaster, A (1921) Joe Martin, the clever monkey, is the star and hero of this animal comedy. Joe takes the part of the village schoolmaster. The school board arrives on an inspection tour and Joe conducts the class. After leading them in singing he tells a story about how he was a cannibal king in the jungle. A well staged wind storm breaks up the school session, and allows a lion to escape from the zoo. A good deal of fun follows, in which the lion and the monkey take the leading roles. The finish is full of action. This is a fairly amusing animal comedy that holds the interest and contains some clever business. Will please the average audience. (FD, Nov. 20, 1921)

Starring: Joe Martin Studio: Universal-Jewel Running time: 2 reels

140 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

No Monkey Business (1921) This one stars Joe Martin, the well known ape, whose actions at times are remarkably human. It’s good entertainment for an average audience and will certainly be a riot with children. The monk performs alone most of the time and goes about his act in a business like way that is bound to get some laughs. He’s in a dress suit most of the time, coming home from a night at the club, and he manages to appear comically intoxicated upon his arrival at his house. He has a bad time when the snakes start crawling around, and finally swears ‘never again,’ with a most human expression on his face. It will be a little change if you have been running regular one reel slapsticks, and you can undoubtedly please them with it. (FD. Feb. 13, 1921)

Starring: Joe Martin Studio: Universal Running time: 1 reel Paramount Screen Magazine (1921) This issue is very short – about 600 feet – and contains only two subjects, both cartoons. The first one is short and not overly funny, but the biggest part of the reel is a ‘Felix’ cartoon by Pat Sullivan, and it is very funny. Felix becomes a hypnotist and hypnotizes everything in the picture, all of which makes for a big laugh. If you need a very short filler, this one will be perfectly acceptable. (FD, Mar. 13, 1921)

Notes: Contemporary accounts sometimes referred to this short as Paramount Magazine. The Felix cartoon seen in it was titled The Hypnotist. Starring: Felix the Cat Director: Otto Messmer Studio: Pat Sullivan-Famous Players Running time: 600 feet Peace and Quiet (1921) Plot: A young couple has a trying time inside a house that’s home to a skeleton (in a closet), a grinning face projected onto a wall, and a mysterious figure dusted with flour. Starring: Eddie Lyons, Dorothea Wolbert, Jack Duffy Director: Eddie Lyons Studio: Eddie Lyons Comedies Running time: 1 reel

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

141

Robinson Crusoe Limited (1921) There is some genuine fun in this comedy which is one of the very best of this series. Most of the humor is obtained on the shores of the cannibal island. The stranded passengers, the savages and the ostrich that lays explosive eggs to order, all contribute to the many laughs in this two reel comedy. The locations are all well chosen and the action is swift, at the same time presenting several surprises. There is a lot of new stuff in this one and you need not worry about your audience falling asleep when you run this before them. (FD, July 3, 1921)

Starring: Lloyd Hamilton Director: Jack White Studio: Mermaid-Educational Running time: 2 reels Spiders and Their Victims (1921) This whole thing is an interesting closeup study of various species of spiders, showing their chief characteristics, and in particular the ways in which they capture and overcome their victims. It has all been remarkably well photographed, so that the actions of the little creatures are very plainly shown. (FD, Feb. 6, 1921)

Studio: Kineto Co. Running time: Split-reel Spiking the Spooks (1921) There is very little in this that is new or extra funny. The young husband in this comedy is pursued by his creditors, and seeks refuge in an unoccupied house. Here he meets a gentleman crook and is knocked unconscious. In the meantime his wife arrives with the real estate agent to look over the house. Each believe[s] that the noise made by the other is caused by spooks. An encounter takes place with the crook, and when the police arrive they inform the young debtors that they won the $10,000 reward that has been offered for the capture of this man. The money will just pay for the house and all ends happily. There is a good deal of padding in this and a little repetition which only retards the action. The comedy situations are quite artificial and unconvincing. (FD, Aug. 7, 1921)

Stars: Earle Rodney, Irene Dalton, Thornton Edwards Director: Frederick Sullivan Studio: Vanity-Educational Running time: 1 reel

142 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Spirit of the Lake, The (1921) Once more the old story. Jealous husband sees his wife kiss another and neartragedy follows. Then everything is explained in a moment. The other man is her brother. The ‘Spirit of the Lake’ repeats the above tale. (FD, Nov. 6, 1921)

Starring: Tom Santschi, Bessie Love, Ruth Stonehouse, Edward Hearn, Tom Lingham Studio: Pathé Running time: 2 reels Superstition (1921) Featuring Harry Sweet, it is a first class comedy offering all the way through. The stuff is almost all new and every stunt in the piece, with the exception of a very short bit in the middle, is very funny. Sweet has an almost unerring sense of what will register, and he never overdoes his gags. The laughs are many, and the stuff is the kind that almost anybody can appreciate. It’s a slapstick most of the time, and all foolishness, but it’s almost sure fire. Sweet is helped out by a wonderfully trained bulldog, whose antics will call forth a number of chuckles. The start is a laugh, when Sweet, who is very superstitious, has a terrible time with a black cat who insists on crossing in front of him. The superstitious idea runs all through the picture, with some good gags in connection with several well-known forms of superstition. This number is a good bet for any house. (FD, Mar. 13, 1921)

Starring: Harry Sweet Studio: Century-Universal Running time: 2 reels Venus and the Cat (1921) The old farmer and the cat are the main actors of this animated comedy. Each time the farmer throws out the cat and in a minute she is back. Finally he decides to throw her into a well. Even this does not keep her away, for she squeezes herself through the pipes and comes out of the faucet at the kitchen sink. At last she is treated so roughly that she wishes she were a strong-minded woman so that she could take revenge. An obliging fairy passing overhead causes the change to take place and a wedding follows. The cat woman does her work in an able manner, but the old farmer stands up pretty well. One day the cat woman sees a rat and her early instincts are roused so much that she wishes she were a cat again. Venue the fairy is ever obliging and makes the transformation, and it is indicated that the old man is quite glad to be a bachelor again. The animation is good and the idea well handled. It contains a good many real hearty laughs and will please any audience. (FD, Oct. 16, 1921)

Notes: This is an “Aesop’s Fable” animated cartoon. Director: Paul Terry Studio: Pathé Running time: 2/3 of 1 reel

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

143

Was Darwin Right? (1921) As the title implies, this reel is a study of monkeys and their habits. Numerous species have been photographed, some of them performing for the camera in an uncannily human way. There are baboons, lemurs, white faced monkeys from Africa, the Spider Monkey, and several other branches of the monkey tribe. Some of the finest specimens of Chimpanzees in captivity are shown. Of these, two in the Philadelphia zoo, are seen having their finger prints taken for comparison with human finger prints. The result shows the striking similarity of the two. The animals make a very interesting study, and the reel is good entertainment, with many laughs provided by the antics of the almost human monks. (FD, May 1, 1921)

Studio: Kineto Co. Running time: 1 reel Washington Irving (1921) The reel is not as satisfactory as the first of the series, Whittier, inasmuch as they haven’t given Irving as interesting a review in that the best known and most popular moments from the author’s works have not been used to sufficient extent. True, excerpts from The Sketch Book are introduced with such characters as Rip Van Winkle, Ichabod Crane, from The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, and the incident of the ‘Headless Horseman,’ the last of which is the best effort put forth. Other than this particular bit, the author’s works are not pictured to advantage. Irving’s home, at Irvington is shown, but they have omitted to show a photograph of Irving himself. Admirers of one of America’s best known authors are likely to be disappointed in this. (FD, Dec. 18, 1921)

Notes: This release was part of the “Great American Authors” series. Producer: Charles Urban Studio: Kineto-W. W. Hodkinson Running time: 1 reel

1922 Aladdin, Jr. (1922) This is another of the series in which Lewis Sargent is seen as the popular messenger boy. With several of the boys, he reads the story of ‘Alladdin [sic] and his Wonderful Lamp,’ and forthwith he rubs every lamp he sees including street lights and automobile tail lamps. Walking along the street, the real lamp falls at his feet, thrown there by a lady who refuses to accept it as an anniversary present. What happens when the genii appears and gives him three wishes comprises the rest of the action, finally getting him married and unmarried again. And the final shot shows Sargent passing his hat among the boys for payment for telling them such a whopper. Nice, clean little comedy. Should prove mildly amusing. (FD, Dec. 31, 1922)

144 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Notes: FD referred to this film as Alladin Jr. Starring: Lewis Sargent Studio: Universal Running time: 2 reels Apartment Wanted (1922) Lee has a hard time getting an apartment because of his large family. He finally gets a janitor’s job. His wife does not like the room, so he decides to try to make the tenants move. He tries to do so, by stating that he will raise their rent, but as this fails, he gets a little mouse, which runs up the leg of the tenant’s pants. When his wife sees the apartment, she is not satisfied because there is too much furniture to clean. He tries his luck again, by a false fire alarm, but this also fails. That night he dresses like a ghost and scares every one until his wife, who does not know him, shoots him and he takes off his wig. He is arrested, and the whole family is taken to jail. They are happy until they are told they have to get out. (UW, July 8, 1922)

Starring: Lee Moran Writer and Director: Alf Goulding Studio: Universal Running time: 2 reels Beryl Coronet, The (1922) This one of the famous Conan Doyle stories deals most interestingly with the theft of a coronet that to all circumstantial evidence has been taken by the son of a banker to whom it was entrusted overnight as security. How Sherlock Holmes, the great detective, very well played by Ellie [sic] Norwood, unravels the mystery makes very good entertainment. The suspense is well held and though you are comparatively sure of the villain, the way in which the case is slowly drawn around him by the detective holds the interest closely. The picture will hold its own on any program. (FD, Dec. 3, 1922)

Notes: This film was produced by the British company Stoll Picture Productions and released in the UK in 1921. Starring: Eille Norwood (Sherlock Holmes), Hubert Willis (Dr. Watson) Director: Maurice Elvey Studio: Educational Running time: 2 reels Caesar’s Ghost (1922) Mrs. Finch is wild over the subject of reincarnation. Her husband is much against it. She thinks she is the reincarnation of Cleopatra, and must dress and act like her. She makes her husband dress like Julius Caesar, as her aunt is coming on a visit, and she also believes in it, and they thereby will get all her money.

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

145

Thurlow Finch enlists the aid of the cook and her sweetheart to cure them of their belief. He makes the aunt dance. The crystal-gazer, who has caused them to believe in reincarnation, takes the pearls from the aunt’s neck, but is caught in the act and arrested. This cures his wife and aunt of their foolishness, and they swear never to believe in it again. (UW, July 22, 1922)

Starring: Roy Atwell Studio: Universal Running time: 1 reel Case of Identity, A (1922) Here is another of the clever series Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. This time a very able character study is drawn by Edna Flugrath, who takes the role of Mary Sutherland, the jilted girl. Mary seeks the aid of Holmes and asks him to please try and find the man who left her waiting at the church. She explained that she came from a middle class family and lived with her mother and stepfather, and that she had a little income that her stepfather had the use of. While her stepfather was away on a business trip a middle aged man called and made love to her. They were engaged and on the way to the wedding the groom disappeared. The case seems very simple for Holmes. He sends for the stepfather and ask[s] him about the missing man. With the aid of one or two simple tricks and a little deduction Holmes soon discovers that the missing man is the stepfather himself. Fearing the loss of the girl’s income he borrowed a wig and mustache and made love to his stepdaughter. Then he jilted her thinking that the experience would forever end her desire for matrimony. Of course the girl feels sorry for herself, but she allows Holmes to cheer her up and remarks that ‘the butcher’s assistant is a very nice young man.’ The interest is held throughout and the story has a pleasing mixture of comedy and light tragedy. The acting is excellent and the production as a whole will please and should satisfy almost any audience. A Case of Identity is filled with mystery and character and has all the elements of a full length feature production. (FD, June 25, 1922)

Starring: Eille Norwood (as Sherlock Holmes), Edna Flugrath Studio: Educational Running time: 2 reels Chemistry Lesson (1922) Plot: After drinking whisky, Farmer Al Falfa is pursued by a three-headed monster. Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: Farmer Al Falfa Studio: Paul Terry-Commonwealth Running time: 8 minutes

146 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Copper Beeches, The (1922) Here is another of the splendid series of Adventures of Sherlock Holmes made from the well known stories by Conan Doyle. The Copper Beeches follows the story very closely. A governess enlists the aid of the famous detective and tells the story of how she was induced to act as companion to a middle aged lady and her horrible husband. A mystery reigned in the house and a locked door kept its secret. The governess was requested to wear a certain dress and to send away a young man who kept intruding upon the grounds. Holmes and Watson go with the governess to the house and force open the locked door only to find a girl escaping from the window by means of a ladder. When all is explained it is learned that the horrible father had locked up the girl to keep her eloping with her lover so that he could get hold of her private income. The governess was engaged because she resembled the daughter and was forced to wear the girl’s dress and order the young man away. The suspense is great and it is impossible to wholly foretell the ending. This number of Sherlock Holmes is well up to the high standard of the series and will entertain as well as hold the attention of any audience. The drama unravels smoothly and builds up as it goes along. These two-reel dramas offer a welcome relief from the over-done westerns and at the same time contain all the necessary elements of entertainment. (FD, Aug. 27, 1922)

Notes: This film was produced by the British company Stoll Picture Productions and released in the UK in 1921. Starring: Eille Norwood (Sherlock Holmes) Studio: Educational Running time: 2 reels Devil’s Foot, The (1922) Here is the first of a series of twelve two-reelers made from the famous stories of Conan Doyle. The pictures have an unusual entertaining value and the hero, Sherlock Holmes, is already well known to young and old. Besides this you have realistic and thrilling adventures that will keep them sitting on edge and hold the attention until the very end. Little time is lost in introducing the mystery, and as soon as this is accomplished, Holmes sets out in his scientific way to untangle and solve the motive for the crime. Great dangers are entered into, leading to a climax dramatic as well as thrilling. The Devil’s Foot is the title of the first of this series. The story tells about a crime accomplished in a strange and mysterious manner. The victims died while eating dinner and remained rigid throughout the night. Holmes and his friend Watson happen upon the scene just as the police arrive. Holmes finds a black powder on the mica shield over the lamp chimney; this he carefully shakes into an envelope. He suspects a brother of the victims, but when he goes to arrest him finds him dead. An old African lion hunter finally confesses that he took the law into his own hands and killed the murderous brother with the strange tropical poison that causes a deadly fume when heated. This poison is called The Devil’s Foot by the natives. The explorer had at one time sold some of this to the murderer as a curio, but the man used it to kill his brothers and sister. The solution of the mystery is held to the very last and will keep you guessing up till the last foot of film. The stories in this series are filled with plot and action and

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

147

all are tied together with the well-known character Sherlock Holmes. This new series offers a welcome relief from the conventional and over-done two-reel western. Sherlock Holmes is so well known that it should take very little publicity to put over this series. (FD, May 28, 1922)

Notes: This film was produced by the British company Stoll Picture Productions and released in the UK in 1921. Starring: Eille Norwood (Sherlock Holmes), Hubert Willis (Dr. Watson), Harvey Braban Director: Maurice Elvey Studio: Educational Running time: 2 reels Electric House, The (1922) Here’s a winner. Buster Keaton’s new one is a series of laughs from start to finish and then some. Besides his inimitable tombstone face he has the funniest gags in the world to help him. When the two reels come to an end, you’ll wish there were more. Don’t miss this. It’s a sure bet. Buster is taking a course in botany from a

Fig. 10  Would-be electrician Buster Keaton meets a peculiar resident of The Electric House (1922). (Courtesy Heritage Auctions)

148 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

correspondence school. At the graduation he secures the diploma of an electrical engineer by mistake. Through another misunderstanding the father of the girl he loves hires him to fit his home with all modern electrical appliances, while the family is away. The family returns and Buster displays his handiwork. There is a laugh in every move. Electrically moving stairs take them upstairs when they want to go down. An attachment on the billiard table sends the balls to the rack unassisted. A button brings the bathtub out into the bedroom. Sooner or later every single appliance works when it shouldn’t and doesn’t when it should. Finally, the fellow who got Buster’s diploma instead of his own, comes to take his revenge. Entering by a window he finds the room in which the batteries are and mixes the wires. From that point on, the picture is one howl. Through it all Buster doesn’t lose his facial expression for a minute. Finally he is ordered to go. Mournfully he ties one end of a rope to a rock and the other end around his throat and jumps into the swimming pool. But even this watery grave is [sic] denied him, for his sweetheart comes along and pulling the electric switch he has installed, lets the water escape. (FD, Oct. 22, 1922)

Starring: Buster Keaton, Virginia Fox, Joe Roberts Director: Buster Keaton and Eddie Cline Studio: First National Running time: 2 reels Empty House, The (1922) Here is another Sherlock Holmes mystery built from the well known stories of Conan Doyle. This time the criminal takes a pot shot at the famous detective and for a moment you think all is lost. The suspense is great. The first shots take place at a club where you see a group of men playing cards. A highly polished cigarette case on the table next to the dealer reflects the cards that he deals. His cheating is discovered and that very night his accuser is found dead. Holmes is brought into the case. The gentleman criminal learns about this and goes to the empty house opposite Holmes’ residence. Here he can see across the street into the windows of the house. Dr. Watson and a detective from Scotland Yard hide in the empty house and see the assassin load his high-power air rifle and shoot at the famous detective. Then they arrest him and bring him across the street. Holmes meets them at the door for what the criminal shot was nothing but a waxen figure. Of course the man is not accused of killing a dummy but he is charged with the murder of his colleague. The bullets are both the same. While no women enter into the story it is well up to the standard of the series and holds the attention throughout. It will make an ideal program picture and please the average audience. (FD, Aug. 20, 1922)

Notes: This film was made by the British company Stoll Picture Productions and released in the UK in 1921. Starring: Eille Norwood (as Sherlock Holmes), Hubert Willis (Dr. Watson) Director: Maurice Elvey Studio: Educational Running time: 2 reels

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

149

Enchanted City, The (1922) The Enchanted City is an artistic novelty reel, pleasing and entertaining. The opening shots show two lovers on a rocky coast and these fade into a dream story. The dream is a visit to an enchanted city which is represented in a series of very imaginative and fantastic paintings. The scenes represent towering cities, lofty temples, cool forests and a flowing river which carries you to the brink of a waterfall. Some very beautiful pictural effects are recorded while the flowery titles tell of the quest of one lover for the other in the city of dreams. This artistic program filler was very well received when it played recently on Broadway. The very flowery titles might with advantage be simplified for showing before average audiences. (FD, Apr. 20, 1922)

Director: Warren Newcombe Studio: Educational Running time: 1 reel Felix in the Bone Age (1922) Plot: Felix is chased by a caveman whose wife wants his skin for a coat. Then he is chased by a gorilla. Notes: Animated cartoon, also known as Felix in the Stone Age. Starring: Felix the Cat Director: Otto Messmer Studio: Pat Sullivan-Margaret J. Winkler Running time: 2:45 For Rent–Haunted (1922) Most of Johnny Jones’ previous productions have possessed more humor than this one; in fact, this could almost be classified as a serious drama. It concerns the efforts of Jones and a group of youngsters to nip the plans of a shrewd and unrelenting real estate operator who has driven a widow from her home. The youngsters create the impression that the house is haunted and collect a reward of $50 for renting it, when the fear of spooks has made the dwelling place undesirable. Youthful performers in short reels are liked and Jones is capable, which will get this over in good style. It is not as funny as some of his other comedies, but it is good, clean entertainment. (FD, Oct. 8, 1922)

Notes: Also known as For Rent, Haunted and For Rent: Haunted. Starring: Johnny Jones, Gertrude Messinger Director: Mason N. Litson Studio: Pathé Running time: 2 reels

150 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Friday, the 13th (1922) The opening footage of this fable will undoubtedly bring a laugh, showing as it does Farmer Al Falfa’s dog and cat dancing to the music of the Farmer’s violin. They do all the latest steps and the animation is good. From there on the reel deals with the Farmer’s troubles on Friday the 13th. The reel is entirely up to the standard of the series. (FD, Nov. 26, 1922)

Notes: This release was an “Aesop’s Fable” animated cartoon. Starring: Farmer Al Falfa Director: Paul Terry Studio: Pathé Running time: 1 reel Friday, the Thirteenth (1922) Absentminded Hubby manages to get into a good deal of trouble in Friday, the Thirteenth. By mistake his umbrella is taken by a lady and he follows her through the park in an attempt to get it back. He almost has it when her big sweetheart steps into the scene. Hubby manages to return to his wife and tell her about his adventure, but she explains to him that things might have been much worse if he had gone out the following day which was Friday the thirteenth. Hubby then jumps into bed and leaves orders not to be awakened until the fourteenth. Eddie Boland plays the part of the Hubby and Gertrud Olmstead appears as the wife. The gags are quite tame and will only bring a mild joy to the audience. (FD, Mar. 19, 1922)

Starring: Eddie Boland, Gertrud Olmstead Director: Craig Hutchinson Studio: Star-Universal Running time: 2 reels Friday, the Thirteenth (1922) As the title suggests, this is a hard luck comedy. Paul Parrott, Jobyna Ralston and Eddie Baker are the chief fun makers. Paul takes the part of a very superstitious young man who thinks it is hard luck to walk under a ladder or punch a cop in the nose. He avoids both, but gets into a lot of trouble when he tries to lift a horse shoe from under a policeman’s foot. Then he spills the salt and is crossed by a black cat. Then to make matters worse, his girl insists that they must be married on Friday, the thirteenth. Paul’s rival, knowing his weakness, plants some dynamite in a dummy black cat and brings it to church. The result can easily be imagined. But nothing stops the ceremony. Some amusing comedy business takes place on the dock where Paul tries to throw over a bag full of black cats. Most of the gags in the comedy have been used before, and while many of them are worth repeating, the offering as a whole will make but an average comedy filler. The photography is good and the directing up to the Hal Roach standard. (FD, July 9, 1922)

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

151

Notes: Also known as Friday, the 13th. Starring: Paul Parrott (aka James Parrott), Jobyna Ralston, Eddie Baker Director: James Davis Studio: Hal Roach-Pathé Running time: 1 reel Harem-Scarem (1922) The Century Lions are featured in this number, and the animals, with the aid of several [African-Americans], provide a goodly amount of amusement and some thrills. It’s mostly chasing in and out of rooms and through windows, and without any connection between the incidents, but it is good fun nevertheless, and will appeal to nearly every kind of an audience. The lions – at least some of them – are very well trained, and perform with their trainer in a highly entertaining manner. It should be a good comedy offering for any theater. (FD, Apr. 10, 1922)

Studio: Century-Universal Running time: 2 reels Haunted House, The (1922) This is one of the funniest Sunshine comedies they’ve shown in quite a while because it is new stuff and will get a lot of laughs, dealing as it does, with the radio craze. It has some good gags and more weight than the average slap-stick number. The girl’s father finds that the ‘busy’ hotel he purchased has been idle so long that the last to register are ‘Abraham Lincoln and wife.’ That’s a good laugh and the weeds growing in the lobby is another good bit that contributes a further laugh when [African-American] porter starts cleaning up with a scythe. They get some amusement out of the radio, including a marriage. Some of the spook stuff is familiar but it furnishes good amusement. It is a first rate two-reel comedy and they’ll like it. (FD, Nov. 5, 1922)

Director: Erle C. Kenton Studio: Sunshine Comedy-Fox Running time: 2 reels Hello Mars (1922) Harry Sweet, Johnny Fox and Alberta Vaughn are the chief players in this Century Comedy. The comedy business centers around a home-made aeroplane and a trip to Mars. Harry and Johnny lose control of the machine and find themselves landed on Mars. They are surrounded by beautiful girls and cave men. According to the laws of the land they are unable to leave the planet before paying their income tax. Johnny takes a job peddling goat’s milk while Harry becomes a barber. In the end they discover that it was all a dream. There are not very many gags in this Century comedy. It depends mainly on the novelty of the situations to gain its humorous effects. Harry Sweet has done much better work. The production

152 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

as a whole, will amuse but mildly and entertains only the less critical kind of audience. (FD, July 30, 1922)

Notes: Also known as Hello, Mars. Starring: Harry Sweet, Johnny Fox, Alberta Vaughn Writer and Director: Alf Goulding Studio: Century-Universal Running time: 2 reels His Prehistoric Blunder (1922) Roy Atwell and Ethel Ritchie have a lot of fun playing cavemen stuff. The story is almost as thin as the costumes they wear. Roy plays the part of the husband who has been henpecked for a long time and wants to spend his vacation in a camp where he may fish. In order to do this, he gets a neighbor to pretend that he is a doctor. The doctor tells Roy’s wife that the patient is threatened with a nervous breakdown if he does not have his own way. Accordingly they go back-to-nature, but it is not very long before the plot is discovered and the cave-man business changes to cave-woman stuff. She hits Roy a clout on the head with a big club and drives him home through the city streets. Most of the gags used in this comedy have been done before in several variations. The laughs are few and far between, and the entire production [is] not up to several of the former comedies starring Roy Atwell. (FD, May 28, 1922)

Starring: Roy Atwell, Ethel Ritchie Director: Craig Hutchinson Studio: Universal Running time: 2 reels Hokus Pokus (1922) Bobby Vernon and Josephine Hill take the leading parts in this fairly amusing comedy based upon a country performance of a magician. Bobby takes the part of a clerk in the village hotel, and walks upon the stage in the evening to help the magician and fumble the tricks. For the final trick he passes the basket through the aisle and collects the patron’s jewelry. This is stolen from the wings of the theater by the bad man. While the theater is in a state of panic Bobby steals back to the hotel and captures the robber, leading him, at the point of a pistol, into the village jail. Unlike most comedies Hokus Pokus contains a consecutive story that runs smoothly from start to finish, and at the same time contains some amusing situations. Quite a few extras are used in the theater shots, and a good deal of confusion is recorded in the scenes following the theft. The action is brisk and the offering should please the average audience. (FD, Feb. 5, 1922)

Starring: Bobby Vernon, Josephine Hill, Henry Murdock, Alice Maison Director: Harold Beaudine Studio: Christie-Educational Running time: 2 reels

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

153

House of a Thousand Trembles, The (1922) Nervy Ned and his valet find shelter in a haunted house. A reigning belle, whose elopement plans were upset, also finds shelter there. They are disturbed by a ghost, and after many terrifying experiences, Ned and the girl meet. They try to catch the ghost, but he always escapes. At last, they knock him unconscious and taking the sheet from him, they discover it is the girl’s sweetheart. Ned and his valet leave the house. (UW, June 15, 1922. The gags and business in this comedy, starring Neely Edwards, are derived from a haunted house and several ghosts, to say nothing of [an African-American] man. It is in this haunted house that Ned meets the girl, and together they attempt to capture the ghost. After many experiences they finally capture the man in the sheet and knock him unconscious only to discover that he is the girl’s sweetheart. In the end Ned and his hobo valet decide that it would be best for them to leave the house. Most of the gags in this single reeler were done before in several variations and the laughs are not too close together. However, it will entertain an audience that is not overly particular and likes to laugh at the same old jokes. Most of the laughs will come from the fear that the [African-American] man has for the ghosts. (FD, Aug. 20, 1922)

Notes: The title is a play on the title of the novel The House of a Thousand Candles (1905) and its 1915 film adaptation. Starring: Neely Edwards Director: William H. Watson Studio: Star-Universal Running time: 1 reel Man with the Twisted Lip, The (1922) Instead of opening in the usual manner of these stories in [Sherlock] Holmes’ office with as visitor describing the case in question, The Man With the Twisted Lip opens in an opium den with the well-known detective nowhere in evidence. However, after a little awhile [sic], you begin to see through his disguise. Back in his office, he explains the case to Dr. Watson. The disappearance of Mr. St. Clair and some peculiar incidents surrounding this, such as his wife being lured to the opium den by a false telegram, the sight of her husband in an upper window and her finding no one in the room but a crippled beggar known as ‘The Man With the Twisted Lip.’ How the case is unraveled, with a most unexpected kick at the end makes very good entertainment. Entirely up to the standard of the series. (FD, Dec. 24, 1922) In this episode of the Sherlock Holmes series, Eille Norwood and Hubert Willis, portraying Holmes and Watson, unravel the story of the beggar who doubles as a respectable member of society; or how the beggar, about to be discovered by the wife who knows nothing of his method of acquiring a living, pretends to kill his other self. The singular sight is represented of a man being arrested and consigned to jail for killing himself. The story is well told and will deeply interest. (ETR, Dec. 16, 1922)

154 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Notes: The British company Stoll Picture Productions made this film and released it in the UK in 1921. Starring: Eille Norwood (Sherlock Holmes), Hubert Willis (Dr. Watson), Robert Vallis, Paulette del Baye Director: Maurice Elvey Studio: Educational Running time: 2 reels Night of Many Shadows (1922) Beautiful photography, splendid locations and a story filled with imagination and interest are the outstanding features of each of this series. This time it is a ghost story that is told and planted along the ridges and lofty peaks of snow capped mountains. A remarkable shot showing thousands of mountain sheep in a herd introduces the rangers. They unsaddle their horses and settle down to their evening meal. Then one of the herders tells the story of what happened to him long ago when his horses stampeded and headed for home. And there he saw them go, led by a little old man – a ghost. Through the woods and across streams the ghost rider led the horses. The man could do nothing but follow the tracks. But after crossing the river to his great surprise he found the horses [tied] to a tree. Some very fine double exposure work shows the horses walking in ghost-like images. The forest scenes and mountaintops are recorded in a most artistic manner, giving plenty of atmosphere and realism to the subjects. Night of Many Shadows is [a] high class reel of great beauty and will satisfy the most discriminating audience. (FD, Apr. 9, 1922)

Studio: Educational Running time: 1 reel Noble Bachelor, The (1922) The Noble Bachelor is another of the series of Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. It is filled with mystery and romance. This time a titled gentleman is deserted at the altar and the famous detective is employed to help find the missing bride. Not only does Holmes find the girl but he also finds her American husband. But the English lord is not very unhappy, for this discovery allows him to go back to his former sweetheart. Holmes arranges that they all have supper together at his rooms [sic], and he also invites the man from Scotland Yard just to prove to him that his deductions were all wrong. The number is up to the standard of the series and will hold the attention of the average audience. A little comedy relief enters this number of the series with pleasing results. (FD, July 23, 1922)

Notes: The British company Stoll Picture Productions made this film and released it in the UK in 1921. Starring: Eille Norwood (as Sherlock Holmes), Hubert Willis (Dr. Watson), Frank Arlton, Arthur Bell, Temple Bell, Cyril Percival Studio: Educational Running time: 2 reels

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

155

Priory School, The (1922) This picturization of the Conan Doyle story holds the attention all the way, and while not as exciting as some of its predecessors, in that it does not contain a murder, makes interesting entertainment. Ellie [sic] Norwood who plays the part of the famous detective has a most pleasing personality and gives an enjoyable performance. The story deals with the abduction of the young son of the Duke of Holderness from his room at school. The Duke offers a large reward for his return. After many complications, all of which are unraveled smoothly and logically, the Duke is found to be the abductor himself. The picture should make a good addition to any program. (FD, Oct. 29, 1922)

Notes: The British company Stoll Picture Productions made this film and released it in the UK in 1921. Starring: Eille Norwood (as Sherlock Holmes), Hubert Willis (Dr. Watson), Leslie English, C. H. Croker-King, Irene Rooke Studio: Educational Running time: 2 reels Quest, The (1922) The Quest is a two reel offering made for Borden’s Milk Company in cooperation with the Art Alliance of America. While it brings to the foreground a silver plated dish that won the prize of the Alliance for the most useful and practical container to serve out condensed milk, it also tells a story that is full of mystery and is at the same time dramatic. A sacred dish is stolen from India and brought to New York. The East Indians follow closely in an effort to recover their treasure. While it is in New  York it is copied by an artist who sees as great utility in the design. The design is executed by silversmiths and is shown at use in a banquet. The original is finally returned to the Indian prince who invites the two lovers to his native land. The Quest advertises this new dish by building a plausible drama around it so that the observer is hardly aware that the production contains a message. The story, photography and acting are all good. This type of dramatized advertising is new and will receive a good deal of attention from audiences that would fail their attention to sheer advertising matter. (FD, Feb. 19, 1922)

Studio: Blake and Coyle Running time: 2 reels Red Headed League, The (1922) Notes: This film was produced by Stoll Picture Productions in Great Britain, where it was released in 1921. Starring: Eille Norwood (Sherlock Holmes), Hubert Willis (Dr. Watson) Studio: Educational Running time: 2 reels

156 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Resident Patient, The (1922) The Resident Patient follows closely the Conan Doyle story of the same name. A young doctor calls on the detective and asks him to visit his home where a resident patient, who has several years ago established him in his profession, is suffering greatly from fear. The doctor further tells Holmes that two men had called, and one had developed a fit, while the other waited outside. Leaving the room for some drug the doctor had returned to find both patient and friend gone, and the place ransacked. Holmes, accordingly, goes to see the resident patient who, though greatly frightened, refuses to give any information. The next morning the patient is found hung in his room. Holmes is called and unravels the mystery by a process of deduction, to the amazement of the Scotland Yard men. You know your audience, and if they like this kind of story this should prove satisfactory. (FD, Nov. 19, 1922)

Notes: This short was made by the British company Stoll Picture Productions and released in the UK in 1921. Starring: Eille Norwood (as Sherlock Holmes), Hubert Willis (Dr. Watson), Arthur Bell (Lestrade), C. Pitt-Chatham Studio: Educational Running time: 2 reels Sawing a Lady in Half (1922) Filled with interest. Not only is this well known vaudeville trick illustrated in this novelty but it is also exposed. The mist is cleared from the mystery. In the first reel the trick is done in the same manner in which it is performed on the stage. The mystery is baffling. But the second reel shows how it was done. What happens to the lady in the box after the lid is shut is explained step by step. The saw is shown passing through the box without injuring the lady. Of course it is simple after you know how it is done, but it keeps you guessing and sitting on edge until the stunt is exposed. The trick as performed by [John E. Coutts] has mystified thousands and hundreds of explanations have been offered for its solution. But this is the first public expose of the sensational performance of sawing a lady in half. The trick is one of the very best yet performed and there are many who will welcome the correct explanation. Should make a very attractive novelty short subject and do well on any program. Sawing a Lady in Half is one of the most attractive novelties of the season. (FD, Apr. 9, 1922)

Notes: Sawing a Lady in Half motivated vaudeville illusionist Horace Goldin to sue Weiss Brothers Clarion Photoplays Inc. and Alexander Film Corporation for stealing his illusion and destroying his ability to profitably exploit it in live venues. Harry Houdini weighed in, via affidavit, to support Goldin. Starring: John E. Coutts Producer: Walter R. Hall Studio: Weiss Brothers Clarion Photoplays Running time: 2 reels

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

157

Scandal in Bohemia, A (1922) The well known story, A Scandal in Bohemia, by Conan Doyle, has been given an interesting and entertaining production. The offering is unlike the others already released in the series, but is just as good in regard to acting, direction and mystery. No time is lost in putting the story under way. Sherlock Holmes receives a note and a visit from a mysterious gentleman who turns out to be the King of Bohemia. The king is very anxious to recover a photograph in the possession of a well-known actress. Holmes dress himself as an actor and substitutes in the play. He manages to chloroform the leading lady and take from her dress a photograph, but it turns out to be a picture of her sweetheart. After much trouble Holmes discovers the secret hiding place of the photograph, but when he goes to steal it, he finds a picture of the lady inscribed to himself. A note explains that the lady has destroyed the compromising snapshot and has since married. This satisfies the king and saves Holmes from doing something not strictly on the level. Plenty of London atmosphere and good acting make this two reeler a splendid entertainment. (FD, July 9, 1922)

Notes: The British company Stoll Picture Productions made this film and released it in the UK in 1921. Starring: Eille Norwood (as Sherlock Holmes), Hubert Willis (Dr. Watson), Arthur Bell (Lestrade), Joan Beverley, Alfred Drayton Studio: Educational Running time: 2 reels Screen Snapshots, No. 10 (1922) Lon Chaney’s art of make-up is shown in interesting close-ups which open this number of the Screen Snapshots. Marilyn Miller’s wedding affords interesting pictures of Mary Pickford and Doug, the bride and her new husband. Jack Pickford, Charles Chaplin and other guests. Interesting scenes of the meetings between Will Hays and a score or more of film celebrities of Hollywood and of the wonderful reception given him close the issue. (FD, Oct. 8, 1922)

Notes: Because Columbia produced eight series of silent Screen Snapshots shorts during 1922–28, multiple installments from other years are also identified as “No. 10.” Starring: Lon Chaney Studio: Columbia Running time: 1 reel Shiver and Shake (1922) This one is built around the old haunted house theme. Paul Parrott and Jobyna Ralston are newlyweds and Paul’s father-in-law rents them a house. During a storm some near-by campers are wrecked and wrapping their tent about them seek shelter in the nearest house which belongs to the newlyweds. The white-

158 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

draped figures are taken for ‘spooks’ creating an opportunity for the usual gags. It is a fair, average, offering but your crowd may like it. (FD, Oct. 29, 1922)

Starring: Paul Parrott, Jobyna Ralston Studio: Hal Roach-Pathé Running time: 1 reel Should Watchmen Sleep? (1922) Laura La Plante and Neely Edwards are the chief comedians in this amusing single reeler. This time Neely is a night watchman in a department store where he has all the comforts of home, – and a few more. He gets this job after traveling across the country in a box car with his hobo valet. In the middle of the night he is awakened by two yeggs who have entered the store to rob the safe. At first he plays ghost and manages to frighten them with a white sheet but he is soon discovered and bound to the bed. The two robbers enter the elevator to escape but Neely is just able to kick the switch with his foot and turn off the power. The car is caught between two floors and remains there all night. In the morning the boss finds Neely still in bed but soon discovers that he is bound and gagged. When the ropes are loosened Neely turns on the power and the two yeggs are captured. The boss recovers his money and Neely wins his daughter. The comedy is well done and has some clever gags. Should bring more than one good laugh when shown to an average audience. (FD, June 11, 1922)

Starring: Laura La Plante, Neely Edwards Director: William Watson Studio: Universal Running time: 1 reel Solitary Cyclist, The (1922) Here is another of the Sherlock Holmes stories released bi-monthly by Educational, with Eille Norwood in the leading role. Norwood’s performance is the most enjoyable feature of the stories, although they in themselves are very good and sustain the interest all the way through. This one deals with the adventures of a young governess who is the unknowing heir to her uncle’s money. She is constantly followed by three men, one of whom, the ‘solitary cyclist,’ falls in love with her. She is accosted on the road and is being forced into a marriage when the detective and his assistant, Dr. Watson, arrive to rescue her. (FD, Nov. 5, 1922)

Notes: The British company Stoll Picture Productions made this film and released it in the UK in 1921. Starring: Eille Norwood (as Sherlock Holmes), Hubert Willis (Dr. Watson), R. D. Sylvester, Violet Hewitt Director: Maurice Elvey Studio: Educational Running time: 2 reels

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

159

Spooks (1922) The comedian of Spooks is dressed to resemble Charlie [Chaplin] though the gags are far from being original. The first part of the comedy receives its humor from one cylinder cars. The comedian is supposed to work for Smith Bros. ‘Insurance Brokers – have made the world cough up.’ The middle section of this comedy contains a series of gags showing the comedian chase his girl’s canary bird. The last section is by far the funniest. Here the action takes place in a wax museum. A five-hundred dollar prize is offered for anyone who will stay overnight in this chamber of horrors. The hero allows himself to be locked up for the night just as a burglar and his [African-American] assistant decide to clean up the joint. As the wax figures are moved about the hero thinks the place is filled with spooks, and in turn the crooks think that the hero is a ghost. A wax head falls to the floor and a cat gets inside and walks the head across the room. ‘Man, Man, Dat am John the Baptist,’ cries the frightened [African-American]. There are several laughs in this one, though the greater part of the comedy business has been done before in several variations, making it on the whole only an average comedy offering. (FD, Apr. 16, 1922)

Starring: Lige Conley Studio: Mermaid-Educational Running time: 2 reels Stone Age, The (1922) Here is one of the very best Hal Roach has done. Snub Pollard plays a cave man role, and Marie Mosquini takes the part of his wife. No explanations are needed. The picture tells the story. Snub drives down the main street in his cart which is pulled by an Antediluvian rhinoceros. The traffic cop stops him, and with the aid of a mallet and chisel carves him a stone summons. Snub gets out of the difficulty and climbs into his cave dwelling. Here the comedy is taken up by Marie, who does the role of the caveman’s wife. Complications arise with the janitor of the building and a fire in Snub’s apartment. The cave man’s fire engine is very funny and should bring more than one laugh from any audience. Marie saves her own child from the fire, and the bad man is driven into the woods by an elephant. Good natured satire and special props prompt a good many of the laughs in this novel comedy. The strangeness of the setting causes the gags to take on a special humorous twist. The comedy business is well done and will prompt a laugh a minute. The picture was well received when shown on Broadway, and wrung laughter from a hyper-critical audience regardless of the hot weather. This one is a sure bet and will do well on any program. (FD, July 30, 1922)

Starring: Snub Pollard, Marie Mosquini Director: Charles Parrott (aka Charley Chase) Studio: Hal Roach-Pathé Running time: 1 reel

160 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Tiger of San Pedro, The (1922) Here is another of the Sherlock Holmes mystery stories which follow closely the original Conan Doyle stories. The suspense is held well and there is a fight between the detective and the villain which holds the spectator almost breathless. The plot is quite intricate but unravels smoothly, dealing with the Tiger, so called

Fig. 11  Educational used this 1922 trade ad to promote its lively two-reel Sherlock Holmes series starring Eille Norwood.

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

161

because he claws his victims after killing them; his enemy Garcia, Garcia’s sister Dolores, whom the Tiger steals after killing her husband, and Scott Eccles, through whom the mystery is brought to light. This film should prove a very good program picture and please the average audience. (FD, Sept. 24, 1922)

Notes: The British company Stoll Picture Productions made this film and released it in the UK in 1921. Starring: Eille Norwood (as Sherlock Homes), Hubert Willis (Dr. Watson), Lewis Gilbert, George Harrington, Arthur Bell (Lestrade) Director: Maurice Elvey Studio: Educational Running time: 2 reels Torchy’s Ghost (1922) Johnny Hines is starred in this fairly amusing two reeler. In the first part of the comedy the gags are all performed on the ice. Johnny Hines sells the skaters pillows, but seeing the business is bad sprinkles sand on the ice and causes them all to fall. This stunt is not unlike Harold Lloyd’s stunt of sprinkling soap powder along a wet pavement. In the second part of the comedy Johnny’s girl gets kidnapped by the ‘Coo Coo Clan’ and taken to a deserted house on a hill. Johnny goes to the rescue and some funny events happen while he fights the whole gang single-­handed. Tricks doors, chairs and moving walls add to the laughs. The action is brisk and the comedy business fairly entertaining, though many of the gags are old stand-bys. (FD, Apr. 16, 1922)

Notes: Torchy’s Ghost is one of 22 “Torchy” comedies starring Johnny Hines. Starring: Johnny Hines Studio: Educational Running time: 2 reels Treasure Bound (1922) Here is one of the most amusing comedies Jack White has ever done. It is full of laughs and has some very unique comedy business. It moves along quite smoothly and loses no time between gags. Most of the fun comes from an invention of a non-explosive gas. The inventor fills the comedian’s mattress with the gas and the sleeping man is carried up and out the window. At [an African-American] man’s spiritualistic meeting the windows are thrown open and, as the leader calls, ‘Brother Alexander, let de spirits enter,’ the floating mattress sails into the room. The second part of the comedy deals with the search for a missing treasure. The airship that is treasure-bound engages in duck shooting and a little fishing while on its way. But a rival party has copied the map and also set out in search for the gold. The situations that follow are amusing and laughable. The comedy as a whole is well done and should entertain any class of audience. (FD, July 16, 1922)

162 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Fig. 12  Treasure Bound (1922), in which fanciful science helps propel a search for gold. (Courtesy Heritage Auctions)

Starring: Lige Conley Director: Jack White Studio: Mermaid-Educational Running time: 2 reels Trickery (1922) There is a sort of O.  Henry twist given to the ending of this story that turns everything to for the good, and covers a multitude of sins. The story deals with a young fellow and his mother and sister. They have but seven hundred dollars, while they require a thousand to pay off the mortgage. The landlord refuses to accept part payment, and young Ted takes the money to return to the bank. In town he meets two confidence men who sell him a diamond as large as an Ingersoll watch. The town jeweler tells him that the stone is worthless. In the meantime a reporter from the News is visiting Ted’s sister. He discovers the two crooks and beats them up. Not only does he get back Ted’s money, but he also manages to return the stone to the Hindu sect and receive a large reward. A flash back shows how the jewel was stolen from the breast of a Hindu idol, and the reward was offered for its return because of its sacred value. Ted gets his money back, the landlord has his mortgage paid, the reporter wins the girl and the crook goes to jail. All ends well. The situations are amusing and will please the average

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

163

audience. The Hindu ending comes as a surprise, but will please the great majority. The offering is well balanced in regard to action, direction and detail. Besides this it offers a western that is without gun play and cowboy stuff. (FD, Mar. 26, 1922)

Director: Albert Russell Writer: George Morgan Studio: Universal Running time: 2 reels Verdict, The (1922) Eddie Polo plays the part of the hero who solves the mystery and saves the girl in this mild two reeler. The story is very unconvincing and hinges upon a very scientific incident. The old miser in this play is really killed by a giant spider who stings him near the ear, but his niece is accused of the crime and her sweetheart is unable to save her. Then comes Hal Norcross, star reporter-detective for the Daily News. He spends the night in the chamber of death and finds the big spider. Then he tells the story to the jury and saves the girl, who falls into the arms of the other man, her lover. Dorothy Wood plays the role of the girl in this mildly entertaining western. (FD, Apr. 20, 1922) The Verdict numbers among its cast Eddie Polo in the role of a reporter gifted in solution of murder mysteries. In this instance George Morgan, the author of the story and also the scenarist has built up a situation that has the appearance of sure enough mystery. A well-to do man, a collector of live bugs and insects, is found dead in bed with a tiny mark on the forehead. His niece, with whom the day before the old man had had a violent argument as to the particular man she should marry, is accused of murder. The reporter asks permission to sleep in the room of death. During a night that contains ‘creepy’ incidents the newspaperman by aid of a flashlight, sees a tarantula creeping over the pillow and the mystery is solved. He writes his story and appears before the coroner just in time to save the girl from being locked up, charged with her uncle’s murder. There is of course a love story running through the two reels, that of the niece and a reporter on a local newspaper. Then too there is a much older man, the executor of the uncle, who insists on the girl marrying him. The story is convincingly told and well played. (ETR, Apr. 29, 1922)

Starring: Eddie Polo, Dorothy Wood, Duke R. Lee, Jim Gibson, Jay Morley Studio: Universal Running time: 2 reels Yellow Face, The (1922) The Yellow Face is another of the Sherlock Holmes mystery dramas. The story holds the attention to the very end. As usual the acting is good and the production as a whole entertaining. No time is lost is getting under way. A certain

164 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Mr. Munro calls upon Holmes and engages his help in solving the mystery which is closely connected with his wife and her relation to the house opposite. A yellow face appears in the window. In the end the yellow face is discovered to be a mask worn by a child who is the son of the woman by her first marriage. Fearing that her second husband would dislike her if he knew that she had a child, she managed to keep his identity a secret. All ends well. The mask was used to hide the child. The number is well up to the standard of the series and will hold the attention of almost any audience. (FD, July 16, 1922)

Notes: The British company Stoll Picture Productions made this film and released it in the UK in 1921. Starring: Eille Norwood (as Sherlock Holmes), Hubert Willis (Dr. Watson), Clifford Heatherley, Norma Whalley Director: Maurice Elvey Studio: Educational Running time: 2 reels Young Sherlocks (1922) The gags are highly amusing. Kids of all ages will love the footage showing the magical city for children where everything is free and no grown-­ups are allowed. (FD, Nov. 20, 1922)

Starring: Our Gang (Ernie “Sunshine Sammy” Morrison, Jackie Condon, Peggy Cartwright, Mickey Daniels, Pete the Pup) Director: Robert McGowan, Tom McNamara Studio: Hal Roach-Pathé Running time: 2 reels

1923 Bed Time (1923) This one of Max Fleischer’s ‘Inkwell’ comedies shows the little imp from the inkwell annoying the artist who is trying to sleep. To punish the imp, he draws a high cliff and puts the little clown on its pinnacle so that he cannot get down. The clown goes to sleep and dreams – wild cartoon dreams of a giant and a cave and other things and the artist goes to sleep and dreams that the imp is chasing him all over the city in his pajamas. There are numerous laughs and the reel should have no difficulty in amusing your folks. (FD, Mar. 18, 1923)

Notes: In this animated cartoon, which includes some live-action footage, the clown encounters a giant. Later, he comes a giant himself. Director: Dave Fleischer Studio: Max Fleischer Running time: 1 reel

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

165

Call the Wagon (1923) Charlotte Merriam, Neal Burns and Babe London make this Christie comedy very enjoyable entertainment. Charlotte, a very pretty young miss, is besieged by suitors. Neal, who wants her all to himself, tells the other boys that Charlotte is not just what she seems – her hair is false, also her teeth, etc. This succeeds in scaring away the others but much is Neal’s chagrin when Charlotte, learning of the trick, plans to turn it on him and asking him if he minds if she makes herself comfortable, proceeds to take off her hair, take out her teeth and even exhibits a glass eye. Those inclined to be squeamish may not like this particular bit, but the rest of it is thoroughly enjoyable. (FD, Dec. 16, 1923)

Starring: Charlotte Merriam, Neal Burns, Babe London Director: Scott Sidney Studio: Christie-Educational Running time: 2 reels Cleopatra and Her Easy Mark (1923) Plot: Inside an Egyptian tomb, a silly archaeologist uses a life-restoring elixir (administered by hypodermic needle) to revive Cleopatra. Notes: Animated cartoon, which was reissued with sound and green tints in 1929 under the title An Egyptian Gyp. Director: George S. Jeffrey Studio: Lee-Bradford Corp. Running time: 1 reel Colonel Heeza Liar and the Ghost (1923) This time Colonel Heeza Liar, the little animated cartoon cutout, has a scrap with the artist because he doesn’t want to work at night. But the artist says that he must stay, so the Colonel tries to get revenge by dumping a jar of paint on him. Then when the boys are having a lunch, the Colonel jumps into the prop room and climbing into a toy balloon which he has draped with chiffon he proceeds to scare the boys. How he succeeds in frightening them and also a passing policeman provides the balance of the action. There is some very clever stuff in this one, which should prove a pleasing addition to almost any program. (FD, Feb. 4, 1923)

Notes: Cartoon animated by Walter Lantz. This cartoon is from a 1922–24 revival of the Colonel Heeza Liar series, which originally ran from 1913 to 1917. Director: Vernon Stallings Studio: Bray-Hodkinson Running time: 1 reel

166 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Colonel Heeza Liar in the African Jungles (1923) Here is a fair cartoon offering that will prove interesting more for the drawing itself than for the manoeuvers [sic] of Col. Hezza [sic] Liar. The drawing is clever and especially well done. The antics of the colonel are a bit funny, especially when he gets into the Jungle and fools around with jungle beasts. The offering will suffice for variation on most any bill. (FD, Aug. 19, 1923)

Notes: Cartoon animated by Walter Lantz, which was at times referred to as Colonel Heeze Liar in the African Jungle. Director: Vernon Stallings Studio: Bray-Hodkinson Running time: 1 reel Darkest Hour, The (1923) The Darkest Hour deals with some more of the funny domestic difficulties of the Spat family. This time the ‘know it all’ brother-in-law tries his luck at making home brew despite the fact the police are running down bootleggers. Seeing the police approaching the house, they hide the bottles of home brew in different parts of the house. The police, however, only want to tell them there is an escaped maniac in the neighborhood. Needless to say, the ensuing night is one of terror for the ‘happy’ family and laughter for the audience. The scene is enhanced by a short circuit of the electric lights and in the darkness, they mistake one another constantly for the maniac, while the home brews bottles burst merrily and loudly at intervals. (FD, Dec. 23, 1923)

Starring: Laura Roessing Director: J. A. Howe Studio: Hal Roach-Pathé Running time: 2 reels Do Your Stuff (1923) This Paul Parrott offering has more of a plot than is usually found in his comedies and it should sufficiently interest the average audience. The laughs are derived throughout from hokum consisting of sliding doors, collapsible stairs, and other trick devices in a house in Chinatown where the hero’s girl has been abducted. The hero’s fight with the stairs and the [Chinese characters] comprise the action, but there is a new twist at the end when Paul is confronted with a row of electric buttons and told to push one – if he pushes the right one, a sword will descend and kill his girl. When he finally pushes one, a stream of water lands in his eye and the [Chinese characters] turn out to be members of an actor troupe to which Paul belongs. (FD, Feb. 25, 1923)

Starring: Paul Parrott Director: J. A. Howe Studio: Hal Roach-Pathé Running time: 1 reel

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

167

Fable of Pharaoh’s Tomb (1923) Notes: This animated cartoon in the “Aesop’s Film Fables” series features a character named “Farmer Al” who dreams he is in Egypt and loots the treasures from King Tut’s tomb. The Sphinx sees him and phones the police. The cartoon has at times been referred to as Pharaoh’s Tomb. Starring: Farmer Al Studio: Aesop Film Fable-Pathé Running time: 1 reel Felix the Ghost Breaker (1923) Plot: Felix visits a cemetery in the middle of the night. When he tries to sleep on a grave, he hears an eerie sound, after which a ghost appears and then flies away. Felix believes he is up to “mischief,” and follows him. The ghost scares an old man in a house. The police arrive, but are unable to best the ghost and his ghostly friends. Felix saves the day by catching the ghost at gunpoint. Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: Felix the Cat Director: Otto Messmer Studio: Pat Sullivan-Margaret J. Winkler Running time: 6:25 For the Love of Tut (1923) As the title implies, it deals with a timely subject and concerns the adventures of Eddie who is in love with the daughter of a collector of mummies. In order to be near her he has himself disguised as a mummy and transported to her home. (ETR, May 19, 1923)

Starring: Eddie Lyons Studio: Arrow Film Corporation Running time: 2 reels Grey Rider, The (1923) This is the second of the new series of Bruce Wilderness Tales and has, as they all have, a distinctly different touch both in the story and its handling. This time it is the story of a sheep herder and his love for a bit of country in the Rockies called Hidden Valley. The story of his death and the return of his ghost is told by one of his friends to a bare-footed lad one morning when the pair are fishing without much success. The exquisite shots of hills and clouds together with the haunting little story of a man’s love for the country make this Tale one that will remain in the spectator’s memory. (FD, July 8, 1923)

Studio: Educational Running time: 1 reel

168 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Hansel and Gretel (1923) Baby Peggy, one of the cutest kiddies on the screen, is the leading lady in this Century two reeler which should prove a first rate offering for this season of the year. Hansel is played by a clever little boy whose name is not mentioned. Children of all ages will enjoy this one immensely. There is also some trick stuff used to good advantage, showing Peggy standing at a table watching miniature figures coming out of a bowl and dance on the table before her. The story follows the fairy tale closely except that a monkey and an elephant have been used as goblins, and they get several laughs. There is also a surprise finish, showing Peggy and her little brother being read to by their mother, as they are about to go to sleep. (FD, Dec. 16, 1923)

Starring: Baby Peggy (aka Peggy-Jean Montgomery, aka Diana Sera Cary), Jack Earle, Buddy Williams, Blanche Payson, Jim Kelly Writer and Director: Alf Goulding Studio: Century-Universal Running time: 2 reels Howling Success, A (1923) Brownie, the dog is seen to good advantage in this one, and if he is popular with your folks, they will like this. Buddy Messinger is pleasing as a bell hop in a hotel but hasn’t very much to do. The theme is slight, dealing with a professor who has a formula for a solution that will kill dogs instantly. Brownie is on the professor’s trail and is assisted by the friendly bellhop who has a dog of his own. At the finish, after the professor is foiled, Brownie returns to the meeting of the dogs with the formula and is presented with a medal for his bravery. (FD, Mar. 4, 1923)

Starring: Buddy Messinger Director: Harry Edwards Studio: Century-Universal Running time: 2 reels Hunchback of Notre Dame, The (1923) Notes: The opening title card refers to this film as “A fanciful adaptation of Victor Hugo’s Novel.” Studio: Artclass Pictures Corporation Running time: 1 reel Is Conan Doyle Right? (1923) This two reeler, Is Conan Doyle Right? gives, in interesting fashion, a number of the methods used by fake spiritualists or so-called mediums in obtaining money from credulous persons who thoroughly believe that they have been put in touch

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

169

with departed spirits. Aside from the novelty of the reel, the subject matter is such that it will, in all probability, cause discussion amongst your patrons and that is always good. There is no definite plot but rather a series of different glimpses into seances which are being held and … the tricks that have been employed to obtain the effect of spirit[s], etc., are explained. A novelty that should go well where ‘something different’ is desired. (FD, Sept. 9, 1923)

Director: John Joseph Harvey Writer: Cullum Holmes Ferrell Studio: Pathé Running time: 2 reels Land of Tut-Ankh-Amen, The (1923) In view of the current popularity of ‘King Tut’ and the finding of the ancient Egyptian ruler’s tomb and its great treasures, this latest Fox educational should prove a very appropriate choice for your program. The Fox cameramen have secured a variety of views of the adjoining country, with scenes of the well known ruins and finally presents shots of the uncovered tomb with others showing the workers employed by the Museum of Natural History. The recent publicity given the topic by newspapers should serve as good exploitation for this offering and it should be easy to get your folks interested. Tell them the reel contains actual pictures of the recently discovered tomb of the ancient Egyptian ruler. (FD, June 3, 1923)

Studio: Fox Running time: 1 reel Medium, The (1923) Nervy Ned and his faithful valet ‘borrow’ some small change from a newspaper stand and leave an I.O.U. to cover it. Incidentally, Nervy Ned picks up one of the papers and in the ‘want ads’ sees that a professor of the occult wants two men to take care of his studio. They secure the positions and are told to watch the place during the professor’s absence. The way they watch the studio is to assume the roles of the professor and assistant and undertake to give customers a view of their departed relatives. One of these customers happens to be Nervy Ned’s husky wife, whom he had deserted some time ago. She asks to see the spirit of her dear departed husband and when Nervy Ned appears in this role she makes a dive for him. Ned slips behind a screen and changes places with a dummy. The dummy receives the blows of his wrathful wife and is dragged out and through the streets. Then the place is raided by the cops and Ned and his valet are forced to take to their heels. Just as they are ready to drop from exhaustion, they see a flivver by the curb and drive off. Trouble develops and when Ned lights a match to see if it is with the engine, a flame shoots up, blackening half their faces. The cops and the crowd come up, but not recognizing them pass on. Nervy Ned says, ‘Spirits may

170 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

come and spirits may go. If it wasn’t for ‘Henry’s,’ this world would be slow. (UW, Mar. 24, 1923)

Starring: Neely Edwards Studio: Universal Running time: 1 reel Mr. Hyppo (1923) In this week’s release, Paul Parrott is seen as a hypnotist. His youthful assistant … tries her best to make the performance go over well, but in spite of their combined efforts, the audience is getting suspicious. A hypnotist ‘professor’ whom Paul owes for a course of lessons is seated in the audience and takes this chance to get even. The offering is a bit ahead of the usual run of this series, but depends chiefly on slapstick for humor. (FD, Jan. 21, 1923)

Starring: Paul Parrott, Eddie Baker, Helen Gilmore, Mark Jones, Marie Mosquini Director: George Jeske Studio: Hal Roach-Pathé Running time: 1 reel Mummy, The (1923) This is a thoroughly amusing comedy from start to finish. Clever gags, laughable situations, and fast action abound throughout. The incident at the opening centers about a ‘one lung’ auto of the 1906 vintage. How it completely demoralizes traffic and eventually brings its proud owner into the acquaintance of a beautiful heiress is entertainingly told. The funniest gags, however, are introduced in a dream episode which follows the ‘one lunger’s’ collision with a telegraph pole and the resultant k. o. of the owner. The heiress’ father is a collector of antiques and rare statuary. One of his prize possessions is an Egyptian mummy. When the hero overhears a plot to rob the mummy he sets about to defeat the burglars by swathing himself in mummy cloth and taking the mummy’s place in the coffin. The complications that follow are bound to get a laugh out of the hardest-boiled audience. When the hero hops out of a window into a calcimine trough in the street and then returns so completely whitewashed that he can escape attention by assuming poses alongside of the various marble figures, to the repeated embarrassment of the burglars, we predict your audience will laugh themselves hoarse. The titles for the most part are adequate in sustaining the humor of the action. (MPN, June 2, 1923) Where slaps-stick is still considered excellent entertainment and where roughand-tumble action can be depended upon to amuse, this Fox comedy will be enjoyed because there are some really funny situations contained in it, in spite of its far-fetched theme, which is, however, taken care by using that old stand-by, the dream ending. The owner of one of the oldest automobiles in existence, after many mix-ups, collides with a telegraph pole. He is knocked out and dreams that

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

171

a couple of thieves plan to steal an Egyptian mummy belonging to his sweetheart’s father. He takes the place of the real mummy and the resultant complications will bring a good many laughs. (FD, June 10, 1923) Whenever a comedy director runs low on ideas he makes a picture with the action taking place in a wax works or a museum. … Not much sense to it, and few laughs. (EH, May 12, 1923)

Director: Norman Taurog Studio: Fox Running time: 2 reels Nuisance, The (1923) The continuity is somewhat choppy, jumping from one sequence to another that is not related at times, but in the main the comedy should get over well. There is some funny business in a haunted house that has sliding panels and all sorts of trick apparatus that is worked by switches in the cellar. The hero has a bet that he cannot stay there overnight. A cat gets in the cellar and after experimenting with the switches finally manages to set fire to a can of dynamite and blows up the place. Earlier in the picture there is a sequence some may object to. A bowl of goldfish is overturned and its contents empty into Murray’s trousers. Incidentally, he is talking to the minister’s wife. Some of the fish slide out on the floor and the family cat jumps out and sticks its head inside the trousers, obviously after the fish. (FD, Feb. 4, 1923)

Starring: Charles Murray, Raymond McKee, Mary Anderson Director: Gregory La Cava Studio: C. C. Burr-Hodkinson Running time: 2 reels Pathé News, No. 3 (1923) FIRST AND EXCLUSIVE PICTURES OF FAMOUS EGYPTIAN TOMB JUST DISCOVERED — Pathé News presents first and exclusive pictures of the tomb rot King Tutankhamen recently discovered, which is a treasure house of enormous value and the greatest archaeological find ever made. (FD, Jan. 3, 1923)

Notes: This newsreel also featured other news stories. Studio: Pathé Running time: 1 reel Pathé Review, No. 13 (1923) A novelty is introduced in this issue of Pathé’s Review under the title From Nothing to-. This consists of complete pictures being evolved from chaotic masses. This particular ‘trick’ has not been seen before and is interesting to watch.

172 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Another interesting subject shows the mask and costumes by the ancient Alaskan and Northern Indians in driving away sea devils and bringing good luck to the fishermen. The colored bit is particularly beautiful, showing scenes in Normandy in blossom time. (FD, Mar. 25, 1923)

Studio: Pathé Running time: 1 reel Pathé News, No. 24 (1923) Notes: This newsreel features the story Move King Tut Treasures, as well as numerous other stories. Studio: Pathé Running time: 1 reel Sea of Dreams, The (1923) This Warren A. Newcombe short reel, with Hazel Lindsay as the featured player, is interesting in so far as it is a departure from the usual contained in films of this length. It is a ‘love fantasy’ and opens with a pair of lovers who have had the usual quarrel. The girl tells the boy of a strange dream she has had and the rest of the reel deals with this dream, really an allegorical tale wherein the maiden is carried off to the Castle of Deceit but is finally saved from the specter of Doubt by the Sword of True Love held in her lover’s hands. Some of the sets are in miniature and the switching from drawings to actual sets has not been done as smoothly as it might have been. This detracts to some extent from an otherwise attractive picture. (FD, June 10, 1923)

Starring: Hazel Lindsay Studio: Warren A. Newcombe-Educational Running time: 1 reel Shadows (1923) Once again the imp from the inkwell becomes involved, this time with the shadows of his own figure. The result is a completely different set of difficulties, chiefly the result of Fleischer’s making silhouettes of animals with his fingers. These animals annoy the imp and trouble him to such an extent that finally after being chased and crushed he becomes so bewildered that he is glad to jump back into the inkwell. Very laughable, very amusing. (FD, Dec. 2, 1923)

Studio: Max Fleischer—Out of the Inkwell Films Running time: 1 reel

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

173

Skeletons (1923) Walking along some country roads is a hazardous undertaking, a fact which Nervy Ned and his valet had brought to their attention very forcibly when a horse and carriage careened past them at the rate of about forty per. They just escaped by the skin of their teeth and, quite naturally followed the subsequent course of the vehicle as far as their eyes would permit. That, however, was far enough, for the carriage drove in through the gate of a magnificent estate and stopped. The next thing the two ‘companions of the road’ saw was a beautiful girl being carried, against her will, from the carriage. Being gentlemen, they immediately went to her assistance. By tying a rope to the axle of the carriage and also to the villain’s leg, and giving the horse a none too gentle hint that it was time to move on, they managed to get rid of the first obstacle in their path. The girl promptly fainted in Ned’s arms, and so with instructions to his valet to prepare the way, he carried her into the house. What was there to greet them was not revealed to them until they had selected suitable clothing from a convenient wardrobe. Then they met them, while searching for water to revive the girl. Five or six skeletons! Frightened, they ran and were chased. The skeletons stole the girl and chased our heroes some more. Chased them from room to room, until every room in the house had been covered. Then papa arrives with the police and the ‘skeletons’ are captured. The girl relates the bravery of her hero to papa, who offers [a] monetary reward. Ned refuses, much to the disgust of his hungry valet, being satisfied with the beautiful smile the girl gave him. Nervy Ned says, ‘Live in a box car and you’ll have no family skeletons.’ (UW, Mar. 17, 1923)

Starring: Neeley Edwards, Bert Roach Director: William H. Watson Studio: Universal Running time: 1 reel Spooks (1923) Henry Cat is seen to have mediumistic tendencies and learns how to call departed spirits to him at will. The cartoon is genuinely humorous as are the large majority of this series. Farmer Al Falfa desires to go to the spirit world to recover some money loaned to a departed friend. Henry Cat hits him on the head and he dreams a weird experience in a heaven where the ‘spirits’ hold mass meetings and ride through the air in sail-­boats, all of which is made plausible by the dream ending. (FD, May 27, 1923)

Notes: Animated cartoon, which was also known as Fable of Spooks. Director: Paul Terry Studio: Aesop’s Fable-Pathé Running time: 1 reel

174 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Spooks & Spirits (1923) Plot: A groom, his bride, and another man become involved with ghosts. Starring: Monty Banks, Ruth Holly, Harry Lamont, Ben F. Wilson, Garry O’Dell Producer: Ben Wilson Studio: Ben Wilson Productions Running time: 2 reels Spooky Romance, A (1923) Jack makes part of the trip to his sweetheart’s home in his collapsible boat and then starts out in his ‘car’ to finish it up. After upsetting many persons and many things, he sees that a bunch of flivvers are on his trail and so he gives them a merry chase for several miles. He is finally caught and handed about a dozen summons. By promising to return each one with a five-dollar bill he is allowed to go. He finds that a steam roller has reduced his car to a bundle of splinters. In the meantime his rival is calling on his sweetheart. They have conspired against Jack and intend to frighten him so badly that he will never come near the house again. Jack arrives and the girl offers him a seat. The chair collapses and when he jumps up the chair follows him. After this he is very careful, but enough tricks have been arranged to get him, anyway. A stuffed fish shoots water all over him. An armored knight blows powder in his face and follows him with menacing gestures around the room. A bear skin rug flies around the room. Hands appear from queer places. A huge skeleton follows him and puts its boney fingers on his shoulder. He rushes from one room to the other, but everywhere the spooks follow him. When at last one of the tricks explodes right next to the girl’s father and the whole room is wrecked, Jack is blamed for the whole business and given the ‘air.’ (UW, Feb. 17, 1923)

Starring: Jack Cooper (not to be confused with Jackie Cooper, a child actor of the 1930s) Running time: 2 reels Studio: Century-Universal Tense Moments from Famous Plays and Great Artists (1923) Weiss Brothers are releasing for the State Right[s] market a series of one reel dramas which give, as the main title indicates, the ‘tense moments’ from famous classics. If one keeps in mind the fact that some of the tense moments are being brought out and at the same time, a sketch of the whole theme given in one short reel, many of the shortcomings may be understood. It is naturally difficult to give the plot and at the same time preserve the beauty and dignity of the classic being filmed, in one reel. However, the result obtained is extremely interesting and where the feature picture being used is a comedy, one of these tabloid dramas may prove a welcome addition to the program. The four reels reviewed are The Hunchback of Notre Dame, David Garrick, The Merchant of Venice, and East Lynne, all of which have been made in England and reconstructed and edited by Charles Gaskill and George Merrick.

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

175

The photography throughout is clear and the lighting good. The pictures have not been given very costly production, but the sets are in keeping with the stories and at times artistic. Naturally, in the Shakespearian dramas almost all the beauty of line is lost, the well-known speeches being necessarily cut to subtitle length. (FD, Apr. 8, 1923)

Studio: Art Class Running time: 1 reel Tut! Tut! King (1923) Plot: Ned and his valet hide inside mummy cases in a museum to escape an irate mob. Believing Ned and the valet are mummies, scientists try to bring them back to life.

Fig. 13  Bert Roach (left) and Neely Edwards, Tut! Tut! King (1923)

176 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Notes: Sometimes this film’s title was rendered as Tut Tut King. Its original title was Oh Mummy. Starring: Neely Edwards (Nervy Ned), Bert Roach (Ned’s Valet) Studio: Universal Running time: 1 reel Under the White Robe (1923) Nervy Ned, chased by cops, flees into a fancy dress ball, where he causes a sensation for his supposed make-up as a tramp. Driven from the ball by the cops’ arrival, he jumps into a waiting automobile and is carried to a haunted house by a young girl eager to elope with her fiance. The rival for the girl’s hand arrives, ties up the minister, and scares Ned, the girl and [African-American] chauffeur by rigging up some spook fakes. The girl’s lover arrives and is being married when the lights are put out, and Ned is substituted for the groom. The girl later divorces Ned and returns to her true love whom she marries. (UW, Dec. 22, 1923)

Starring: Neely Edwards Director: William Watson Studio: Universal Running time: 1 reel

1924 Black Magic (1924) There is the usual chase and Friend Mouse eludes and annoys pursuit by calling upon his knowledge of magic, performing wondrous stunts. The drawing is excellent; all of the facial expressions become enormously funny, and the artist’s imagination again runs riot in a way that will delight all. (MPW, Oct. 18, 1924)

Notes: Animated cartoon in the “Aesop’s Film Fables” series. Studio: Pathé Running time: 1 reel Cave Man, The (1924) Col. Heeza Liar goes through an adventure in the prehistoric age in this Bray cartoon. The artist is learning how to make love by reading a book. The little cartoon tells him to practice on the gum-chewing stenographer. He does, but without good results. Then the cartoon tells him to use caveman tactics and goes through the caveman adventure for him. There are several laughs in this, and the finish is novel and amusing also. (FD, Aug. 10. 1924)

Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: Colonel Heeza Liar

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

177

Studio: Bray-Selznick Running time: 2 reels Dinky Doogle and the Magic Lamp (1924) This series of combination cartoon and real photography is the sort of material that can be used to good advantage on almost any program. It’s fine for the kiddies and the grown folks will like it as well. (FD, Oct. 19, 1924)

Plot: Dinky Doodle, the little cartoon boy, and his dog sidekick Weakheart, go through the same adventures that befell Aladdin only with slightly different results. They step into an “Aladdin” storybook and meet One Lung Sam, who wants Aladdin to bring him a valuable magic lamp. The action, while not hilariously funny, is pleasing to watch and entertaining. Notes: Animated cartoon with live-action sequences; Also known as The Magic Lamp, this is the first of what became a series of twenty-three Dinky Doodle cartoons, created by Lantz for Bray Studios, combining live action and cel animation. Starring: Dinky Doodle, Walter Lantz Studio: J. R. Bray-F.B.O. Running time: 1 reel Down in Jungle Town (1924) Except for the fact that there are several animals who show some intelligence and do what they’re told, there isn’t much to this one reeler that stars Joe Martin, the monkey but the kiddies in your audiences will no doubt find it amusing. A bear that eats everything in sight is one of the attractions, as is a trained elephant and a lion whose untimely appearance sends a lot of folks into a lake for safety. The direction is good, but as a whole its only mildly amusing. (FD, Feb. 3, 1924)

Notes: This film is the last featuring real-life ape Joe Martin. Studio: Universal Running time: 1 reel Feet of Mud (1924) Plot: “The Boy” becomes a streetcleaner and comically finds himself in the middle of a Tong War in Chinatown, where he is beset by villains and secret panels. Starring: Harry Langdon (“The Boy”), Natalie Kingston (“The Girl”) Studio: Mack Sennett-Pathé Running time: 2 reels

178 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

First 100 Years, The (1924) The whole thing is rather a hodge-podge of about everything. From this standpoint it is certainly an innovation. (MPW, Aug. 16, 1924) The fine hand of Mack Sennett and Harry Langdon’s penchant for making two laughs grow where only one grew before put this two-reeler on a plane with the finest of comedy films. (FD, Aug. 10, 1924)

Plot: A “Newly-Wed” wrongly believes the first cook he hires has hit him with an axe, with his “blood” being ketchup. His second cook reads his fortune on a dark, stormy night. A mysterious bearded person dressed in black lurks about the house, cuts off the electricity, and appears ghostly under a sheet. Starring: Harry Langdon (A Newly-Wed), Alice Day (His Wife), Frank Coleman (His Friend), Louise Carver (His First Cook), Madeline Hurlock (His Second Cook)

Fig. 14  Newlyweds Harry Langdon and Alice Day tussle with a houseful of creepy people in The First 100 Years (1924). (Courtesy Heritage Auctions)

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

179

Director: Harry Sweet Studio: Mack Sennett Running time: 2 reels Fold Up (1924) A brand-new idea in apartment houses causes much of the laughter in this Cameo Comedy. To give the tenants more room in the tiny apartments, the furniture is so arranged that by touching a button all of it slides into compartments built in the walls and completely hidden. The owner’s country cousins arrive from the wilds of Iowa and much of the action cousins and most of the action consists in showing the ways in which they are frightened, tricked and maddened by the disappearing furniture. A thoroughly amusing comedy. (FD, Apr. 13, 1924)

Producer: Jack White Director: Albert Ray Studio: Cameo-Educational Running time: 1 reel Fox News, No. 60 (1924) Plot: Among other stories, this newsreel featured a segment entitled Test Hindu Magic with Slow Motion Camera. Studio: Fox Running time: 1 reel Frogland (1924) Russian refugees in Paris, known as the Russian Art Society, have made one of the most interesting novelties to come to the screen. It is claimed that it took nearly two years to complete this short subject and it can readily be believed upon viewing the offering. It consists of the genuinely artistic miniatures of frogs with a highly imaginative background representing the frogs’ domain at the bottom of a pond. The lighting, the movements of the carefully constructed frogs and the colorful settings are indeed extraordinary. Besides the wonderful construction work there is a little story connected. It seems that the frogs, discontented with their king, appeal to Jupiter, a rotund little fellow who sits up in the clouds and throws down lightning when the frogs’ discontent annoys him. Finally Jupiter elects the stork as King of the frogs and then matters in frogland become worse for the stork eats all the disgruntled inhabitants of his kingdom. The novelty, like Aesop’s fables, offers a moral: ‘Let well enough alone.’ This is one of the best novelty numbers and well worth a place on your program. It’s amusing and interesting. (FD, Feb. 24, 1924)

Studio: Fox Running time: 1 and 1/2 reels

180 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Harem Follies (1924) Bert is making love to the beautiful queen of the harem when a dashing sheik enters and draws his sword. The sheik tells him his technique is bad. Both step up to the fair one. Bert seizes her head, the sheik her feet. She proves to be a dummy. Each gives his section of the dummy to a big black slave, and Bert takes the throne, ordering a dancer do her stuff. Meanwhile, a fair lady is discovered on each of six columns. Each does her shaking which upsets Bert. The dancer arrives and after a number of mean shakings, kisses him. He dashes off his throne and bathes his head to keep from burning up. The dancer then does her stuff on a small platform which is held by two big black warriors. During this session he is smoking his (hookah) oriental pipe with the sheik. Both become wuzzy, and Bert orders the dancer to beat it. He ambles languidly off his throne, the sheik doing the same thing, and both fall lightly on the floor, finding themselves on the fender of a street car. They hook their feet to an auto and are dragged around until the machine backs to the edge of a cliff. They fall and have a small boy play a trick on them. A cop then chases Bert. Later he is knocked over by a machine driven by an heiress. She takes them home. Her father is a spooky inventor and they have side-splitting, hair-raising experiences. (UW, Nov. 29, 1924)

Starring: Bert Roach, Yvonne Howell Writer and Director: Edward I. Luddy Studio: Universal Running time: 2 reels Haunted Hills (1924) Some of the most unusual shots, both pictorially and from the point of subject matter, that have ever been screened are included in this Bruce Wilderness Tale. In addition the story, which is woven into it, is different ad [sic] interesting though inclined to be a bit too morbid, especially at the finish. It deals with the efforts of a peaceful old man to get back his store of supplies that have been stolen from him by a man who uses the hills as a place of refuge. Unable to best the man by physical blows, the old man ‘haunts’ him on his march through the sandy canyons and beautiful hills–that is, he follows him and plays constantly upon his nerves by throwing stones down the mountains, disarranging his pack when he isn’t looking, until finally his nerves give way entirely and he falls terrified down the Sand Creek Canyon. (FD, Feb. 24, 1924)

Starring: Jim Bemis Studio: Bruce-Educational Running time: 1 reel

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

181

His New Mamma (1924) Plot: Harry’s elderly dad (Andy Clyde) proposes to a young gold digger, who makes obvious plays for Harry. Eager to put an end to that kind of mischief, Dad orders that he and Harry sleep in the same room. During a later trip to the beach, Harry runs into the gold digger—who is in the arms of another man. Includes a mild horror sequence in which Harry, tiptoeing downstairs on a stormy Christmas Eve to re-hang his stocking, is followed around the room by a frowny-face balloon that attaches itself to Harry’s nightshirt.

Fig. 15  A spooky house followed by beach romance: Harry Langdon (from left), Madeline Hurlock, and Alice Day in His New Mamma (1924). (Courtesy Heritage Auctions)

182 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Starring: Harry Langdon, Alice Day, Andy Clyde, Madeline Hurlock, the Mack Sennett Bathing Beauties Director: Roy Del Ruth Studio: Mack Sennett-Pathé Running time: 2 reels Hit Him Hard (1924) When Margy’s father decides that the best man at the manly art of self defense shall have his daughter, it looks as though big Jack Earle will have a decided advantage over little Harry McCoy. In fact, Jack does flatten Harry. While under the influence of Morpheus Harry dreams he is living in a prehistoric age and that it is only necessary to touch Jack on the chin to render him useless. A return bout is arranged and Harry’s dream comes true. There is a lot of fair comedy in this one and a lot that is not so fair. (MPN, Apr. 5, 1924) Jack Earle and Harry McCoy furnish the fun in this one. The action is in the prize ring and is fast. Part of the picture reverts to the stone-age where clubs are used to great advantage. Stone-age taxis and baby carriages are shown along the ‘Main Street’ and the prehistoric method of bootlegging is interestingly told. It is a good comedy. (ETR, Apr. 5, 1924)

Starring: Jack Earle and Harry McCoy Studio: Century-Universal Running time: 2 reels If Matches Struck (1924) Perhaps the idea can stand consideration. Just what would happen if all the matches in the world went on strike? It offers a good idea for a novelty picture at any rate. In this fantasy a mechanical lighting apparatus causes jealousy among the matches and they decide to strike. The apparatus is put out of commission and then the smoker resorts to the old reliable match, only find that the boxes are empty. After vigorously declaring their disapproval of lighting machines, the matches return to their respective boxes and are willing to be ‘struck.’ An amusing and interesting novelty number. (FD, Apr. 12, 1924)

Writer and Director: Gaston Quiribet Studio: Red Seal Running time: 1 reel

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

183

Luna-Cy (1924) Luna-Cy is another of the ‘third dimension films’ wherein the picture, viewed through a red and green lens simultaneously, takes on the appearance of reality and moving objects appear to come right off the screen and jump at you. The subject matter in this one is particularly appropriate. It includes the various thrill providers found in amusement parks. Probably the ride on a roller coaster will have the same tendency upon the spectator as an actual ride in one of these speed cars. There are some good ‘scares’ and they must be genuine. The Rivoli audience was in an uproar and applauded heartily when it was over. The thrills seemed to be thoroughly enjoyed. First rate novelty. (FD, Apr. 12, 1924)

Notes: Some contemporary sources referred to this film as Luna-cy, without the upper case “C.” Luna-Cy is one of four “Stereoscopik” releases; the others (all from 1925) are Ouch!, A Runaway Taxi, and Zowie. The 3-D effects are single-strip anaglyphic. Silent with synchronized music via Lee De Forest’s “Phonofilm” sound-on-film (as opposed to sound on disc) system. Director: Frederick Eugene Ives and Jacob F. Levanthal Studio: Ives-Leventhal “Stereoscopik” Running time: 1 reel Man Who Would Not Die, The (1924) This is the first of Pathé’s new ‘Indian Frontier’ series based on the actual experiences of living Indian chiefs. They are authenticated by the signature of the chief who plays the principal role, and this lends additional interest. In this instance the action centers around a young Indian who, when a white man tries to steal his sweetheart, unflinchingly faces revolver fire and still escapes death although each of the six shots strike him. This is a dramatic situation effectively handled, and there is much in the picture that resembles the portrayal of an Indian legend. It is an out of the ordinary offering that should appeal to the average patron because of its novelty and the background of truth. (MPW, Feb. 2, 1924)

Starring: Ed Brady, Hedda Nova Director: Paul Hurst Studio: Pathé Running time: 1 reel

184 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Nerve Tonic (1924) Nerve Tonic, in addition to containing some of the best Christie laughs, has a motto. It brings out the point that all cases of nervousness are not overcome by the afflicted one reposing in bed. Jimmie Adams as a nervous wreck and under doctor’s orders to get plenty of rest, under the penalty of losing all right to the physician’s daughter as his prospective wife, makes a stock exchange out of his bedroom while his medical overseer is away. Making a bed out of his desk and a gold fish pond out of the ticket machine are a few of the novel stunts brought into play in this Christie two-reeler. The doctor’s assistant is the rival for the girl’s hand. The doctor finally turns Jimmie over to this assistant. A freak house, such as is found at some of the bigger bathing beaches, is where Jimmie undergoes the new system for cure. Lots of good slam bang stuff is then introduced in which Adams has to go through all kinds of strenuous antics. Incidentally, the assistant gets the worst of the deal and winds up as Adams’ best man. This is a comedy that will satisfy any type of audience. (MPW, May 17, 1924) Remember the old sliding panel-trap-door-hidden-passage serial? Harold Beaudine, the director of this Christie Comedy starring Jimmie Adams, has got all the old stuff and some new in this. And what’s more, it’s funny. It goes at such high speed that it’s all you can do to keep up with it. Of course, you know there’s a catch to it all-and it comes out at the finish when you find that the mysterious house is an amusement park device that a doctor has rented to cure a nervous patient. (FD, May 11, 1924)

Starring: Jimmie Adams, Jay Belasco, Marie Astaire Director: Harold Beaudine Writer: Walter Graham Studio: Christie-Educational Running time: 2 reels Pathe News, No. 20 (1924) Notes: Among other stories, this newsreel includes a segment entitled Egypt Directs King Tut Excavations. Studio: Pathe Running time: 1 reel Pathe News, No. 34 (1924) Notes: Among other stories, this newsreel includes a segment entitled King Tut Discoverer Home. Studio: Pathe Running time: 1 reel

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

185

Powerful Eye, The (1924) This stars Pete Morrison but differs from the average run of westerns in that there is no sign of the usual cattle or horse thief. Pete is, of course, a cowboy. A hypnotist comes to town, and gives a performance. This is quite funny, giving flashes of the audience members of which are called upon the stage and become hypnotized. After the show Pete buys a book which give instructions in hypnotism. He practices on a donkey–but fails to get results. He then practices on the boys and they kid him into believing he has put them to sleep. Next he tries to hypnotize his rival and gets into a fight but wins the girl when he is knocked out. The scene in which the boys go to sleep, presumably hypnotized should have a title explaining to the audience that they are merely fooling. Otherwise, this is quite amusing. (FD, May 25, 1924)

Starring: Pete Morrison Studio: Universal Running time: 2 reels Prehistoric Man (1924) This is the best of the Hysterical History comedies seen to date. It deals with life in the caveman era and, in particular, with the doings of the help in a primitive barbershop. Both barbers love the manicurist, but one drags her away with him. The other consults a fortuneteller who shows him how he will act in another life and brings the action up-to-date fading back to the finish to the original caveman status. The titles in this are particularly worthy of commendation. (FD, Sept. 14, 1924) A Primitive barber shop has two barbers, Fearnot Flinthatchet and Faintheart Lovejoy, the old proprietor, and his manicurist daughter, Cutie Cuticle, who uses a grindstone for a nail file. Faintheart appeals to Cutie, but Fearnot was bolder and carried her kicking to his cave. Faintheart consults Ala Gazem, a bewhiskered magician who looks into the future and shows Faintheart how, in civilized society, he would battle for the same lady against the same bold bozo, and win. When he comes out of the revery [sic] he hops in on Feamot’s cave, where the lattle [sic] is entertaining the lady in question. Faintheart takes a huge club and bounces it off Feamot’s dome repeatedly without making any impression. Then Fearnot arises, takes his trusty bludgeon and taps Faintheart but once. The latter keels over, and Feamot resumes his seat with total indifference. (UW, Jan. 3, 1925)

Starring: Otto Fries Director: Bryan Foy Writer: Monte Brice Studio: Universal Running time: 1 reel

186 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Rough and Ready (1924) There is enough material in this Jack White to have almost made two pictures. At any rate, it’s sure-fire stuff. The first laugh-getting sequences are those showing Lige Conley manage his truck which has been thrown after him out of his boarding house. Several things happen to Lige and his trunk. Then the sequences at an automobile school where he gets a job as an instructor are funny-they include several wrecks for those who enjoy them-and last but not least, there are the scenes in the sliding-panel-trap-door house where he goes to rescue his girl. These are the best in the film. The gags used are not particularly new, but are the sort that are always good for a laugh, and have been handled in a fast-and-snappy manner. (FD, Sept. 7, 1924)

Starring: Lige Conley Director: Norman Taurog Studio: Jack White Educational Running time: 2 reels Royal Pair, A (1924) Fantastic hokum, a royal princess who is kidnapped by a band of Turkish brigands and held in a cave made of paper-mache rocks until she is captured by two brave detectives dressed like African explorers and [an African-American] valet who frightened to death by a man in a monkey’s suit provide this comedy with a decidedly ‘different’ atmosphere. It’s quite amusing and although rather silly may please the average audience. There is plenty of the clutching-hand, trap-door stuff for those who enjoy it. (FD, June 23, 1924)

Starring: Al Alt, Hilliard Karr Director: Noel Mason Smith Studio: Universal Running time: 2 reels

Scared Stiff (1924) Two college boys vie with each other to make the most trouble in college. They have a large push-ball, larger than the average-sized man, which they push around town, breaking everything in their path. They finally land in the principal’s office, where they are reprimanded and expelled from college. Disconsolate, they enter a cabaret, where they get into a lot of trouble on account of an impudent clam-shell. The clam-shell bounces from Al Alt’s plate, skips along the floor and lands down a lady’s back. After he rescues it, it decides to pinch a lady’s leg. This is too much for the proprietor and he throws them out. Sitting on the curbstone, they hear cries for help and discover a charming little lady in deep distress. They find out what the trouble is and learn that her relatives are trying to scare her out of the house which she has inherited from her grandfather. They decide to help her. Many ghostly and ghastly things happen to scare

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

187

the boys away, but they stick and win the home for the little lady. (UW, July 19, 1924) There is considerable in this comedy to amuse the average patron, although the haunted house idea is by no means original. Nevertheless, these scenes, as well as the pushball business, will get a number of laughs. There is plenty of action and slapstick, and altogether it is one of the best of the recent Century comedies distributed by Universal. (MPW, Sept. 6, 1924)

Starring: Al Alt, Harry Murdock Director: Archie L. Mayo Studio: Century-Universal Running time: 2 reels Seein’ Things (1924) Plot: Made to feel unwelcome at the gang’s outdoor barbecue, toddler Farina gorges on chicken and ice cream that falls from a truck—and then suffers disturbing nightmares. As Farina dreams, workmen’s dynamite propels him through the air and onto a sill of a tall building. He scoots up the façade like

Fig. 16  The Our Gang kids try to coax Farina (far right) from certain death in Seein’ Things (1924). (Courtesy Heritage Auctions)

188 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

a human fly, but then falls to the sidewalk, flat as a pancake. In the short’s most overt horror scene, Farina gapes at Mickey and the rest of the gang, now taller than houses (an effect achieved with miniature houses and a miniature city street), and eager to chase him. Farina dives from a bridge to escape, and is promptly pursued by a swordfish. Note: Although dialogue expressed in H. M. Walker’s titles refer to Farina as “her,” the toddler takes the male role during a romantic dream interlude involving another small child (Dorothy Morrison, sister of Our Gang regular Ernie Morrison). For syndicated television release some thirty years later, Seein’ Things was retitled A Crazy Dream. Starring: Our Gang (Allen “Farina” Hoskins, Mickey Daniels, Jackie Condon, Joe Cobb, Mary Kornman, Ernie Morrison) Producer: Hal Roach Director: Robert F. McGowan Writer: H. M. Walker (titles) Studio: Hal Roach Running time: 22:34 Stitch in Time, A (1924) Max Fleischer’s imp of the inkwell tries a new stunt this time. The artist sews him together instead of drawing him, as usual. The imp grabs the needle and the artist his pen and they have a duel. Finally sliding off the paper the little imp gets the spool of cord and ties up everything in the artist’s home, much to the amusement of the audience. Cats, puppies, pictures, chairs, all are tied with cord, which is finally untangled by the artist and the imp put safely back in the inkbottle. There is the usual deft handling of actual photography and cartoon work seen in the Fleischer offerings. The audience at the Rialto liked this lot. (FD, May 11, 1924)

Notes: Animated cartoon. Also known as Ko-Ko Needles the Boss. Starring: Ko-Ko the Clown Director: Dave Fleischer Studio: Max Fleischer-Red Seal Running time: 1 reel That’s the Spirit (1924) Spooks, spirits, and a spirit-photograph ‘bug’ form the basis of this very active one-reeler, in which the comic antics of Bert Roach are considerably augmented by [an African-American] boy whose tumbling ability seems to have no limits. Alice, the spirit-bug, is intent on getting photographs of spirits in the dead of night, and what happens is a regular typhoon of calamities to her husband. Skeletons, flying chickens with human skulls and a thieving intruder become mixed up in a hodge-podge of difficulties, all of which furnish a variety of laughs and entertainment. (FD, Sept. 7, 1924)

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

189

This Universal comedy in the series starring Bert Roach as a butler depends for its humor on spook stuff and the situations are similar to those used in other comedies of this type of which there has been quite a number this season. Bert’s mistress, Alice Howell, attempts to photograph ‘spirits’ and meets with much success as it happens that [an African-American] chicken thief and a scientist after evidence have both invaded the house. The scientist to save himself arranges to scare the others; the [African-American] gets mixed up in a sheet, one of his chickens gets a skull over its head and flies around and there is general excitement. It is up to the average of comedies of this type and should afford much amusement to Bert Roach fans and those who revel in humor based on ‘spook’ stuff. (MPW, Sept. 13, 1924) Mrs. Green is intensely interested in spiritualism and uses her husband and the butler to try her experiments. While they are making an attempt to learn whether or not the spirits will be in accord with them, a storm, a crooked scientist and [an African-American] man with an uncontrollable appetite for chicken, make things move pretty lively for them. The [African-American], in trying to escape the clutches of the law, dives in the house with his load of white leghorns, and the scientist, in an effort to get away with some valuable specimens, also gets mixed up in the domestic affairs of the Greens. Mrs. Green tries to get some photographs of the spirits, which she believes are roaming around the house, and many mix-ups occur before the cops arrive and pinch both the chicken crook and the scientist. (UW, Sept. 27, 1924)

Starring: Bert Roach, Alice Howell Director: William H. Watson Studio: Universal Running time: 1 reel There He Goes (1924) Jack White has several new ideas in this Mermaid comedy which has its locale in the old South where hospitality and horse-racing are the principal occupations. The first half deals with the hospitality and the second half with the horse-racing. Both are funny. Some sort of a Halloween party is taking place at the Colonel’s home. His daughter, Dixie Belle, has invited a variety of guests among them being a golf fan. There are the usual comedy stunts but, in addition, there are a flock of hop toads which get into all sorts of mischief, jump in the punch, get covered with popcorn and raise a disturbance. They will amuse any audience. In the horse-racing sequences many stunts strange to the usual race have been incorporated. The hero’s sulky is wrecked but the unconquerable man rides on the horse’s tail. Should have no difficulty is pleasing any type audience. (FD, Apr. 20, 1924)

Starring: Lige Conley, Otto Fries, Lillian Hackett, Jack Lloyd, Peg O’Neal, Sunshine Hart Producer: Jack White

190 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Director: Norman Taurog Studio: Mermaid-Educational Running time: 2 reels Trailing Trouble (1924) A good deal of stuff is included in this one that doesn’t mean much but will get laughs from the average audience. Buddy Messinger is a would-be detective studying under Sherlock Holmes, who, in this case, has a young daughter and a designing sister who plans to get his home away from him. There is much trick stuff–electric wires and finally for no apparent reason a man in a monkey-skin and a frightened [African-American] butler enter into the action. This has been done times without number, but it’s always good for a few snickers. (FD, May 4, 1924)

Starring: Buddy Messinger, Martha Sleeper Writer and Director: Al Herman Studio: Century-Universal Running time: 2 reels Trip to Mars (1924) Max Fleischer continues to inject originality and novelty into his cartoon numbers. His latest, A Trip to Mars, on the Rivoli program last week, is a clever and amusing number that shows the cartoonist at his best and with his pen clown performing a series of comedy tricks that will amuse and entertain any audience. The clown is sent, via a sky-rocket, to Mars where Fleischer installs all sorts of grotesque, imaginary beings. The artist appears in his film as usual and makes a flying trip to Mars himself through means of trick photography. This is an A1 cartoon number, a good novelty and quite amusing. (FD, Apr. 13, 1924)

Notes: In this animated cartoon combined with live-action footage, the clown encounters Martians. The onscreen title is simply Trip to Mars, without the use of the article A or The. Director: Dave Fleischer Studio: Max Fleischer-Red Seal Running time: 1 reel What a Night (1924) Lige Conley is the featured player in this Mermaid Comedy, in which the action concerns itself with his efforts to get into his own room in his father’s house without disturbing the family, after staying out until the wee sma’ hours of the morning. Needless to say, he wakes everybody in the house time and again and scares himself to death besides. There is a good deal of rough and tumble stuff, but it’s well done and for a reason. The sequence showing the boys putting the horse in the cab and pulling him around because he is tired will undoubtedly be good for a laugh, although it is rather obvious that the horse has been faked. (FD, Nov. 2, 1924)

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

191

Starring: Lige Conley, Otto Fries, Louise Carver, Clem Beauchamp, Phil Dunham, Al Thompson, Jack Lloyd, Bert Young Producer: Jack White Director: Norman Taurog Studio: Mermaid-Educational Running time: 2 reels What an Eye (1924) Buddy Messinger and a hard-working cast makes this two-reel comedy sum up as good entertainment. Buddy is an office boy on The Morning Groan. His brother is a reporter and his fiancée is a stenographer. A ‘man-sized’ assignment is given the staff by the editor which consists of getting the dope on a haunted house in which a mysterious eye is terrorizing the neighborhood. Buddy puts on long trousers and goes after the story. After much excitement during which Buddy, his brother and the girl chase each other around the house and are in turn chased by the ‘eye.’ Buddy finds that the ‘eye’ is a doctor who treats nervous patients and gets his trade by first making them nervous. He dashes back to the office with the story but gives the credit to his brother and his girl. (FD, Apr. 12, 1924)

Starring: Buddy Messinger Writer and Director: Edward Luddy Studio: Century-Universal Running time: 2 reels

1925 As You Like It (1925) This is a decidedly novel offering. It presents the question of just what kind of an ending audiences prefer on a picture, whether they want a happy one or like a tragic ending. Ives-Leventhal, through the use of colored glasses, attempts to surmount this difficulty by presenting both endings at the same time. You look through one glass and you see the hero rescue his wife from the villain’s clutches. Look through the other and you see the hero handing the villain a neat wad to carry his wife off with him. In a way you can suit your own taste and take the ending you prefer. This is a good comedy and fine novelty number that should very well on any program. At the Rivoli it was splendidly handled by having a man shouting through a megaphone the noises that might come from a gallery crowd who make audible approval or disapproval of the picture. (FD, Oct. 25, 1925)

Notes: Some modern sources name this film as As You Like It (Not Shakespeare) or As You Like It: Not Shakespeare, but those may be additions made by period reviewers, rather than a formal part of the title. Studio: Ives-Leventhal Running time: 1 reel

192 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Babes in the Woods (1925) Cartoons combined with the appearance of the cartoonist, similar to the Inkwell numbers of Max Fleischer, are gaining in popularity. Babes in the Woods has two amusing characters who steal away from the confines of the artist’s room and go skylarking in the woods. They bring in the old fairy tale yarn about an old witch who enticed little children into her hut, fattened them and ate them. The cartoon babes ... save their hide which makes for some fairly good amusement. Good cartoon number will amuse. (FD, Sept. 20, 1925)

Notes: Animated cartoon and live action Starring: Walter Lantz (live action) Director: Walter Lantz Studio: Dinky-Doodle Comedy-F.B.O. Running time: 1 reel Beware (1925) They’ve changed the scene of this Jack White comedy to Switzerland and an ancient Swiss inn, but they’ve managed to bring in the scared [African-­American] servant and plenty of skeletons and sheets, trap doors and even a live tiger to add to the scaring process. Nearly everyone in the comedy gets frightened, falls down trap doors and through walls. (FD, July 26, 1925)

Starring: Lige Conley Director: Stephen Roberts Studio: Mermaid-Educational Running time: 2 reels Buster’s Nightmare (1925) First, Buster throws baseballs at Tige, whose head is sticking through a hole in a sheet; the butler investigates and gets a crack on the head meant for Tige. Buster hides in a trunk and his brother bores a hole through the trunk and pulls off Buster’s pants. Mary Jane comes and the children are left alone. They start to make bread and mess up the kitchen. Tige gets locked in the refrigerator and freezes solid then thaws out in the stove and afterwards gets his feet covered with dough. The parrot gets caught in a sheet and the kids think it is a ghost; a lot of funny things happen, including strange animals that pass across the walls. After turning over and breaking furniture and vases and becoming thoroughly scared the children are glad to see Buster’s mother return. These two reels are filled with stunts, gags, and fast-moving comedy that is sure to please both young and old and should prove a welcome distraction in all classes of theaters. (MPW, Dec. 26, 1925)

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

193

Starring: Arthur Trimble (Buster), Pete the dog (Tige) Director: Gus Meins Studio: Universal Running time: 2 reels Dr. Pyckle and Mr. Pride (1925) The latest Stan Laurel is a burlesque on Stevenson’s ‘Dr. Jekyll.’ It has been extremely well-produced, but the story is not one that lends itself particularly to comedy, although Laurel does fine work. The story has been followed closely and the transformation from Jekyll to Hyde will send a shiver of recollection through anyone who has seen the original. The sequences in which ‘Pride’ roams the streets and wreaks his evil deed are the funniest of the picture. The deeds are most unexpected, such as stealing a child’s ice cream, tripping up a policeman, bursting a bag over a lady’s head etc., and cause ‘Pride’ to jump with glee. Laurel’s work in these scenes is excellent. (FD, July 26, 1925)

Notes: Some modern sources refer to this film as Dr. Pyckle and Mr. Pryde, but the onscreen title does spell the final name as “Pride.” Starring: Stan Laurel Studio: F.B.O.-Pathé Running time: 2 reels Fox News, No. 18 (1925) Notes: Among other stories, this newsreel features the story Inner Chamber of King Tut’s Tomb Entered. Studio: Fox Running time: 1 reel Going Great (1925) Once again we have the college fraternity initiation, but this time the members are so anxious to use their tricks that they try them out on the [African-American] janitor and a poor young lad who is working his way through college as a tailor. There is the usual excitement with the coon being scared with ghosts and skeletons, etc. The second half of the film shows the young tailor winning all the field day events, not because he wants to but because he is still running away from an angry customer. There are quite a few laughs in this one. (FD, June 7, 1925)

Starring: Eddie Nelson Director: Norman Taurog Studio: Mermaid-Educational Running time: 2 reels

194 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Good Spirits (1925) Notes: This short subject features a séance scene. Starring: Walter Hiers, Duane Thompson Director: Archie Mayo Studio: Christie-Educational Running time: 15 minutes Grief in Bagdad (1925) Grief in Bagdad partly burlesques a well known feature in which Bagdad is the locale. … A harem, a mysterious rope, a pie-eating native, much sword play and much gambling about in a marble swimming pool, comprise the action which is all of the familiar and entertaining type. (MPW, May 9, 1925)

Starring: Earl Mohan, Billy Engle, Dolores Johnston Director: Ross Lederman Studio: Hal Roach-Pathé Running time: 1 reel Haunted Honeymoon, The (1925) It details a wedding gone wrong by reason of the substitution of a dog license for the marriage certificate, and the occupation by the bride and groom of a haunted house. Various incidents lead them to believe there really are ghosts around them, especially when their parents and the clergymen enter the house to correct the certificate mix-up. This comedy is of average appeal, possessing some very amusing moments and some familiar gags. (MPW, Feb. 28, 1925) There are many quite amusing gags, some new, some old, that have been worked into the story of the bride and groom who get caught in a storm and take shelter in a vacant house. (FD, Feb. 22, 1925)

Starring: Blanche Mehaffey, Glenn Tryon, James Finlayson, Yorke Sherwood, George Rowe, Helen Gilmore, Jules Mendel Producer: Hal Roach Director: Fred Guiol, Ted Wilde Studio: Pathé Running time: 2 reels

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

195

Fig. 17  Bumpy romance in The Haunted Honeymoon (1925). (Courtesy Heritage Auctions)

Haunted House (1925) This issue … depicts the annoyance the famous mice cause the equally famous farmer. It is one of the best ever of the series. The artwork is on a more elaborate scale than usual and very effective. (MPW, Dec. 12, 1926)

Notes: Animated cartoon Producer: Paul Terry Studio: Pathé Running time: 1 reel His Marriage Wow (1925) Plot: Thanks to a menacing professor, “The Groom” becomes convinced that his new wife is going to murder him for the insurance money.

196 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Starring: Harry Langdon (The Groom), Natalie Kingston (The Bride) Studio: Mack Sennett-Pathé Running time: 2 reels Inbad the Sailor (1925) One of the best monkey comedies Fox has ever made. A good plot and those well trained apes had the house in an uproar from the beginning to the end. (MPW, June 6, 1925)

Studio: Fox Running time: 1 reel Just Spooks (1925) The thirteenth Dinky Doodle subject completed at Bray Studios and the last to be made under the Standard Cinema contract is entitled Just Spooks. … This subject is a cartoonized burlesque on the current vogue for mystery plays. (MPW, Aug. 22, 1925)

Fig. 18  Just Spooks (1925): Cartoon animator Walter Lantz, at odds yet again with Dinky Doodle (lower left) and Weakheart the Dog. (Courtesy Heritage Auctions)

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

197

Notes: Animated cartoon featuring animation and live action. When a liveaction character enters an old barn, he sees cartoon ghosts, skeletons, and the shadow of a mysterious hand. Starring: Dinky Doodle, Walter Lantz Writer and Director: Walter Lantz Studio: Bray-F.B.O. Running time: 6:45 Ko-Ko Sees Spooks (1925) Ko-Ko, Max Fleischer’s Inkwell Clown, has his share of thrills this time. The artist draws him from the numerals thirteen and the calendar shows the date as Friday, the 13th. Then the [African-American] porter who cleans the office draws a haunted house for the clown’s background and throws his hat into it. In vain Ko-Ko tries to rescue his hat without going into the house, but in the end, he has to enter it. Numerous incidents then occur with ghosts chasing the clown and his dog, but he is finally rescued. Always entertaining. (FD, June 7, 1925)

Notes: This short combines animation with live action. It is also known as Koko Sees Spooks. An artist prints the number “13” several times on paper; the numbers merge to form Ko-Ko, who finds himself at an old, abandoned house. He convinces his dog to enter the home in order to retrieve his hat, where it was blown by the wind. The dog returns, with Ko-Ko following after him. The old house contains a secret panel, a skeleton, and many ghosts playing music and dancing. Ko-Ko’s dog encounters the ghost of a dog. Starring: Ko-ko the Clown Director: Dave Fleischer Studio: Fleischer-Red Seal Running time: 1 reel Link Missing, A (1925) Mutt and Jeff, always amusing, are none the less so in this cartoon comedy. A price is offered by a professor for the missing link. Mutt conceives the idea of dressing up in a monkey’s skin and offering him as the missing link. Much against Jeff’s will, this is done, and the prize is almost won. However, Mutt is asked to give a talk before a society of scientists and while he is doing this, some real monkeys break loose and scare the audience away, one by one, taking their places. A near-riot ensues with much general hilarity for all concerned. (FD, Dec. 13, 1925)

Notes: Animated cartoon Studio: Short Films Syndicate, Inc. Running time: 1 reel

198 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Moonlight and Noses (1925) There have been other comedies with the spook atmosphere ever since Griffith’s One Exciting Night. Many of them aren’t funny at all. More aren’t even spooky. But Moonlight and Noses is both. [Clyde] Cook is seen as the reluctant helper of a rough crook. They are caught in the act of robbing a safe in a professor’s home. He promises to let them go if they will secure a certain corpse from the cemetery so he can experiment on it. Of course, Cook is selected to dig the corpse up and carry it home. Matters are complicated by the professor’s daughter’s beau who has been forbidden in the house but who plans to impersonate the corpse and thus gain entry. The titles, it should be mentioned are excellent. The direction fine. And the comedy genuine. To say nothing of Cook’s excellent work. (FD, Oct. 4, 1925)

Fig. 19  Clyde Cook does night work in Moonlight and Noses (1925). (Courtesy Heritage Auctions)

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

199

Starring: Clyde Cook, Jimmie Finlayson, Fay Wray Director: Stan Laurel Studio: Hal Roach-Pathé Running time: 2 reels Mysterious Stranger, The (1925) This Fox two-reel comedy is in reality a burlesque on the plays and pictures in which everything is concentrated on producing spooky and hair-­raising thrills. It centers around a white man and [an African-American] and their experiences in an old store. A gang wish to rob the safe, and to scare the pair they resort to all sorts of creepy things, mysterious arms and hands, funny noises, ghostly manifestations, etc. Added to this, a cat and an owl do their share and the white fellow and [African-American] manage to frighten each other. The action is fast-moving slapstick and there are a number of amusing situations. (MPW, Mar. 14, 1925)

Starring: Richard Talmadge, Joseph Swickard, Carmelita Geraghty, Sheldon Lewis, Duane Thompson, Robert Carleton Director: Jack Nelson Writer: James Bell Smith Studio: Fox Running time: 2 reels One Spooky Night (1925) Last half last reel contains enough storm, lightning, and spooky situations to make it a fine comedy. (MPW, June 6, 1925)

Plot: A couple elopes and takes refuge in a haunted house during a storm. After a wild night, the culprits turn out to be crooks rather than ghosts. Starring: Billy Bevan Studio: Mack Sennett-Pathé Running time: 2 reels One Wild Night (1925) Neely Edwards is the featured player in this, which deals in usual fashion with a girl who runs to her sweetheart’s home to escape being married to another. [An African-American] valet, a storm and a party of stranded masqueraders supply the ‘spooky’ atmosphere and an excuse for running around by all concerned. It should be mentioned, however that the girl in this is particularly cute. She does some excellent work in a series of close-ups where only her eyes convey her emotions. The editing is not as careful as it might be, particularly during the chase sequence where one minute it is nighttime and stormy and the next it is daytime and fair. This might be remedied however. (FD, Oct. 25, 1925)

200 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Notes: On Oct. 3, 1925, UW noted that the masqueraders included a devil and a skeleton. Starring: Neely Edwards Director: Richard Wallace Studio: Universal Running time: 1 reel Piping Hot (1925) There is a good deal of good comedy stuff in this one, as far as gags are concerned. However, the first and second reels seem entirely unrelated to each other, and might easily be different pictures, except for the fact that the same team of comedians take part. Al Alt is one of the team, the other chap not being featured by name. There is a good deal of ‘scare’ stuff in the first reel when Alt, who is supposed to be a somnambulist, walks on the roof-tops, ledges, telegraph wires, etc., in his sleep. The second reel shows Alt and his pal as high-class plumbers who go to work in a limousine. They cause considerable disturbance by drilling holes in water-pipes which they afterwards try to stop up. A party is broken up and all the guests swept out of the windows by the force of the stream of water. Some of the titles might have been selected with more care. (FD, Oct. 11, 1925)

Notes: The original one-sheet poster identifies this short as Piping Hot! (with the added exclamation point). Starring: Al Alt Writer and Director: Charles Lamont Studio: Century-Universal Running time: 2 reels Props and the Spirits (1925) In this animated cartoon Earl Hurd introduces the property man in the vaudeville show called upon to help out in a couple of acts. First he assists the Five Flying Dumbbells in their acrobatic stunts and adds a lot of pep to the performance. Then he helps the professor with the great medium act to bring the spirits out of the stage cabinet. This is highly original and very cleverly done. It scores a lot of chuckles all the way to the end. These pen and ink characters are so well developed that you become as interested in them as if they were real human beings instead of cartoon creations. Earl Hurd’s pen and ink vaudeville is good entertainment for young and old. It is the type of material that will appeal to any audience. (FD, Sept. 20, 1925)

Notes: Animated cartoon Studio: Educational Running time: 1 reel

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

201

Shootin’ Injuns (1925) Plot: When the Our Gang kids’ game of cowboys and Indians is interrupted by a violent thunderstorm, the kids shelter inside a gimmicked “Mystery House”—a prototype amusement park attraction. A scary fun-house atmosphere ensues: collapsing furniture, a leering portrait with an elongated tongue, enormous papier-mâché heads, secret panels, a louvered staircase, treadmills, a skeleton, false windows, exploding food, a mechanical elephant, and leering balloon faces. When the kids’ worried parents show up, they, too, are victimized by the house’s many tricks—and by the kids, as well, who think their folks are spooks. Reel two, dominated by the scary house, has no real relation to what has preceded it. Note: The U.S. television title of Shootin’ Injuns is Galloping Ghosts. Starring: Our Gang (Mickey Daniels, Joe Cobb, Mary Kornman, Johnny Downs, Eugene Jackson, Allen “Farina” Hoskins, Jackie Condon, Pete the Pup), Richard Daniels (the house’s inventor) Producer: Hal Roach Director: Robert F. McGowan Writer: H. M. Walker (titles) Studio: Hal Roach Studios Running time: 2 reels Spooky Spooks (1925) There is nothing new in the plot of this one, which is based on the old idea of a spooky house where all sorts of weird things happen to the inmates. It concerns the adventures of Jimmy the messenger boy who is told by two mysterious strangers to deliver a threatening note to an Englishman demanding certain papers or his life. Jimmy falls in love with the Englishman’s daughter, and offers to aid him in getting a detective. He returns with the famous Sherlock Bones. Then the two villains appear and the film grows fast and furious. Skeletons, spooks, and persons in armored suits and other strange disguises appear everywhere and take a hand in trying to gain possession of the coveted papers. The usual [African-American] is also in evidence. This is a sample of the old gags which are used throughout the film. But history proves that these wild and wooly happenings in a mysterious house are always good for a lot of hilarity in the average audience. This one is no better or worse than all the others of the same pattern that have preceded it. (FD, Oct. 4, 1925)

Starring: Jack Cooper, Jack Richardson, Betty Hay, John Singleton, Tad Ross, Gilbert Emory Director: Al Herman Studio: Gold Medal-Bischoff Running time: 2 reels

202 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Super-Hooper-Dyne Lizzies (1925) Plot: Inventor Burbank Watts (Andy Clyde) and his assistant, Hiram Case (Billy Bevan), foul up every car in town when they substitute Burbank’s radio-wave-control device for gasoline. Cars speed away from their owners, smash into produce wagons, and gives fits to the cops. Regardless of all this mayhem, oil & gas man T. Potter Doam (John J. Richardson) fears for his livelihood and picks a night to destroy Burbank’s workshop. But when a trio of costumed men outside the place—devil, skeleton, and donkey—innocently intervene, Doam and his associate are appropriately frightened. Notes: The name T.  Potter Doam refers to the Teapot Dome, the Warren G. Harding Administration oil-rights scandal. Harry Langdon appears in an unbilled cameo as a partygoer. Starring: Billy Bevan, Andy Clyde, Lillian Knight, John J.  Richardson, Andre Bailey Producer: Mack Sennett Director: Del Lord Writers: Frank Capra, Jefferson Moffitt, Felix Adler (titles) Studio: Mack Sennett Comedies Running time: 2 reels Under a Spell (1925) Plot: Neely is hypnotized to believe that he is a gorilla. Starring: Neely Edwards, Bert Roach, Alice Howell Director: Richard Smith Running time: 1 reel Were Tiger, The (1925) There is a scarcity of the serious two reel drama in the short subject market, aside from western stories. It is probable, therefore, that The Were Tiger in spite of its gruesomeness will find a ready market. It deals with a series of adventures befalling a young girl, daughter of a mine owner, who is travelling through the Malay Peninsula on her way to the mine. A man-eating tiger is thought by the natives to be a human in tiger form who preys on children to satisfy a lust for flesh. When the girl, lost in the jungle, appears in the native village with blood-stains on her clothing, she is thought to be the ‘Were Tiger.’ Various complications, ensue, with plenty of action, and the hero rescuing the girl after much fighting and terror. (FD, June 21, 1925)

Starring: Hedda Nova, Jules Cowles, George Carrossella Director: Paul Hurst Studio: Selig Running time: 2 reels

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

203

1926 Alice’s Mysterious Mystery! (1926) Plot: Alice, a dog catcher, and an assistant pretend to be ghosts to capture dogs at a schoolhouse. Alice and her cat, who are playing Sherlock Homes, see the dogcatcher and pursue the villains to a sausage factory, where the dogs are imprisoned. Alice and her cat best the villains and rescue the dogs. Notes: Animated cartoon with some live-action footage. Directors: Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks Studio: Winkler Running time: 6:35 All Star Freaks (1926) Interesting bits of human and other curiosities. For the family audience including children. (NBRM, Aug. 1926)

Notes: The copyright entry for this film lists it as All-Star Freaks. Studio: Educational Running time: 1 reel Aroma of the South Seas (1926) Plot: Cannibals attempt to eat Mutt and Jeff. The title is a parody of the feature film Aloma of the South Seas (1926), which starred Gilda Gray. Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: Mutt and Jeff Writer/Director: Bud Fisher Studio: Fox Running time: 5 and 1/2 minutes Churchyards of Old America (1926) Old American churchyards have evidently been combed fine to secure reproductions of tombstones that are quaint and humorous in their chiselled [sic] epitaphs. It is hard to believe that people could inscribe such things publicly about the dear departed in their families. But there are the photographs of the tombstones to prove it. The trouble with this reel is that there is too much of one thing, and some sensitive patrons may squirm at the endless succession of graveyard relics, even though relieved by the old epitaphs. (FD, Sept. 12, 1926)

Notes: Nonfiction Studio: Red Seal Running time: 1 reel

204 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Dinky Doodle in Egypt (1926) Plot: Left alone by animator Walter Lantz, mischievous kid Dinky Doodle dreams that he (with dog Weakheart in tow) vies with a belligerent mummy for the love of a princess in ancient Egypt. During a furious chariot race, Dinky unravels the mummy, revealing a wizened old man. Dinky awakens just as Walter returns.

Fig. 20  Animator Walter Lantz’s mischievous Dinky Doodle in Egypt (1926). (Courtesy Heritage Auctions)

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

205

Notes: Animated cartoon with live action Starring: Dinky Doodle, Walter Lantz Writer: Walter Lantz Studio: J. R. Bray-F.B.O. Running time: 1 reel Egypt Today (1926) This latest Fox Variety deals chiefly with the unique style of Egyptian architecture and gives a sort of analysis of the designs followed. According to the subtitles, the lotus flower was used extensively in the patterning of columns, etc. The reel includes views of the Sphinx, King Tut’s tomb, the massive pile of Karnak, the lotus beds along the Nile, a variety of temples, tombs and pyramid ruins. It is interesting material and offers pleasant variation for a program. (FD, Feb. 7, 1926)

Notes: Nonfiction Studio: Fox Running time: 1 reel Felix the Cat in Blunderland (1926) Felix the Cat comes back in this one strong. He yearns to join Alice in Wonderland after reading her fairy adventures. [His] wish is granted. In turn he mixes in clever adventures with such old friends of childhood as Old King Cole, Bean-stalk Jack, Little Bo Beep [sic], and others. One of the highlights comes when he is chased by a dragon. Felix steals a seed from Jack and the Bean-stalk, plants it, and climbs the vine which instantaneously sprouts heavenward. But the dragon cuts the stalk with his saw-like tail. Felix right there loses one of his nine lives when he hits the ground with a dull thud. The atmosphere of Wonderland is finely produced in the cartoonist’s drawings. They compare favorably with the famous color art pictures featured in the fairy book. A children’s classic in shorts. Will delight kids everywhere. But Felix’s antics are funny enough to entertain their parents as well. Will lend sparkle to any showman’s screen. (FD, Feb. 28, 1926)

Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: Felix the Cat Director: Otto Messmer Studio: Educational Running time: 1 reel Fraternity Mixup, A (1926) Plot: Two young men break into “Bryants College for Young Ladies” on the same night as a gorilla. During the chaos, one of the men ends up with a skeleton from the anatomy room on his back, making it seem as if he is being attacked by it. Later, the skeleton even scares the gorilla. At the conclusion, a policeman unmasks the gorilla, who is a criminal in costume.

206 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Notes: The title was sometimes rendered in the trade press as A Fraternity Mix-Up. Director: Scott Pembroke Starring: Alice Ardell, Gale Henry, Ella McKenzie Studio: Standard Cinema Corporation Running time: 2 reels Ghost of Folly, The (1926) The prostrating effects on a neurotic patient, of methods employed to frighten him out of his home provide a steady stream of laughter. A novel device used is a machine which projects terrorizing pictures before the patient. Young refuses to sell his home to two real estate men. They concoct a scheme to oust him. Young’s nephew sends Alice, his sweetheart, to nurse him. She in turn sends for her two brothers when all manner of things happen and the house seems haunted. Alice finds it too much for her and decides to go home when she accidentally exposes the whole scheme. … A mystery comedy with a novel twist, abounding in laughs and moving at top-speed. (FD, Apr. 24, 1926)

Starring: Alice Day, Joseph Young Director: Edward F. Cline Studio: Mack Sennett-Pathé Running time: 2 reels Goose Flesh (1926) Funny Detective Gags. This is a typical Hamilton fun-fest, with the comedian playing the boob detective. He and his partner are summoned to a mysterious house to capture some desperate criminals. Thrills are added to the funny situations through the use of trap doors and other creepy devices. Of course Lloyd proves a fizzle as a detective, but through a streak of luck he succeeds in landing his man at the finish. This is rather unique, for the house is blown up, and the explosion lands the star and the crook on the limb of a tree, where the amateur detective calmly handcuffs his man. The comedian maintains his comedy standard throughout, and the picture carries a full quota of laughs. (FD, July 3, 1927)

Starring: Lloyd Hamilton, Fred Spencer, Al Thompson, Estelle Bradley, Richard Carter Writer and Director: Norman Taurog Studio: Educational Running time: 2 reels Haunted Heiress, A (1926) Spooky Comedy. Edna Marian is featured as comedienne and shows a lot of natural talent. She does her comedy well with a certain natural ease that gets over laughs

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

207

without effort. The old haunted house idea is used, but done with considerable originality. The girl inherits a house from her grandfather. The crooked lawyer wants the property, and hires several men to dress up as spooks and scare the girl so she will sell cheap. But the lawyer’s clerk dresses up also as a spook, mingles with the others and crabs their scheme. The gags are well done, action fast, and Edna Marian is there with the comedy. (FD, May 9, 1926)

Starring: Edna Marian Writer and Director: Francis Corby Studio: Universal Running time: 2 reels Jim Hood’s Ghost (1926) Josie Sedgwick’s moving picture brother was not kicked to death by his favorite horse, but was murdered by a rapacious, beetle-browed neighbor. That is what she discovered when she returned from the East (or California) and put on his clothes to be more at home. You see, she and the brother were twins and when she made her appearance the villains all thought it was a ghost of the murdered man. Naturally, the rest was easy, especially when Edward Heam, a sort of foreman of the ranch, helped sister out by hard riding and equally hard fighting. So you may be comforted by being forewarned that Josie and Edward get married at the end and regain the property and live happily ever after. The marriage will not be exactly as durable as that because they will have to play new parts in a new Mustang series and, while the characters may be the same, the names will have to be changed, as will the title and the plot— the latter only slightly. I will pay Miss Sedgwick this compliment, however—she does not look or ride like a ghost and is justly claimed by the other featured player. He doesn’t do much to win her though, there being really only one fight and that is not enough in two reels Director O’Brien has the honors of the niece which will be released December 4, 1926. (MPN, Sept. 11, 1926)

Starring: Josie Sedgwick Writer: William Lester Director: John O’Brien Studio: Universal Running time: 2 reels Jungle Round-Up, A (1926) Ufa offers an interesting trip into the jungle and the ‘round-up’ includes some of the less familiar inhabitants such as the sloth, [and] a lazy, bear-like animal with a head like that of a huge turtle. Shots of a boa constrictor and scenes showing how the trappers grab the giant snake as it is about to strike are very interesting. The title indicates the chance involved in that one misstep endangers the trapper’s life. The picture offers many interesting jungle scenes and will fit your program nicely if you can use something on this order. (FD, Oct. 3, 1926)

208 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Notes: Contemporary sources also referred to this film as The Jungle Round-Up. Studio: Ufa Running time: 1 reel Madame Mystery (1926) Lots of exhibitors have been yelling for something different in the comedy shorts. They say their patrons are more or less fed up on the usual line. Hal Roach must have heard the showman’s S. O. S. for he comes right bark with a laugh lifesaver built from a new pattern. Can you picture Theda Bara, the vamp, in a two-barrelled scream? Well, here she is. But where the new slant comes in is in the fact that Theda plays her role straight as a woman of mystery, acting as agent for the Government on a dangerous mission. And out of her perfectly serious and legitimate efforts to accomplish her mission, the funny situations develop most naturally—and screamingly funny. Jimmie Finlayson, bald headed buffoon, develops the bulk of the comedy. As a starving artist, along with Tyler Brooke, they bust into the plot, act as detectives, and steal the important package of documents Theda is guarding. She tells them it contains explosives. Then the fun comes in a riot of funny incidents, ending in Finlayson and Brooke shooting skyward when a harmless gas in the package explodes. One of those you have to see to appreciate. Good direction all the way by Richard Wallace, with the entire cast stepping snappy right in back of him. (FD, Apr. 11, 1926)

Starring: Theda Bara, James Finlayson, Oliver Hardy, Tyler Brooke Director: Richard Wallace Studio: Hal Roach-Pathé Running time: 2 reels Magic Carpet, The (1926) Plot: Walter buys a magic carpet, has a bad experience with it, and gives it to his cartoon-animated antagonist, Dinky Doodle. Notes: Animated cartoon with live action, also known as The Magic Rug. Starring: Dinky Doodle, Walter Lantz Studio: J. R. Bray-F.B.O. Running time: 1 reel Magician, The (1926) Walter Lantz, the cartoonist, proves himself a good actor as well by appearing in the film with his cartoon creations, Dinky and the dog. He is proposing to his fat girl after receiving his diploma as a magician. The cartoon characters doubt his magical ability, so he shows them some stunts that amaze them. The pup and Dinky steal his Magic book and turn the artist into all sorts of animals. Finally he becomes a mouse and so scares the fat girl that Dinky considerately changes him

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

209

back again to himself. The fat girl angrily bears him up. The artist gets revenge by soundly spanking his cartoon characters. Very original and entertaining. (FD, Aug. 1, 1926)

Notes: Animated cartoon with live action Starring: Walter Lantz, Dinky Doodle Studio: J. R. Bray-F.B.O. Running time: 1 reel Marry Month of May, The (1926) William Fox has done one of Sidney Porter’s masterpieces and done it successfully so that even an O.  Henry fan should be pleased. This is a good comedy and entertaining. Start with this premise. A girl who believes in mediums and fortune-tellers goes to consult one of the faking fraternity to discover if her suitor is a lineal descendant of notorious Captain Kidd. The beau gallant is not keen about it but goes with her. To stage his exhibition or exposition most successfully the seer takes his customers to a sloop docked near by there to work in cahoots with a mate who is on the graft. In the meantime a ‘Pirate’s Den’ cabaret has been raided by the police and the waiters consistantly [sic] garbed as pirates (which, judging by most night-club charges, they really are) take refuge on the same sloop as that visited by the astrologer and his victims. Then ensues a series of rough-­house, slapstick comedy that is, despite these qualities, decidedly amusing. Every time one pirate has been done away with, another looking exactly like him bobs up until the fake commences to think he has really conjured up spirits. With innumerable trap-doors on the deck of the sloop through which everybody is being dropped from time to time, it is almost like Hanlon’s Superba or one of those trick pantomimes of thirty years ago. It is mirth provoking. (MPN, Oct. 30, 1926)

Starring: Harold Goodwin, Gladys McConnell, William E.  Jamieson, Noah Young Director: Thomas Buckingham Studio: Fox Running time: 2 reels Merry Widower, The (1926) Jimmie has neglected his wife for duck hunting, so she gets chummy with the sheik who lives next door. Jimmie comes home to discover the shiek [sic], and then the fun begins. The neighbors come in to help the row, and advise Jimmie to leave home for good, as the sheik is the better man. So he takes their advice and goes out to drown himself, as they also advise. But Jimmie changes his mind and becomes a cabby. The second reel carries the best comedy. He drives a fortune teller to visit his wife, and takes the Hindoo’s place. A novel and funny

210 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

sequence occurs when he drives his wife and the sheik through a graveyard and scares them almost to death by appearing before them when they thought he was dead. The comedy throughout has an original slant, and Finlayson get she most out of every situation. (FD, Aug. 22, 1926)

Starring: Jimmy Finlayson, Ethel Clayton, Tyler Brooke, Jerry Mandy (as Mahatma, the medium), Charley Chase (cameo), Jack Ackroyd Producer: Hal Roach Director: Richard Wallace, “In Collaboration with Stan Laurel” Studio: Hal Roach-Pathé Running time: 2 reels Monkey Hula (1926) A new monkey has been secured to play in this episode of the Buddy MessingerMonkey series, and unquestionably the new ‘Mr. X’ can give cards and spades to his predecessor for camera presence, human imitativeness and general intelligence. Interest is heightened when friend monk, who notices Buddy in a doze swatting flies on his head, places a hammer in Buddy’s hand and the anticipated happens. The slam on the cranium sends Buddy into a dream which in turn transports him to a cannibal island. The chief sees Buddy and commences to look longingly at the dinner bell. He invites Buddy to dinner to fatten him, but the menu has no appeal for the guest. His interest is soon aroused when he gives a once-over to the bevy of native dancers the Chief has ordered for his entertainment. Buddy is having a corking good time, when he is suddenly reminded of the part he is soon to play in the culinary program. Finally Buddy interests the chief in a game of dice, and when the game is over, Buddy has everything the chief owned, except his bridge work. Just as he is about to capitalize his possessions, including the dancing girls, he wakes up. The antics of the chief, dressing of the scene with the mostly undressed dancing girls, and the heavy suggestion of cannibalistic promise to the uninvited guest contains a sufficient quota of entertainment to get the picture by. (FD, Dec. 19, 1926)

Notes: Sunkist Comedy Starring: Buddy Messinger Studio: Bray Running time: 2 reels Much Mystery (1926) A Chinese prison ship furnishes a lot of colorful atmosphere for the gags that George Davis pulls in this one. The villain has George, the heroine and George’s lawyers shanghaied to the mystery ship where the fun begins. It is a spooky place filled with trap doors, torture machines, and various other ingenious contrivances to scare the prisoners. The novelty effects produced are unusual, and provide a lot of thrills that contrast nicely with the comedy gags. It moves fast and has that ‘different’ atmosphere that makes it a laugh offering out of the ordinary. (FD, Dec. 19, 1926)

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

211

Starring: George Davis, Estelle Bradley, Phil Dunham, Jack Lloyd Director: Stephen Roberts Studio: Mermaid-Educational Running time: 2 reels Mummy Love (1926) Neely is cast as the secretary of an explorer in Egypt and Alice as his daughter. A shiek [sic] sees Alice and invites the party to his palace and proceeds to get rid of the male members and add Alice to his harem. Neely with the aid of [an AfricanAmerican] porter who wins the keys to the castle by shooting craps with some of the [African-American] guards finally manages to locate the mummy vault, and the whole party eventually escapes by disguising themselves as mummies. There is a lot of trap-door and trick stuff and in the mummy cave considerable ghostly and spooky gags and strange happenings that will provide amusement for the slapstick fans. Many of the situations are familiar, but there are some new ones and the action keeps up at a good pace, with a number of funny situations. (MPW, Feb. 27, 1926)

Plot: The daughter of an archaeologist catches the eye of a sheik, who wants her for his own. The expedition dashes into an Egyptian tomb filled with trap doors, spiders, bats, gorillas, ghosts, and spear-wielding guards. The group finally makes its escape by dressing as mummies. Starring: Neely Edwards, Alyce Ardell Director: Marcel Perez Studio: F.B.O. Running time: 2 reels Mummy o’ Mine (1926) Plot: Convinced that he has a pharaoh ancestor named King Mutt, Mutt explores Egypt with buddy Jeff in tow. At a pyramid surrounded by murderous Arabs, Jeff disguises Mutt as a mummy. Spook elements include a jackin-the-box mummy. Starring: Mutt and Jeff Notes: Animated cartoon Running time: 1 reel Nothing Matters (1926) This situation comedy is crowded with incidents well gagged up. It holds the interest with a nice change of pace throughout. Lloyd Hamilton as the amateur detective in a small town runs up against two city slickers. They work a stunt with an ‘indestructible safe’ on the hicks and get away with a lot of money. Lloyd trails them to a mysterious house in Chinatown. Here the Oriental in charge sets a vamp to work to ruin poor Lloyd. Here the comedian does his best work as he

212 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

tries to resist the wiles of the fair charmer. It works up to a good finish with Hamilton accidentally inhaling opium fumes and going off into a happy daze. He see [sic] imaginary fairies, whom he chases to the roof. Making a wild dash for them, he lands in the street. (FD, June 13, 1926)

Starring: Lloyd Hamilton, Stanley Blystone, Anita Garvin, Eddie Boland, Bob Kartman Director: Norman Taurog Studio: Educational Running time: 2 reels Pete’s Haunted House (1926) It is Pete, the whimsical doggy’s hobby for reading ghost stories that gives the artist, who is scratching his head for an idea, an angle on which to base the present cartoon. Peering in through the tiny toy window, Lantz decides to capitalize the sensations that must be flickering through Pete’s mind, and for the next few minutes the house runs rampant with stealthy sliding skeletons, ghosts doing Charlestons and what not, doors sliding open and shut in regular haunted house fashion, until the poor pup is ready to pass out of the picture. Finally, having escaped from the house, Pete discovers Walter as the author of the deviltry, and takes it out on him with a giant fire-cracker. Having watched Walter soar straight to the moon, Pete shrugs his shoulders, with as much to say ‘And that’s that’ and calls it a day. The kiddies will find plenty to amuse and divert the juvenile mind here. (FD, Oct. 24, 1926) [B]uilt around the adventures of a puppy and combining cartoon work and photography, with Walter Lantz, the cartoonist appearing in several of the scenes. Lantz seeing the puppy in his little house reading about spooks, drops skeletons down the chimney and shoves apparitions in the windows. The pup gets wise and blows up the cartoonist with a giant firecracker. Clever and amusing. (MPW, Oct. 16, 1926)

Notes: Live action of Walter Lantz combines with animation of Pete the Pup, who becomes scared reading a book called Spooks. Lantz turns the lights on and off rapidly to simulate lightning. Lantz also frightens Pete with a dancing skeleton and a ghost. When Pete realizes that Lantz is the cause of the trouble, he lights a stick of dynamite under the animator, which blows him sky high. Starring: Walter Lantz, Pete the Pup Director: Walter Lantz Studio: Bray Running time: 1 reel

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

213

Pirates Bold (1926) The cartoon character Mouse is out on the ocean in a rowboat with his sweetie. The pirate vessel appears, and they capture the fair mouse, but the hero follows on the back of a monster fish, and jumps aboard the pirate craft. The cartoons of the pirate cats are finely drawn, and carry out the spirit of the buccaneer days very realistically as they attempt to capture Mr. Mouse and make him walk the gangplank. But of course with his skill and head work he finally outwits the pirate crew and rescues his girl. (FD, July 25, 1926)

Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: Mr. Mouse Studio: Pathé Running time: 1 reel Scared Stiff (1926) Fun With Thrills. Clyde Cook plays the part of the goofy chauffeur. He is hired by the villain to drive him as he elopes with the heroine. It so happens that Cook loves the girl, too. He purposely loses his way, and they are forced to take refuge in a mystery house where a scientist lives with an enormous gorilla. The animal escapes from his cage, and peers over the transom of the room occupied by the girl. Then he visits the villain in his room and almost kills him from sheer fright. Plenty of thrills for the gorilla sure is a vicious looking customer. The comedy comes later when the gorilla walks downstairs and encounters Cook. He is just dumb enough not to be scared, and his antics with the beast are food for lots of chuckles. The director handled the gorilla exceptionally well, and Cook gets all the comic values possible. (FD, June 13, 1926)

Starring: Clyde Cook, Eileen Percy Director: James W. Horne Studio: Hal Roach-Pathé Running time: 2 reels Sea Dog’s Tale, A (1926) Cannibal Island Adventures. Billy Bevan in order to square his board bill with his landlady is about to marry her. Meanwhile the daughter of the king of the cannibal island sees Billy’s photo and falls desperately in love. So the king dispatches messengers to bring in Billy. They kidnap him just as the minister is about to tie him for keeps to his landlady. Billy manages to extract a fair amount of comedy from the adventures that befall him among the cannibals. The best bit is the closing sequence where his rival throws him into the ocean. When he lands at the bottom, he immediately adapts himself to new surroundings. He lights a match and starts a fire on the ocean bed, and the smoke is seen on the surface surrounding the cannibal king’s private raft. Another good gag is where Billy puts a star fish on his coat as a traffic cop’s badge, and starts directing traffic among the fishes. (FD, Aug. 8, 1926)

214 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Starring: Billy Bevan, Madeline Hurlock, Andy Clyde, Patsy O’Byrne Director: Del Lord Studio: Pathé Running time: 2 reels Shivering Spooks (1926) It’s great fun. The children break in on a spiritualistic seance, dispersing it, and the fake spiritualists take their revenge by scaring the kids half to death with their devices. There are eerie ghosts and ambulatory tables and wierd [sic] noises. The kids are saved when the cops came. (MPW, Aug. 21, 1926)

Plot: “It’s those confounded kids again!” That’s the lament of fake spiritualist Professor Fleece (George B.  French), whose gadget-filled house bumps against the secret-cave clubhouse of the Our Gang kids. Little Mary Kornman scares her pals by reading them ghost stories, and then the action begins in this lively spook comedy. Once inside Fleece’s place, the kids encounter a lively skeleton, levitating furniture, secret panels, and ghosts. Starring: Our Gang (Joe Cobb, Jackie Condon, Mary Kornman, Allen “Farina” Hoskins, Clifton Young) and George B. French Producer: Hal Roach Director: Robert F. McGowan Studio: Hal Roach-Pathé Running time: 18:13 Slick Sleuths (1926) Plot: Mutt and Jeff operate a detective agency. They plan to collect the reward on The Phantom, who dresses in black and floats around town in a ghostly fashion. They pursue him to a “haunted house,” and nearly capture him. However, the entire story turns out to be a dream. Notes: Animated cartoon, which was reissued with sound and color in 1939. Starring: Mutt and Jeff Producer: Bud Fisher Director: Dick Huemer Studio: Fox Running time: 5:55 Soul of the Cypress (1926) One of the rare artistic productions which comes along only too infrequently. The scene is a grove of ancient, gnarled cypresses on the California coast. In this romantically appropriate setting is told the story of the love of a young musician for a forest dryad. As the youth plays his lute, the dryad is enticed from the trunk of the cypress. Siren like, she lures him deep into the forest. At last she tells him

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

215

it is impossible for her to allow mortal man to even touch her fairy raiment. But if he loves her, let him leap into the sea, and then they two will be joined together in immortality. The youth struggles betwixt his love of life and love for the dryad. The dryad wins. He leaps from the cliff. Then by some very clever and artistic photography, the soul of the musician which has become the Voice of the Sea is seen to melt into the form of the dryad. The kind of production that all the ‘better film’ movements keep crying for. This number will lend tone to any program. (FD, Feb. 14, 1926)

Notes: Dudley Murphy completed this film in 1921. Starring: Dudley Murphy, Chase Harringdine Director: Dudley Murphy Studio: Red Seal Running time: 1 reel Thirteenth Man, The (1926) The fact that there are only thirteen women at a little dinner party, as one guest fails to arrive, forces the superstitious hostess to dig up another individual. The butler is told to bring in the first person he finds, and drags in Charles Puffy … who is out looking for eats. But just as Charlie starts to fill in on the rich food, the missing guest arrives and he is thrown out. This gag is repeated several times by having [Charlie] dragged in and thrown out again as various guests suddenly depart and return. It loses its novelty. Finally an unexpected guest arrives in the person of Puffy’s wife, and then the fun begins. The comedian works hard, and extracts his quota of laughs. (FD, Aug. 22, 1926)

Starring: Charles Puffy, Elsie Tarron Studio: Universal Running time: 1 reel Tin Ghost, The (1926) Lige Conley travels the comedy route on a rather unique vehicle. The plot centers around an inventor who has perfected an automatic soldier made out of tin. The invention is electrically controlled. The inventor’s bright thought is that an army of these can replace regular soldiers to advantage, as they do not chew, smoke, swear, drink, nor ask for furloughs. Lige gets mixed up in the story when he overhears a gang planning to steal the invention. Having fallen in love with the inventor’s daughter, he goes to the rescue with the assistance of [an African-American] porter. The War Commission visits the inventor’s home for a demonstration. Lige and his [African-American] friend sneak into the room where the tin soldier is kept. It starts working automatically and almost scares the [African-American] to death. Along comes a member of the gang who are trying to steal the invention, and cuts the wires on the dummy in order to queer the owner’s demonstration. Lige comes to the rescue by sneaking inside the tin soldier and operating it. This two-reeler is well gagged up, and the novelty angle will put it over. (FD, May 30, 1926)

216 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Starring: Lige Conley, Estelle Bradley, Otto Fries, Jack Lloyd, Phil Dunham Producer: Jack White Director: Stephen Roberts Studio: Mermaid-Educational Running time: 2 reels When East Meets West (1926) A gypsy queen hypnotizes Dirty-shirt Jones and Magpei Simpkins and they take a ride on a magic carpet to Bagdad. Here they do some chivalrous work trying to rescue a fair maiden from a harem. They become rulers of the harem for a short space, and have some gorgeous adventures. But the sultan appears, and thy [sic] are chased wildly all over the city. The settings are good, and lend fine atmosphere to the production. It is very much out of the ordinary run of this series, and will certainly entertain with its Oriental adventures. Finally the two cowboys are awakened from their trance by the gypsy, to find the whole town laughing at them as they lie on the ground struggling with each other. Good number with its original slant. (FD, Aug. 22, 1926)

Director: Vin Moore Studio: Universal Running time: 2 reels When Hell Froze Over (1926) The idea and the animation in this make for some great laughs. Mutt and Jeff encounter the devil and are forced down into Hell where they are made custodians of Hell’s last flame and under mortal pain are bound to keep it alive. Hell has frozen over and is in dire dread of going out of business. Jeff’s struggle to keep the flame alive is a riot. The sequence where the flame leaves its hearth and runs wild, taking the form of an elf, with Jeff in mad pursuit, is a near riot. The laughs keep coming and it isn’t until you find Mutt beating the life out of a pillow that you realize he has been having a dream, brought on by a fight by himself and Jeff over the right to the only blanket in their non-heated room. Great cartoon number. (FD, Mar. 7, 1926)

Notes: FD also referred to this animated cartoon as When Hell Freezes Over. Starring: Mutt and Jeff Director: Charles Bowers Studio: Short Films Synd. Running time: 5 minutes Wise or Otherwise (1926) As the newlywed couple settle down to housekeeping, a mysterious gent appears with a portable radio set attached to his head. He tells Charles Puffy, the bridegroom, that he has received a message that his wife is a notorious poisoner, and

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

217

is getting ready to bump him off for his money. Likewise the stranger tells the wife that Puffy is a Bluebeard, and that she is lucky if she lasts another day. Then the excitement commences, as the newlyweds try to dodge each other and misinterpret every innocent action as a dark plot against their lives. Good comedy situations, that move with snap and speed. (FD, July 25, 1926)

Notes: Bluebird Comedy Starring: Charles Puffy, Elsie Tarron Director: Richard Smith Studio: Universal Running time: 1 reel

1927 African Adventure, An (1927) Into the African Jungles with the Ufa cameramen to see some of the zoo favorites and how they behave ‘at home’ is the course in An African Adventure. The trip is the familiar expedition type with the explorers shown trekking their way to the haunts of the zebra, the chimpanzee, the [cobra], and others of the jungle family. Interesting but, by this time, quite conventional. (FD, Mar. 27, 1927)

Studio: MGM Running time: 1 reel Beast, The (1927) It is a story of treachery in the tropics. The atmosphere is well worked up with two Englishmen at a trading post sitting in their cabin in the swamps, while the noise of the native tom-toms can be heard outside. One of them has just brought his wife to the post, and the other man is desirous of possessing her. He sends the husband out to be ambushed by the natives, then sends for the wife and tries to make advances. But the husband who has escaped the natives returns and kills him. Heavy drama, this, but it will please where they like a punch and lots of thrills. (FD, June 17, 1928)

Notes: Sound Starring: Irene Rich, John Miljan, Barry Townly Director: Bryan Foy Studio: Warner Bros.-Vitaphone Running time: 1 reel Call of the Sea, The (1927) Technicolor Treat. Hope Hampton essays some serious acting in this one, and gets away with it in great style. In fact she goes to the other extreme, and wears practically no clothes at all in her South Sea Island fantasy. The film pictures an old

218 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

South Sea Island legend of a fisherman who fell in love with a mermaid. The Technicolor work is well handled. The story is different and handled with plausibility. Recommended for jaded patrons as a pleasing novelty. (FD, Jan. 8, 1928)

Notes: Released in color Starring: Hope Hampton, Marco Valles Director: Harold R. Hall Studio: Educational Running time: 2 reels Do Detectives Think? (1927) Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy are a funny pair and in this picture their excellent comedy team-work garners a wagon-load of laughs. For one thing, the theme gives a fine opportunity for troupers with a sense of clowning, and this [duo] overlook few bets in squeezing out the chuckles. There is much business of a maniac threatening everybody with a dagger, some more stuff in a cemetery, where our heroes’ courage is put to the test, and all told it just the type of material suitable for a 2-reel comedy. (FD, Dec. 4, 1927)

Fig. 21  Oliver Hardy (center), with handcuffed fiend Noah Young in Do Detectives Think? (1927). (Courtesy Heritage Auctions)

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

219

Starring: Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, James Finlayson, Viola Richard, Noah Young Director: Fred L. Guiol Studio: Hal Roach-Pathé Running time: 2 reels Felix the Cat Switches Witches (1927) Felix on Hallow’een [sic] nights plays pranks with a witch. For the family audience including children. (NBRM, Oct. 1927)

Notes: Animated cartoon, also known as Switches Witches Starring: Felix the Cat Director: Otto Messmer Studio: Educational Running time: 1 reel Haunted Homestead, The (1927) Take an old house, suspected of being haunted, people it with an eccentric cornet player and his pretty daughter, add a few bandits and throw in a handsome, hardfisted young gallant, and you have the familiar material out of which the plot is fashioned. Nevertheless, it is done well and the customers get some corking riding and slam-bang fist fight to boot. Satisfactory entertainment. (FD, Apr. 3, 1927)

Starring: Fred Gilman, Violet La Plante Director: William Wyler Studio: Mustang-Universal Running time: 2 reels Heebee Jeebees (1927) Plot: A clever hypnotist calling himself Professor Electra performs at a birthday party, where he convinces the Our Gang kids that they’re animals so he can steal guests’ jewelry. Farina thinks he’s a cat (he chases a white rat, surprises a real cat, and has to dodge a thrown shoe); Joe acts like a dog (he bites a man’s leg and tussles with Jean’s toy dog); Harry behaves like a goat (butting people and eating paper); Jay thinks he’s a monkey (he swings from a chandelier); and Jackie kicks like a mule (and eats grass). A cop is hypnotized into believing he’s a little boy, a lady is made to dance, and the Gang’s mesmerized dog, Pansy (played by Pete the Pup), can only walk backwards. In the end, the Professor is taken away by police.

220 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Fig. 22  The larcenous Professor Electra (George B.  French) mesmerizes the Our Gang kids in Heebee Jeebees (1927). (Courtesy Heritage Auctions)

Note: Heebee Jeebees is a lost film. Plot details are preserved in a cutting continuity held by the Library of Congress. Most modern sources credit actor Bobby Vernon with the Professor role, but contemporaneous casting documents confirm the casting of George B. French. Starring: Our Gang (Allen “Farina” Hoskins, Joe Cobb, Jackie Condon, Jay R. Smith, Harry Spear, Jean Darling, Bobby “Wheezer” Hutchins, Pete the Pup [as Pansy]) and George B. French, Charles Bachman, Dorothy Vernon Producer: Robert F. McGowan Director: Anthony Mack (Robert A. McGowan) Writer: H. M. Walker (“titles”) Studio: Hal Roach Studios Running time: 2 reels High Spirits (1927) Centers around the seance staged by a crooked oriental medium. He works a variety of fakes on the audience. Some good trick shots are introduced, and then the manner in which the medium works are shown. In view of the newspaper

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

221

expose of fake mediums now current, this should hold timely interest. Fun is injected through the antics of [an African-American] couple. A new whirlwind finish as the medium tries to get away after robbing his clients. (FD, Feb. 20, 1927)

Starring: Nate Watt Studio: Cameo-Educational Running time: 1 reel Hokus Pokus (1927) Hypnotic Fun. Following the recent fad of comedies based on hypnotism, this offering concerns the troubles of Neely Edwards, whose girl falls in love with Svengali, a visiting hypnotist. It winds up in regulation style. The comedian has a natural way of getting the laughs, and manages to make this reel worthwhile. (FD, Mar. 6, 1927)

Notes: Contemporary sources sometimes referred to this short by the title Ali Gazam. Starring: Neely Edwards Director: Richard Smith Studio: Universal Running time: 1 reel Jane’s Sleuth (1927) In this latest of the ‘What Happened to Jane’ Series, Charles Dorety plays the part of Oscar, a correspondence school detective. One of the things Oscar learned in the course was that it was his duty to shadow suspicious looking people. In following out this instruction he follows a man trailing a woman. After a struggle with him Oscar learns he is a real detective. At a house party later, Oscar again meets the detective, shadowing two crooks bent on securing a diamond necklace from one [sic] the guests. The mistaken identity idea is brought into play here with good effect. Oscar finally emerges victorious in capturing the two crooks. (MPN, June 3, 1927)

Starring: Ethylene Clair, Charles Dorety Director: Sam Newfield Studio: Universal Running time: 2 reels Jungle Heat (1927) This one registers as a fairly amusing collection of gags with Al St. John and Clem Beauchamp posing as big game hunters who, in reality, are terrified at [the] sight of their own shadows. Having boasted of their prowess they are elected chief procurers for a hunting party and the fun begins when the party sights an ele-

222 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

phant herd. Al and Clem take refuge in a shack which, unknown to the [sic] them, is strapped to an elephant’s back and the jungle beast takes them on a merry ride. (MPN, June 3, 1927)

Starring: Al St. John, Clem Beauchamp, Lucille Hutton, Jack Lloyd Director: Stephen Roberts Studio: Educational Running time: 2 reels Magician, The (1927) Superlatively Clever. This is by far one of the funniest, one of the most cleverly drawn and one of the most imaginative reels of animated work done by the modern Aesop. The gags are of the unexpected variety that can’t fail to bring the laughs, the plot is fanciful burlesque, and the sheer drawings have an entertaining quality. Don’t miss this one. It’s a natural. (FD, Mar. 27, 1927)

Notes: Animated cartoon Studio: Pathé Running time: 1 reel Man About Town, A (1927) Fair Slapstick. A small town hopeful dons a magic electrical belt and proceeds to wipe up the town, believing implicitly that the belt empowers him to beat up all comers. The power of imagination is demonstrated in the fact that most of this time the hero is fighting without knowing that his contraption is not connected with the current. The discovery wilts his strength, but eventually he fights it out without the belt. Fast moving and with some good slapstick but too much repetition. (FD, July 3, 1927)

Notes: The subtitle of this short was A Jazz Version of the O. Henry Story. Starring: Barry Norton, Ruth Eddings Producer: George Marshall Director: Gene Ford Studio: Fox Running time: 2 reels Mechanical Cow, The (1927) A fairly entertaining cartoon featuring Oswald, the animated Universal rabbit. A mechanical cow plays foil for Oswald, and it is not only able to give milk, but actually aids him in escaping from the menace of a gang with designs on both him and his animated sweetheart. A few laughs and fair enough. (MPH, Jan. 30, 1932 [This review was published over four years after the cartoon was first released])

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

223

Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: Oswald the Rabbit Producers: George Winkler and Charles Mintz Director: Walt Disney Studio: Universal Running time: 6 minutes Oh, Mummy! (1927) [C]oncerns Egyptian antiques, pullmans, and policemen. (MPN, Oct. 14, 1927)

Notes: The film’s title was sometimes rendered as Oh Mummy. Starring: Jimmie Adams Director: Harold Beaudine Studio: Paramount Running time: 2 reels Phantom Outlaw, The (1927) Hard Riding and Fighting. This action Western is jacked up in interest by also containing two mystery elements—that of ‘The Phantom’ and that of the strange disappearance of Captain Randall’s son, Jack. Dick Steele, Ranger and sweet on Randall’s daughter, takes the trail to solve both mysteries, and for a while the evidence points to the Captain’s son and ‘The Phantom’ being one and the same. Later events bring the real culprit to justice, but not until a good old-fashioned fist melee and some hurricane riding have sprinkled a paprika of thrills across [the] scene. Of course, Dick Steele gets the Girl. (FD, June 26, 1927)

Starring: Fred Gilman Director: William Wyler Studio: Universal Running time: 2 reels Scared Silly (1927) Old Stuff. Johnny Arthur finds himself in a house that has been quarantined, and which is also inhabited by a Hindoo fakir running spiritualist seances. Johnny and his valet are constantly opening and shutting doors, and trying to get away from a spook who is helping the [Hindoo]. Later Johnny’s aunt arrives, and enters into the business. It’s all old stuff, and gives this good comedian little chance to do anything but the regular line of slapstick. (FD, Nov. 6, 1927)

Notes: The “spook” mentioned in the review is dressed as a ghost, wearing white makeup and a sheet. Starring: Johnny Arthur, Robert Higgins, Babe London, Eva Thatcher, Phillip Sleeman, Robert Burns, Robert Graves

224 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Director: Charles Lamont Studio: Educational Running time: 2 reels So’s Your Monk (1927) The picture has its chief interest in the speculation that perhaps sooner or later Buffalo Bill might come in on the scene. At least it has every other conceivable element in working out a story which is nearer to scrambled eggs than a narrative. But even that could be condoned—so long as there is fun. What happens here is pretty ordinary stuff, with a bottle of hooch the motivating peg on which to hang a number of sequences of man turning into a monkey. The conclusion has a redeeming feature in that which felicitates the eye, a number of physically estimable bathing beauties furnishing the lure. (FD, Jan. 9, 1927)

Studio: Sunkist-Bray Running time: 2 reels Sure Cure (1927) Sanitarium Slapstick. It gives Clem Beauchamp a chance to stage his antics in a sanitarium where he becomes a ‘guest.’ This offering makes pretty free use of all the old gags that have been used in countless other sanitarium comedies, including the [African-American] gent who is scared almost white. This time it is a trained seal who supplies the shivers. At that the [African-American] gentleman is funny, and almost steals the picture from the comedian with his antics. The action is fast, and will supply a good percentage of fun for the customers. (FD, July 24, 1927)

Starring: Clem Beauchamp, Muriel Evans, Ray Turner Director: Stephen Roberts Studio: Educational Running time: 2 reels That’s My Mummy (1927) Plot: Buddy visits an Egyptian tomb. Starring: Buddy Messinger, Sunkist Bathing Beauties Director: Al Nathan Studio: J. R. Bray Running time: 2 reels That’s No Excuse (1927) This is, from point of action, suspense and sustained pace, one of the best of the ‘Excuse Maker’ series. Although the materials are familiar, that of a honeymoon couple coming to live in a haunted house, the speed with which the unexpected happens keeps the interest alive. Clocks stop at thirteen minutes after the hour, a

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

225

half-witted caretaker brandishes a knife, toy-balloons take aerial trips in derby hats, black cats add their sinister shadows to the dark, and so on. All told, it makes a good booking. (FD, June 5, 1927)

Studio: Universal Starring: Charles King Director: William Pembroke Writer: William Anthony Running time: 2 reels

1928 Arabiantics (1928) A highly entertaining cartoon idea gives Felix the Cat a chance to adventure in Arabia. It’s a good burlesque on the Arabian Nights Tale of the Forty Thieves. Felix finds himself on a magic rug that transports him to Bagdad. He swaps the magic rug for a bag of jewels. The Forty Thieves set out to steal the jewels, and Felix is kept busy and the fans will be kept well amused. As usual, the Sullivan studios have turned out a cartoon that is done with class and carries a good percentage of merriment and real entertainment. (FD, June 3, 1928)

Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: Felix the Cat Director: Otto Messmer Studio: Educational Running time: 1 reel Astronomeows (1928) Felix, the Cat, in another pleasant number. The cartoon work is very good and the gags, as usual, clever. Felix, as keynoter at a national convention of ‘dem-ocats’ swings the crowd to a decision to live on Mars because cats lead ‘a dog’s life’ on earth. So Felix makes a tour of inspection first before bringing the crowd up to join him. His adventures are funny. This number will click – no doubt of it. (FD, Aug. 12, 1928)

Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: Felix the Cat Director: Pat Sullivan Studio: Educational Running time: 1 reel Be My King (1928) Lupino Lane outdoes himself. It is one of the best burlesque numbers ever screened in the short subject field. He and his brother, Wallace Lupino, are two shipwrecked sailors, who find themselves washed up on a cannibal island. The cannibals decide that one of them must marry the king’s daughter. Lupino is

226 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

chosen for the doubtful honor, for the dame is fat and ugly. His brother is carried away to be fattened up for the feast. The fun is hilarious, and cleverly worked out in a series of gags in which the two comedians stall the cannibals along in a frantic effort to avert their fate. So far superior to the usual run of two-reel comedies that there is no comparison. The comedian does some outstanding work. (FD, Nov. 11, 1928)

Notes: Silent Starring: Lupino Lane, Wallace Lupino Director: Henry W. George Studio: Educational Running time: 2 reels Came the Dawn (1928) A two-reel comedy in which Max Davidson, Polly Moran, Gene Morgan and others, are in bed and out, upstairs and down, thinking they are in a haunted house. The practical jokes of the flapper daughter combined with the antics of a tactless parrot and a trained cat give the family a wild night. (PP, May 1928)

Notes: This comedy includes strange sounds in the night and a masquerader dressed as a skeleton. Starring: Max Davidson, Viola Richards, Gene Morgan, Polly Moran Director: Arch Heath Studio: Hal Roach-MGM Running time: 2 reels Charles Gounod (1928) It features selections from Gounod’s best known and most popular work, the opera Faust, and is the latest of the Famous Music Masters series. The film is in Technicolor, which is admirable for the character of Mephistopheles with his clothes of vivid red. The colors lend effectively to the gorgeous garden scenes. The story depicts the courting of Marguerite, first by Siebel, and then by Faust, who with the aid of Mephistopheles, tells of his ardor with jewels. Marguerite is won by Faust’s lovemaking – and the jewels – and Mephistopheles steps out of the picture. The music featured includes Soldiers’ Chorus, Jewel Song, Flower Song, and Holy Angels in Heaven Blessed. Here is a beautiful production, handsomely mounted and done with a fine artistic touch. It will grace any screen, and appeal to a wide audience. (FD, June 3, 1928)

Notes: Sound film in two-strip Technicolor Producer: James A. FitzPatrick Studio: FitzPatrick Pictures Running time: 1 reel

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

227

Death Ship, The (1928) As a sample of how poor a talking subject can be, here it is. Look no further. It’s one of those things that makes the worst sample of the silent screen look like a good picture in comparison. Opens with a poor miniature … of a ship floundering in a storm at sea. Then you get the interior of the captain’s cabin. Mitchell Lewis is the captain, and his voice was never meant to be heard under the guise of an entertainment feature. His mate is Jason Robards, and the gal on the deserted ship is Elizabeth Page. They are all pretty hopeless in this speakey. But the plot of the playlet is much worse. The two men start a nice friendly conversation about how much they’d like to kill each other so they can be in possession of the gal. Finally, they cut a hand of cards to see who will bump himself off. The cap loses, and goes upon deck and gets himself washed overboard. Then the gal discovers that he had the winning hand all the time, but was just a good sport, for he knew she loved the mate. Directed, staged and acted as the do it out in the backwoods with the local dramatic league. (FD, July 11, 1928)

Notes: Sound short subject that is better than the FD review suggests. Starring: Mitchell Lewis, Jason Robards, Elizabeth Page Director: Bryan Foy Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 9:34 Do Gentlemen Snore? (1928) No, gentlemen don’t snore in this picture. There’s only one who tries it and he’s foiled by two youngsters, a real estate salesman, and an honest-to-­goodness gorilla. He wants to buy a house that the young folks are determined shall not be purchased. So witches and skeletons flit through his room when he’s about to take to snoring. The gorilla is a surprise customer from the zoo. It’s a snappy short-reeler which will pep up any entertainment. (PP, Aug. 1928)

Starring: Max Davidson Studio: Hal Roach-MGM Running time: 2 reels Fall of the House of Usher, The (1928) It has remained for J. S. Watson, Jr., an amateur experimenter with camera and lens, to produce the first motion picture with abstract form that intelligibly sustains a mood and creates an action of suspense. Since Mr. Watson built his film on a literary production  — that of Poe’s famous tale of sadistic horror, decay and doom — it is difficult to convey an idea of the picture without mentally referring to the story of which it is a cinematic evaluation. It is difficult to disregard the narrative — as Mr. Watson meant that one should do — and describe it as tone, mood and color afforded by another medium than that of words, or rather by another language that seeks to do by its own magic what the words of Poe do by theirs. It is hard to forget the story and

228 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

remember the picture independently of it. The shortcoming here of the average spectator materially decreases the faculty of wholly appreciating what Mr. Watson has done in less than a thousand feet of film  — film that is compact with the genius, the subtlety, the evocative power of the cinema language itself. We shall therefore not try to think independently of Poe’s story in writing this appreciation of Mr. Watson’s film, for, if we did, we should be defeated at the beginning. It will be remembered that Poe’s tale begins with a traveler riding up at evenfall to a decayed mansion standing over a black tarn: ‘During the whole of a dull, dark and soundless day in the autumn of the year, when the clouds hung oppressively low in the heavens, I had been passing alone, on horseback, through a singularly dreary track of country, and at length found myself, as the shades of evening drew on, within view of the melancholy House of Usher’ — magic sentence that has been quoted how often to illustrate an arrangement of words to give precisely the meaning and feeling intended. Well — the opening shots of the film amazingly convey this intention, and something more as well that mere words cannot do; as if the words had melted and arranged themselves in flowing images, as if the image of Poe’s words had come alive before our eyes in another form, and their meaning struck us without our having to call up pictures. The film both describes and imagines for us. Not all of it is so instantly successful as this. But thinking back on it, as a whole it is remarkably successful in retaining the mood which the first sequence creates, in carrying it toward a mounting horror, in winding its pattern around our senses, till we merge with its shadows. And it gains this advantage over the written narrative: in a dreamlike way it never lets us become aware of scenery and trapdoors. It is surprising in its dream quality and dream power, come to think of it, in its supreme evidence of what the motion picture, when it is cinema of this order, can do to become like the mind itself when, asleep or half asleep, its grotesque of images in strange relations start their parade. Poe in his story doubtless meant to some extent to give this impression; Mr. Watson’s cinema interpretation of the tale really gives it more successfully — for in this sort of thing words fall short of cinema. There are many surprising things in the film that do not strike you as surprising at all. For instance the traveler, upon becoming a visitor in the house, loses his entity and becomes just a hat bouncing rather miserably around, an intruder made uncomfortable by singular events that a hat might understand as well as a man. Rightly Mr. Watson thus subordinates him to a prop, makes him vanish, all but the symbol of his presence, while the mood of the images — the reincarnation of Poe’s words — that are the real actors, develops to its intensity of climax. Here a superb thing happens, imaginatively and cinematically. For when the Lady Usher, ‘the lovely Lady Madeline, emerging from her incarceration, with decay upon her, with the dust of corruption compounded on her hands and in her eyes by her long toiling up the endless stairs from the tomb where she has been buried alive, looms above, then topples over the body of her demented brother, her form as it covers him crumbles away, disintegrates like the stone of the house and mingles with its ashy particles in utter annihilation. All the words that Poe used to paint his Great Corpse, his beloved Pale Lady in decay, are synthesized hereby this supremacy of cinema.

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

229

Let us say, so this is art: done, we understand, with movable mirrors and prisms at the eye of the machine — the camera. Thought out, experimented with, persisted in with patience over a long period of time; the result achieved in a barn, with the barest adjuncts of scenery, but we take it with much enthusiasm and with thorough aptitude for the tools — achieved, in short, by a man who knew where he wanted to go and what it was all about. Do you ask, could this have been done by a professional with a studio full of experts? The answer is, No. Nor is art a business. Then hail the amateur movie maker. Perhaps we can leave the business of art in his hands. We should like to see Mr. Watson, or someone like him, try his hand at cinematicizing, if there can be such a word, Poe’s ‘Ulalume’ — if one were to go on with Poe. Mr. Watson’s picture gives us the first inkling we have had of pure screen lyricism. Because the story he took is a story and the picture cannot get entirely away from the necessity of narrating it, he has had to depend after all largely on its literalness for his dramatic effect. There is a slight failure in the film here; it is too brief for the full suspense required; Lady Usher cannot be in and out of her tomb in a thousand celluloid feet and leave us in the state of mind that Usher was in when he had endured the thought of her buried but breathing for days, and it is this state of mind that the film must reveal. The haunted palace poem, ‘In the greenest of our valleys, By good angels tenanted,’ so closely knit to the atmospheric fabric of Poe’s tale, could have been enhancingly introduced; and surely the beating with the sword on the shield of brass that Usher’s visitor reads to him about, should have been brazenly implanted if we are to shudder and jump when the shrouded Lady Madeline swings open the brazen doors after her escape from the sepulchre. Here the film should be hard as metal, ring and reverberate through all its images, be a sounding prelude to its final crash, emerge from its softness of decay, its crumbling pictorial quality of deep flights of falling stone, which everywhere else it so admirably connotes. But then — not all in a day, and perfection is rare in one thing. Mr. Watson has formed his cinematic language with his prisms, his bits of this and that, his barn — and with the blessing of his imagination. He has produced a beautiful and a wondrous thing with a decorous wand of curious shadows and melting movement that gives loveliness to symbols of madness and death, after the intention of his author, but by the device of another medium. Not since Caligari did it, in another sense and with a manner more dependent on older arts, has this been so importantly done for the screen. (NBRM, Jan. 1929)

Notes: Silent film Starring: Herbert Stern, Hildegarde Watson, Melville Webber Directors: James S. Watson, Jr. and Melville Webber Studio: Film Guild Running time: 13 minutes

230 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Fresh Lobster, The (ca. 1928) Plot: A man eats lobster before going to bed and has nightmares as a result. He dreams that an enormous lobster chases him. Notes: Live-action comedy that incorporates some animation. It was reissued in 1948. Starring: Billy Bletcher Cinematographer: Harry Forbes Running time: 6:42 Futuritzy (1928) Felix has his fortune read by a gypsy, and she sees nothing but grief in the cat’s palm, and tells him so. Felix gives her the laugh, and visits an astrologer who reads his fortune by the stars. Then you see unfolded all the good fortune that the sooth-stayer [sic] predicts for Felix. The cat starts out to collect his good fortune, and as soon as he steps outside the door all sorts of tough things happen to him. Disgusted and sore, Felix visits the astrologist and vents his anger upon him. Very quaintly cartooned, and done with a lot of class that carries nice comedy. (FD, July 29, 1928)

Notes: Silent, animated cartoon Starring: Felix the Cat Director: Pat Sullivan Studio: Educational Running time: 1 reel Galloping Ghosts (1928) The fun revolves around the famous Hope diamond, which comes into the possession of the rich young man in love with the girl. Oliver Hardy, as the [AfricanAmerican] servant, supplies most of the merriment, and all kinds of spooky things happen to him as he trails the bandit who has stolen the jewel. The main laughs develop in a country churchyard, where the mysterious thief had stipulated the ransom must be paid. (FD, Mar. 25, 1928)

Starring: Oliver Hardy, Jimmy Finlayson, John T. Murray Director: James Parrott Studio: Hal Roach-Pathé Running time: 2 reels Goofy Birds (1928) This is a typical Charley Bowers trick comedy, and this time he uses a Mechanical bird that is a riot for comedy purposes. Charley and his pal, Buster Brody, go hunting in Africa for the only known specimen of the umbrella bird. Just to look

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

231

at this weird mechanical novelty will start an audience laughing. The bird has an umbrella for a tail, and flies around carrying an enormous egg between its legs. One of the devices the hunters have for trying to capture the rare specimen is a trained worm, that tries to coax the umbrella bird into a cage. If there is a laugh anywhere in the audience, this scene is sure to get it. Bowers is putting a lot of real thought and remarkable ingenuity into this series, and this one especially is sure-fire for the merriment. (FD, July 29, 1928)

Notes: Silent Starring: Charley Bowers, Buster Brodie Director: H. L. Muller Studio: Educational Running time: 2 reels Goofy Ghosts (1928) Plot: Strange noises in country home precede the arrival of a threatening note from the “Skull,” a criminal not unlike the Bat in Roland West’s film The Bat (1926). The household mistakes Jimmie for the Skull, who lurks outside before entering. After various antics—including characters mistaking one another for ghosts, the sheriff captures the Skull. This comedic short unfolds as an old dark house comedy. Starring: Jimmie Adams, Billy Engle, Lorraine MacLean Director: Harold Beaudine Writer: Sig Herzig Studio: Christie-Paramount Running time: 2 reels Habeas Corpus (1928) Plot: Desperate for work and food (“Could you spare a slice of buttered toast?”), Stan and Ollie agree to go to “the graveyard” and dig up a body for a demented scientist (Richard Carl), unaware that the scientist’s butler (Charlie Rogers) will be sent to keep an eye on them. Ollie ruins his suit on wet paint after insisting on climbing a pole that Stan had wanted to climb; Stan goes into a frenzy when a bat won’t leave his face alone; the legs of the “dead” butler pop through the sack Stan has flung over his shoulder, and then walk in lockstep with Stan. Note: Following Habeas Corpus, Roach released eight more silent Laurel & Hardy shorts before the May 1929 premiere of the duo’s first talkie, Unaccustomed as We Are. Starring: Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Richard Carl, Charlie Rogers Producer: Hal Roach

232 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Fig. 23  Laurel and Hardy fall into midnight misadventure in Habeas Corpus (1928). (Courtesy Heritage Auctions)

Writers: Leo McCarey, H. M. Walker (“titles”) Director: James Parrott Studio: Hal Roach Running time: 20:41 Her Haunted Heritage (1928) Spooky. Benny Hall carries the comedy in one of those spooky haunted house adventures. Annie, the handy gal on the country newspaper, has inherited the house. They all go out to give it the once over. Pretty soon things begin to happen. After they all retire for the night, they are scared stiff by weird noises. On investigation, they run into each other and each thinks the other a ghost. The usual stuff, that has no new angles. It finally develops that a baboon that has broken loose from the zoo is the cause of all the trouble. (FD, June 3, 1928)

Notes: This short was one entry in a series of twelve Ben Hall comedy shorts at Universal. Starring: Ben Hall, Lydia Yeamans Titus

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

233

Writer: George H. Plympton Director: Doran Cox Studio: Universal Running time: 2 reels High Strung (1928) They manage to make a just so-so situation entertaining by gagging it with some good comedy slants. Jerry Drew carries the comedy burden, and proves himself possessed of the goods that bring screen laughs. It is all about a bag of jewels stolen from lady in a hotel. The comedian is suspected, and with the hotel detective on his trail, lots of fun develops. It winds up with a hypnotist giving a performance, and the comedian being used as an unwilling subject. Average story, by the comedian’s work gets it over nicely. (FD, Feb. 26, 1928)

Starring: Clem Beauchamp (Jerry Drew), Estelle Bradley Director: Mark Sandrich Studio: Educational-Mermaid Running time: 2 reels Hold that Monkey (1928) Monty and Kit fall hard for an attractive dame and follow her to her father’s circus where they put on a bluff, claiming that they are animal trainers. They are hired on the spot and assigned the task of taming a monkey, named Lily, but as gentle as a cyclone. Monty and his pal try to fool the circus owner by transferring Lily to another cage and having Kit impersonate the monkey. However, the scheme doesn’t work and the monkey pummels the two roysterers. From thence on, the comedy only echoes scenes that have been picturized innumerable times in other comedies. The monkey chases Monty into a Turkish bath, where the [African-American] attendants are terrified out of their skins. (MPN, Oct. 27, 1928)

Starring: Monty Collins, Kit Guard Studio: Educational Running time: 2 reels Hop Off (1928) Again Charley Bowers with his secret process has turned out a most unusual and entertaining subject. Charley has a trained flea act, and you see these animals greatly enlarged under the microscope doing their stuff. Charley makes the acquaintance of a scientist who has a magic fluid for changing things back to their original condition. So the trained flea man starts experimenting and succeeds in developing some very startling things. A plate of hash becomes a pair of rubbers and a few other things. Meanwhile Romeo and Juliet, the trained fleas, decide to

234 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

go on a vacation, and Charley has a frantic search before he discovers them doing a skating specialty on a gentleman’s bald dome. This is a real novelty, and the comedy is good for plenty of merriment. The trick stuff with the animals will have any audience guessing and talking. (FD, June 24, 1928)

Notes: Silent, animated cartoon Starring: Charley Bowers, Yvonne Howell Director: H. L. Muller Studio: Educational Running time: 2 reels Jungle Bungles (1928) Felix, the Cat, gets an idea to shoot motion pictures of the animals in the jungle wilds, and sets forth alone on his adventure. This results in some of the cleverest cartoon work that this series has recently produced. One stunt in particular is worthy of special mention. Felix is pursued by savages. He develops his film, and projects it against a large rock, showing the wild animals coming rushing toward the savages, who flee in terror, leaving Felix safe. (FD, Sept. 23, 1928)

Notes: Silent, animated cartoon Starring: Felix the Cat Director: Pat Sullivan Studio: Educational Running time: 1 reel Koo Koo Knights (1928) Plot: A messenger calling on a peculiar house is intimidated by a Caucasian woman in Asian garb, and a man in a skeleton costume. Notes: Snub Pollard, on the downhill side of his star period, made twenty-two Weiss Brothers two-reel comedy shorts, for release during 1926–28. Weiss Brothers shorts were distributed on a “states’ rights” basis that managed only spotty, regional distribution. Much of the Weiss product was never reviewed in trade or consumer papers. Starring: Snub Pollard Producers: Louis, Adolph, and Max Weiss Director: James Davis Studio: Weiss Brothers, for Artclass/APC Running time: 2 reels

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

235

Fig. 23a  Uneasy moments for Snub Pollard in Koo Koo Knights (1928)

Mystery Mansion (1928) Notes: All-talking mystery-comedy. Starring: Sumner Getchel, Toy Gallagher, Ford West Writer and Director: Harry Delf Studio: Fox Movietone Running time: 2 reels Oily Bird, The (1928) Felix the Cat is accused by the lady of the house of stealing her jewels. He sets out to find the real criminal who proves to be a wise old hen. Felix does a regular Sherlock Holmes and at last tracks down the guilty one. Up to the standard of this series. (FD, Mar. 4, 1928)

Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: Felix the Cat Director: Pat Sullivan Studio: Educational Running time: 1 reel

236 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Overtones (1928) A terrible sample of a dramatic sketch which will be far over the heads of most picture house patrons. The plot is very obscure and worked out just as obscurely. Four women enact the roles, two of them representing the spiritual ‘shadows’ or ‘inner selves’ of the other two. One of them has married an artist loved by the other. The married woman calls on the other and they hold one of those nice little conversations saying a lot of sweet things about each other while their shadows stand along side and say the real mean things that they are really thinking. It makes a jumbled hash that means nothing and is amateurishly done. (FD, Nov. 11, 1928)

Notes: Sound Starring: Ursula Faucit, Elizabeth Page Studio: Vitaphone Running time: 14 mins. Pathe Review No. 5 (1928) Opening the issue is a sequence showing Sid Smith creator of the cartoon personality Andy Gump, at his home in Michigan, “Beside the Blue Nile” deals with relics of the Pharaohs along the famous Egyptian river. In “Monsters of the Past” miniature pre-historic animals roam around and two engage in mortal combat. An interesting number which ought to do right by the program in any type of theater. (FD, Jan. 15, 1928)

Starring: Sid Smith Studio: Pathe Running time: 1 reel Running Ragged (1928) Old Stuff. Lewis Sargent is supposed to carry the comedy in this weak offering, but does not look as if he can make the grade. However, the material they handed him was so old and outdated, that he is hardly to blame. It’s the ancient gag of throwing the comedian into a mysterious house, where a band of East Indians do their darnedest to scare him senseless. The stunts, if new, might have saved the old situations, but they were as old as the theme. Just another film knocked off to keep the gang out of mischief. But it won’t do the exhibitor any good. (FD, Jan. 29, 1928)

Starring: Lewis Sargent, Lucille Hutton Director: Jules White Studio: Educational-Cameo Running time: 1 reel

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

237

Scared Stiff (1928) Plot: Two pals (“The Two Doves”) look for hidden loot in a haunted house. Notes: A Two Doves comedy using Movietone sound. Also known as Two Doves Scared Stiff. Starring: Walter Weems, Ed Gar Writer: Murray Roth Director: Bryan Foy Studio: Vitaphone Running time: 1 reel Shadows (1928) In Shadows, the newest number, two lovers, sitting on a bench outside a private estate, are suddenly horror stricken by a tragedy unfolded in shadows on the shade of a nearby window. A group of men stealthily appear, money is involved, an altercation takes place and a gun is drawn. Then darkness until a light appears in a second story window. Another shadow, this time a woman screaming. Again a light downstairs and the shadows reveal a fight, the fleeing men and one still figure. The terrified young people summon the police and investigation proves that Bill, owner of the house had taken some friends home for a card game, the supposed altercation merely a friendly argument, the gun a trick cigarette case. The shadows upstairs occurred when Bill tried to filch some change from friend wife’s purse, getting caught in the act. The fight downstairs was wifie [sic] breaking up the party. (MPN, Dec. 22, 1928)

Studio: Universal Running time: 1 reel Short Circuit, A (1928) Tricky Cartoon Stuff. In this number the farmer tries operating his farm by electricity, with a flock of trick and entertainingly impossible things following. Among other phenonemas [sic] the hen lays eggs by the bushel and the cow literally flows milk. It is up to the standard set by this series. (FD, Jan. 8, 1928)

Notes: Animated cartoon. Part of Pathe’s Aesop’s Fables series. Studio: Pathé Running time: 1 reel

238 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Should Sleep Walkers Marry? (1927) Plot: Golf buddies (Bevan and Dent) hit a rough patch when Bevan sleepwalks into the bedroom of Dent’s wife. At a tourist camp later, the two pals float away on a gas-filled mattress. Notes: Remade by Sennett in 1932 as The Flirty Sleepwalker (see entry). Starring: Billy Bevan, Thelma Parr, Barbara Tennant, Vernon Dent, Joe Young Writer: Randall Faye Director: Del Lord Studio: Mack Sennett-Pathé Running time: 2 reels Spook-Spoofing (1928) In this picture the Gang ‘frames’ Farina, making him believe he has killed one of the kids. They force him to take the ‘body’ to a deserted graveyard and there the hilarity hits a high pitch. Spook effects are provided by the youngsters with sidesplitting results. Almost every gag clicks forcefully. It’s a fine number which Robert McGowan has directed. (FD, Jan. 15, 1928)

Plot: When the gang convinces Farina that his “Mumbo-Jumbo” charm has killed pal Harry, Farina hurries to the “witch’s cemetery” to bury his mistake; the rest of the gang surreptitiously follows, intent on perpetrating mischief on their pal. Eventful Our Gang short is among the series’ longest, and also one of the most ornate, alternating between sunny street locations (first half) and a sophisticated, well-lit “cemetery” stage (second half). The overgrown graveyard is a horror of tilted crosses and headstones, and although the gang has some early fun adding to Farina’s misery, increasingly bad weather turns the tables, until everybody is scared witless. Figuring among the horror elements are a devil, a skeletal horse, and a burping bullfrog with a penchant for leaping. As Farina struggles to dig a grave, he’s interrupted by lightning strikes, scary balloon faces, a variety of living animals—and even “a total eclipse of the sun.” And then the wind whips up, violently blowing the kids into an underground “mouse-o-leum,” and finally sending the whole bunch dashing home in an enormous cloud of dust (filmed with an undercranked camera and printed in reverse). Note: Virtually every modern source gives this silent short’s title as Spook Spoofing; the original-release title card, though, is hyphenated: Spook-Spoofing. Starring: Our Gang (Allen “Farina” Hoskins, Joe Cobb, Jackie Condon, Harry Spear, Bobby Dean, Mildred Kornman, Bobby “Wheezer” Hutchins) Producer: Hal Roach Director: Robert F. McGowan Studio: Hal Roach Running time: 2 reels

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

239

Sure-Locked Homes (1928) Felix starts out to do a Sherlock Holmes and the atmosphere is worked up in the real detective thriller fashion with clever cartoon work. There is the Bat and the Spider, and the latter is made a partner by Felix to help the cat sleuth capture the criminals. So he has the spider weave a web to snare the villains. Clever and unique. (FD, May 13, 1928)

Notes: In this animated cartoon, Felix becomes frightened at night by a shirt floating in the air which he imagines is a ghost. Felix locks himself in his home, where he sees shadows of gorilla, a devil, and a bat. He shoots the bat, which turns into a baseball bat. Then he fights a huge spider, which he orders to weave a large web in order to trap the gorilla. Still under threat, Felix calls the police. The mystery is solved when it becomes clear all of the shadows were caused by a baby manipulating his fingers in front of a lamp. Starring: Felix the Cat Director: Otto Messmer Studio: Pat Sullivan-Educational Running time: 1 reel Tell-Tale Heart, The (1928) Edgar Allan Poe’s psychological tale, The Tell-Tale Heart, has been made into an impressionistic short that brings out the strange plot of the story very effectively. Charles Klein, German exponent of the ultra-experimental in cinematographic work, directed, and considering the subject matter, his interpretation is fairly successful technically, but contains no entertainment value for general movie patronage. … Will please ‘art’ patrons who like shorts of this type. (Bill, Sept. 7, 1929)

Notes: Billboard was incorrect in describing this short as “impressionistic.” It is instead an example of Expressionism. Starring: Otto Matieson, William Herford, Hans Fuerberg, Charles Durvas Director: Charles F. Klein Running time: 2 reels That Night (1928) Here’s the best from Max [Davidson] in a long time, and an ideal comedy for Halloween. It’s spook and thrilly [sic] and full of laughs. (MPW, Nov. 17, 1928)

Starring: Max Davidson, Polly Moran Running time: 2 reels

240 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

There It Is (1928) At last a genuine novelty in the short comedy field. This is the first of the Charley Bowers comedies on the Educational schedule, and it’s a pip. Bowers himself is a Scotch detective in kilties trying to solve the mystery of the Fuzz-Faced Phantom, which is the ‘It’ of the title. All the fun takes place in a sanitarium. The ‘It’ does all kinds of novel stunts. It can fly, walk, whiz, jump circles, vanish, or what have you. It’s one of those things you have to see to appreciate, for words fail to give an adequate picture of this novelty, and the laughable situations it develops. All these novelty stunts are tied up with a bunch of laughs in a good story. H. L. Muller as the director has a ten strike. And exhibitors have a knockout to start the new year with. (FD, Jan. 8, 1928)

Notes: Silent Starring: Charley Bowers, Kathryn McGuire Director: H. L. Muller Studio: Educational Running time: 2 reels Trickster, The (1928) Ben Hall is the comedian who is hired by Professor Dodo, the hypnotist, to act as his assistant. They hire a hall, and the professor, who is a crook, hypnotizes the audience and proceeds to lift all their jewelry with the aid of one of the subjects. But Harold pulls a fast one and brings the audience out of their trance and is hailed as the hero while the crook makes his escape in a hurry. Gets over with a lot of funny nonsense. (FD, May 6, 1928)

Notes: Also known as The Tricky Trickster. Starring: Ben Hall Director: Max Kimmich Studio: Universal Running time: 1 reel Watch George (1928) Sid Saylor is appointed a special guard to keep a mummy from being stolen from the home of his girl’s dad. Two thieves break in and disguise themselves as mummies in order to scare poor Sid, and escape with the valued treasure. In the general mix-up of mummies that follows, the comedian manages to make the offering quite laughable. He eventually saves the mummy and knocks out the intruders, thus winning the approval of the girl’s father. Nothing unusual. Just a fair number. (FD, Feb. 26, 1928)

Notes: The title was sometimes rendered as Watch, George. Starring: Sid Saylor (frequently credited throughout his long career as Syd Saylor), Thelma Daniels Director: Fred Newfield Studio: Universal Running time: 2 reels

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

241

You’ll Be Sorry (1928) This is one of the best of the Bowers series of novelties. Bowers himself carries the comedy role and succeeds with his trick shots and mechanical processes in making it one of the most entertaining of short subjects. Charley gets thrown out as a candidate for the police force so goes out and organizes his own station in opposition. He uses modern sales methods, offers discounts and even goes out and makes stump speeches on the street corners as he hands out circulars. It winds up with Charley in a mysterious house where a princess has been made prisoner by a lot of wild and whiskered foreign plotters. Charley hides in a room that is filled with all kinds of funny mechanical contraptions that keep him busy dodging trouble. ... Its clever, novel and funny. (FD, May 6, 1928)

Starring: Charley Bowers Director: H. L. Muller Studio: Educational Running time: 2 reels

1929 Buster’s Spooks (1929) Buster and Tige get into a spooky house. For the family audience including children. (NBRM, Feb. 1929)

Note: Buster’s Spooks is one of nearly fifty Buster Brown comedy shorts released during 1925–29 and inspired by R.  F. Outcault’s popular Buster Brown newspaper comic strip. Child player Arthur Trimble died in 1948, at thirtyone. In 1929, the Brown Shoe Co. sponsored a syndicated radio program, Buster Brown Radio Club. (Brown Shoe had held promotional tie-in rights to the comic strip since 1904.) Starring: Arthur Trimble (Buster Brown), Doreen Turner (Mary Jane), Pete the Pup (Tige) Director: Sam Newfield Studio: Universal Running time: 2 reels Cannibal Isle, The (1929) Plot: A cannibal attempts to eat Snap. Notes: Filmed in stop-motion Starring: Snap, the Gingerbread Man Studio: Kinex Studios-Kodak Cinegraph Running time: 2:47

242 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Cat, Dog & Co. (1929) Plot: Busted by the Humane Society for building go-karts powered by dogs, the gang resolves to be kind to all living things, even a pesky, grinning flea (rendered in cartoon animation) that won’t stop biting Joe. Wheezer dreams he’s on trial in an animal court for pulling the tail feathers from chickens. Too bad for him the jury is 100 percent fowl. The verdict of the judge (played by an owl) is this: “[T]he jury shall devour the prisoner!” And then, thanks to an oversized set and some giant chicken heads, that’s precisely what happens. Starring: Our Gang (Joe Cobb, Allen “Farina” Hoskins, Jean Darling, Mary Ann Jackson, Bobby “Wheezer” Hutchins, Pete the Pup) and Hedda Hopper Producer: Hal Roach Writer: H. M. Walker (“titles”) Director: Anthony Mack (aka Robert A. McGowan) Studio: Hal Roach Running time: 20:48 Cold Shivers (1929) Raymond McKee and Lucille Hutton are featured in some old situations involving the spooky house atmosphere. The rich man has determined to test his relatives on their nerve before he makes his will and distributes his fortune. So after his death is announced, he summons the family to his home, and appears before the various individuals who think they are seeing their rich relative’s ghost. The principal laughs are contributed by the scared antics of two [African-Americans]. Otherwise the material follows the old gags and develops nothing new. (FD, May 5, 1929)

Starring: Raymond McKee, Lucille Hutton Director: Stephen Roberts Studio: Educational Running time: 2 reels Detectives Wanted (1929) Another bit of low comedy clowning by this pair, although somewhat weaker than [its] predecessors. These two are sure fire anywhere. In this case they are dicks who come to clean out a ‘haunted’ house. Trap doors, shrouded figures, secret panels, and all that makes up a haunted house are used as Clark and McCullough blundering through. They capture the menaces by letting them fight with each other in a darkened room while Clark stands by and watches. Dialog fed them isn’t as punchy as usual, but they squeeze everything possible out of the lines. (Var, May 28, 1930)

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

243

Starring: Bobby Clark, Paul McCullough, Jack Duffy Director: Norman Taurog Studio: Fox Running time: 21 minutes Doll Shop, The (1929) A fanciful short in Technicolor based on the idea of a gallery of dolls coming to life and engaging in song and dance. The numbers are well done, with the MGM ensemble supplying a chorus background. … Very pleasing, with additional suitability for the holiday trade. (FD, Dec. 8, 1929)

Notes: Sound Starring: Lionel Belmore, Buster Dees, Ci Kahn Director: Sammy Lee Studio: MGM Running time: 19 minutes

Enchanted Flute, The (1929) Milton Mouse does a Pied Piper of Hamlin act with his magical flute in this member of the Aesop’s Fables series. With his sweetie, Rita, he is captured by a flock of hungry cannibals. But his trusty flute charms the wildmen [sic] into a dancing mood which allows Milt and his gal to make a getaway, with the usual fantastic pursuit. An airplane figures in the escape. There is nothing much new in this cartoon. (FD, Aug. 4, 1929)

Notes: Silent, animated cartoon. Van Beuren’s Milton Mouse character closely resembled Disney’s Mickey Mouse; Disney sued, and a 1931 settlement ended Milton’s screen career. Starring: Milton Mouse, Rita Studio: Van Beuren-Pathé Fast Freight (1929) Plot: Joe and the other Our Gang kids decide to follow Farina and Pete the Pup to California—via hammocks slung beneath a freight train. But as night falls, a swarm of bees forces the kids into the countryside, where the only shelter is a nearby abandoned house. Trapped inside when part of the porch collapses, the kids are spooked by a howling wind; a bat; creepy sound effects on a record inadvertently turned on by Pete; a frisky frog that makes Farina’s derby jump; Harry, who repeatedly falls into a hopper of flour; and Joe, entangled beneath a white sheet. When a police chief arrives to take the other kids in hand, Farina and Pete hop another freight, filled with skeletons for medical research.

244 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Fig. 24  The Our Gang kids’ trip to California becomes a scary disaster in Fast Freight (1929). (Courtesy Heritage Auctions)

Notes: A painted image of Roach regular James Finlayson appears as a creepy wall portrait. Simple cartoon animation depicts the angry bees. Starring: Our Gang (Joe Cobb, Allen “Farina” Hoskins, Jean Darling, Mary Ann Jackson, Bobby “Wheezer” Hutchins, Harry Spear, Pete the Pup) and Robert Dudley (police chief) Writer: Robert McGowan Director: Anthony Mack Studio: Hal Roach-MGM Running time: 20 minutes Faust (1929) Proving beyond a doubt that Charles Hackett of the Chicago Grand Opera Company is not only a great tenor but an actor of no mean ability. The first act of Faust in which Faust bargains with the devil, selling soul for youth, is rendered by Hackett in fine style. Toward the end of the reels he is assisted by Chase Baroemo, basso, whose also rich voice lends to the number. Of course it’s a rather serious affair, this act. but it will go over big with those who like their opera. (MPN, Nov. 30, 1929)

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

245

A high-quality short in this one, with Charles Hackett, tenor of the Chicago Civic Opera Co., assisted by Chase Baromeo [sic]. They sing the second act from the familiar opera Faust and sing it beyond the criticism of any picture reviewer. This is an excellent filler for the first runs – or, in other houses where the audiences get the classification of being high brow. (FD, Dec. 8. 1929)

Notes: Sound Starring: Charles Hackett, Chase Borromeo Studio: Vitaphone Running time: 15 minutes Fly’s Bride, The (1929) Plot: As background music plays Funeral March of a Marionette, a horrible spider kidnaps a woman fly. Her husband rescues her. Notes: Animated cartoon in the “Aesop’s Sound Fables” series Directors: John Foster and Harry Bailey Studio: Van Beuren-Pathé Running time: 7 minutes Ghosts (1929) The famous cartoon characters take animated form, aided by clever sound effects and a smattering of dialogue to help along. This is what is found here. To begin with a well-executed with amusing gags. Secondly, music and sound effects applied with a discerning hand. The result is a sound short that never causes outbursts of laughter, but induces chuckles in more than sufficient number to slide it over. (FD, Apr. 7, 1929) First of dialog arrangements for a cartoon series and a screaming bit of fun … Mutt and Jeff go to rest in a haunted house. Mutt puts one over on Jeff by covering himself with a sheet. Jeff gets hep to the deception and burns. Next time a ghost confronts Jeff he can’t be fooled. He offers to shoot craps. Here’s a panic. Jeff slides the bones, which take on legs and do a buck and wing before they settle in the seven natural, cleaning the ghost, which is a real spook this time. Goes into chase with Jeff and Mutt yelling in terror and fleeing from spooks and ends in an owl lunch where Jeff tries to spend the ghost’s money, only to have it turn to spook dough and float away. Unrestrained burlesque and very funny. (Var, Apr. 10, 1929)

Notes: Sound, animated cartoon Starring: Mutt and Jeff Director: Lester Bangsberg Studio: Fox Movietone Running time: 11 minutes

246 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Haunted; or, Who Killed the Cat? (September 1, 1929) Mystery comedy embodying all the thrills of The Cat and the Canary, The Gorilla, The Bat, and others. (EH, Mar. 8, 1930) A fair-to-middlin’ talkie comedy makes an appearance in Haunted, which helps itself liberally to mystery plays and movies of the past. Even with the advantage of borrowing all its ideas, it really doesn’t get very far. Evelyn Knapp must, in order to inherit her uncle’s estate, follow out his instructions and spend a night in his old homestead. Accompanied by her [African-American] chauffeur, she arrives on the scene. In the background is the housekeeper, an old witch, and a detective. As the house is supposedly haunted, the quartet spend an eerie night with strange events to continually send their nerve dropping. John Rucker and Bob Milliken support Miss Knapp. Unfortunately, the production is of a cut and dried type and rarely does it bubble over with some genuinely good humor. The haunted house in talkie form idea, which could have developed to achieve a score of laughs, was not fully taken advantage of in this case. (MPN, Aug. 31, 1930)

Notes: At times this short was referred to simply as Haunted. It was also occasionally referred to by its full title, but without the question mark. Starring: Bob Milliken, Evalyn Knapp, Charles Kemper, John Rucker Writer: Gordon Bostock Director: Philip Tannura Studio: Pathé Running time: 2 reels Haunted House, The (1929) Plot: A stormy night forces Mickey to shelter inside an old house, where a shrouded figure orders him to play the organ, so that skeletons can dance. Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: Mickey Mouse Producer: Walt Disney Director: Ub Iwerks Studio: Walt Disney Running time: 6:41 Hell’s Bells (1929) A Walt Disney creation that pleases. This one has mainly to do with insects. Nothing much to the continuity except that the various bugs, spiders, etc. hop about and finally hurl the devil into a flaming pit while keeping time to the music. Good filler anywhere (Var, Mar. 5, 1930)

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

247

Notes: Animated cartoon Studio: Columbia Running time: 5 minutes Highlowbrow (1929) This is something different in the sound short field, and has sufficient novelty to make it unusual entertainment. … A literary gent is holding [a] conversation with a wisecracking youth and endeavors to interest him in good literature by telling him three classic dramatic stories over the phone. [The second of them is] a very dramatic bit of a boy committing suicide while awaiting the arrival of a woman companion in a private dining room. (FD, Feb. 3, 1929)

Starring: Effie Shannon, Horace Bram, Leo Donnelly Director: S. Jay Kaufman Studio: Paramount Running time: 17 minutes His Baby Daze (1929) Another of the Lloyd Hamilton talkies, produced by Harry D.  Edwards. The slow-gaited comedian is supported by Little Billy, the circus midget, appearing as a crook in kid guise, who is adopted into the wealthy home where Hamilton is butler. The ruse works well, the midget letting in a fellow crook dressed as a gorilla. Ham is awakened at night when the shadow of the gorilla man is first cast over his bed. From thence on it is rci)etitious [sic] movie, with Ham and the household dodging in one door and the gorilla coming in the other. The dialog and scenes between Hamilton and Little Billy are good for appreciative audience response. Ham is, as usual, the peculiarly mannered and highly characteristic performer who doesn’t have to do much but amble along looking silly. He and Little Billy make a good team and their bid for laughs proves successful. (MPN, Aug. 24, 1929)

Starring: Lloyd Hamilton, Eddie Barry, Martin Martell Director: Gil Pratt Studio: Education Running time: 2 reels Holy Terror, The (1929) Notes: This lost short features a sequence featuring a gorilla that scares the kids. Starring: Our Gang (Joe Cobb, Mary Ann Jackson, Allen “Farina” Hoskins, Jean Darling, Harry Spear, Bobby “Wheezer” Hutchins, Pete the Pup) Director: Anthony Mack Writer: H. M. Walker Studio: Hal Roach-MGM Running time: 2 reels

248 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

John T. Murray and Vivien Oakland in Satires (1929) This is a transcript of the couple’s present vaude turn. It opens as a satirical skit on mystery plays with exaggeration and repetition [being] the comedy method. Quite a few giggles and brisk in pace. (Var, Aug. 28, 1929)

Notes: Also known as Murray and Oakland. Starring: John T. Murray and Vivien Oakland Studio: Warner Bros.-Vitaphone Running time: 10 minutes Joyland (1929) Lupino Lane crowded just about everything into it. He is an apprentice in a toy shop and doll hospital. After a tough day he falls asleep and dreams that a miniature castle of Toyland comes to life with all its ancient knights, ladies, soldiers, and a ferocious bulldog. As the toy people see him, he tries to escape, but is pursued through the castle. Then there follows one of the cleverest sequences ever seen in the fantasy field of the screen. Lupino darts, glides, shoots and carroms [sic] in and out of mysterious trap doors in the walls of the castle, relentlessly pursued by the soldiers and the bulldog. Never has the clever comedian with his acrobatic leaps and tumbles achieved such entertainment values as he crowds into this fast, clever and really amazing sequence. (FD, July 14, 1929)

Notes: Silent. Some latter-day sources erroneously give the title as Joy Land. Starring: Lupino Lane, Wallace Lupino, Muriel Evans Director: Henry W. George Studio: Educational Running time: 2 reels Just Monkeys (1929) Another one of the Laemmle novelties has put in its appearance, and although it is quite entertaining, falls a bit short of previous releases in the series. This one centers around the lives of two monkey sweethearts, who are captured in their jungle home at different times, and wind up in the same zoo cage. Horace was a lonely little monk, until one day his sweetheart Maggie is placed in the same cage with him. Maggie has much to say of the scandals, etc. of their native home. The pair are very happy until Maggie sees the terrible human who captured her standing near the cage. Watching his change, Horace pulls the gent’s whiskers and beats him in general. The little monkeys fiercely resent being the jest and amusement of passers-by. Finally locked in each other’s arms, they fall asleep and dream of a monkey heaven where injustices are righted and only unfair humans were kept in cages. There is some clever work done by the trained ‘monks,’ and the number was well handled by Director Rollins. The kids especially, will boost plenty for this one. (MPN, Feb. 9, 1929)

Studio: Universal Running time: 1 reel

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

249

Knife, The (1929) A very dramatic and well acted sketch with Lionel Atwill as the surgeon and Violet Heming as his wife. The story is from the play Henry Arthur Jones, and tells of an English surgeon who is about to operate on his best friend. Before the operation the surgeon’s wife enters and in conversation with the friend you learn that the two are having an affair, and that she is very concerned for fear that he will not survive the operation. The surgeon learns of the affair and forces a confession from his wife. Then the big punch when he goes into the operating room, and the audience is left with the wife outside in suspense wondering what the surgeon will do. The operation is successful, and the surgeon walks out of the picture, and out of the lives of his wife and rival. Beautifully acted and with a tense story that holds the interest dramatically. (FD, June 2, 1929)

Starring: Lionel Atwill, Violet Heming, Lester Vail Director: Thomas Chalmers Studio: Fox Movietone Running time: 20 minutes Live Ghosts (1929) Director Ben Holmes concocts a pleasing mixture of mirth and burlesqued mystery, with a straight juvenile cast. The story centers around a haunted house in the woods, with Judy and her party on a midnight exploration trip. Judy’s boy friend, Bert, arrives just an escaped lunatic is about to attack her–and it’s all over with the usual clinch ending. ‘U’ gave some attention to the production of this short and the results are gratifying. (MPN, Jan. 11, 1930)

Notes: This was an entry in the Sporting Youth series. Starring: Ann Christy, Sumner Getchell Director: Ben Holmes Studio: Universal Running time: 2 reels Magic (1929) A lot of hash is served in this number of the Buster Brown series. Most of it is too inane to record and is pretty flat with moth-bitten gags using the baby, Mary Jane and Tige. The better part of the picture starts when a magician gives a show at Buster’s house. Tige’s curiosity leads to the gumming up of most of his tricks, all of which are familiar. (FD, Mar. 31, 1929)

Starring: Arthur Trimble (Buster Brown), Doreen Turner (Mary Jane), Pete the Pup (Tige) Studio: Universal Running time: 2 reels

250 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Magician, The (1929) Buster Brown and Tige wreck a magician’s act by exposing his tricks. For the family audience including children. (NBRM, Feb. 1929)

Starring: Buster Brown and Tige Studio: Universal Running time: 1 reel Mickey’s Midnite Follies (1929) Unusual about [the] short is that there is a minimum of dialog and a maximum of sound effects, made possible by the many extraneous shots and action crammed into the 19 minutes. At first it’s pantomime, aided by sound effects. Scene is of a wind-blown street, with cop chasing kids, couple of drunks, house-yard, tom-cat on wailing wall, etc. Action keeps skipping about over brief shots, many meaning nothing except on novelty angle. Mickey is darting about the street. ‘Hambone’ is in bed with ma and pa. It is night and he’s anxious to get out. Ma and pa disappear, latter to rob chickens, and is chased by the owner, who is coming from masque ball and dressed as the Devil. Another chase and this time through a graveyard. Three kids for some reason or other [are] also in [the] cemetery in [the] dead of night with a small phonograph, apparently with a view to scaring Mickey and his pal. They show up and on hearing Sambo and the Devil (record), with plenty [of] weirdness, are off on another chase. (Var, Dec. 4, 1929)

Note: The first sound entry in the Mickey McGuire series that ran during 1927–34. Starring: Mickey Rooney (as Mickey “Himself” McGuire), Delia Bogard, Jimmy Robinson (as Hambone), Billy Barty, Kendall McComas Director: Albert Herman Studio: Radio Pictures Running time: 19 minutes Mind Your Business (1929) Yarn concerns two partners. One tends to business while the other spends the day in sand traps as an inept but incurable golfer. The hard working member throws a scare into the golfing dub by posing as Indian swami who plots his death. After getting Herbert to promise to quit the game, Bard removes the turban and the chin whiskers with his partner forgetting all about business a few minutes later when he is invited to join a foursome at the country club. (Var, Oct. 9, 1929)

Starring: Hugh Herbert, Ben Bard Director: Ben Stoloff Writer: Hugh Herbert Studio: Fox Movietone Running time: 17 minutes

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

251

Movie Horoscopes (1929) The first two of the series cover horoscopes for the current months of September and October. The idea is put over with comedy atmosphere. An old Irishman and his wife [visit] a great astrologer in India, where in the midst of weird atmospheric settings the Oriental soothsayer reveals matters of general interest to those born in these months. As the subject of horoscopes is one dear to the hearts of most girls and women, this looks like a very popular series that should go over strong. Scientific astrological facts are interspersed with comedy highlights, making eight minutes of novelty entertainment. (FD, Sept. 29, 1929)

Studio: FitzPatrick Pictures Running time: 8 minutes Moan & Groan, Inc. (1929) Plot: Exhorted by the impatient Kennedy the cop (Edgar Kennedy) to look for buried treasure, the Our Gang kids eagerly dig enormous holes in the cellar of the local haunted house. But living inside the walls is a mischievous lunatic (Max Davidson), who scares the kids with moans, laughter, and clutching hands. Note: In 1957, Blackhawk Films issued 8mm and 16mm versions of Moan & Groan, Inc. for home use under the title Moan and Groan. Starring: Our Gang (Allen “Farina” Hoskins, Norman “Chubby” Chaney, Mary Ann Jackson, Bobby “Wheezer” Hutchins, Jackie Cooper, Betty Jane Beard, Pete the Pup) and Edgar Kennedy, Max Davidson Producer: Hal Roach Writer: H. M. Walker (credited as story editor) Director: Robert F. McGowan Studio: Hal Roach Running time: 20:29 Old Barn, The (1929) Mack Sennett has tried to boil a five-reel mystery comedy attempt into a short. As a result the story is never quite clear and the ending [is] vague. Not one of the characters is clearly photographed, and all of the scenes are shot from a great distance, almost as if in miniature, so that it is difficult to judge who is talking at times. Planted in two sets. In the first a family is gathered for dinner. A voice over the radio announces the escape of a murderer. Business of storm noises outside and the door crashes open for a lone pup to enter. Then the mysterious stranger arrives. He’s suspected as the killer. Next scene is in the barn where the entire group is huddled. More Spider and Gorilla business, but ineffective. The suspect turns out to be a hijacker, one of the people in the cast is discovered operating a whiskey plant, while the hired man is a detective who captures everybody. Recording is with RCA Photophone. (Var, May 1, 1929)

252 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Notes: The murderer in this short subject is called “Strangler Dan.” The story also features fortune-telling. Starring: Johnny Burke, Daphne Pollard, Andy Clyde, Thelma Hill, Vernon Dent Director: Mack Sennett Writer: John A. Waldron Studio: Educational Running time: 21 minutes People Born in December (1929) Movie horoscope series. Sets forth some traditions, revelations and astronomical data concerning persons born in December. Zanzimar, Indian astrologer, is featured and does the recitation, with occasional comedy by other members of the cast. With the wide interest that exists in anything along the lines of ‘fortune telling, this should have a popular appeal anywhere. (FD, Dec. 1, 1929)

Notes: Sound film, also known as Movie Horoscopes: People Born in December. Starring: “Zanzimar, India’s foremost astrologer” Studio: FitzPatrick Running time: 1 reel

People Born in January (1929) Notes: An entry in the horoscope series that featured comedy along with astrological information. Also known as Movie Horoscopes: People Born in January. Starring: “Zanzimar, India’s foremost astrologer” Studio: FitzPatrick Running time: 1 reel People Born in November (1929) Interesting and Amusing. The ‘Movie Horoscope’ series of the FitzPatrick Pictures is both instructive and amusing. The excuse for the appearance of Zanimer [sic], the astrologer, is a bridge party. There is a little comedy prior to his advent and through the forecast that he makes for people born in November. Comedy bits are worked in via character playing the stewed husband of the subject of the forecast. Well worked out in sound with snappy dialogue. (MPN, Nov. 9, 1929)

Notes: Also known as Movie Horoscopes: People Born in November. Starring: “Zanzimar, India’s foremost astrologer” Studio: FitzPatrick Running time: 1 reel

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

253

People Born in October (1929) Follows along the same line as the previous monthly fortune-telling numbers of this series and should prove engrossing to the wide circle who like this sort of thing. Some comedy is provided by a pair doing an Irish brogue, thus giving this edition a slightly different touch from its predecessors. (FD, Oct. 26, 1930) The mystic says people born in October are well balanced, just, diplomatic, generous and willing to listen. The women are charming, make endless friendships, love home and children and are accomplished pianists and typists. (Var, Oct. 15, 1930)

Notes: Also known as Movie Horoscopes: People Born in October. Starring: “Zanzimar, India’s foremost astrologer” Studio: FitzPatrick Running time: 9 minutes People Born in September (1929) Notes: An entry in the horoscope series that featured comedy along with astrological information. Also known as Movie Horoscopes: People Born in September. Starring: “Zanzimar, India’s foremost astrologer” Studio: FitzPatrick Running time: 1 reel Saturday’s Lesson (1929) Plot: Farina, Joe, and the other Our Gang kids believe that Saturday is not a day for chopping wood or doing other work around the house. When they openly defy their mothers and ignore their chores, a traveling sandwichboard spieler (John B.  O’Brien) dressed as Satan terrorizes the kids into doing as they’re told. In a peculiar twist at the end, the moms laughingly approve when “Satan” identifies himself to them and explains his scheme to punish their children. Note: Saturday’s Lesson, the final non-talking entry in the Our Gang series, played in theaters with a synchronized music score. Starring: Our Gang (Joe Cobb, Allen “Farina” Hoskins, Jean Darling, Mary Ann Jackson, Bobby “Wheezer” Hutchins, Pete the Pup) and John B. O’Brien, Emma Reed Producer: Hal Roach Director: Robert F. McGowan Writer: H. M. Walker (“titles”) Studio: Hal Roach Running time: 22:18

254 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Fig. 25  Joe Cobb and the rest of Our Gang learn Saturday’s Lesson (1929) when a fraudulent Satan intimidates them into doing their chores. (Courtesy Heritage Auctions)

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1929) From his garden chair, the famous Britisher talks directly to the audience in this, a special Fox subject of unusual interest and considerable entertainment value. Sir Arthur explains how he came to write the Sherlock Holmes stories and tells at some length of many of the humorous letters which have poured in on him from all over the world from Holmes admirers. In discussing spiritualism and his reasons for his serious research in that direction, Sir Arthur expresses the belief that he is merely acting as a mouthpiece for a doctrine which he believes vital to the happiness of the human race. An extremely intelligent subject with a doublebarrelled appeal. For the popular-minded there will be interest over the internationally known author of Sherlock Holmes. Those concerned with spiritualism will have an opportunity to hear one of the doctrine’s leading exponents. (FD, May 26, 1929) Sir Arthur has a cultured and agreeable speaking voice and poise gained over a long career on the lecture platform. Setting for the little talk is the rustic garden of his country home in England. His friendly terrier sits [all] the while at his feet and he pats it as he speaks. This release qualifies as a high grade item for audiences of the better type. For the yokelry it will be intelligible. (Var, May 29, 1929)

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

255

Notes: When altered and re-released as a Doyle obituary piece in 1930, the film became Fox Movietone News Story 6-962. Studio: Fox Movietone Running time: 10:22 Skeleton Dance, The (1929) Near perfect synchronization makes this short subject one of laugh-getting qualities. It tells the story of the skeletons which leave the tomb at midnight to engage in those dances we heard about when we read fairy tales. There is an owl which says ‘Ho-o, Ho-o,’ the two tomcats on the fence, and the runaway dog, all doing their antics, just as one expects, and when caught the picture got many hearty laughs. Especially funny was that part where the Boss Skeleton played the xylophone on the back of one of his companions. (Bill, July 27, 1929) Here is one of the most novel cartoon subjects ever shown on a screen. Here we have a bunch of skeletons knocking out the laughs on their own bones, and how. They do a xylophone number with one playing the tune on the other’s spine. All takes place in a graveyard, and it is a howl from start to finish, with an owl and a rooster brought in for atmosphere. (FD, July 21, 1929) The skeletons hoot and frolic. One throws his skull at a hooting owl and knocks the latter’s feathers off. Four bones brothers do a unison routine that’s a howl. To set the finish, a rooster crows at the dawn. The skeletons, through for the night, dive into a nearby grave, pulling the lid down after them. Along comes a pair of feet, somehow left behind. They kick on the slab and a bony arm reaches out to pull them in. All takes place in a graveyard. Don’t bring your children. (Var, July 17, 1929) [J]udged by the public’s reception, Disney Cartoons has another series of animated sound comics which will rival the success of the current series of ‘Mickey Mouse’ subjects. The Skeleton Dance was previously given a public try-out at the Carthay Circle in Los Angeles, and the hit it created held it at that theatre for six weeks. It was given another public test at the new Fox in San Francisco, where it again scored heavily and these Western triumphs are now repeated in the first Eastern showing at the Roxy. (WFR, July 20, 1929)

Notes: Animated cartoon. Studio: Disney-Cinephone Running time: 11 minutes Stone Age Romance, A (1929) One of Paul Terry’s Aesop’s Fables which would have been better off without sound, altho the reel is good filler for any program. The recording is too guttural and weak-lunged. It is a clever bit of animated drawing tending to prove that not

256 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

all cavemen are victors in the battles of the sexes. The score with which the film is accompanied is ordinary, but adequate. (Bill, Aug. 17, 1929) Charley Caveman, who seems to be the original tough guy of the Prehistoric Age, does his wearin’, tearin’ stuff in this Van Buren short. He swings a wicked club with a flock of has-been animals and knocks the spots off a leopard. Along comes the sex-appeal of the period and he chases her home. After capturing the lady, who is also tough, he drags her to her papa. Just as papa congratulates Charley, the girl friend kayoes him with her shilaleh [sic]. Some discouraged and temporarily ‘off’ women, Charley retires to his cave. This is an excellent number containing new cartoon ideas. (FD, Sept. 1, 1929)

Notes: Silent, animated cartoon Starring: Charley Caveman Director: Paul Terry Studio: Van Beuren-Pathé Running time: 6 minutes Taxi Spooks (1929) This Mack Sennett comedy with Jack Cooper as a goofy taxi-cab skipper concerns a search for money in a haunted house. The unrelenting mother-in-law placed in splitting situations, the superstitious [African-American], the gum-chewing damsel, the skyscraping villain, plus the sappy hero are all thrown together and cook up a mirth-provoking comedy. (Bill, May 18, 1929)

Notes: Remade by Sennett as Up Popped the Ghost (1932; see entry). Starring: Jack Cooper, Thelma Hill, Glen Cavender, Andy Clyde, Blanche Payson Producer: Mack Sennett Director: Del Lord Writers: Del Lord & Ewart Adamson (story), Betty Browne & Paul Perez (titles) Studio: Mack Sennett-Pathé Running time: 2 reels They Shall Not Pass Out (1929) Plot: A theater promoter stages a show in an allegedly haunted house. Notes: Sound short using the Photophone system. Starring: Alberta Vaughan, Al Cooke, George Gray Director: Ralph Ceder Studio: Radio Pictures Running time: 18 minutes

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

257

Why Gorillas Leave Home (1929) Notes: Bobby Vernon encounters a gorilla in this comedy short. Starring: Bobby Vernon Director: Arvid E. Gillstrom Studio: Paramount Running time: 2 reels Witch’s Cat, The (1929) Plot: A black cat tries to eat Snap and the two fight. The witch turns Snap back to dough, and he has to run to the Nutty Oven Bakery to be cooked again. Notes: Filmed in stop-motion. Starring: Snap, the Gingerbread Man Studio: Kinex Studios-Kodak Cinegraph

1930 Barnum Was Wrong (1930) Nick and Tony are … chiseled into entering a carny lot show by the barker. Once in they are made use of by the magician and hypnotist for fair comedy effects. Also used to sub for the Siamese twins, who quit. While posing as the attached pair, a doctor starts to inspect them. Smaller character gets sick and runs for it, pulling away from partner and disclosing fake, whereupon the customers start wrecking the joint. (Var, Aug. 13, 1930)

Starring: Henry Armetta, Nick Basil Director: Mark Sandrich Studio: RKO Running time: 18 minutes Blimp Mystery, The (1930) Plot: Monkeys take the roles of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. Director: Sigmund Neufeld Studio: Tiffany Running time: 18 minutes Bridal Night (1930) Familiar spook comedy. While there is nothing new in this sketch about a couple of newlyweds spending a night in a ‘haunted house,’ it manages to produce a fair amount of laughs. The material is mostly quite familiar, but it’s the sort of stuff that always meets some response in audiences. In an effort to elude their friends, the newly married couple drives off and eventually finds themselves out of gas on a lonely road. They go hunting for a telephone and come across an old house,

258 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

which they find deserted. Then comes the ghost business, with the old stuff of door-slamming, eerie noises, entanglements with sheets used in covering furniture, etc. It gets across pretty well. (FD, Sept. 14, 1930)

Notes: An entry in the Vitaphone Varieties series. Starring: Johnny Arthur, Charlotte Merriam Producer: Sam Sax Studio: Warner Bros.-Vitaphone Running time: 9 minutes Cannibal Capers (1930) One of Walt Disney’s best ‘Silly Symphonies’ to date. After the little band of cannibals have disported awhile in highly amusing fashion, a ferocious lion turns up and the whole gang takes to its heels. The cannibals’ intended victim, however, jumps out of the boiling pot and gives the lion the run-around, winding up by getting hold of the lion’s false teeth and using them to scare the jungle beast out of his skin. (FD, July 13, 1930)

Notes: Cannibal Capers was the first Disney Silly Symphony animated cartoon completed without animator Ub Iwerks. Director: Burt Gillett Studio: Columbia Running time: 6 minutes Cave Club, The (1930) Beginning with night club life in the stone ages and changing to our present cabaret cycle, this one could have been more entertaining if a trifle more energy was injected into the performances. Everything seems to be done in such a perfunctory manner that it fails to hold the interest. It just ambles along with some fairly good routine numbers by the chorines. The rest lack the fire and pep for a real, fast and entertaining short of its type. (FD, May 18, 1930)

Notes: This short includes a crystal ball. Starring: Marjorie Leach, Ethel Merman Studio: Vitaphone Running time: 9 minutes Chills and Fever (1930) An amateur theatrical group of young folks are forced to conduct their rehearsals in a deserted hunting lodge instead of at the home of one of the girls because a crabby old uncle and aunt have decided to call. Their musical play is quite eerie and mysterious, and all of the characters don awe-inspiring costumes. The uncle and aunt, whose car has broken down near the hunting lodge, have taken refuge

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

259

from a rainstorm in the lodge, which had recently been tenanted by an author of mystery stories, the manuscripts lying about all over. The uncle gets a peak at one of the blood-curdling pages of these manuscripts and mistakes it for a message from a gang. The antics of the rehearsing mob downstairs give the old couple the idea that the house is haunted, until the niece recognizes them. Continuity is none too well sequenced, tho as it is the film should go for the grinds. (Bill, Apr. 26, 1930) In Chills and Fever, everyone concerned makes a valiant effort to create humor out of comedy material that is old and flavorless. The story relates the experiences of a man and his wife in a mountain lodge being used by a group of amateurs rehearsing a show. The two are almost scared to death when they mistake the weirdly costumed figures for spooks. Finally they are relieved when the actors doff their disguises. Handled in a frankly slapstick fashion, this comedy might have been productive of some real fun, but as is it is an extremely Pathétic affair. (FD, Apr. 20, 1930) Illogical, of course, but not making up for that through laughs. … Recording fair and photography same. (Var, June 25, 1930)

Starring: Al Shean, Evalyn Knapp, Mary Clark Writer: Arch B. Heath Director: Arch B. Heath Studio: Pathé Running time: 21 minutes Crystal Gazer, The (1930) Buzzell as a mystic single on the vaude stage advises two separate and married blondes on domesticity. In the flashbacks he plays with them. One as her lawyer; the other as a miniature golf salesman. Both good that way. Dialog is witty, but colorful, and action on the bedroom order. (Var, Dec. 3, 1930) This time Eddie comes in as an Oriental crystal gazer, with the ball revealing him in various gags, including a hilarious divorce trial, a salesman bit, and others. A real number of laughs. (FD, Nov. 30, 1930)

Starring: Eddie Buzzell Director: Eddie Buzzell Studio: Columbia Running time: 12 minutes Cuckoo Murder Case, The (1930) Synchronized cartoon which can be rated as fair. Springs a couple of novel ideas and maneuvers but is making the mistake of having the figures talk. Cartoon makers as a whole evidently insist on doing this although it does much to disrupt the

260 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

illusion. It can be noted that the most successful series of these reels has religiously kept away from verbalizing, content to merely dub in the synchronized tunes and effects. (Var, Oct. 29, 1930) Fifteen or more series of animated cartoons on the market at one time make the going tough for this type of short. That is, unless they’re turned out with the cleverness of Cuckoo Murder Case, one of the ‘Flip the Frog’ subjects produced by Ub Iwerks. Here, the cartoonist takes the usual mystery slant but sends it over with loads to spare. The answer is in the treatment. Iwerks has Flip go through the most amazing contortions. This shows real thought. (MPN, Nov. 1, 1930)

Notes: Animated cartoon in which “Sherlock Flip” investigates the murder of the cuckoo in a cuckoo clock, which takes place in an old dark house on a stormy night. The murderer is Death incarnate, wearing a cloak. He has bony hands and arms and a scythe. Starring: Flip the Frog Producer: Ub Iwerks Studio: MGM Running time: 7:40 Curiosities (1930) Curiosities is a sound and talking news reel which deals with the freaks of the world–such as live featherless chickens, Voodoo snake worshippers preparing to sacrifice a love child, and self flipping flapjack machines. (EDR, Sept. 4, 1930)

Notes: Also known as Walter Futter’s Curiosities. This was the first episode in the series. Studio: Columbia Running time: 1 reel Detective, The (1930) Oswald the funny rabbit gets himself pinched when Cock Robin is found murdered, although our hero is innocent. The audience is let in on the mystery, for they see the robin shot by Mr. Worm, after the villain had tried to kidnap little Worm. So things look bad for Oswald at the trial, till he hits on the idea of playing harmonies on his bow and arrow. This puts the judge and jury into a series of jazz steps, and they bring in a verdict of not guilty. Clever cartoon work with a nice comedy slant. (FD, Oct. 12, 1930)

Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: Oswald the Rabbit Studio: Universal Running time: 7 minutes

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

261

Devil’s Parade, The (1930) Splendid tabloid musical revue featuring Sidney Toler who acts in the capacity of [a] devil with hell as the setting. Very excellent number containing plenty of snappy dance numbers and tuneful songs. Should click in any audience. (MPT, June 24, 1930) With hell as its setting, it gets off to a fast pace and never slows down a moment from beginning to end. It boasts some snappy singing and more than a bit of hot dancing. Sidney Toler officiates as the devil who requires his victims to perform for him before they get the works. (FD, June 15, 1930) The devil’s throne room, with Sidney Toler passing judgment on Broadway arrivals, is [the] theme of Devil’s Parade. Good novelty, fast moving, with plenty of tapping and laughs in between. (Var, June 11, 1930)

Starring: Sidney Toler Studio: Vitaphone Running time: 10 minutes Drums of Fear (1930) Tom Terris, ‘The Vagabond Director,’ always manages to slip a story and suspense into his travelogs [sic], which he photographs himself with his globe-trotting camera and verbally illustrates with off-screen dialog. This one is as interesting as any other others. Drums of Fear are the drums of African natives. Terris steps into the usual danger. He just misses a trap, which would have cut him into ribbons had he stepped an inch father [sic]. Couple of native customs, not particularly new, and a dash here and there of brownskin unadorned. Probably plenty of the latter cut from Terris’ original. (Var, July 23, 1930) In Drums of Fear, the ‘Vagabond’ takes us deep into the land of cannibals, into their innermost hideout, where the camera caught a witch doctor in a death performance, gruesome among the skulls of many dozen subjects who crossed his path. This subject apparently necessitated plenty of nerve, to say nothing of camera skill. (MPN, June 28, 1930)

Notes: An entry in the Vagabond Adventure series. The director’s name was generally spelled “Terriss.” Director: Tom Terriss Studio: Pathé Running time: 10 minutes Egypt, Land of Pyramids (1930) With James A. FitzPatrick providing the synchronized, talking accompaniment, this edition of his Travel Talks is better than average entertainment of its kind.

262 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

While many of the sights, including the familiar Sphinx and pyramids, are pretty well known to motion picture audiences by now, the treatment in this instance is sufficiently individual to give the presentation new interest. (FD, June 22, 1930)

Starring: James A. FitzPatrick (narration) Studio: FitzPatrick Running time: 8 minutes Enchanted Forest, The (1930) This Tiffany Color Symphony ought to prove a delight to children. It tells about a rich little girl who is forbidden to take part in childish pleasures. Her mother neglects her for the sake of social activities. One day the child steals away to the woods. There she falls asleep and dreams of dwarfs and fairies. It is like a page out of a fairybook [sic]. Bad color is the film’s one glaring fault. (FD, June 1, 1930)

Notes: Animated cartoon Studio: Tiffany Running time: 10 minutes Everything Happens to Me (1930) The unluckiest man in the world gazes into the crystal ball and finds his future a sad past. (EH, Nov. 15, 1930)

Starring: James B. Carson, Leo Hoyt, Lucille Lortel Director: Arthur Hurley Studio: Vitaphone Running time: 1 reel Fire Worshippers (1930) With the noted band director, Creatore, and his aggregation of musicians, supplying the symphonic background, this number presents an interesting fantasy on the subject of the sun-worshippers of South America. A dramatic incident is depicted in a scene where the tribe is about to sacrifice a young girl to their god. Her lover comes to her rescue, but is prevented from interfering. Then a nearby mountain is seen to turn white, which the sun-worshippers look upon as an omen directing them to release the girl, which they do, and the lovers march off together. (FD, Sept. 28, 1930) Band is seen only at the opening and the closing, as in between the action revolves around sun worshippers, an attempt to depict the action which the musical subject is supposed to represent. Nicely presented. The musical accompaniment is more interesting than the accompanying scenes. … No dialog or sound effects arising for action. Everything is pantomime. Only Creatore’s band is heard. (Var, Sept. 24, 1930)

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

263

Starring: Creatore and His Orchestra Studio: Tiffany Running time: 10 minutes Golden Pagoda, The (1930) In The Golden Pagoda the audience strolls with the Vagabond Director through mysterious Burma with its cringing, hungry native beggars who reach out pleading for alms. One travels with [Terriss] to the gorgeous temples bejeweled with untold emeralds, and finally, with unsteady steps and consternation, enters the forbidden cave of the Kings and down into its depths. Then through mysterious and spooky dark passages to the most sinister chamber of all. (EH, Mar. 29, 1930)

Notes: An entry in the Vagabond Adventure series. Starring: Tom Terriss Director: Tom Terriss Studio: Van Buren-Pathé Running time: 1 reel Gorilla Mystery, The (1930) Plot: The gorilla, a “mankiller,” has escaped. Mickey Mouse warns Minnie Mouse, but she is unafraid until the enormous monster captures her. Though scared, Mickey saves Minnie, and the two of them tie up the gorilla. Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse Studio: Walt Disney-Columbia Running time: 7 and a 1/2 minutes Grounds for Murder (1930) [C]omedy of a wife with a mania for attending the latest murder trials. (EH, Oct. 18, 1930)

Starring: Phoebe Foster, Ernest Glendinning Director: Harold Beaudine Studio: Vitaphone Running time: 1 reel Gypped in Egypt (1930) Plot: Two dogs explore Egypt and encounter the Sphinx, who talks to them, as well as the ghosts of numerous camels. Then they fall into a tomb that contains bats. A dancing skeleton emerges from a sarcophagus. One of the dogs later plays a piano duet with the skeleton. Notes: Animated cartoon in the “Aesop’s Fables” series.

264 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Director: John Foster and Mannie Davis Studio: Van Beuren-Pathé Running time: 8 minutes Hallowe’en (1930) Here is a decided improvement over most of the Sporting Youth series of comedies that have gone before. Not only is the story of this one generally more judiciously conceived, but also more intelligently directed…. In this instance Judy decides to appear at a Hallowe’en party in gypsy dress. To get the costume she invades a gypsy camp. Her boy friend, fearing for her safety, follows her and by mistake makes off with a gypsy girl. Matters almost turn out disastrously when the latter’s lover in a fury breaks in upon the party in search of the girl. (FD, Apr. 6, 1930) Plot of this is as silly as the others. If chapters of this [Sporting Youth series] have been seen previously, may prove interesting, otherwise just a so-so time filler. (Var, Apr. 23, 1930)

Notes: Also known as Halloween, this film’s plot includes fortune-telling. Starring: Ann Christy Director: Ray Taylor Studio: Universal Running time: 20 minutes Haunted House, The (1930) Another one of those amusing cartoon comedy sketches animated with [the] sound of peculiar noises, bells, roaring winds, and slamming doors. Like the majority of these cartoon comedies, since sound became an adjunct of the screen, this one proves merry entertainment. The story finds Mickey caught out on a stormy night. Seeking shelter in an abandoned house that proves to be haunted, he comes in contact with dancing skeletons, singing and laughing ghosts, and the rest of the type of sliding beds, hidden doors, etc. that go with this type [of] entertainment. (Bill, Jan. 4, 1930) The ‘creeper’ idea, as the title implies, injected into a ‘Mickey Mouse’ comic, with the usual storm, lightning, ghosts, dancing skeletons, etc. Also a flash simulation of Al Jolson, produced by a black-and-white character silhouette, with a simultaneous cry of ‘Mammy,’ that is a knockout. (FD, Jan. 5, 1930) Mickey Mouse in a haunted villa is fast with laughs throughout. Culminates in Mickey being compelled to play an eerie organ while a ballet of skeletons dance weird capers. Delightfully mad, this short can be added to any bill and improve it thereby. (Var, Feb. 12, 1930)

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

265

Notes: Animated cartoon Studio: Celebrity Productions Running time: 7 minutes Haunted Ship, The (1930) Set this down as one of the finest, if not the finest, Aesop Fable to be turned out by the Van Beuren people. It is a splendidly conceived bit of entertainment, imaginative, capably recorded, musically pleasing. A neat piece of work any way you look at it. The story concerns the experiences of two characters who, flung into the ocean when their airship is destroyed, find themselves on a sunken ship inhabited by strange denizens of the sea. One of them eases his terror by playing a piano, setting all the creatures occupying the vessel a-dancing and a-singing. (FD, May 18, 1930) This eerie submerged bark is filled with awe-inspiring creatures, fish, octopus demons and undersea dragons, as well as skeletons of the many brave souls buried in the sea. (Bill, May 10, 1930) Starting in an airplane that escapes a storm by turning itself into a submarine, the two cat characters find themselves on the ocean’s floor in an old sunken hulk. An ideal spot to bring in skeletons and every known type of wierdness [sic], the mystery touch is given the action. (Var, July 2, 1930)

Notes: In this animated cartoon, which was part of Van Beuren’s series of “Aesop’s Fables,” Waffles and Buddy encounter a bad storm as they fly through the air in a plane. They go underwater and encounter various spooky creatures, including skeletons. Starring: Waffles Kat, Buddy Kitt Director: John Foster, Mannie Davis Studio: Van Beuren-Pathé Running time: 1 reel Hearts and Flowers (1930) Plot: On a lovely moonlit night, Dolly Daisy is courted by a variety of young swains. Upset by the commotion, Dolly’s father finally takes his blunderbuss and shoots the Man in the Moon. Notes: Stop-motion puppet animation, with one cel-animated insert. Director: Howard Moss Studio: Vitaphone Varieties Running time: 6:41

266 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Hells Heels (1930) Plot: This story includes skulls that speak, skeletons, and a decapitated police officer. Notes: Animated cartoon, which does not feature an apostrophe in its onscreen title. Starring: Oswald the Lucky Robert Studio: Universal Running time: 6:25 I’m Afraid to Go Home in the Dark (1930) Plot: Bimbo becomes scared walking home at night, hearing spooky sounds from crows and a watchtower. Skeletons and ghosts appear. The narrator mentions goblins as well. Notes: Max Fleischer animated cartoon Starring: Bimbo Director: Dave Fleischer Studio: Paramount Running time: 6:50 In Africa (1930) Oswald the rabbit visits the dark continent and has some fun with camels, lions, dancing girls, mummies, etc. There are a few novel bits of business, but there is too much noise emanating from the horn. This series is far from what it used to be when it was silent. (MPN, Nov. 29, 1930)

Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: Oswald the Rabbit Studio: Universal Running time: 6 minutes Iron Man, The (1930) Plot: A robot is delivered at Al Falfa’s home. They dance together, and then the robot grows to an enormous size, which causes him to explode. Notes: Animated cartoon in the “Aesop’s Sound Fables” series. Starring: Farmer Al Falfa Writer: John Foster and Harry Bailey Studio: Van Beuren-Pathé Running time: 7:20

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

267

Jungle Jazz (1930) Plot: Waffles and Don encounter various animals as they walk through the jungle, including a large gorilla and two creatures with spider-like legs and skulls for heads. Then they are terrorized by cannibals, who try to cook the duo in a large pot. Notes: Animated cartoon, which was one of Van Beuren’s “Aesop’s Fables” series. Starring: Waffles, Don Studio: Van Beuren-RKO Running time: 7:37 Jungle Terror (1930) A trip up the Rangoon River in India and a journey through the jungle on the back of a huge elephant fill this release with enough interesting material to please any audience. Pythons, hanging from trees or in the underbrush waiting to spring at the passing beast, on which Tom Terris, the Vagabond director, is riding, add a decided thrill to the travelogue. (FD, Dec. 14, 1930)

Notes: An entry in the Vagabond Adventure series. The director’s name was generally spelled “Terriss.” Starring: Tom Terriss Director: Tom Terriss Studio: Van Buren-Pathé Running time: 8 minutes Laurel-Hardy Murder Case, The (1930) As a couple of candidates for the fortune left by an uncle of one of the boys, Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy go through all the familiar chills, thrills, and spookery that has become known to the murder mystery type of story. Complications arise when, upon arriving at the dead man’s house for the reading of the will, it develops that the man was murdered and the lawyers have summoned the relatives in an effort to catch the guilty party. (FD, Aug. 10, 1930) Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, whose recent comedy series has been making good records as a ‘draw,’ are involved in a murder case in their latest comedy. … Stan and Oliver walk right into the midst of it. Add to that the eeriness of the place, the haunted and expectant surprises of an old house filled with relatives and detectives who suspect everyone, and you have the laugh-provoking action which ensues. (Bill, Aug 9, 1930) All the familiar eerie hokum [is] dragged into this, and very effective, especially with these dead-pan buffoons. Ghosts, trapdoors, leering characters, mysterious butler, cops, dicks, lightning, gruesome sound effects, etc., had the customers in shrieks throughout. (Var, July 30, 1930)

268 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Fig. 26  Stan and Ollie meet Dell Henderson for “old dark house” mayhem in The Laurel-Hardy Murder Case (1930). (Courtesy Heritage Auctions)

Plot: When the estate of the recently deceased Ebeneezer Laurel seeks potential heirs to a $3 million fortune, Ollie decides to pass off Stan as the dead man’s nephew. But old man Laurel was murdered, and now the creepy Laurel mansion has been taken over by police detectives eager to wring a confession from the killer. When Stan takes umbrage to Ollie’s anticipation of “our” fortune, Ollie pretends to be crushed but not surprised; “’Twas ever thus!” he proclaims. Later, after being scared witless inside the house while a thunderstorm rages outside, Stan reconsiders the fortune and informs Ollie, “You can have it all.” Frights include a bed-hopping black cat, a moving floor lamp, an irredeemably creepy butler (Frank Austin), a peculiar housekeeper (Dell Henderson, in drag), and a fiendishly rigged telephone. Note: Three foreign-language versions of The Laurel-Hardy Murder Case were shot simultaneously: Noche de Duendes (Spanish; survives), Spuk Um Mitternacht (German; reconstruction survives), and Feu Mon Oncle (French; lost). Starring: Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Fred Kelsey, Frank Austin, Dell Henderson, Dorothy Granger Producer: Hal Roach Writer: H. M. Walker (credited for “Dialogue”)

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

269

Director: James Parrott Studio: Hal Roach Running time: 28:49 May Horoscope (1930) May Horoscope falls in the novelty category and at the same time is of comedy classification, the comedy derived from absurd prophecies delivered in a deadly serious manner. It’s a pretty fair, lightly entertaining short no matter how the producer intended it. … After the horoscope reading, ‘Zanzimar’ [the ‘bearded seer’] gazes in a crystal for noted folk born in May. (Var, May 7, 1930)

Starring: “Zanzimar” Studio: Fitzpatrick Running time: 7 minutes Museum, The (1930) Toby is ordered by a rough-looking individual to polish up the exhibits in a museum. He goes at his work to the tune of some jazzy music which results in the various statues, skeletons, mummies and other dead numbers being brought to life and cavorting all around the place. An ingenious and neatly executed short of this type. Ought to please very nicely. (FD, July 6, 1930)

Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: Toby the Pup Producer: Charles Mintz Studio: RKO Running time: 7 minutes Mysterious Mose (1930) Max Fleischer’s Talkartoons are unique in the cartoon field. This is an illustrated version of the Mysterious Mose song and it’s good for a generous number of laughs. (MPN, Dec. 13, 1930) Every so often uncorks a laugh-provoking idea and with the cartoons having the head start of being welcomed upon the title flash, there won’t be a great deal of disappointment attached to Mysterious Mose. (Var, Dec. 10, 1930)

Notes: Max Fleischer animated cartoon, the title of which draws upon the popularity of Walter Doyle’s song Mysterious Mose. A bat and what seems to be a ghost appear. Starring: Betty Boop, Bimbo Director: Dave Fleischer Studio: Fleischer-Paramount Running time: 6 minutes

270 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

One Nutty Night (1930) They fall back on some old gags for this one. As amateur detectives, they are sent to protect a young couple in a haunted house. The ‘haunt’ proves to be a goofy doctor, who takes the detectives for a dizzy ride through a series of gags that are not so hot. There is also the old standby of the [African-American] servant scared stiff by the mysterious happenings. These two comedians have a rather original line, but they need material a little more original to get over. (FD, Nov. 23, 1930) One nutty short. Crazy antics are to be expected in comedies, but this is overdone. So much so it misses fire. … Action doesn’t contain many laughs. (Var, Sept. 24, 1930)

Starring: Robert Carney, Si Wills Director: Wallace Fox Studio: Pathé Running time: 24 minutes Peek a Boo (1930) Arthur was only a hotel page, but at heart he was a detective, and he little suspected that his trick disguises, when he was hot after a clue, were easily seen through. The only one who had faith in him was the hotel proprietor’s daughter. Arthur discovered that one of the guests had been robbed, and questioned the victim for a description of the assailant, only to learn it was a gorilla assisted by a woman, but the finding of an earring seemed to be a good clue to Arthur. Arthur found the woman thief and her accomplice, who had been masking as a gorilla. In the excitement the real gorilla is captured in place of the man-thief, but Arthur with his newly-found instincts, got his man and was awarded a better job in the hotel. (UW, Apr. 26, 1930)

Notes: Also known as Peek-A-Boo. Starring: Arthur Lake Director: Sam Newfield Studio: Universal Running time: 2 reels People Born in April (1930) One of the James P. FitzPatrick series of monthly horoscopes and similar to the previous ones in detail and action except that another month is discussed. As good as the others from the novelty angle. Good filler anywhere. (Var, Apr. 9, 1930)

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

271

Notes: Also known as Movie Horoscopes: People Born in April. Starring: “Zanzimar, India’s foremost astrologer” Studio: FitzPatrick Running time: 1 reel People Born in August (1930) August in the FitzPatrick series of monthly horoscopes does not seem quite so absurd as others, because the peculiarities of August folk are told in subtitles instead of dialogue. Otherwise August is about the same, but only interesting to those born that month. People born in August, according to this, are easily deceived. That goes for women as well as men, making them all chumps. Which is something to know, if you’re on the fake. There’s one unintentional belly laugh. After the title stating the August born are fond of amusements, there is a shot of the shoot-the-chutes at Coney. Prolog is interesting, revealing how the month was named. Caesar Augustus did it, after himself, is the claim, clipping his last monicker [sic] to fit. (Var, Aug. 13, 1930)

Notes: Also known as Movie Horoscopes: People Born in August. Starring: “Zanzimar, India’s foremost astrologer” Studio: FitzPatrick Running time: 1 reel People Born in February (1930) Notes: An entry in the horoscope series that featured comedy along with astrological information. Also known as Movie Horoscopes: People Born in February. Starring: “Zanzimar, India’s foremost astrologer” Studio: FitzPatrick Running time: 1 reel People Born in July (1930) Notes: An entry in the horoscope series that featured comedy along with astrological information. Also known as Movie Horoscopes: People Born in July. Starring: “Zanzimar, India’s foremost astrologer” Studio: FitzPatrick Running time: 1 reel

272 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

People Born in June (1930) Notes: An entry in the horoscope series that featured comedy along with astrological information. Also known as Movie Horoscopes: People Born in June. Starring: “Zanzimar, India’s foremost astrologer” Studio: FitzPatrick Running time: 1 reel People Born in March (1930) Notes: An entry in the horoscope series that featured comedy along with astrological information. Also known as Movie Horoscopes: People Born in March. Starring: “Zanzimar, India’s foremost astrologer” Studio: FitzPatrick Running time: 1 reel

People Born in May (1930) One of a series of oral horoscopes, this one for people born in May. Issue is the ‘Movie Horoscope Series,’ probably with one produced for each month. ‘May Horoscope’ falls in the novelty category and at the same time is of comedy classification, the comedy derived from absurd prophecies delivered in a deadly serious manner. It’s a pretty fair lightly entertaining short no matter how the producer intended it. People born in May, says ‘Zanzimar,’ the bearded seer, are lighthearted and joyous by nature; literary and artistic; have strong emotions; the men are democratic and positive; children are happy and carefree and need peaceful environment[s]; the women’s friends are inclined to take advantage of them and they seldom gossip. Everything got a loud snicker at the Lexington. After the horoscope reading ‘Zanzimar’ gazes in a crystal for noted folk born in May. One peculiarity of Mayites brought out through the crystal is that most have extra large schnozzles. (Var, May 7, 1930)

Notes: An entry in the horoscope series that featured comedy along with astrological information. Also known as Movie Horoscopes: People Born in May. Starring: “Zanzimar, India’s foremost astrologer” Studio: FitzPatrick Running time: 1 reel Sacred Fires (1930) Another of the Vagabond Adventure series, with Tom Terris, the vagabond director, giving his travel talk as he conducts you through the mysterious India associated with the sacred Ganges. The thread of a story is worked in, with a beautiful girl wife conducting her aged husband to the sacred waters, where she sees him burned on a funeral pyre, and scatters his ashes in the river. The customs and rites

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

273

of the natives are shown in an intimate manner, along with some fancy legerdermain [sic] by a Hindu fakir with his bag of tricks. (FD, July 13, 1930)

Notes: An entry in the Vagabond Adventure series. The director’s name was generally spelled “Terriss.” Starring: Tom Terriss Studio: Van Beuren-Pathe Running time: 11 minutes Sands of Egypt, The (1930) Tom Terris, the Vagabond Director, spends a bit of time with his audience in the streets of Cairo, Egypt, on a feast day with everyone celebrating the birthday of the prophet. Then, by means of a river houseboat, drops down the Nile to the ruins of Karnak, 4,000 years old, once one of the greatest temples in Egypt, we are told. The kick in the subject is the close-up view of a mummy lying in an ancient tomb, with the fantastic drawings on the wrappings supposedly symbolic of the animals which guide the dead across the River Styx. Terris’ description is interesting and graphic as usual, but it would be improved if the introductory remarks which immediately precede the subject were more varied. (EH, Nov. 1, 1930)

Notes: An entry in the Vagabond Adventure series. The director’s name was generally spelled “Terriss.” Starring: Tom Terriss Director: Tom Terriss Studio: Van Beuren-Pathe Running time: 1 reel Seeing Things (1930) Just the old haunted house yarn crossed by the inheritance gag. William Demarest falls heir to an estate provided he lives in a haunted house for a year to make good his claim. Otherwise, the estate reverts to other relatives. Need you be told who plays ghost? Not more than a mild giggle from the audience when caught. Maybe the kids will like it. (MPN, Nov. 1, 1930)

Notes: Also known as Vitaphone Varieties, No. 1081–82. Starring: William Demarest, Florence Auer, Edward Fielding Director: Harold Beaudine Studio: Vitaphone Running time: 13 minutes

274 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Shrimp, The (1930) Harry Langdon with a minimum of effort manages to make this one a real laughgetter. The film is built around a novel idea. Langdon appears as a timid young boarder who is made the butt of the other boarders’ jokes. He falls into the hands of a scientist who has discovered the secret of transforming meekness into combativeness. A slight operation turns him into a wildcat, with the result that he wins domination over those who have been bullying him. Decidedly a fine comedy. (FD, Feb. 24, 1930)

Fig. 27  On-set photo of Harry Langdon and Thelma Todd with a phonetic-dialogue board used during the shoot of ¡Pobre Infeliz!, the Spanish-­language version of The Shrimp (1930). (Courtesy Heritage Auctions)

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

275

Starring: Harry Langdon, Thelma Todd, James Mason, Nancy Drexel, Max Davidson Director: Charley Rogers Studio: Hal Roach-MGM Running time: 18:44 Skulls and Sculls (1930) Plot: Felix becomes scared in the dark of night. He falls down a flight of stairs that turns into a dragon, and is chased by a ghost. Then he sees a clock pendulum blade descend downward. But all is well, with his friends turning on the lights. The blade was merely a house light. Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: Felix the Cat Director: Otto Messmer Studio: Pat Sullivan Running time: 9:50 Spookeasy (1930) A Krazy Kat cartoon in which the kat does all the old gags with the spooks that are in the Columbia gag book. Despite the many repetitions of former tricks that were pulled in other cartoons of this type, the short is entertaining in its entirety and is worth any first run. Somehow, the squeamish tricks that ghosts do cause customers many laughs and the musical accompaniment in this one helps it no little. Columbia has got into the habit recently of producing some might good short features, especially the animated ones, and this is no exception. (Bill, Mar. 8, 1930) There’s considerable fun in this edition of the Krazy Kat series of animated cartoons. As a detective, Krazy follows a trail that leads him into haunted territory. There are spooks all about him. When he finally escapes from their clutches, he is nearly dead with fright. The musical theme has been played up as it [is] common with all animated sound cartoons today. In its sound effects and its photography, this is a rather smart piece of work. (FD, June 1, 1930) Idea used in this cartoon has been used in a cartoon previously released by another company. Previous release was much better. Musical accompaniment, though nicely cued to antics, poor as to choice. (Var, Apr. 23, 1930)

Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: Krazy Kat Studio: Columbia Running time: 10 minutes

276 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Spooks (1930) Plot: “The Phantom” walks through a cemetery with a skeleton and arrives at an opera house. He stabs a female singer to pave the way for the one he loves. He conceals a photograph player in her clothing, and she finds success. But when she embraces Oswald, the Phantom kidnaps her. While he plays the organ, she removes his mask, thus revealing his skull-like appearance. The story also features an enormous spider. Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: Oswald the Lucky Rabbit Directors: Walter Lantz, Bill Nolan Studio: Universal Running time: 6:29 Stone Age Stunts (1930) An Aesop Fable with Milton Mouse doing his heroics away back in the Stone Age with the dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals. The synchronized sounds add to the merriment of the comedy antics of the cartoon characters. (FD, Dec. 14, 1930)

Notes: An “Aesop Fables” animated cartoon Starring: Milton Mouse Director: John Foster and Mannie Davis Studio: Van Beuren-Pathé Running time: 8 minutes Streets of Mystery (1930) Streets of Mystery is laid in India and we are first taken along the Grand Trunk Road, the highway of the East, on which the great Buddha himself once walked. Here we are brought face to face with the mysterious magic of India. Mr. Terris takes us with his caravan for hundreds of miles and introduces us to a host of interesting people — the old camel driver, the religious fakir, the girl who actually lifts a chair with her eyes. We are then permitted to visit the pearl mosque and there we meet the mysterious veiled woman who plays the most important part in the thrilling-episode which results in the complete and unexplained disappearance of a friend who is lost to us forever. (PS, Apr. 12, 1930)

Notes: An entry in the Vagabond Adventure series. The director’s name was generally spelled “Terriss.” Starring: Tom Terriss Director: Tom Terriss Studio: Van Beuren-Pathé Running time: 1 reel

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

277

Swing You Sinners! (1930) Plot: After attempting to rob a hen house, Bimbo gets trapped in a graveyard where the tombstones and trees come to life. He is also bothered by ghosts, a bat, and a skeleton. Notes: Animated cartoon. One of the ghosts resembles Lon Chaney’s appearance as the faux-vampire in London After Midnight (1927). Director: Dave Fleischer Studio: Max Fleischer-Paramount Running time: 8:16 Up to Mars (1930) Funny cartoon with a good angle. Bimbo, the main character, is sent skyward on a rocket. He lands in Mars where everything is in reverse. He then becomes a soldier. Latter angle is used for comedy vocalizing by the cartoon soldiers. Unusually good musical synchronization all through. (Var, Nov. 26, 1930)

Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: Bimbo Director: Dave Fleischer Studio: Fleischer-Paramount Running time: 6:20 Victim, The (1930) Plot: In this comedy, a wife gives her husband a cemetery plot for his birthday. Starring: Frank Orth, Esther Howard Director: Raymond Cannon Studio: Vitaphone Running time: 1 reel When the Wind Blows (1930) Plot: During an especially windswept night, the Our Gang kids inadvertently help Kennedy the cop (Edgar Kennedy) catch a cat burglar who prowls a back alley; meanwhile, the frustrated parents struggle to put their kids to bed and keep them there. Starring: Our Gang (Jackie Cooper, Allen “Farina” Hoskins, Mary Ann Jackson, Bobby “Wheezer” Hutchins, Norman “Chubby” Chaney, Betty Jane Beard, Pete the Pup) and Edgar Kennedy, Charles McAvoy Producer: Hal Roach Writer: H. M. Walker (credited as story editor) Director: James W. Horne Studio: Hal Roach Running time: 19:36

278 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Where There’s a Will (1930) Plot: In an effort to steal his fortune, two nephews send their wealthy uncle to a sanitarium. Starring: George Hassell, Mabel Grainger, Joe Bonomo Director: Roy Mack Studio: Warner Bros.-Vitaphone Running time: 1 reel Wilkins Murder Mystery, The (1930) William Burns, head of the largest private detective agency in the world, makes his debut as the master mind responsible for solving what are sometimes considered perfect crimes. (FD, Sept. 21, 1930) This is a departure in shorts and while the series has fine exploitation possibilities, this initial picture of the series could have been done much more effectively. For instance, a study of the various methods used to solve the murder, rather than a narration of the steps taken by Williams Burns and his men, would have carried more dramatic punch. The choice of the vehicle is not so hot, as the murder was a comparatively commonplace one. However, the subject has novelty and Burns’ name is copy anywhere. The short should go over okeh [sic]. (MPN, Sept. 27, 1930) For fans well up in their detective story reading, Burns is too pedantic, not to say obvious. (Var, Jan. 7, 1931)

Starring: William J. Burns Director: George Clifford Reid Studio: Educational Running time: 18 minutes Wizardland (1930) Again Tom Terriss, the Vagabond Director’s explanatory dialogue turns his travelogue into a nice dramatic short. While visiting a tribe of head-­hunters on a Cannibal Isle, in search of a rare head, he supposedly gets into difficulties and finds his life in danger when the severed head is discovered missing. However, he appeases the natives by pretending to turn water into fire, with the aid of a can of turpentine. It shows the queer, primitive customs of the natives, most of which will be old stuff by now to regular movie-goers, and what would otherwise be pretty dull entertainment is saved by the injection of a little plot. (MPH, Jan. 3, 1931) Tom Terriss trying to talk a native cannibal dance into a hymn of hate for himself because someone has stolen the prize skull of the head hunters. Not an interesting short unless figuring that the angle of scantily clad native women means something. (Var, Dec. 31, 1930)

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

279

Note: NBRM refers to this film as Wizard Land. Starring: Tom Terriss Director: Tom Terriss Studio: Pathé Running time: 10 minutes Wizard’s Apprentice, The (1930) Something for those who like the spooky stuff. Concerns a young practitioner of wizardry who performs various mystic wonders and finally precipitates a flood which he is unable to check until his tutor comes to his aid. Trick settings, unusual lighting, and a fitting musical score by Hugo Riesenfeld are among the highlights of this short. There is no dialogue. (FD, June 8, 1930) A fantastical interpretation of Goethe’s The Sorcerer’s Apprentice. The youth attempts to employ the black magic of his master, with dire results. He succeeds in some trick stuff, and then finds he cannot break the spell. Threatened with drowning in the sorcerer’s workshop, he finally is saved by the master, who upbraids him for his folly. (MPN, Sept. 20, 1930) While there is no dialogue, the underlying motif is the Hugo Riesenfeld score, obviously arranged for mystic emphasis, and as such more effective than any speech. … Spooky sets and lighting. (Var, June 4, 1930)

Notes: The wizard’s apprentice conjures a tiny woman who grows larger and larger, until she is full size. He also brings a broom to life. Director: Sidney Levee Producer: Hugo Riesenfeld and William Cameron Menzies Studio: United Artists Running time: 9 minutes Woos Whoopee (1930) Plot: Felix has fun at a nightclub while his wife is home angry. He walks home drunk and imagines that a streetlight transforms into a fire-breathing dragon. He imagines other creatures, including a large snake and a huge gorilla with wings. Notes: Animated cartoon, sometimes referred to as Felix the Cat Woos Whoopee. Starring: Felix the Cat Director: Otto Messmer Studio: Pat Sullivan Running time: 1 reel

280 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

1931 African Dodger, The (1931) Nice short with Tom Howard as the rural numbskull who is fairly induced to put his head through the curtain slot where they throw three for five at him. Build-up to Howard finally going to work is amusingly chronicled, the comedian being aided by a capable straight man. Circus midway is merely flashed in passing with but a tent the background for the two-man conversation. Continuity finally reaches the arrival of a baseball pitcher who put the [African-American] boy in the hospital the day before. Not a ‘yell’ short, but certain to gain mild laughs. Howard, from musical comedy, [is] a comedian who can generally probe more from material than may actually be there. In this instance the caliber of the dialog is no handicap. (Var, Mar. 18, 1931)

Notes: This circus story briefly features a carnival barker touting various “freaks.” Starring: Tom Howard Studio: Paramount Running time: 10:42 Aping Hollywood (1931) Plot: Chimpanzees play the roles in this short subject, with a wife leaving her husband for Hollywood. Director: Sigmund Neufeld Studio: Tiffany Running time: 2 reels Asbury Park Murder Mystery (1931) This is another of the series of true detective mysteries related by William J. Burns, famous detective, while a competent cast re-enacts the story of solving the crime. It is unfortunate, despite the general appeal in these, that Educational does not take advantage of the splendid opportunity offered in [the] subject matter to better dramatize these stories. This one, which tells of the capture of the demented German who killed a small girl in Asbury Park, is fine as far is [sic] it goes, but that is not far enough. (MPH, Jan. 24, 1931) [T]he story lacks [the] directorial treatment to bring out the dramatic highlights. So it resolves itself into a series of photographs that fall rather flat and lack the punch necessary for a mystery presentation on the screen. (FD, Jan. 25, 1931)

Starring: William J. Burns Director: George Clifford Reid Studio: Educational Running time: 11 minutes

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

281

Believe It or Not (1931) Plot: In this episode of the second season of the series (1931–32), which bears the number 1336, Robert L.  Ripley presents an iron maiden, a shrunken head, and several tombstones bearing unusual epitaphs. Starring: Robert L. Ripley Studio: Warner Bros.-Vitaphone Running time: 7 and 1/2 minutes Bimbo’s Initiation (1931) Plot: Bimbo falls into a spooky house with secret panels. Strange creatures with candles on their heads invite him to become a member of their cult. Bimbo also sees a talking skeleton, and an early version of Betty Boop. Bimbo narrowly escapes death, but his own shadow is decapitated. Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: Bimbo Director: Dave Fleischer Studio: Max Fleischer-Paramount Running time: 6:27 Black Spider, The (1931) Here there is a clever idea worked out with a lot of animated technique that in spots is beautiful and artistic. The Spider is a terrifying creature who invades the castle, imprisons the king, and disguises himself in his clothes so he can pursue his designs upon the king’s fair daughter. The cartoon conceit is handled with fine imagination and ranks ‘way above the average current cartoon. (FD, Oct. 25, 1931) A rather neat Terry Toon number in which the black spider sets his attention upon a beautiful girl. … an eerie atmosphere [that is] well synchronized with a similar type of musical score. (MPH, Oct. 31, 1931)

Notes: Animated cartoon Director: Paul Terry and Frank Moser Studio: Educational Running time: 7 minutes Black Widow, The (1931) This absorbing issue of the William J. Burns detective series relates to the solution of an extraordinarily baffling murder mystery. The crime is finally traced to a poisonous black spider. This number is well handled and holds interest throughout. (MPH, Mar. 14, 1931)

282 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

A William J.  Burns Detective Mystery, opening with an introduction by the famous sleuth, and then going into a pictorial reproduction of the highlights of a noted mystery of the police annals. … The plot is unique, and will appeal to mystery-lovers. (FD, Mar. 15, 1931)

Starring: William J. Burns Writer: Russell Matson Director: George Clifford Reid Studio: Educational Running time: 11 minutes Bosko Shipwrecked! (1931) Plot: Bosko finds himself stranded on the shore of an island after his ship can’t withstand a terrible storm. Cannibals plan to eat him, with a skeleton in a boiling pot even inviting him inside. But Bosko escapes. Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: Bosko Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 6:29 Burglar to the Rescue, A (1931) Plot: On a dark and stormy night, a banker who has embezzled money unsuccessfully tries to get his paramour to run away with him. After she leaves, a burglar appears, pulling a gun on the banker. It turns out he was wrongly imprisoned, taking the blame for the banker. The investigating detective doesn’t believe the banker’s story and arrests him. Notes: This was the first short in a series featuring The Shadow, who initially became famous as the host on the 1930 radio show Detective Story Hour, as well as in Street & Smith’s The Shadow Magazine in 1931. He introduces the crime story in this short subject. Starring: Thurston Hall, Charlotte Wynters, Frank Shannon, Arthur Aylesworth [The actor playing the shadow is credited with a question mark.] Writer/Director: George Cochrane Studio: Universal Running time: 21:47 Call a Cop! (1931) Plot: Teens Mary and Gertie try to spend a night at home alone but become terrified by mysterious noises (made by the cat) coming from downstairs. Assuming a burglar, the girls call boyfriend Mickey, who phones pals Dave

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

283

and Alabam, and his father, a cop. Soon, the girls’ house is a bedlam, with shattered windows, sundered doors, and a basement full of policemen knocked unconscious by the panicked kids. Notes: The Boy Friends was Hal Roach’s teen-comedy two-reel series, led by former Our Gang stars Daniels and Kornman. Starring: Mickey Daniels, Mary Kornman, Gertrude Messinger (Gertie), Grady Sutton (Alabam), and David Sharpe (Dave), with Harry Bernard (as Capt. Daniels) Director: George Stevens Studio: Hal Roach-MGM Running time: 19:00 Cannibals Once (1931) Plot: An entry in the “Port O’Call” travelogue series that depicts Fijians. Studio: William Pizor-Imperial Pictures Running time: 1 reel Cat’s Nightmare, The (1931) One of Walt Disney’s ‘Silly Symphony’ series and a beaut. Score is good and penmanship snappy, plus having some new ideas. Cat is put out on doormat for the night and starts right for the fence and meowing. Boot hits him and eight of his souls are seen mounting up with lyrics. He holds on to the ninth, however, for some nightmare experiences and wakes up in the morning just in time to go back in with the milk. Couple of good laughs. (Var, Oct. 27, 1931)

Plot: Put out for the night, a noisy housecat is conked on the head after failing to snare a bird—he’s “out.” Eight of his nine lives depart heavenward, and the revived cat grabs the ninth just in time to stuff it into his pocket. Left with just one life, he’s in a perilous spot when oversized multiples of the bird chase and peck at him. The night wears on and the cat encounters hooting owls, dog-sized spiders, fanged bats, an angry water pump, and the empty clothes of a scarecrow. As mischievous trees hold and spank him, the cat awakens, back at home—and put out a second time, even though morning has come. Notes: Animated cartoon, also known as The Cat’s Out. Director: Wilfred Jackson Studio: Columbia Running time: 7:19 Clyde Mystery, The (1931) Amusing but never thrilling nor exciting, placing into brief form the sort of S. S. Van Dine mysteries that have been done into features. For small-­house use [due to] its satirical spice of kidding a detective. Conventional murder and ques-

284 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

tioning, with usual answers inferring guilt. Surprise finish achieved through solving of the mystery. A psychologist brought in for laughs discovers that the murdered man had ingeniously committed suicide, placing another gun with one cartridge discharged in his wife’s bedroom so that she would have to follow him, thus upsetting her love affair. (Var, Sept. 29, 1931) Opens with a rich man found dead in his parlor chair, and the rest of the time is consumed in questioning various members of the household, with John Hamilton as the inspector who is positive he knows who killed the man and why, while Donald Meek applies ‘psychology’ and ‘science,’ mixed with comedy, and ends by proving that the man committed suicide. All the characters except Meek act in a too theatrical manner, which helps kill any sincerity in the motivation. (FD, Sept. 27, 1931) An audience at the Warner in New York appeared to extract a real kick out of this S. S. Van Dine mystery short, the first in a series. The suspense is real and holds the attention, while the solution of the death of Mr. Clyde, provides something unexpected and therefore quite effective. Warners has something in this group of shorts if the others hold up to the standard of this first. (MPH, Oct. 31, 1931)

Starring: Donald Meek, John Hamilton, Lyle Talbot, Helen Flint Writer: Burnet Hershey Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 20 minutes Crazy House (1931) A comedy novelty in Technicolor, featuring Benny Rubin in a sanitarium. Benny finds out that he’s really in a nut house and even the doctor is balmy. He meets different patients in turn, and by the time they get through with him, Benny is nutty, too. … There is a spectacular feature with the Albertina Rasch ballet, The Dance of the Devil, with the girlies dressed as fetching and alluring ‘devilettes,’ that is a pip. The sort of thing you expect in a feature spectacle. Nothing of its type has ever topped this sequence. This alone makes the offering a standout. (FD, Mar. 15, 1931)

Notes: Filmed in Technicolor. This short seems to have originally included a ballet about Mars, featuring the Albertina Rasch Girls, and music by Dimitri Tiomkin. Although Rasch and Tiomkin are credited in the opening titles of Crazy House, the ballet is not included in the 2010 Warner Archive release of Crazy House (in Classic Movie Shorts from the Dream Factory). Starring: Benny Rubin, Vernon Dent, Polly Moran, Karl Dane, Cliff Edwards Studio: MGM Running time: 16 minutes

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

285

Crystal Gazer, The (1931) One of the series that Eddie Buzzell has been making for Columbia release. It’s pretty much adult stuff, built on miniature review lines, with a couple of blackouts. The dialogue is bright. Eddie plays a vaudeville ‘mystic’ who advises two blonde girls on domestic affairs. (PP, Feb. 1931)

Starring: Edward Buzzell Director: Edward Buzzell Studio: Columbia Running time: 1 reel Curiosities (1931) Walter Futter shows how dead men work in the Island of Haiti in his most recent Curiosities, which are released by Columbia Pictures. According to the natives, voodoo rites make it possible to animate the bodies of the deceased and keep them working in the fields. Other novelties including the mystery of the crown of thorns, the oddest junkyard in the world, proof that the state of Wyoming was once at the bottom of the ocean, and the secret of how ships are put in bottles. (MA, Sept. 15, 1931) A number of interesting scenes in this collection of Walter Futter’s Curiosities. John P. Medbury’s monologue is more in a straight vein, getting away from the kidding stuff in describing the clips. In this number, there are the Zombies, the junk dealer who collects airplane parts, the richest and poorest church in the world at Columbia, Washington, and a number of varieties of fish and their peculiar habits. (MPD, Dec. 5, 1931) Interesting in their oddity are these scenes in one of Walter Futter’s series. John P. Medbury, who supplies the accompanying dialogue, steers away from his usual attempts at humor, and tells a straight story. Zombies, a junk dealer who collects airplane parts, the richest and poorest church in the world at Columbia, Wash., and the peculiar habits of certain fish come in for their share of attention. (MPH, Dec. 12, 1931)

Starring: John P. Medbury Studio: Columbia Running time: 8 minutes Curses! Curses! Curses! (1931) Plot: A “monkeyshines” short in which costumed monkeys enact the roles in a melodrama. Director: Bryan Foy Studio: Columbia Running time: 9 minutes

286 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Death House, The (1931) A William J. Burns detective mystery. This one follows the usual routine of the series, going through the various steps of re-enacting a crime that is part of the police annals. Two murders are committed, and after a process of elimination, it finally simmers down to the criminal. The reel lacks dramatic highlights, and is too stereotyped to furnish much of a kick. (FD, June 7, 1931)

Starring: William J. Burns Studio: Educational Running time: 10 minutes Devil’s Cabaret, The (1930) Eddie Buzzell is a high pressure salesman for Satan in this one, filmed in Technicolor. He discovers that Heaven is going over bigger than his abiding place. Eddie steps up to the earth, visits a cabaret, and sells those in the place on the idea of better entertainment in Hades. They agree and stage an elaborate presentation down below. It is good stuff throughout, fast, tuneful, and has many clever lines. (MPH, Mar. 14, 1931) There is a futuristic background, with fine color effects, depicting Hades in a most attractive manner. Good gags and patter by Buzzell, with the rest a tuneful, jazzy eyeful, and a bevy of girlies who would do a credit to a Ziegfeld Follies. (FD, Mar. 15, 1931)

Notes: Filmed in Technicolor, this comical film features actor Charles Middleton as “Mr. Satan,” as well as music by Dimitri Tiomkin. Starring: Edward Buzzell, Charles Middleton, Ann Dvorak, Mary Carlisle Director: Nick Grindé (aka Nick Grinde) Studio: MGM Running time: 17 minutes Egyptian Melodies (1931) One of Walt Disney’s ‘Silly Symphonies’ and just fair filler matter. Nice penmanship, as usual in this series is outstanding. Starts out as though it’s going to be original, with an Egyptian background, and one of the sphinxes suddenly opens a door. Spider crawls in and down corridors, with then the usual ghost and mummy stuff. (Var, Feb. 23, 1932)

Plot: Inside a great Egyptian pyramid, a spider is frightened when the mummies come out to dance, and hieroglyphic characters run, dance, and fight on the stone walls and pillars. Notes: Animated cartoon Studio: Walt Disney-Columbia Running time: 6:04

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

287

Facing the Gallows (1931) A wealthy man is murdered and three are suspected but the final solution of the crime is strange and unexpected. (NBRM, Oct. 1931)

Notes: Part of the True Detective Stories series. Starring: Emmett King, Doris Martel Director: Spencer Gordon Bennet Studio: RKO-Pathé Running time: 2 reels Fisherman, The (1931) Plot: Oswald and his girlfriend travel to “Ghost Island” in search of buried treasure. They encounter a ghost, a musical group comprised of skeletons, and a pirate and his crew. Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: Oswald the Lucky Rabbit Studio: Universal Running time: 6:56 Fly Guy, The (1931) An Aesop Fable animated cartoon, with the insects as principal players. Jazz tunes run through the short, accompanying the antics of the fly and its mate. One sequence pictures a cabaret in full swing in a bottle. (MPH, June 6, 1931)

Notes: Animated cartoon Studio: RKO Running time: 7 minutes Fly Hi (1931) Insect comedy in the Aesop Fables series and above the average of this string. Has to do with some musical interpolations about an insect and an insectess who are lured to the spider’s net. They save themselves when the spider, drawn to represent Svengali, gets caught in flypaper and falls over with a ‘Mammy’ yell. Will fit all screens. (Var, Sept. 15, 1931)

Notes: Animated cartoon Director: John Foster, Harry Bailey Studio: Van Beuren-RKO Running time: 8 minutes

288 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Foiled (1931) A William J.  Burns Detective Mystery, recounted by the famous detective and dramatized by a cast. Suspense is there and the manner in which the police discover the murderer of a host at a card party is interesting. Prior to his murder, the host had been forcing his attentions upon a guest. Her husband and several others become suspects, until it is proved that the house detective is the criminal. (MPH, Dec. 5, 1931)

Starring: William J. Burns Director: George Clifford Reid Studio: Educational Running time: 10 minutes Framed (1931) A William J. Burns Detective Mystery, with the well known sleuth opening up the show with a short introduction, then into the description of how his operatives trapped a gang of drug peddlers. One of his men got into the gang’s inner circle as a member, got the goods on a frame-up of one of them, and then they made the raid and captured the crowd. The reel moves pretty mechanically with few highlights and nothing in the way of a ‘mystery’ to justify the name. (FD, July 26, 1931)

Starring: William J. Burns Studio: Educational Running time: 10 minutes Ghost Parade (1931) Patterned along lines of the popular type feature mystery-comedy, this Mack Sennett release personally directed by the comedy producer, and featuring the capable comic trio of Andy Clyde, Marjorie Beebe, and Harry Gribbon should find acceptance on any program. The plot centers around a supposedly haunted estate inherited by Andy, and on which unknown to him there is oil. A prospective crooked buyer knowing this seeks to make a quick purchase of the place, and to accomplish his end sets the stage to scare Andy out. When Andy, accompanied by his dizzy secretary (Marjorie Beebe) visit[s] the weird mansion to show it to the crook plenty of laughable situations are supplied as they become enmeshed in a series of mysterious happenings machinated by the latter. Harry Gribbon adds considerably to the fun as the blundering hick detective. (FD, May 3, 1931) Andy Clyde tries to sell an old house believed to be haunted. It turns out that the ‘ghosts’ are merely a couple of crooks who attempt to scare the building from Andy without troubling about money. Marjorie Beebe plays the secretary who does much frightened screaming, and Harry Gribbon as the constable makes his fright look real and makes faces in general. Frank Eastman steps in when the crooks are uncovered to clinch with Marjorie. Andy probably does the best comedy job. Will draw plenty of laughs; use it. (MPH, May 2, 1931)

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

289

Comedy is built along the familiar haunted house lines. That idea has been played to death in shorts, but evidently the producers get action on those shorts, for the film audience doesn’t appear to tire of them. Doesn’t take too much ingenuity to contrive the plot for one of these subjects. All the ingenuity it takes is to figure out a new style of spooks. … Finish isn’t quite clear, but it doesn’t make much difference. Apparently the couple who were trying to buy the house were the spooks, to get the house cheaper. But that’s only apparently. (Var, June 16, 1931)

Notes: During a stormy night in the old dark house, a gorilla stalks the hallways, a ghost with a skull face appears, spooky music plays, a dog talks, and a devil’s shadow appears on the wall. However, all of these elements are explained away, including the gorilla, who is just a crook wearing a costume. Starring: Harry Gribbon, Andy Clyde, Marjorie Beebe, Frank Eastman, Charles Gemora Producer: Mack Sennett Director: Mack Sennett Writers: John A. Waldron, Earle Rodney, Harry McCoy Studio: Mack Sennett-Educational Running time: 17:32 Ghost Towns (1931) Interesting towns that figured in the rush days of years ago are the subject of this series. Virginia City, Nev., where most of the scenes in this short were taken, is shown its present derelict state…. Makes an engrossing reel. (FD, Aug. 16, 1931)

Plot: Short, nonfiction film presents images of ghost towns in Nevada, including Virginia City, Aurora, Rhyolite. Starring: Gayne Whitman (narrator) Director: George J. Lancaster Studio: Talking Picture Epics Running time: 1 reel Great Pie Mystery, The (1931) A Mack Sennett comedy that spoofs the current craze for mystery films. It starts out with a good idea, but they fail to keep the track clear, gumming up the works with a disjointed continuity that slows up the action and the interest. Harry Gribbon is the goofy boy from the country who visits the big city and gets himself in a jam. Harry Myers is the ‘scientific’ detective explaining to the reporter how he solved the baffling mystery of the missing garter. It is all a lot of funny nonsense, which could have been made twice as funny if they had held to the main idea and not gone off on side alleys. (FD, Oct. 25, 1931)

Notes: The opening credits state that this film is dedicated to the “amalgamated mystery lovers of the world.” A turbaned, caped villain with an evil laugh appears.

290 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Starring: Harry Gribbon, Harry Myers, May Boley, Alma Bennett, Dick Stewart, George Gray Director: Del Lord Studio: Mack Sennett-Educational Running time: 20 minutes Halloween (1931) Another highly amusing Winkler cartoon creation in which Toby the Pup disports in a Halloween setting. Spooks and witches participate in the lively activities, which are accompanied by the customarily appropriate music. (FD, Apr. 5, 1931)

Plot: Toby kisses girls and plays piano at a Halloween party. He also dances while wearing a jack o’lantern. Then, at the “witching hour,” a witch flies on her broomstick. Then skeletons and ghosts invade the party. Toby scares them away by pretending to be a rooster at dawn. Notes: Animated cartoon, also known as Toby’s Halloween. Starring: Toby the Pup Studio: RKO Running time: 6 minutes Her Wedding Night-Mare (1931) Another in the series of ‘Girl Friends’ comedies, and again packs plenty of action entertainment calculated to prove satisfying pretty much all around. The motivation in this instance involves a lot of wax dummies being concealed in closets, under beds, etc., in various parts of the house, with the girls getting a big scare every time they accidentally stumble into them. It’s good for a lot of roars and shrieks in the old reliable hokum alley. (FD, Dec. 27, 1931)

Starring: Thelma White, Fanny Watson Studio: Warner Bros.-Vitaphone Running time: 18 minutes Herring Murder Case, The (1931) A Max Fleisher Talkartoon. Bimbo is a detective, a la Sherlock Holmes, who is called in to solve the mysterious death of Mr. Goldfish. It’s very clever and original, and carries a real plot and continuity–about the only series of cartoons, by the way, which does so at the present writing. The others have gone mostly musical. Bimbo solves the crime, pinning it on the Cat, who likes like an enormous gorilla. Cartoon work is technically in a class by itself. And the laughs are there plenty. About the best cartoon we have caught in a blue moon. (FD, June 14, 1931)

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

291

Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: Bimbo Studio: Max Fleischer-Paramount Running time: 7 minutes Hittin’ the Trail to Hallelujah Land (1931) Plot: Piggy sings, dances, and pilots a Mississippi riverboat; back on land, Piggy’s friend Uncle Tom is scared by bats in a graveyard and a trio of dancing, singing skeletons. Piggy hauls his friend aboard the boat and then rescues his girlfriend from a top-hatted villain. Notes: While noting this animated cartoon’s title, some latter-day sources erroneously substitute the word “for” for “to.” The cartoon’s skeleton dance was likely inspired by Disney’s 1929 Silly Symphony cartoon short, The Skeleton Dance (see entry). Starring: Piggy (Rudolf Ising) Writer and Director: Rudolf Ising Studio: Warner Bros.-Vitaphone Running time: 6:56 House of Mystery (1931) One of the Shadow detective series. Two hunters stumble on a murdered woman in a lonely cabin, and proceed to ferret out the criminal. The plot has plenty of tenseness and mystery, and moves swiftly to a rather novel climax. But we still think that this series would be greatly improved by eliminating the ‘Shadow’ with his demonic laugh who comes into the picture every so often to point the finger of fate at the criminal. His laugh is ghastly, and poor stuff for the kids to listen to, as well as any high strung women. (FD, Dec. 20, 1931) [N]umber four of the Shadow Detective series, in which the supposed murder turns out to be an accidental death. The anti-climax is just a bit unfortunate, tending naturally to weaken the short as a whole. The more than occasional appearance of the shadow with his deep-voiced warning, becomes a good deal less than impressive. (MPH, Jan. 2, 1932)

Plot: The Shadow acts as host for this short subject, which takes place on a dark, windy night. Two hunters find the corpse of a young lady inside an old cabin that is allegedly haunted. One of the hunters is the sheriff, and the other works in the District Attorney’s office. They report the murder at a nearby home, and soon uncover the truth of what happened. Starring: James Durkin, Wilfred Lucas, Leland Hodgson, Frank Austin, Geneva Mitchell, Eddie Phillips, Bernard Stone Director: Kurt Neumann Studio: Universal Running time: 16 minutes

292 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

In Wonderland (1931) Plot: A villainous landlord threatens to throw Oswald and his grandmother out of their home. Oswald tries to sell their cow to raise money but makes a trade with a witch for a bag of magic beans that grow into a huge beanstalk. There he encounters a giant bull. Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: Oswald the Lucky Rabbit Studio: Universal Running time: 6:48 Intimate Interviews (1931) Plot: Dorothy West interviews Bela Lugosi in his own backyard. They discuss the character Dracula. In an obviously staged manner, Lugosi “scares” West. Starring: Bela Lugosi, Dorothy West Director: Grace Elliott Studio: Jesse Weil-Talking Pictures Epics Running time: 9 minutes Into the Unknown (1931) As the initial number in the new series of two-reelers made under the supervision of Wynant D. Hubbard, author and authority on African wild life, this short is very promising. It reflects authenticity in its presentation of wild life and native tribal customs in Africa, and the accompanying lecture is both interesting and instructive. In addition there is a strong climax, consisting of a fight between a lion and a hyena, that furnishes a good thrill finish. The picture is sound synchronized. (FD, June 7, 1931)

Notes: Also known as Adventures in Africa  – Episode 1: Into the Unknown. Subsequent shorts in the series included The Lion Hunt (No. 3), The Spears of Death (No. 4), Man-Eaters (No. 10), Beasts of the Wilderness (No. 11), and Unconquered Africa (No. 12). The series consisted of a total of twelve shorts, all released in 1931. Director: Wynant D. Hubbard Studio: Vitaphone Running time: 15 minutes Itching Hour, The (1931) When a comedy has Louise Fazenda, just how much more does it need? Well, just enough comic situations to give Louise a chance to strut her copious stuff. Here she and her fellow actors spend the night in a haunted hotel. Shocks, shivers and lots of laughs. Rare nonsense. (PP, Mar. 1931)

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

293

Starring: Louise Fazenda Studio: RKO Running time: 2 reels Jungle Jam (1931) Plot: Tom and Jerry are nearly eaten by cannibals. The “chief” cannibal is surrounded by skulls, some of which still seem to be alive. In the end, Tom and Jerry escape. Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: Tom and Jerry (human characters, not the later cat and mouse duo) Studio: Van Beuren-RKO Running time: 7:05 Male Man, The (1931) Plot: Postman bimbo delivers mail to a haunted house inhabited by monsters with skeletal arms. One of them gives him a letter to deliver. The envelope grows larger and larger, causing Bimbo to fall off a cliff. Notes: Max Fleischer animated cartoon Starring: Bimbo Director: Dave Fleischer Studio: Paramount Running time: 6 minutes Mars (1931) An animated number set on the planet Mars, with the usual thing in sound effects. Nothing original in the drawings or idea, which rates it as a rather weak short, with no striking appeal in any way. (MPH, Jan. 31, 1931)

Notes: Animated cartoon. This is a different short than Oswald in Mars (1931, see entry). Studio: Vitaphone Running time: 7 minutes Mead Trial, The (1931) One of the William J. Burns mystery stories in which the question ‘Who killed Burton?’ is answered by the detective in an interesting demonstration of the case. (MPH, Sept. 12, 1931)

294 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Starring: William J. Burns Studio: Educational Running time: 1 reel Monkey Business in Africa (1931) It is a good kidding number on the wild animal picture. They land in Africa to take a picture, and there are three good laugh sequences that will collect the merriment in any showman’s house. One has Marjorie and the hero in a canoe surrounded by crocodiles, with the hero paralyzed with fright and doing nothing to help. Andy crawls out on a rope and tries to get a closeup, but falls in among the crocodiles. The best gag is one where Andy and Luis Alberni are dressed up as gorillas, and a real gorilla enters the hut with Andy, Marjorie and the hero, and they think it is Alberni. Andy starts to read the script to the gorilla and as he gradually awakens to the truth that it is a real gorilla, the laughs come fast and plenty. (FD, June 7, 1931)

Starring: Andy Clyde, Marjorie Beebe, Luis Alberni Director: Mack Sennett Studio: Educational Running time: 21 minutes Musical Mystery (1931) Opens with woman librarian calling on police to find out what has caused wreckage in the library over night. Detective sets himself to all night watch. Thence quick scene change and happenings take place on a bookshelf when characters in novels come to life–Nero, Caesar, heroine of Ex-Wife, Rip Van Winkle, Trader Horn, etc. Salome turns out to be a remarkable contortion dancer, Robinson Crusoe, Trader Horn, and Rip Van Winkle are a precision dance trio, while Nero, Caesar and the Town Crier gag. Line girls work in and out. ‘Little Caesar’ crashes, gun in hand to upbraid Julius of that moniker for copyright infringement and there is much gagging around this situation, with the [Albertina] Rasch girls backing up the gangster in a number. Ex-Wife does a song and so does Little Caesar. (Var, Oct. 27, 1931)

Notes: Also known as The Musical Mystery. Producer: Sam Sax Studio: Warner Bros.-Vitaphone Running time: 18 minutes

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

295

Mystery of Compartment C, The (1931) Another of the true stories from the experiences of Nick Harris. Better than the usual short film of this type. (NBRM, Nov. 1931)

Plot: Police are unable to protect a man who has received a letter threatening his life. Notes: Part of the True Detective Stories series. Starring: Nick Harris, John Dillon, Lita Chevret, William Bailey, John Miller Director: Spencer Gordon Bennet Studio: RKO-Pathé Running time: 2 reels Navajo Witch (1931) Big Bill Lucas, if that’s his name, is the offscreen voice describing the silent photography, and the makers get an unintentional break from the very essence of the skimpy story the short reveals of the sadly neglected race of Navajo Indians. Lucas in his offscreen talk tried to make the action funny which somehow manages to prove a good mixture with the actual pathos of the film. That pathos is carried off into the photography besides and thus makes it linger with customers. Easy to see the makers muffed this angle from the cutting. They show an obviously framed sequence of a slight Indian boy using his bow and arrow on a coyote. That one is interesting, but the better shot is where the boy climbs a mountainside to capture an owl. That’s where the short gets its title. Owls are ill omens to the simple Navajos, and the boy is forced to free the bird. (Var, Aug. 25, 1931) The narrator has a good delivery, speaking in a western style that fits in admirably with the subject. (FD, Aug. 23, 1931)

Director: Elmer Clifton Studio: Clifton-Allen/Talking Picture Epics Running time: 1 reel

Oh! Oh! Cleopatra (1931) Plot: At a meeting of Hollywood’s famed Masquers Club, comic actors Wheeler and Woolsey voluntarily take a professor’s time-travel pills and find themselves in ancient Rome, not as themselves but as Anthony and Caesar. They romance Cleopatra, but a chariot race to win Cleo’s hand ends in a dead heat. When the boys return to the present, they take more pills—and are turned into chattering monkeys. Starring: Bert Wheeler, Robert Woolsey, Dorothy Burgess Director: Joseph Santley Studio: RKO-Pathé Running time: 20:13

296 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Fig. 28  Oh! Oh! Cleopatra (1931): Time-travel pills send Bert Wheeler (left) and Robert Woolsey to ancient Rome, where they canoodle with Egypt’s beauteous queen (Dorothy Burgess). (Courtesy Heritage Auctions)

One Quiet Night (1931) Plot: Stricken with a dreadful case of hiccups brought on by the stripling who is dating his daughter, Mr. Bates (Walter Catlett) is sent to the country to recover—inside a haunted house. This Cameo Talking Comedy features familiar floating sheets, creepy shadows, and a scary fellow in a top hat. Various animal rugs and stuffed animals talk. Starring: Walter Catlett, Dorothy Granger, Richard Malaby Producer: Earle W. Hammons Director: Roscoe (Fatty) Arbuckle (credited as William Goodrich) Writers: Jack Townley, Harrison Jacobs, Ernest Pagano Studio: Educational Running time: 7 minutes

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

297

Oswald in Mars (1931) Oswald and Peg-Leg try flirting with a girl in the park and a swift kick lands Oswald on Mars. Here some unique and bizarre effects are introduced, following Oswald’s singing of the Lucky Rabbit number. (MPD, Jan. 21, 1931) When Oswald and Peg Leg flirt with a girl in the park, Oswald receives a kick that perches him on Mars. Oswald sings the Lucky Rabbit number, while some particularly unique and unusual effects are achieved in cartoon work. The theme song idea for the shorts is one of the most striking ideas yet introduced into animated cartoons. (MPH, Jan. 24, 1931) The conceptions of the strange inhabitants of Mars are well worked out and highly imaginative, this being one of the best of the fantastic cartoons yet produced. (FD, Jan. 25, 1931)

Notes: This animated cartoon is also known simply as Mars. Director: Walter Lantz and Bill Nolan Studio: Universal Running time: 5:45 Red Headed Baby (1931) No unusual imagination displayed in this Merrie Melodies link. A filler. … A toy wooden soldier idea, having the military figure save the doll from the villainous spider. Just a cartoon. (Var, Dec. 29, 1931)

Notes: Animated cartoon, also known as Red-Headed Baby. Director: Rudolf Ising Studio: Warner Bros.-Vitaphone Running time: 6:39 Ring Leader, The (1931) A William J. Burns Detective Mystery. This one gets over a good kick with a surprising finish, showing how the head of a big mercantile concern hired the detective agency to uncover the ringleader of a gang stealing goods from his establishment. After various interesting disclosures, it finally develops the son of the head of the concern is the ringleader. (FD, Apr. 12, 1931) Another of the William Burns detective mysteries, which rates higher than the regular run of the series. Plenty of suspense until the revelation that one Morton, whose son is in his employ, has been robbing him steadily. For almost any audience. (MPH, Apr. 11, 1931)

298 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Starring: William J. Burns Writer: Russell Matson Director: George Clifford Reid Studio: Educational Running time: 11 minutes Scared Stiff (1931) Haunted house idea with plenty of slapstick and animals. Everyone in the cast does plenty of work, there being a super-abundance of falls. … safe short for any house, particularly those aiming for kid trade. (Var, Feb. 4, 1931) Apparently an attempt to build a comedy drama short from old shots of animals in the Universal files. Takes place in Africa, and fortunately it is short. Two stupid detectives are ordered to discover the diamond thief at the diamond mines. The animals are supposed to frighten them until they are scared stiff. A sigh of relief when it is over. Just another short mistake. (MPH, May 2, 1931) This is a flat and laughless number, depending on the old gorilla gag for its motivation. Two dumb detectives, sent to trap the thief who is stealing diamonds from a mine, run into a deserted cabin and are scared to death by a gorilla that chases them … [and also by] a parrot that gets caught under a white sheet, and flies around like a ghost. A fake gorilla, one of the diamond thieves, comes in and the gags are built around mistaking the real gorilla for the phoney. (FD, May 10, 1931)

Star: Monte Collins, Tom Dugan, Kit Guard, Charles Gemora (as the gorilla) Director: Harry J. Edwards Studio: Universal Running time: 17 minutes Sharks and Swordfish (1931) Catching dangerous water creatures in the Pacific, picturesque and exciting. (NBRM, Nov. 1931)

Starring: Pete Smith Studio: MGM Running time: 1 reel Shiver My Timbers (1931) Plot: Local tar Billy Gilbert regales the Gang with so many “wild windjammer stories” that the kids’ schoolwork suffers. The captain agrees to throttle back on the tall tales and connives with teacher Miss Crabtree (June Marlowe) to teach the kids a lesson. Gilbert and his sailor pals invite the kids shipboard at night and then threaten them with pop eyes and fangs, swords and knives, gunshots, a noisy, simulated typhoon, the staged abduction of Miss Crabtree,

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

299

and even cannibalism (“I think you’d better roast one of them for dinner!”). The resourceful kids dispatch the “pirates” with heavy crates, two by fours, and even an anchor. Starring: Our Gang (Matthew “Stymie” Beard, Bobby “Wheezer” Hutchins, Dorothy DeBorba, Sherwood Bailey, Jerry Tucker, Pete the Pup) and Billy Gilbert, June Marlowe, Harry Bernard Producers: Hal Roach, Robert F. McGowan Writer: H. M. Walker (credited for “Dialogue”) Director: Robert F. McGowan (credited as Robert McGowan) Studio: Hal Roach Running time: 20:27 Smile, Darn Ya, Smile! (1931) Plot: During a wild trolley ride, advertising posters come to life, including one for a cemetery. A skeleton rises from his grave and laughs before going back to sleep. Starring: Foxy Director: Rudolf Ising Studio: Warner Bros.-Vitaphone Running time: 6:57 Song of the Voodoo (1931) Photographically and scenically this number of the Van Beuren-Vagabond Adventure series is most excellent. The island of Haiti is the subject and the most is made of its natural beauty and grandeur. Port Au Prince, chief city, is seen with the camera’s eye, and the customs and peculiarities ferretted [sic] out for the audience with an interesting result. (MPH, Oct. 31, 1931) Scenes along the Caribbean and in the island of Haiti make up this interesting travel talk. Natives at the market place, the smoking of green gourds, silversmiths at work and a visit to the studios Charles Normil the sculptor lead up to a sequence purported to be actual scenes of a voodoo dance. The descriptive matter of the voodoo ceremony is more interesting than the photographs. (FD, Oct. 25, 1931) Photographed with a background of rare scenery combined with a compelling monologue, this short rates consideration on any booking guide. (MPD, Oct. 31, 1931) The most outstanding feature in this ‘Vale of Paradise’ is the uncanny power of the three voodoo drums whose mere throbbing sound can work strange miracles in this land. (Zit’s, Nov. 7, 1931) These pictures avoid the silliness that so often goes with films of this sort. (NBRM, Nov. 1931)

300 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Notes: Part of the Vagabond Adventure series of short subjects. Studio: RKO-Pathé Running time: 9 minutes Spears of Death (1931) Tribal dancing, including a specialty in which one of the brave hunters is supposed to slash his eyes with a knife, is the feature of this [edition] of Wynant D. Hubbard’s African episodes. Maintains the standard set by its predecessors in the series. (FD, July 5, 1931)

Notes: Number four in the Adventures in Africa series. Studio: Vitaphone Running time: 14 minutes Spider and the Fly, The (1931) Never in his experience has this reviewer seen a more novel, clever, or thoroughly entertaining animated cartoon, than this Walt Disney Silly Symphony number. An opening night audience at the New  York Criterion burst into a storm of applause at its conclusion, and [this cartoon] deserved it. When the fly’s sweetheart is enmeshed in the spider’s web, the army, on wings, on the backs of horseflies with pins for lances and with dragon flies acting as bombing planes, sweeps to her assistance. Dozens of tremendously clever new drawings and original ideas are incorporated in this smart animated subject. By all means play it, and the audience will talk about it for a week. (MPH, Dec. 19, 1931) All reviewing groups are unanimous in their conclusion that this is the prizewinning cartoon of the year. The theme is worked out with brilliant originality in a series of clever drawings. The rhythm is perfect and the sound accompaniments exactly right. (MPH, Jan. 9, 1932)

Notes: Animated cartoon Director: Wilfred Jackson Studio: Walt Disney-Columbia Running time: 7:12 Spirit of 76th Street, The (1931) Good comediennes are scarce in shorts. Most of the girls in the brief comedies are there for purposes of decoration, not for laughs. Helen Broderick, from Broadway, is an exception. She’s there to make you snicker from the first shot to the last. She plays a dumb city female whose wisecracks  – delivered with a wry voice  – are devastating. And the script writers must like her, too, for they always give her good lines. In her latest, she’s a manicurist who visits a spiritualistic séance in a state of disbelief, and upsets the medium with her cracks. A good laugh at the table-tippers. (MP, Aug. 1931)

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

301

Helen Broderick, as usual, keeps her screen audience tickled from the word go. A spiritualist seance is the excuse, and Helen takes full advantage with smart remarks which disconcerts the medium and give the audience a pleasant dose of laughtonic. (MPH, May 2, 1931)

Starring: Helen Broderick Director: Arthur Hurley Studio: Vitaphone Running time: 9 minutes Spooks (1931) Plot: On a dark, stormy night, Flip the Frog enters an old house and sees a number of skeletons. Even the bird in the cuckoo clock is a skeleton. One of them ties him to a table and plans to kill him with a large butcher knife, but Flip escapes while riding a skeletal horse that scares him. Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: Flip the Frog Director: Ub Iwerks Studio: Celebrity-MGM Running time: 8:17 Starbrite Diamond, The (1931) In this latest William J. Burns mystery thriller, suspicion rests on everyone at a house-party. The diamond theft and fake shooting will hold your interest right up to the last flicker. The authenticity of these stories gives them added punch. (PP, Dec. 1931)

Starring: William J. Burns Studio: Educational Running time: 1 reel Stone Age, The (1931) This is a strange mixture of the Stone Age with modern Austins and circus side shows. Oswald, the hero, goes calling on his girl in her cave but the villain, Pegleg, comes along and in true Stone Age fashion, wins the lady with a swat over the head with his club. So Oswald learns the right technique with the ladies, and starts out to be a devil with women via the big club method. There is plenty of action in this cartoon. (FD, July 26, 1931)

Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: Oswald Rabbit Director: Walter Lantz Studio: Universal Running time: 7 minutes

302 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Strange as It Seems (1931) Just a fair assembly of novelty shots done in color. Items include … a native Egyptian buried alive for a few hours, after hypnotizing himself. (FD, June 14, 1931)

Notes: No. 10 in Universal’s Strange as it Seems series Starring: Gayne Whitman (narrator) Director: Manny Nathan Hahn, Jerry Fairbanks Studio: Universal Running time: 11 minutes Strange Case, The (1931) A travesty on the murder mysteries. At a dinner party the host allows his guests to designate which part of the turkey they desire. When he makes an attempt to run off with his own choice of meat, he is chased and bumped. Then follows a series of comic investigations, with the guests killing each other off for no special reason. When all are done for, the host sits up and proceeds to eat his turkey in peace. (FD, May 10, 1931) Here is a good comedy which falls short of its possibilities through lack of sufficient time devoted to it. (MPH, May 16, 1931)

Notes: MPH claims the meal was a chicken dinner, not a turkey dinner. In any event, the plot takes place in a “spooky” house. Starring: Charles Halton, Gerald Oliver Smith Producer: Sam Sax Director: Roy Mack Studio: Vitaphone Running time: 7 minutes Strangler, The (1931) One of the best of the William J. Burns Detective Mysteries, for in this one they produce a real plot, with some dramatic suspense building to a strong climax. A prominent man’s wife is mysteriously strangled in her home. The detectives finally track down a gang hired to kill the husband, but the strangler killed the wife by mistake. It carries its interest as a murder chapter from real life, and has been well handled for realism and thrills. (FD, May 31, 1931) One of the William J. Burns Detective Mystery series, in which the well known detective recounts the story of the apprehension of a murderer, who had killed a woman when her husband left her alone for a few minutes. Actors silently enact the events described by Burns. (MPH, June 6, 1931)

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

303

Starring: William J. Burns Writer: Russell Matson Director: George Clifford Reid Studio: Educational Running time: 11 minutes [FD], 12 Minutes [MPH] Sultan’s Cat, The (1931) The sultan kills his cat, by drowning in the well, and he suffers for it with a horrible dream, involving cats, mummies which dance, and skeletons which do tap routines. It is a terrible nightmare, but the cartoon comedy and the antics of the figures are great. Original, funny and a clever idea. Worth while in the short line. (MPH, May 2, 1931)

Notes: Animated cartoon Studio: Educational Running time: 6 minutes Svengarlic (1931) Clever cartoon in which Trilby succeeds in recovering from Svengali’s hypnotic spell in time. Family audience. (NBRM, Sept. 1931)

Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: Krazy Kat Director: Ben Harrison, Manny Gould Studio: Columbia Running time: 8:02 Swift Justice (1931) Made to look like an authentic record and patterned shrewdly for suspense and sustained interest. Surprise finish cleverly concealed. Suspicion is skillfully diverted to the wrong characters and action of the chase is fairly well maintained. Woman is summoned away by kidnapers on the pretext that her relative has been hurt in an auto smash. Super-detective is retained. His men get a wrong steer, only to close in on the chase when the real criminal telephones husband of missing woman to prove she’s alive and will be released on payment of ransom. Phone call is traced, cops put in pursuit by radio broadcast grab person at telephone, who turns out to be chiseling brother of victim’s husband. Straight-­forward recital that sustains tension rather well. (Var, Dec. 29, 1931)

Director: Spencer Gordon Bennet Studio: RKO Running time: 20 minutes

304 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Taken for a Ride (1931) Plot: At a cemetery, a skeleton helps a gorilla to descend underground, where he gives his paramour jewels. Krazy Kat finds himself at the same cemetery, where he becomes scared. Tombstones move and surround him. A skeleton bids him enter the underground lair of the gorilla and his fellow gangsters. Two of the gangsters intend to shoot Krazy Kat, but decide not to do so after seeing a picture of his grandmother. Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: Krazy Kat Studio: Columbia Running time: 5:29 Thayer Trial, The (1931) The latest of the William J. Burns Detective Mystery series. This one is developed in the murder trial, with the niece of the murdered man on trial. The presentation of the lawyers for the state and the defense develop the unraveling of the plot. Pretty stilted, for it moves along rather mechanically to a disclosure that the girl’s attorney is the guilty party, as he was the beneficiary of the victim’s will and wanted to collect. It lacks the dramatic snap that this type of story should contain to get it over convincingly. (FD, June 28, 1931)

Starring: William J. Burns Writer: Russell Matson Director: George Clifford Reid Studio: Educational Running time: 1 reel Thom, the Unknown (1931) A Vagabond Adventure, with Tom Terriss, conducting his travel-talk through Cambodia on the Bay of Bengal near the China Sea. The principal events take place in the ruins of the temple of Thom, the goddess of the vanished race that once inhabited this country. An air of mystery is attempted by introducing a prowling figure whom Terriss follows about the ruins, and who is supposed to be a madman searching for hidden treasure. But he doesn’t appear particularly mad, and does nothing exciting, so that the whole build-up of suspense falls flat and strikes you as rather phoney. Not up to most of the series. Terriss is good when he sticks to his interesting travel story, but he fizzles when he tries to work in a dramatic story like this. (FD, Apr. 12, 1931) Tom Terriss, in this number of the Vagabond Adventure series, takes his film audience to the capital of Cambodia, in the Far East. A stop in the town and then to the ruins of the ancient king’s palace. The photography is striking, the ruins picturesque, and Terriss’ running fire of dramatic description interesting. As

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

305

usual, a bit of drama is woven through the combination travelogue-adventure film. On a par with the others. (MPH, Apr. 4, 1931)

Note: This was the twenty-fourth entry in the Vagabond Adventure series. Director: Tom Terriss Studio: Van Beuren-RKO Running time: 11 minutes Tombstones (1931) Many American people flock to see the foreign ‘art’ pictures and rave over their psychological effect on the audience. Tombstones, a one-reel offering, is in the nature of an experiment to determine whether foreign atmosphere and foreign method cannot be employed just as successfully in our home product. The object in a picture of this kind is to instill a sense of impending doom from the very beginning and work from there to the inevitable tragedy at the finish. Tombstones is interesting and sufficiently morbid to supply that kind of ‘entertainment.’ The story depicts a husband’s jealousy of his half-wit brother. His wife is attacked by a stranger. The husband, not knowing the brother has killed the scoundrel, believes him responsible and chokes him to death before his wife recovers consciousness to explain the mistake. The picture itself is a silent one, but there is a musical score throughout which interprets the various moods of the narrative. (HR, June 10, 1931) We have just seen a preview of a two-reel ‘shocker’ entitled Tombstones and made by one Ross Shattuck, an artist with many friends among movie players. This extraordinary picture portrays a rape and a murder in a graveyard, while in the background oil derricks move unceasingly up and down. Glenn Tryon, Eddie Woods and George Duryea took the male parts in the picture out of friendship, while the one woman’s part is ‘Marian.’ She is not a movie actress, but if any producer sees Tombstones she may become one, for she is very pretty and in a really dreadful scene does well. Where Ross will release his horror film we don’t know, but why shouldn’t there be art theaters for film-goers as well as drama patrons? (There are — in New York and Los Angeles). (MP, Sept. 1, 1931) This demonstrates that Europe has no monopoly on that brand of ‘arty’ pictures which confine themselves to horror. Two men die, the heroine suffers the fate ‘worse than death,’ and the other fellow feels terribly bad about it. Artistic, perhaps, but…! (PP, Aug. 1931)

Starring: George Duryea, Glenn Tryon Writer and Director: Ross Shattuck Studio: Shattuck Productions Running time: 1 reel [HR], 2 reels [MP]

306 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Trader Hound (1931) One of the Dogville comedies, parodying, of course, Trader Horn [a 1931 feature film]. There are more than a few real laughs, again a tribute to the Job-like patience of trainers and directors. ‘Trader’ penetrates the fastness of the African wilds to rescue the fair maiden. Real actors, these canines. (MPH, Jan. 9, 1932)

Notes: Dogs play all of the parts in this story set in Africa. Cannibals and gorilla appear. Studio: MGM Running time: 15 minutes Trapped (1931) No. 1 in the Shadow Detective series. This starts out as a mystery story, trying to unravel a murder, but pretty soon it proves to be just another gangster picture, and a very poor one at that. It is filled with inconsistencies and loose threads that never tie up intelligently. The brave detective girl gets herself married to one of the gang in order to get the evidence. The chief of the gang tries to take her from her hubby, while the man she really loves, another detective, lies a prisoner in a closet. It’s all very artificial and forced, and also unconvincing. (FD, Oct. 25, 1931) The initial offering in a new series, ‘Shadow Detective,’ in which is enacted the manner in which a gang leader is trapped by the police, principally through the efforts of a young detective and a girl operative, who stages a fake marriage to get close to the gangster, when he is though guilty of murder. He is caught satisfactorily, but suspense and real dramatic action are rather woefully lacking in the short. A shadow of a man appears on the screen at odd moments and at the beginning and conclusion of the piece, pointing out in a deep voice that the ways of evil lead to jail, the gallows or something equally unpleasant. (MPH, Oct. 31, 1931) This short was evidently produced through an arrangement with Street & Smith, who publish the Detective Story mag. Title page of the mag is flashed on the screen at the beginning of the picture. Also used in this short is the Shadow, spotted and used in the same manner as in the radio sketches sponsored by Detective Story. Enough mystery to hold interest. Also, once the murderer is disclosed, suspense is still retained by the manner in which he is to be captured. … Shadow, with his villainous laugh, is intermittently introduced, and lends color. (Var, Mar. 15, 1932)

Starring: Lina Basquette, Jason Robards, James Murray, Stanley Fields, DeWitt Jennings, Dorothy Vernon Director: Kurt Neumann Studio: Universal Running time: 23 minutes

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

307

Triangle Murder, The (1931) A William J. Burns Detective Mystery. Opens with the detective chief in a short introductory talk, and then into a pictured enactment of the murder and its solution. It develops that a butler and two accomplices are the criminals. They kill their victims right before the eyes of the detectives at the hour stated when he fails to put up the ransom. The crime is committed by poisoned needle operated on an electric wire attached to the victim’s chair. The direction is too mechanical and fails to get over the necessary punch. (FD, Apr. 12, 1931) Some of the punch noticeable in the earlier number of these Burns detective shorts is lacking in this particular number, dealing with the solution of a murder committed under the eyes of the police. As entertainment it is satisfactory, but the detective story fan probably will find it a bit lacking. (MPH, Apr. 11, 1931)

Starring: William J. Burns Director: George Clifford Reid Studio: Educational Running time: 11 minutes 2000 B.C. (1931) A Paul Terry-Toon, with the locale placed ‘way back in the prehistoric period, and the Adam and Eve stuff being pulled a la the Stone Age. The loving couple make love to each other with rocks, with little love words carved on them, such as the German ‘Fur Mich’ (for me). And when Romeo gets that rock love note, he knows he has had something. It’s lively, with good cartoon gags, and done with appropriate incidental music and sound effects. (FD, May 31, 1931) A number of the Terry Toon animated cartoon series, in which the animals enjoy themselves in a prehistoric setting, with their usual collection of antics. (MPH, June 6, 1931)

Notes: Frank Moser and Paul Terry did the animation for this cartoon; Philip A. Scheib prepared the music. Starring: Farmer Al Falfa Studio: Educational Running time: 7 minutes

308 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Fig. 29  Romance and reptiles in Paul Terry’s 2000 B.C. (1931). (Courtesy Heritage Auctions)

Unemployed Ghost, The (1931) [T]his latest Tom Howard comedy is choice entertainment and will appeal particularly to audiences appreciating pointed humor and clever dialogue. Tom and a friend, while driving near a cemetery, have a breakdown and are obliged to spend the night in a nearby hotel operated by a landlord with a ghost complex. The hotel man tells the boys a creepy yarn about the supposed spooks, and then follows a lot of skeleton and mysterious clutching claw business, leading up to the

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

309

Fig. 30  Tom Howard (left), with perennial sidekick George Shelton, in The Unemployed Ghost (1931) main point of the skit. This concerns a ghost who says he belongs to the ‘unemployed.’ Tom and the ghost engage in some amusing dialogue, winding up with the apparition doing a fadeout. (FD, Dec. 13, 1931) This Tom Howard subject seemed to please a matinee audience at the Paramount yesterday. The customers broke out in laughter quite a number of times, which made it extremely difficult to catch the dialogue in spots. It has to do with Howard and a friend, their car having broken down, who repair to a haunted hotel where a number of ghosts find Howard good company. Novel and funny. (MPD, Jan. 27, 1932) A haunted hotel offers a setting for Tom Howard and his actions which are original and amusing. (MPH, Mar. 5, 1932)

310 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Notes: This short was also known as Unemployed Ghosts. Writers: Marc Connelly, Russel Crouse Director: Aubrey Scotto Studio: Paramount Running time: 20 minutes Utmost Isle, The (1931) One of the Vagabond Adventure series, covering a journey through Ceylon, the home of the Singalese [sic] and the lotus. The atmosphere of the tropic isle is alluring, with lovely scenics and strange views of the natives and their customs. The big kick in the reel is a devil dance, with three performers going through some weird contortions in their terrifying makeup as the tom-toms intone wild music. The narrator keeps the interest alive with an interesting explanation of the spectacles. (FD, Oct. 4, 1931)

Director: Elmer Clifton Studio: RKO Running time: 11 minutes Wall Street Mystery, The (1931) Weakness of these S. S. Van Dine mystery shorts is that they suffer from the difficulty of building up much of a mystery situation and solution in such a small space of time. As a result the action becomes too matter-of-fact, with little chance to build up the human interest side. The present subject concerns the double murder of a stock broker and one of his clients, with the usual innocents planted as suspects and the novel crime finally being solved by [the] somewhat eccentric detective, played by Donald Meek. The skit necessarily is done mostly in dialogue. (FD, Nov. 8, 1931)

Starring: Donald Meek, John Hamilton, Frances Dale, Hobart Cavanaugh Director: Arthur Hurley Studio: Vitaphone Running time: 17:11 Weekend Mystery, The (1931) Third in the series of S. S. Van Dine detective stories. Presents the usual killing with no apparent clues to the murderer or motive. Donald Meek, as the scientific analyst, again steps in and works out the case. (FD, Dec. 6, 1931) This is number three of the S. S. Van Dine series of mystery shorts and one which has the happy faculty of taking complete possession of the attention of the audience until the end is reached and the mystery solved. One of the players in a card game is strangely killed in his room. Suspicion falls upon all the participants except one, and to the credit of those concerned be it known that one is not guilty. A good piece of work. (MPH, Dec. 19, 1932)

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

311

A detective storywriter gets his chance at a weekend party which winds up with two shootings and a miniature raid. It’s fair as a short subject, although somewhat involved and misleading to the average fan. Trick placement of a revolver, an overheated room, and melting candles, police, inspectors, and an amateur detectives are used. (Var, Jan. 26, 1932)

Notes: The press also referred to this short as The Week-End Mystery and The Week End Mystery. Starring: Donald Meek, John Hamilton, Walter Petrie, Harry McNaughton, Jane Winton Director: Arthur Hurley Studio: Warner Bros.-Vitaphone Running time: 17 minutes Witch Doctor’s Magic, The (1931) This number in the African Adventure series is just about passable. It does not contain anything sufficiently outstanding to bring it up to the average of preceding numbers. Some of it, particularly where the witch doctor is chased out of the colony after the natives have become wise to his fakery, is too apparently staged. The picture is principally concerned with rounding up animals for food without spearing them or drawing blood in any way, on penalty of a dread curse by the witch doctor. Natives singled out for this duty are supposed to die of fear. The white man, however, shows them how to catch the animals without shedding blood, and upon returning from the successful hunt the witch doctor is put to rout. (FD, Sept. 6, 1931) Photography okay and that only increases customer’s doubt of the authenticity. Hubbard wins his point with the black men by catching certain antelope on the veldt by means of upstretched netting. Catching the animals alive crashes the witch doctor’s case and he runs off. Off-screen voice record[ed] well. (Var, Aug. 18, 1931) Witch-Doctor’s Magic, the seventh of the Adventures in Africa [series], presents an interesting scene of the brown and white antelopes of Northern Rhodesia crossing a small lake. While the picture does not carry the exciting sequences of several of its predecessors in the series supervised by Wynant D. Hubbard, there is presented a theme of the capturing of the herd to save a tribe starving to death because of the witch doctor’s decree. (MPH, Aug. 22, 1931)

Notes: No. 7 in the Adventures in Africa series. For more information on the series, see the entry on Into the Unknown (1931). Starring: Wynant Hubbard, Margaret Carson Hubbard Studio: Warner Bros. Vitaphone Running time: Trade publications contradict each other, suggesting a length of either 10 minutes, 13 minutes, or 14 minutes.

312 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Wot a Night (1931) Plot: Tom and Jerry become trapped in a castle on a stormy night. They encounter a spooky bat, many skeletons, a disembodied hand, and a large number of ghosts. Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: Tom and Jerry (two human characters, not the later cat and mouse team) Studio: Van Beuren-RKO Running time: 8:22

1932 Babes in the Woods (1932) Plot: Exploring the woods, Hansel and Gretel meet elves and see a tree that comes to life. A witch on a flying broomstick causes the elves to hide. Hansel and Gretel naively join her on her broomstick. She takes them to her house made of sweets, where she transforms Hansel into a spider. But the two children are saved by the elves, who turn the witch into stone. Notes: Color, animated cartoon Studio: Disney-United Artists Running time: 7:40

Believe It or Not (1932) Plot: In this episode of the second season of the series (1931–32), which bears the number 1346, Robert L. Ripley presents footage of an Egyptian pyramid, as well as of a spider killing a reptile. Starring: Robert L. Ripley Studio: Warner Bros.-Vitaphone Running time: 8 minutes Betty Boop, M.D. (1932) Plot: Betty Boop presents a medicine show. After tasting her “Jippo” drink, a customer’s skeleton jumps out of his skin. Another turns into Mr. Hyde. Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: Betty Boop, Bimbo Director: Dave Fleischer Studio: Max Fleischer-Paramount Running time: 7 minutes

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

313

Betty Boop’s Museum (1932) Spooky cartoon. Betty gets lost in a natural history museum and is locked in for the night. The skeletons come to life and have a great time rambling through the halls. Betty sings and squeaks a bit. This one is up to Max Fleischer’s standard. (FD, Dec. 29, 1932)

Plot: A mummy, a statue of mummy, a dinosaur skeleton, and numerous human skeletons come to life when Betty Boop gets trapped in a museum that closes for the day. When the cartoon ends, the human skeletons descend into a grave in a cemetery. Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: Betty Boop, Bimbo, Ko-Ko Director: Dave Fleischer Studio: Max Fleischer-Paramount Running time: 7:05 Big Top Murder (1932) Plot: In this S. S. Van Dine mystery, a murder occurs at the circus. Starring: Terry Carroll, Ray Collins Director: Joseph Henabery Studio: 2 reels Running time: Bluebeard’s Brother (1932) Amusing enough is this number of the Paul Terry-Toon series of animated cartoons. When the bats sweep down and escape with the star performer in the circus, our little animated hero takes a skyrocket to bring down the leader and save the star. Fair cartoon. (MPH, July 9, 1932)

Notes: Animated cartoon Director: Paul Terry, Frank Moser Studio: Educational Running time: 6 minutes Boo (1932) This Universal Brevity, one of the series made up of clips of old-time productions put together with explanatory dialogue for comedy effects, produces little in the way of commendable entertainment. It seeks a comic-horror effect by using clips from Dracula and Frankenstein to depict a nightmare, but is too disjointed and inexpertly done to achieve its purpose. Heretofore, the producers have used excerpts from only the really old-fashioned melodramas to emphasize their comic

314 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

aspects in the light of today’s treatment of film drama. It would seem that that would have been the better procedure. (MPD, Dec. 19, 1932) Splicing in shots from Frankenstein and Dracula for chiller background, U has used this as a background in a story which seeks to show the kind of nightmares a person mixing milk with lobster might produce. Will amuse on its novelty value alone and with anything diff nowadays in demand, it fits the bill. In order to fit Frankenstein and Dracula atmosphere, mugg [sic] who tries the milk-lobster combo late at night is a caretaker of an apparently abandoned place. Leaning is heavy towards the creeps but with some laughed-up situations created by an offscreen voice which warns characters to ‘watch out,’ etc. (Var, Feb. 14, 1933)

Notes: This short includes footage from Nosferatu (1922), The Cat Creeps (1930), and Frankenstein (1931). Starring (new framing footage): Morton Lowry (uncredited; frightened man reading Dracula, and later cowering in a chandelier). Starring (stock footage): Max Schreck, Gustav von Wangenheim (from Nosferatu, 1922); Boris Karloff, Mae Clarke, Edward Van Sloan (Frankenstein, 1931); Helen Twelvetrees, Lawrence Grant, Raymond Hackett (The Cat Creeps, 1930) Studio: Universal Running time: 9:04 Bring ’Em Back Half Shot (1932) The animated cartoon has turned in a very funny travesty on Frank Buck’s famous Bring ’Em Back Alive. You’ll get a real chuckle out of this one, which opens up a whole new field for the pen and ink comedies. (PP, Nov. 1932)

Notes: Animated cartoon Studio: RKO Running time: 1 reel Campus Murder Mystery, The (1932) Another in the S. S. Van Dine Murder Mystery series. The dean of a college has been murdered, and it looks bad for the manager of the track team, who has had a quarrel with the victim over his attentions to his daughter. Then the inspector works out one of those last-minute deductions, and pins the crime on another college youth. Up to the usual level of this series. (FD, July 2, 1932) Not up to the par of the previous Van Dine mellerettes [sic] in this series, although, with the collegiate motif, this is the best time for its general release. It’s rather frothy, lacking the compactness and punch which have distinguished some of the earlier releases. (Var, July 5, 1932)

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

315

Notes: Also known as The Campus Mystery. Starring: John Hamilton, Harriet Hilliard. Harry Davenport, Lee Crowe, and Warren Ashe Director: Joseph Henabery Studio: Vitaphone Running time: 21 minutes Cat’s Canary, The (1932) An Aesop Fable full of clean comedy, joy and laughter. A cat swallows a bird and becomes musical. (MPH, 7 May 1932) The cat swallows a canary and astonishes the other felines by producing beautiful bird notes. (NBRM, Apr. 1932)

Notes: This animated cartoon was also referred to as The Cat and the Canary. Director: John Foster, Mannie Davis Studio: Van Beuren-RKO Running time: 7:06 Circus (1932) Plot: A living skeleton appears as a sideshow act in this circus story. Notes: Animated cartoon. Starring: Flip the Frog Director: Ub Iwerks Studio: MGM Running time: 5:55 Circus Show Up, The (1932) One of the Shadow Detective Series. And about the best of the lot so far. Bryan Foy handled it, which may explain everything. It is filled with some fine circus atmosphere, the entire action taking place under the big top. The girl trapeze performer is killed when somebody throws the electric switch just as she starts her great triple somersault. The solving of the crime is worked out by the circus manager in a very unique and dramatic manner. The film carries good punch and suspense. (FD, Jan. 31, 1932)

Notes: This is the fourth short subject hosted by the Shadow, who explains that “crime does not pay.” It is also known as The Circus Show-Up. Starring: Sally Blane, Russell Hopton, Paul Nicholson, William Halligan, Polly Ann Young, Neely Edwards, Allan Forrest Director: Lewis Seiler Studio: Universal Running time: 18 minutes

316 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Cole Case, The (1932) One of the most intriguing in the group of Van Dine murder mysteries, this tworeeler has a neatly conceived plot, more action than the majority of such shorts have had, and a few surprise twists to help keep interest on edge. It’s about a generously insured fellow who reports to the police that he has been receiving daily notices informing him that he is to be bumped off at a certain hour on a certain day. At the appointed time, despite the presence of detectives and cops, the murder is committed just as the man has stepped into the next room for the announced purpose of telephoning his brother and beneficiary to come over. In the subsequent sleuthing by Donald Meek and John Hamilton, it develops that the murdered man was not the insured man, but his secretary who bore a striking resemblance, and that the supposed brother did not exist, but was impersonated by the man himself with a view to collecting his own insurance. (FD, Apr. 3, 1932) Entertainingly told is this S. S. Van Dine murder mystery. One Fred Cole, bent on the collection of insurance, hires a secretary, who is his double. Reporting to the police that he has been receiving threatening letters, he kills his secretary, and poses as his own brother in an effort to collect insurance. The law puts its hand on his shoulder as he is about to board a boat for France. (MPH, Apr. 23, 1932) It’s a splendid little thriller, well developed and built up to the anti-climactic murder, with the solution making for a surprise denouement. Theatric to a degree, the notes of warning with the attendant consequences are so pitched that it grips intensely. The minimized two reels, with their 20 minutes’ running time, guarantee compactness … Henabery’s direction is expert and the casting ditto. (Var, Apr. 5, 1932)

Starring: Donald Meek, John Hamilton, Donna Broome, Leonard Mudie Director: Joseph Henabery Studio: Vitaphone Running time: 20 minutes Crane Poison Case, The (1932) Excessive dialogue and not enough action continues to be the handicap of these S.  S. Van Dine murder stories. Outside of this, the present two-reeler is an engrossing affair for those who like the stuff well enough to sit intently from start to finish. The current murder has a rich man as its victim, with suspicion cast on a stepson who is absorbed in snakes and other animals brought back from his expeditions. Real murderer, however, turns out to be a doctor who also was in line to benefit through marrying the victim’s daughter. (FD, July 9, 1932) Less effective as a mystery novelty than others in the series preceding this one and not as well done, failing to attain degree of suspense that’s so vital to material of this kind. The doctor, found guilty of poisoning a wealthy old man, all the while looks guilty. Action is laborious, with the machinery of detection as to the cause of the mysterious poisoning managed in an amateurish way. Carelessness is evi-

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

317

dent throughout. No great stroke of master detection is invoked in revealing who killed the wealthy Crane, nor by what means. Efforts to direct suspicion toward the murdered man’s son, a reptile hunter, prove weak. In a production way, generally shoddy. (Var, July 12, 1932)

Starring: Donald Meek, John Hamilton, Jane Winton, Robert Strange, Janet Rathburn Producer: Sam Sax Director: Joseph Henabery Studio: Vitaphone Running time: 18 minutes Crystal Gazabo, The (1932) Plot: A turban-wearing jackal stares into his crystal ball, including the nearby Sphinx and pyramids. After encountering a group of mummies, Krazy Kat tries to rescue his paramour from the jackal’s clutches. But the whole story is nothing more than Krazy Kat and his paramour frightened by a Chandu the Magician-style radio show. Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: Krazy Kat Studio: Columbia Running time: 6:39 Curiosities (1932) A grand hodge-podge of weird and interesting shots ranging from the strange Winchester house which took twenty years to build and has 4,000 windows, to a canary that sings ‘Yankee Doodle.’ And a lot of other things are sandwiched in. You’ll like this. (PP, Apr. 1932)

Studio: Columbia Running time: 1 reel Detektuvs (1932) While it’s not likely to provide much of a kick for adult minds, this initial number in the new series of Booth Tarkington stories ought to prove satisfying to the youngsters. … the gang [of children] led by Penrod decide to play detectives. They set out to solve the mystery of disappearing chickens, and run into a couple of thieves who are hiding in a barn. Quite a bit of action takes place among the hay, etc., all of which makes good fun for the kids. (FD, Jan. 10, 1932)

Starring: Billy Hayes, Billy Hayes (as Penrod), David Gorcey (Sam), Lucille Watson, Ray Collins, Jackie Kelk

318 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Producer: Sam Sax Director: Alf Goulding Studio: Vitaphone Running time: 10 minutes Dr. Jekyll’s Hide (1932) Fair. A 1915 melodrama has been jazzed into the modern with the aid of accompanying dialogue meant to be amusing; the whole [is] designed to be funny. It succeeds only moderately well in its intention, failing chiefly because of the comparative weakness of the dialogue, which falls short of being truly amusing. However, the heavy dramatic acting of a decade or two ago, combined with the elderly technique does make for a certain amount of comedy to the film-goer of today. (MPH, Oct. 1, 1932) A comedy re-vamp of a melodrama made in 1915 with Rosemary Theby and Harry Meyers. Running comment in the modern manner makes ludicrous the once heavy drama. Pointlessness of the story, however, makes this one more mystifying than comic. (MPD, Sept. 6, 1932)

Notes: Part of Universal’s Snappy Comedies series Director: Albert DeMond Studio: Universal Running time: 9 minutes Dumb Dicks (1932) Plot: In order to find stolen money, Benny and Eddie pretend to be Turkish fortune-tellers. At one point, a skeleton scares them. Starring: Benny Rubin, Eddie Gribbon, Heine Conklin, Eddie Boland Director: Ralph Ceder Writer: Ewart Adamson Studio: RKO-Pathé Running time: 19 minutes Evolution (1932) Generally interesting, in a measure diverting, is this long short subject, dealing in a not too heavily scientific manner with the origin and development of the earth and its living occupants, according to [the] latest theory. Instructive, the subject is not cumbersome, [and] holds the attention well. Three short reels picture the planetary development of the earth, the formation of mountain, river, and prehistoric animal forms and lastly the development of man…. Models of prehistoric monsters, live animal shots, done with the cooperation of Dr. Raymond

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

319

L. Ditmars of the New York Zoological Gardens, contribute much to the diversion and value of the subject. (MPH, Sept. 3, 1932) A three-reel attempt to reconstruct all the phases of evolution since the time the earth itself was formed. A rather ambitious task for three reels, so the various sequences are rather jumpy. Starts with the solid matter being formed from molten lava, then down through the first minute animal forms in the sea, vegetable growth, and so on through the various ape forms to man. Also some prehistoric animals are thrown in for good measure, which bear a close resemblance to some seen in The Lost World [1925]. The nature of this film makes it more or less an educational subject, and the exhib must see for himself to judge its value to his audience. (FD, July 19, 1932)

Writer: Allyn B. Carrick Director: Allyn B. Carrick Studio: Ideal Running time: 28 minutes Extra! Extra! (1932) Very good newspaper comedy, with Frank McHugh doing a swell role as the drunk reporter who stumbles onto a big scoop after he has been fired from the paper. The editor is after the lowdown on a fake spiritualist, and McHugh gets into the house under the delusion that it is a speakeasy. Some very funny gags happen between the reporter and the gang who are assisting the fake medium. This comedian is there, and makes this a real laugh number. (FD, Apr. 17, 1932) Frank McHugh in another of his inebriated reporter acts, this time taking place in the crystal-gazing, hypnotism emporium of one Madame Olga. McHugh gets himself into all sorts of complications with the Madame, and when they try to hypnotize each other, the comedy waxes comic. Ralph Ince, McHugh’s city editor, rescues him in the end. (MPH, May 7, 1932)

Starring: Frank McHugh, Ralph Ince Studio: RKO-Pathé Running time: 18 minutes Fatal Note, The (1932) Plot: An evil villain who resembles Ivan the Terrible attempts to murder the Little King. Notes: Animated cartoon in the “Aesop’s Sound Fables” series. Director: James Tyer Studio: Van Beuren-Pathé Running time: 8 minutes

320 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Flirty Sleepwalker, The (1932) Arthur Stone and Wade Boteler are the two husbands who play golf on Sundays while their wives attend church. Nothing apparently can be done about it. Stone gives Boteler’s wife on her birthday and then walks into her bed while in a sleeping perambulation. Boteler finds him there and pursues him on to a fire escape, which is shocked by contact with electric wires. Their sins confront them and the miracle happens. They attend church. It is hardly new, at best. (MPH, Apr. 9, 1932) Arthur Stone is the chief comic, assisted by Wade Boteler, Dorothy Granger, and Patsy O’Leary. The two men are golf pals, and Stone arouses the unreasoning jealousy of his friend over the latter’s wife. The principal gag involves a sleepwalking scene, with Stone entering the bedroom of his friend’s wife, with the usual developments. They resort to the old stuff of hanging on a broken fire escape over the street far below for thrills. Pretty mechanical. (FD, Apr. 3, 1932)

Notes: A remake of Sennett’s Should Sleep Walkers Marry? (1927; see entry). Starring: Arthur Stone, Wade Boteler, Dorothy Granger, Patsy O’Leary Director: Del Lord Studio: Educational Running time: 18 or 19 minutes [MPH and FD disagree] Fly Frolic (1932) Plot: An ugly, evil spider kidnaps a fly from a nightclub and takes her to his laboratory. He mixes a strange formula which causes him to transform into a handsome spider. But the ruse doesn’t work, as he quickly transforms back into his old self. The other flies defeat him. Notes: Animated cartoon in the “Aesop’s Fables” series. Director: John Foster and Harry Bailey Studio: Van Beuren-Pathé Running time: 8 minutes Forgotten Island, The (1932) An analytical audience may figure out that it was all staged, but the majority won’t, latter getting a kick out of the buildup on sinister, mysterious San Nicholas island and the two explorers who managed to land on it and got marooned. Moderately well photographed and effectively dialoged, it’s filler for the B-houses, at least. Short at first pictures San Nicholas island and the many wrecked ships lying near its shores. When two intrepid gents manage a landing on a nice beach, no one seemed to have thought of before, action leans to the many human skulls and bones which tell some kind of a tale. Then the men realize their boat has disappeared, whereupon on signals to a passing ship the Coast Guard is brought into play. And what a buildup for the old Coast Guard.

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

321

Photography of the U.S. boat going to the rescue tops most everything seen in newsreels. (Var, Dec. 27, 1932)

Studio: Educational Running time: 9 minutes Great Hokum Mystery, The (1932) The first subject, Hypnotizing for Love, in a new Educational series provides some moderate amount of amusement as a re-run of what is apparently an old heavy drama of the early days of the motion picture. Lew Lehr adds a running fire of amusing and sarcastic comment which is meant to give the spark of comedy to the subject. Often enough the spark fails to flash, when the dialogue makes too great an attempt to be funny. However, there is novelty and humor in the appearance today of that which at one time was weighty, blood-curdling drama. (MPH, Sept. 17, 1932) This is either a feature-length mystery meller that never got out in its intended length or just gleanings from the library. Only chance for it is silent titles, each with an over-wise crack, and the usual reporting that is dubbed into such offerings. … Just a lot of the thrill stuff that went well in the nickelodeon days of pictures. (Var, Dec. 6, 1932)

Starring: Lew Lehr Studio: Educational Running time: 16 minutes I’ll Be Glad When You’re Dead You Rascal You (1932) Plot: Betty Boop, Bimbo, and Ko-Ko explore the jungle. Cannibals kidnap Betty and cook Ko-Ko and Bimbo in a pot. In the end, Betty Boop, Bimbo, and Ko-Ko escape. Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: Betty Boop, Bimbo, Ko-Ko, Louis Armstrong and His Orchestra Studio: Max Fleischer-Paramount Director: Dave Fleischer Running time: 7 minutes Killing the Killer (1932) Dr. Raymond L.  Ditmars, able and interesting director of the New  York Zoological Gardens, verbally introduces, and in a manner conducts via off-screen description, a rousing, intense battle between two ancient enemies of nature, the courageous, if small, mongoose, and the long and deadly cobra. The fight is splendidly ‘caught’ by the camera, and after vicious attacks and excellent strategy, the mongoose vanquishes the cobra. A bit gruesome, but a splendid subject. The

322 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

film was originally in silent form as Ufa as The Mongoose and the Cobra, and is here presented with the addition of the description by Dr. Ditmars, who appears in an introductory sequence. (MPH, July 30, 1932)

Studio: Principal Running time: 11 minutes Korn Plastered in Africa (1932) Plot: Trader Korn encounters cannibals, as well as giant mosquitos and their king, who is a skull-faced ghost. Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: Trader Korn Director: John R. McCrory Studio: McCrory Studios Running time: 7:15 Lad an’ a Lamp, A (1932) Plot: Beguiled by the tale of Aladdin’s magic lamp, and fooled by a vaudeville magician who pretends to be a genie, the Gang begins making wishes. Spanky (in just his seventh Our Gang comedy) looks at Stymie’s baby brother and intones, “I wish Cotton was a monkey.” Darwinian humor ensues, as a vaudeville chimp chases Cotton away, and Stymie and the other kids become convinced that Spanky’s peculiar wish has been granted. Starring: Our Gang (Dickie Moore, Matthew “Stymie” Beard, George “Spanky” McFarland, Bobby “Cotton” Beard, Bobby “Wheezer” Hutchins, Dorothy DeBorba, Donald “Toughie” Haines, John “Uh Huh” Collum, Pete the Pup) and Harry Edwards, James C.  Morton, Philip Steeman, Florence Hoskins, Jiggs the Chimpanzee Producers: Hal Roach, Robert F. McGowan Director: Robert F. McGowan (credited as Robert McGowan) Studio: Hal Roach Running time: 16:51 Magic Art (1932) An Aesop cartoon fable, with the funny cat having some wild experiences with his friend, who is a magician in art. He creates all kinds of animals from drawings, which lead the hero into a variety of funny and novel adventures. The cartoon work is very good, and the animated [cartoon] moves fast. (FD, Apr. 17, 1932)

Notes: Animated cartoon in Van Beuren’s “Aesop’s Sound Fables” series. Studio: RKO-Pathé Running time: 7 minutes

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

323

Man-Eating Sharks (1932) This is about the best of the Mack Sennett series, Cannibals of the Deep. Sennett is seen on board his fishing sloop with the crew, as they start out after the mammoth sharks in the Mexican waters. Beautiful shots are interspersed with the submarine camera functioning, showing some very unusual views of the big fish as they chase their smaller prey. Then the actual business of fighting and landing several fine specimens. Closeups of an enormous man-eater being brought over the side with his giant tail thrashing dangerously, and the actual sounds of the conflict packs a punch that is close to sensational. This one will have the sport lovers hanging on to their seats–and wishing they had been there. (FD, May 29, 1932) It is not necessary to be a deep sea fishing enthusiast to enjoy the Mack Sennett series, Cannibals of the Deep. This fourth episode provides considerable action in landing sharks in the Gulf of California – the hammerhead, the whale shark, the horn shark, the man-eater and the blue shark. (MPH, June 11, 1932) Its difference from many similar subjects is that it emphasizes the strength of the shark even after he has been hauled into the boat. Subject has as good as continuity as can be expected. Series, however, is better for the neighborhood type of theatre. (Var, Aug. 30, 1932)

Notes: This short is the fourth of Sennett’s six-film Cannibals of the Deep documentary-short series. Starring: Mack Sennett Studio: Sennett-Educational Running time: 8:30 minutes Mechanical Man, The (1932) Plot: A fiend kidnaps Oswald’s paramour. Oswald follows them to a spook home, where he encounters a skeleton and a robot. Thanks to a goat and the police, Oswald enjoys a happy ending. Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: Oswald the Lucky Rabbit Studio: Universal Running time: 5:30 Mickey’s Ape Man (1932) A Mickey McGuire comedy, with the rival gangs of kids in one of their usual encounters. A local theatre is offering a prize for the best imitation of an ape man, so the kids go out in the woods to practice up. A real ape appears, and causes lots of confusion and excitement. It winds up with the midget taming the ape, and showing all the rest of the kids up. (FD, Nov. 30, 1932)

324 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Starring: Mickey Rooney, Delia Bogard, Billy Barty, Jimmy Robinson, Kendall McComas, Jack Leonard (as the gorilla) Director: J. A. Duffy Studio: RKO Running time: 18 minutes Mickey’s Golden Rule (1932) A very mechanical production using a lot of time-worn kid comedy gags that rate this Mickey McGuire comedy as just another routine repeater. Mickey and his gang decide to have a picnic in an old Ford, and the rich snippy kid and his gang are out to make the party a bust. They scare Mickey’s gang with some hoke ghost stuff that isn’t funny and isn’t original. They’ve got to do better than this by Mickey if they want to keep him in the money. (FD, May 29, 1932)

Starring: Mickey Rooney Studio: RKO Running time: 19 minutes Minnie the Moocher (1932) This Max Fleischer musical cartoon is one of the best turned out so far with the cute pen-and-ink star, Betty Boop, who seems to be getting more sexy and alluring each time, and her boy friend, Bimbo. The musical portion is supplied by Cab Calloway and his orchestra, and what these boys can’t do to the ‘Minnie the Moocher’ number isn’t worth mentioning. Cab and his boys are shown only for a brief moment at the opening. Then a cartoon character, a big walrus with serpentine hips, performs the gyrations to the tune of the ‘Minnie’ song. The effect is little short of a knockout, especially to those who are familiar with Cab’s stuff on the radio or stage or nightclub. Betty Boop’s part in the action concerns her running away from home because of her bad parents. With Bimbo she goes into a cave, where spooky figures and eerie noises give them such a scare that they beat it back home. (FD, Jan. 10, 1932)

Notes: Animated cartoon in which skeletons, ghosts, and a witch appear. The short also features live-action footage of Cab Calloway and his orchestra. Starring: Betty Boop, Bimbo, Cab Calloway Director: Dave Fleischer Studio: Max Fleischer-Paramount Running time: 7:44 Monkey Shines (1932) A very tedious and tiresome reel, with some ancient antics that are far from funny. The gagging consists principally of Daphne on board a train with her son and a trained chimp in her vaudeville act. The usual mixups with the chimp on the train,

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

325

and a lot of bromide stuff that has been worked before till it is threadbare. Then the inevitable [P]ullman car sequence, with the gags drawn out till they become tiresome. (FD, Feb. 28,1932)

Starring: Daphne Pollard Studio: Universal Running time: 17 minutes Murder in the Pullman (1932) Director Joseph Henabery put plenty of real production values in this short feature, and the story is among the best of the Van Dine series. It concerns the murder of a gold-digger while she is aboard a Pullman on her honeymoon trip. The audience is led to suspect a district attorney, a former sweetie to whom she gave the air in favor of the richer guy, while in the picture itself suspicion falls on another of the girl’s boy friends, her crook partner, with whom she plans to make a getaway after shaking down the new husband. The investigation, however, leads to the proof that the husband, having accidentally discovered his wife’s duplicity, committed the murder. (FD, May 22, 1932) Pretty nearly the plot of a five-reeler condensed to two and compelled to hustle along. Usual formula of several suspects, with the crime placed on the one least suspected, as usual. In spite of that, it holds the surprise element. … Donald Meek receives capital support in a fast moving playlet. (Var, May 31, 1932)

Starring: Donald Meek Director: Joseph Henabery Studio: Vitaphone Running time: 22 minutes Now We’ll Tell One (1932) Plot: Diffident, mild-mannered Charley goes through some changes after putting on a belt-like gadget that exchanges personalities, over distances up to ten miles, with anyone wearing a similar belt. Thanks to mishaps and misunderstandings, Charley “becomes” an old man, a motorcycle daredevil, a drunk, and even a sheik. Throughout, Charley has no idea that he’s exhibiting multiple personas, each of which is very different from his peaceable and urbane normal self. Starring: Charley Chase, Muriel Evans, Lillian Elliott, Frank Darien Producer: Hal Roach Director: James Parrott Studio: Hal Roach Running time: 18 minutes

326 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Pickaninny Blues (1932) An Aesop Fable, with Waffles Cat the hero seen as a cotton picker on a southern plantation. His dream becomes the cartoon which follows, showing him adventuring in Egypt, where the mummies come to life and engage in jazzy modern dances. Nothing new or original, being an adaptation of ideas from other cartoon series. (FD, Nov. 30, 1932) Hodgepodge of stunts supposed to happen to the comedy figure when his mule jumps from the towpath into the boat he is dragging and catapults him into Africa. He gets into ancient tombs, where cartouches come to life and mummy cases give up their contents. Many flashes of good imagination but too much along the same line to give a needed variety. Boy wakes up to find that instead of kissing the most charming of the mummies the mule is kissing him. (Var, June 27, 1933)

Notes: Variety referred to this animated cartoon with the spelling Picaninny Blues. Starring: Waffles Cat Director: John Foster and Mannie Davis Studio: RKO-Pathé Running time: 6:18 Red Shadow, The (1932) It doesn’t take long to guess the guilty person in this detective drama. The story, taken from a popular detective magazine, suffers from [a] lack of suspense. It concerns the wealthy owner of an estate who arrives home inebriated and discharges his housekeeper, who has been in his employ for 20 years. His action is resented by the butler and the chauffeur. A man arrives with a watch dog which the master has ordered. In the presence of four people, he is seen to put a valuable necklace in the wall vault. Next morning he is found murdered. Then detectives enter the scene and, after the usual stuff, the murderer confesses. (FD, Jan. 17, 1932)

Notes: This was the third short subject featuring the Shadow. Not to be confused with a same-named 1932 Vitaphone short, a condensed version of The Desert Song. Starring: Harriet Lorraine, Walter Miller, Walter McGrail, Norman Stuart, Ernie Adams Director: Kurt Neumann Studio: Universal Running time: 15 minutes

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

327

Robot, The (1932) Cartoon with several laughs and dashes of originality. Bimbo, the character, has to knock out the carnival champ to get married. So, he turns his auto into a robot. Looks as though it might have been inspired by Frankenstein [1931]. (Var, Mar. 1, 1932)

Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: Betty Boop, Bimbo Director: Dave Fleischer Studio: Max Fleischer-Paramount Running time: 6:26 Rocketeers (1932) This cartoon is possessed not only of a number of pen novelties, but also has a smart theme song about fish stores. Rocket to the moon is the keynote; only the projectile hits the ocean-bed, hence the fish angle. Gag which got plenty of laughs is that of a skeleton fisherman eating and catching the same fish. (Var, May 17, 1932)

Notes: Animated cartoon which features mermaids in addition to a skeleton fisherman Starring: Tom and Jerry (human characters, not the later cat and mouse team) Studio: Van Beuren-RKO Running time: 6:59 Sealskins (1932) The day a Siberian Royal Seal (an official government stamp) is stolen, newspaper stenographer Thelma takes a call from someone wanting to place a classified ad: “Seal for sale, cheap. Full-blooded Siberian seal.” Confident that she’ll be made a reporter when she returns with the scoop, Thelma sets off with friend ZaSu during a howling rainstorm to the caller’s address. Trouble is, the caller was referring to a stolen living seal (the kind with flippers)—and the creepy house shelters not only the sealnappers but also a circus troupe that includes a giant, a midget, an African “wild man,” a gorilla, and other oddities. Lively “old dark house comedy” is sparked by the two stars, who bug their eyes, dash along shadowy corridors, and shiver beneath bedclothes. Notes: Some modern sources erroneously give the short’s title as Seal Skins. Many sources erroneously credit Roach regular Tiny Sandford with the role of the gorilla-keeper; the actor is Eddie Baker. Charles Gemora, who designed and wore the gorilla suit, had already worn his elaborate costume opposite Todd, in Seven Footprints to Satan (1929). Co-director Morey Lightfoot worked mainly as a prop man and assistant director; Sealskins is his only directorial credit.

328 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Starring: Thelma Todd, ZaSu Pitts, Frank Austin, Bert Sprotte, Charlie Hall, Billy Gilbert, Clarence “Major Mite” Howerton, Charles Gemora (Jocko the Boxing Gorilla), Eddie Baker Directors: Gil Pratt and Morey Lightfoot Writer: H. M. Walker Studio: Hal Roach Running time: 21:15 (two reels) Self-Condemned (1932) A detective story, rather well told. Walter Miller plays a reporter on assignment for a Sunday feature who visits the detective who handled the case. The officer recounts the story as it happened. A tricky lawyer is murdered and suspicion is cast upon practically all of the characters. The murderer is finally discovered for a sharp climax. (MPH, Apr. 9, 1932)

Starring: Walter Miller Director: Spencer Gordon Bennet Studio: RKO-Pathé Running time: 20 minutes Sham Poo, The Magician (1932) Old slapstick stuff. Looks as though they made this during production intermissions on Secrets of the French Police [1932]. Several of the sets seem identical. Roscoe Ates is in, but doesn’t get much of a chance to be funny. Action is just the kind of a scramble kid amateurs would put on in a garret. (Var, Dec. 13, 1932)

Plot: Inside an Asian café, Roscoe runs afoul of a haughty magician. Notes: The title parodies the feature film and radio program Chandu the Magician (1932). Some period sources rendered the title as Shampoo, The Magician. Starring: Hugh Herbert, Roscoe Ates, Rochelle Hudson, Edgar Kennedy, Dorothy Granger Director: Harry Sweet Studio: RKO Running time: 18 minutes Sherlock’s Home (1932) The comedy adventures of Jack Haley as an amateur detective trying to get the lowdown on a gang of crooks who are spoiling the chances for re-­election as mayor his girl’s father. Haley disguises himself as a girl and promotes himself in as the moll of the head of the gang. When his deception is discovered, he succeeds in corralling the whole gang for the police by a lucky fluke. Haley succeeds in making this fairly amusing. (FD, Sept. 10, 1932)

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

329

A correspondence school detective, masquerading as a girl, catches the thieves who made away with some jewelry. (MPH, Oct. 8, 1932)

Starring: Jack Haley, June O’Dea, Anthony Hughes, Herschel Mayall Director: Alf Goulding Studio: Vitaphone Running time: 17 minutes Side Show Mystery, The (1932) Another of the S. S. Van Dine series of mystery shorts, with Donald Meek as the discerning criminologist and John Hamilton as the heavy-­handed inspector of police. In this case the manager of a sideshow of freaks is found murdered in bed. Several are suspected, including the midget and the giant, the hypnotist, [and] the knife-thrower. Cleverly, logically Meek develops his clues. An interesting dramatic sketch, the short should have wide appeal. (MPH, June 11, 1932) Another in the Van Dine stories, colorfully concerned with the murderer of a side-show manager who is found stabbed in the back. A knife thrower with the show is the natural suspect, with most of the other freaks prospects, but in spite of a skillful handling, the author is less successful here in preserving the mystery than in most of the others of the series. Nevertheless, a good program item, deriving strength from the side-show locale. (Var, May 31, 1932)

Starring: Donald Meek, John Hamilton, Owen Martin, Ray Collins, Henry Mullins aka Henry Hite, Flo Carlson, Helen Roy, Victor Kilian, Donald MacBride Producer: Sam Sax Director: Joseph Henabery Studio: Warner Bros.-Vitaphone Running time: 20 minutes Skull Murder Mystery, The (1932) Quite a bit of mystery, as well as some horror suspense, is developed in this edition of the S. S. Van Dine detective series. As a mystery yarn, it is one of the best in the group released so far. Some diggers for a gas company stumble on a box containing the bones of a murdered man. By rebuilding the face to conform with the pattern of the skull, it is found that the victim was a Chinese student, killed by a trio of nuts who are experimenting in biological chemistry and who are caught just as they are about to sacrifice another life. (FD, Mar. 6, 1932) Skulls, groans, dim lighting, and a laboratory provide suitable atmosphere. Some of the performances are stagey, but there is enough action packed in the two reels to keep the audience interested. (Var, Mar. 8, 1932)

330 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Starring: Donald Meek, John Hamilton, Paul Guilfoyle, Joanna Ross, Harry Mestayer, Lee Tung Foo Studio: Warner Bros.-Vitaphone Running time: 20 minutes Stone Age Error, The (1932) Plot: Two characters get married in the stone age. Many animals are depicted, including dinosaurs and a woolly mammoth. Notes: Animated cartoon in the “Aesop’s Fables” series. Director: John Foster and Mannie Davis Studio: Van Beuren-Pathé Running time: 6 minutes Studio Murder Mystery (1932) One of the S. S. Van Dine mystery series of shorts in which an enacted murder on the studio set suddenly turns into the real thing. A jealous ex-husband, the perpetrator, seeks to fasten the guilt on a rival player. The complications are well handled and the matter of solution effective. (MPH, Feb. 6, 1932) Like its predecessor, this S. S. Van Dine short is concerned with the efforts to find out which of several suspects is the actual murderer. The crime is committed in a film studio, where the supposedly acted stabbing of a woman in bed by a cloaked intruder becomes the real thing. Rivalry between a couple of husky male members of the cast splits the suspicion. This time it is John Hamilton, as the chief of the police investigation, instead of Donald Meek, the scientific detective, who engineers the discovery of the guilty one. Identity of the killer is well covered up until the finale, when the murderer commits suicide by a jump from atop the studio. (FD, Feb. 7, 1932) More melodrama than mystery and not nearly as strong on entertainment value as most in this series. Production poorly managed, with scenes cluttered up with people and no real punch anywhere. Just passes for moderately important spots. (Var, Feb. 23, 1932)

Notes: Not to be confused with a 1929 Paramount feature of the same title. Starring: Donald Meek, John Hamilton, Robert Middlemass, Thelma Tipson Director: Joseph Henabery Studio: Vitaphone Running time: 19 minutes Symphony Murder Mystery, The (1932) In this edition of the S. S. Van Dine mystery shorts, there is a love quadrangle involving a symphony orchestra manager, his wife, the conductor and one of the musicians. The latter, having been too open in his attentions to the wife, is given

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

331

a ‘final warning’ by the husband just before the night’s performance. At the finish of the first number on the program, the musician is found dead from a bullet shot, and [the] investigation discovers the husband similarly murdered backstage. It is brought out that the double killing was committed by the conductor, whose baton was a ‘pencil gun’ [that] was fired unnoticed while the orchestra was playing its loudest. (FD, Jan. 10, 1932) One of the Dr. Crabtree series of mysteries and quite nice. Not too original in its subject matter, but maybe that’s too much to ask in a two-reeler. Mystifying murder is committed when a musician in the big symphony is shot suddenly during some crescendo music with no one seemingly the possible killer. Dr. Crabtree, the criminologist, steps in and patly solves the mystery. Maybe just a bit too patly, is the trouble. (Var, Feb. 23, 1932)

Starring: Donald Meek, John Hamilton, Douglas Dumbrille, Rita Lan, Almira Sessions Director: Joseph Henabery Studio: Vitaphone Running time: 18 minutes Three’s a Crowd (1932) Plot: After an old man goes to sleep, characters from his books come to life, among them Mr. Hyde, whose appearance resembles the makeup and costume worn by Fredric March in Dr.. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931). Notes: Animated cartoon Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 6:56 Thru Thin and Thicket or Who’s Zoo in Africa (1932) Plot: While Professor Backwash hopes to find Tarzan in Africa, journalist Scoop Skinner encounters Tarkana, a woman of the jungle. Cannibals boil Scoop in a large pot, but Tarkana calls on jungle animals (including a gorilla) to help her save him. As a result, the cannibals decide to eat Backwash. Notes: A “Masquers Presentation.” Nonfiction footage of Africa is edited with the comedy footage. Starring: Eddie Borden (Scoop Skinner), James Finlayson (Professor Backwash), Dorothy Granger (Tarkana), Grace Hampton (Mrs. Chyzzlebottom), Crauford Kent (Medicine Man), Zack Williams (Cannibal Chief), Curtis Benton (Radio Announcer) Director: Mark Sandrich Writers: Ben Holmes and Walter Weems Studio: RKO Running time: 17:28

332 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Transatlantic Mystery, The (1932) Two killings take place while a gang of crooks are approaching New York harbor with a bunch of stolen jewels which they intend to smuggle through with the aid of an accomplice posing as a newspaper cameraman. Also aboard the ship is the English nobleman from whom the valuables were stolen. He stumbles on some clues and notifies the New York authorities, whereupon detectives come aboard the boat in the harbor and solve the situation. (FD, Aug. 31, 1932) From a quantity standpoint there are at least three murders and a suicide in this story of [the] smuggling of stolen jewels, but the quality of production removes all suggestions of overdose of quantity, and the net sum becomes an interesting and fast-moving piece of entertainment. The particular finesse that gives strength is in the denoument [sic], with a handling of dialogue that carries the picture through with sustained interest. (MPH, Sept. 18, 1932) So far as is known this is the windup of the Van Dine detective series. It’s not a good one and hard to recommend for any type of customers because it ends confudedly [sic]. … After the first few shots in a London apartment setting, the story transpires aboard ship. Although the story started off with good dialog and action, it lapses into a hasty finish with practically no convincing action. The solution by dialog in closeup leaves customers confused as to what actually happened aboard ship. (Var, Aug. 30, 1932)

Notes: PP (Nov. 1932) renders the title of this short, The Trans-Atlantic Mystery. Starring: Donald Meek, John Hamilton, Betty Pierce, Walter Kingsford Writer: Burnet Hershey Director: Joseph Henabery Studio: Vitaphone Running time: 2 reels Up Popped the Ghost (1932) Plot: Cab driver Charlie (Franklin Pangborn) agrees to help Annie (Marjorie Kane) claim an inheritance, unaware that the family house is “haunted” by Annie’s greedy guardian (Mack Swain) and his pals. Starring: Mack Swain, Marjorie “Babe” Kane, Franklin Pangborn Note: Up Popped the Ghost is a remake of a 1929 Sennett short, Taxi Spooks (see entry). In 1948 Columbia repurposed the central idea for the Three Stooges and remade as Shivering Sherlocks (see entry). Producer: Mack Sennett Director: Babe Stafford Studio: Mack Sennett Comedies Running time: 18 minutes

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

333

Voodooland (1932) A trip through the island of Haiti with J. P. Medbury as the wisecracking off-stage lecturer. First are shown some of the various native occupations and primitive methods, most of the work being done by women while the men specialize in loafing. Then after following a series of countryside trails, the scene of the voodoo ceremonies is reached. This spectacle is nothing very special, just a little hip shaking and drinking, but the comedy comments by Medbury make it quite amusing. (FD, Feb. 28, 1932) The Island of Haiti showing the natives, their habits, and their worship of voodooism with comedy dialogue. Family audience. (NBRM, Apr. 1932)

Notes: Part of the Walter Futter “Travelaughs” series. Some trades referred to this short as Voodoo Land. NBRM referred to it as Voo Doo Land. However, onscreen titles on a surviving print indicate that the title was rendered as a single word. Starring: J. P. Medbury (narration) Studio: Columbia Running time: 1 reel Wet Knight, A (1932) Plot: During a storm, Oswald and his paramour take shelter in a “haunted castle.” They encounter a skeleton, a living suit of armor, and various ghosts, one of which plays an organ. The major villain is a gorilla, but Oswald— thanks to help from a sentient canon ball—prevails. Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: Oswald the Lucky Rabbit Studio: Universal Running time: 8:45 What an Idea (1932) Fairly entertaining, satisfactorily musical, this comedy short has a novel idea, that of the small ornamental figures on the desk of the harassed musical show writer becoming animated, turning into a chorus, and various musical comedy bits result. Presumably the action takes place atop the writer’s desk. It is an entertaining subject throughout. (MPH, June 25, 1932) An amusing feature of the show is a trio, burlesquing Frankenstein, Mr. Hyde, and Dracula. (FD, June 11, 1932)

Starring: Harriet Hilliard, Armand Cones Studio: Vitaphone Running time: 18 minutes

334 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Wild Babies (1932) Plot: Two songwriters have the same nightmare, one in which they are captured by cannibals. Starring: Mickey Daniels, Grady Sutton Director: Anthony Mack Studio: Hal Roach-MGM Running time: 17 minutes

1933 Africa Speaks–English (1933) Plot: Ventriloquist Bergen and his dummy Charlie land in Africa and meet cannibals. Starring: Edgar Bergen, Charlie McCarthy Director: Roy Mack Studio: Vitaphone Running time: 8 minutes Antique Antics (1933) Plot: In the dark of night, various statues and objects come to life, including a skeleton and a suit of armor to life. Krazy Kat joins in the fun. Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: Krazy Kat Director: Manny Gould, Ben Harrison Studio: Columbia Running time: 6 minutes Banker’s Daughter, The (1933) Plot: The villainous Oil Can Harry captures Fanny Zilch and attempts to kill her using a circular saw at a mill. Strongheart saves her in the nick of time. Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: Oil Can Harry, J. Leffingwell Strongheart, Fanny Zilch Studio: Terrytoons Running time: 6 minutes Bean Stalk Jack (1933) Plot: Given magic beans by a minstrel-style genie, Old Mother Hubbard’s starving dog, Jack, climbs the beanstalk to a castle that floats beyond the moon. Jack meets a whole community of lively skeletons that lives in fear of a pustulous giant. Jack dispatches the ogre with a blow to the head and

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

335

makes off with gold eggs. Early scenes of Mother’s poverty are doleful and scary, with a blighted natural landscape, emaciated animals, circling bats, and Mother’s ruined house. Notes: Animated cartoon. Remade by Paul Terry in 1946 as Beanstalk Jack (see entry). Starring: Jack, Old Mother Hubbard Writer: Paul Terry Director: Frank Moser Studio: Educational Running time: 5:39 Bedtime Worries (1933) Plot: Moved into his own bedroom at last, little Spanky tries his parents’ patience when he’s scared by car lights, the enlarged shadow of a moth, and plaintive animal noises. The only thing that doesn’t scare him is a burglar (Harry Bernard) who claims to be “Santy Claus.” Starring: Our Gang (George “Spanky” McFarland, Matthew “Stymie” Beard, Tommy Bond, Jerry Tucker, Pete the Pup) and Gay Seabrook, Emerson Treacy, Harry Bernard Producers: Hal Roach, Robert F. McGowan Director: Robert F. McGowan (credited as Robert McGowan) Studio: Hal Roach Running time: 20:06 Betty Boop’s Crazy Inventions (1933) Plot: Betty Boop, Ko-Ko, and Bimbo hold a “Big Invention Show” in a circus tent. They display various bizarre machines. Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: Betty Boop, Ko-Ko, Bimbo Director: Dave Fleischer Studio: Max Fleischer-Paramount Running time: 6:45 Betty Boop’s Hallowe’en Party (1933) Plot: Halloween is a dark and windy night, with clouds that look like a witch, a bat, and a cat. Scary, the Scarecrow, comes to life, shivering in the cold. He receives an invitation to Betty Boop’s Halloween party, and promptly makes his way to her house, where he decorates the wall with cat and witch designs. Then trio of jack-o’ lanterns comes to life, and the party is a great success until a large gorilla arrives. Various ghosts scare him, and the witch decorations fly off the wall and attack him.

336 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: Betty Boop Director: Dave Fleischer Studio: Max Fleischer-Paramount Running time: 6:24 Betty Boop’s Penthouse (1933) Plot: In his laboratory, Bimbo concocts a formula that turns a cat into different creatures and temporarily makes Ko-Ko into a skeleton. Another formula turns into a Frankenstein-style monster that menaces Betty Boop. Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: Betty Boop, Bimbo, Ko-Ko Director: Dave Fleischer Studio: Paramount Running time: 6:14 Boo, Boo Theme Song! (1933) Plot: At the “Ghost to Ghost” radio station with the calls [sic] letters BOO, a large spider plays the organ and uses skulls as chimes. A skeleton sings a tune, after which a skeletal jazz band plays a tune while ghosts fly through the studio. Notes: Animated Max Fleischer cartoon with the “famous bouncing ball” that helps the audience to sing along. Director: Dave Fleischer Studio: Paramount Running time: 4:50 Bosko’s Mechanical Man (1933) In order to get out of working, Bosko creates a mechanical man by putting together a lot of odds and ends from flat-irons to stove-pipes. Then the robot starts in to cut capers, doing a lot of destruction, until it finally blows up. An entertaining animated cartoon. (MPD, Nov. 23, 1933)

Notes: Animated cartoon with a robot that resembles Frankenstein’s Monster. Starring: Bosko Director: Hugh Harman Studio: Vitaphone Running time: 7 minutes

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

337

Chinaman’s Chance (1933) Plot: The villainous Asian character Chow Mein escapes from prison, and policeman Flip investigates. He falls through a secret panel is attacked by an alligator and nearly drowned. After smoking an opium pipe, he encounters Chow Mein, who ties him to a rocket. But in the end, Flip prevails and receives a medal after returning Chow Mein to prison. Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: Flip the Frog Producer: Ub Iwerks Studio: MGM Running time: 7:59 Cuckoo the Magician (1933) Just another sorry cartoon from Metro. We are certainly glad that we have only a few of these not played. People even walk out of these, where a year ago, they would ask when Flip would be on again. (Theatre manager report, MPH, Aug. 19, 1933)

Plot: Flip the Frog meets a street magician and disrupts his act. Flip meets a mummy and saves his girlfriend from the clutches of a Sultan. They escape on a flying, magic carpet. Notes: Animated cartoon, the title of which is a parody of Chandu the Magician. Some re-release prints give the cartoon’s title as Coo Coo the Magician. Starring: Flip the Frog Director: Ub Iwerks Studio: MGM Running time: 7:00 Death Attends a Party (1933) Based on a syndicated newspaper feature, Minute Mysteries by H. A. Ripley, this series, produced for Columbia by Bray Pictures, presents salable material in that it may be used to intrigue the attention of the audience, challenging their powers of detection. A situation, facts, [and] clues are pictorially presented as a criminologist examines the scene of what appears to be a suicide. He declares it murder, and the audience is given 10 seconds to discover why, mentally, before the detective divulges the reason. (MPH, Dec. 23, 1933) A subject in the series of Minute Mysteries that is a very flat presentation of a murder of the host at a party by one of the guests who is in love with the victim’s wife. A private investigator does a Sherlock Holmes to help out the police, and discloses how the actual crime was committed and disproves the murderer’s claim that it was suicide. It has no suspense and lacks any dramatic punch. (FD, Nov. 9, 1933)

338 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Director: Lynn Shores Studio: Columbia Running time: 10 minutes Desert Demons (1933) Of intense and unusual interest is this subject, picturing in carefully photographed close-up for the most the part the manner in which the battle for life goes on among the crawling things of the desert during the comparative cool of the evening, when the sun has relented slightly. Seen are the giant lizards, the marvelous instinctive mechanical genius of the spider, spinning his web, catching a butterfly. The closing sequence is a remarkable picture of a great king snake in battle with a tarantula. The deadly venous tarantula vanquishes his foe with his poisoned fangs. An excellent subject of unusual interest. (MPH, July 1, 1933) Just as it squeezes life out of a lizard, so the king snake meets its death at the needle of the tarantula. This is a short commendable in every way. (Var, June 27, 1933)

Starring: Gayne Whitman (narrator) Studio: Educational Running time: 9 minutes Dirty Work (1933) Plot: Stan and Ollie arrive at the home of Professor Noodle (Lucien Littlefield) to sweep his chimney. While the boys make an atrocious mess in the living room and on the roof, the professor puts the finishing touches on his “rejuvenation” formula, designed to make anybody “young again.” A duck given a bath in the stuff becomes a duckling; in a while, the duckling becomes an egg. (Perhaps the professor’s innovation might be more accurately described as “regression” rather than rejuvenation.) As Ollie prepares to regress a fish, he’s accidentally knocked into the vat by Stan, emerging as a chimpanzee. “I have nothing to say,” he intones sadly. Note: The opening titles appear over a glass beaker with liquid that noisily bubbles up and then back down again to reveal each new list of credits. Starring: Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Lucien Littlefield, Samuel Adams, Jiggs the chimpanzee Producer: Hal Roach Director: Lloyd French Studio: Hal Roach Running time: 19:22

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

339

Fig. 31  Lucien Littlefield (playing dotty Professor Noodle) with Laurel and Hardy in Dirty Work (1933). (Courtesy Heritage Auctions)

Fanny in the Lion’s Den (1933) Plot: The villainous Oil Can Harry pursues Fanny Zilch on a dark and stormy night. After the sun comes out, he hurls Fanny into a cellar with three lions. Strongheart saves her in the nick of time. Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: Oil Can Harry, J. Leffingwell Strongheart, Fanny Zilch Studio: Terrytoons Running time: 6 minutes Fanny’s Wedding Day (1933) Plot: Oil Can Harry disrupts Fanny’s marriage to Strongheart, who rescues her from the villain’s clutches. Notes: Animated cartoon that includes a brief cameo from “Phil M. Daly,” a columnist at The Film Daily trade publication. Starring: Oil Can Harry, J. Leffingwell Strongheart, Fanny Zilch Studio: Terrytoons Running time: 6 minutes

340 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Hansel and Gretel (1933) Plot: This story features elements from various fairy tales, including the witch from Hansel and Gretel. Several spooky, talking trees and numerous bats live outside of her gingerbread house. Starring: The Witch Notes: Animated cartoon Studio: Terrytoons Running time: 6 minutes Hollywood Parade, No. A-8 (1933) Excellent one-reeler. (Theatre manager report, MPH, Apr. 15, 1933)

Notes: A wax figure of “Bela Lugosi as Dracula” comes to life and attempts to bite Betty Boop. Starring: Bela Lugosi (Dracula), Bonnie Poe (Betty Boop), Eddie Borden, Rex Bell, Dorothy Burgess, Charlie Murray, George Sidney, Gayne Whitman (Chandu the Magician), Marie Prevost Studio: Paramount Running time: 11:02 Hypnotic Eyes (1933) Plot: The villainous Oil Can Harry hypnotizes Fanny Zilch and makes her sing. Strongheart rescues her. Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: Oil Can Harry, J. Leffingwell Strongheart, Fanny Zilch Studio: Terrytoons Running time: 6 minutes I Heard (1933) Plot: Betty Boop and Bimbo encounter ghosts deep in a mine shaft. After an explosion, the ghosts fall into cemetery graves. Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: Betty Boop, Bimbo, Ko-Ko, Don Redman and His Orchestra Studio: Max Fleischer-Paramount Running time: 7:17

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

341

I Like Mountain Music (1933) Plot: Various characters come to life out of their books and magazines, among them Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Watson, and the “Mighty Movie Monster!” named “Ping Pong,” a parody of King Kong. Notes: Animated cartoon Director: Rudolf Ising Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 6:59 Is My Palm Red (1933) Plot: The turbaned “Prof. Bimbo” can reveal past, present, and future. Along with the shadow of a witch on the wall, Bimbo has a crystal ball. In one vision he shares, ghosts appear. Notes: Animated cartoon. Though the title of this animated cartoon is a question, it is not rendered onscreen with a question mark. Starring: Betty Boop, Bimbo, Ko-Ko Director: Dave Fleisher Studio: Max Fleischer-Paramount Running time: 6:40 Jack and the Beanstalk (1933) The familiar tale of ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’ has been done into an amusing and fantastic cartoon in color by Ub Iwerks, the first of a series being produced for P. A. Powers. Satisfactory color treatment is afforded and a first-rate instrumental and vocal accompaniment is provided. Hitting the market at the moment when there is great and well-merited excitement over another sensationally successful cartoon in color, this new series should find a welcome spot on thousands of theatre screens. The initial subject of this series is well-produced. Iwerks has provided a group of amusing figures effectively animated. The story is appropriately fanciful and bizarre. (MPH, Oct. 14, 1933)

Notes: Color, animated cartoon Director: Ub Iwerks Studio: P. A. Powers Running time: 6 minutes Kid from Borneo, The (1933) Plot: The action of The Kid from Borneo springs from a misunderstanding: the Gang’s assumption that Bumbo (John Lester Johnson), a sideshow’s uncivi-

342 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

lized “Wild Man from Borneo,” wants to eat them, when all he really wants is candy. Furthering the confusion is the kids’ belief that the wild man— brought to the States by Dickie and Spanky’s Uncle George—is Uncle George. Following a frenzied chase up and down Spanky’s house, the wild man is subdued by the various kids. Note: The short’s title is likely a riff on The Kid from Spain, a 1932 Eddie Cantor feature produced by Samuel Goldwyn and released by United Artists. Starring: Our Gang (Matthew “Stymie” Beard, Dickie Moore, George “Spanky” McFarland, Dorothy DeBorba, Tommy Bond, Pete the Pup) and John Lester Johnson (as the wild man), May Wallace, Harry Bernard, Otto Fries, Billy Bletcher (voice of the wild man) Producers: Hal Roach, Robert F. McGowan Director: Robert F. McGowan (credited as Robert McGowan) Studio: Hal Roach Running time: 18:41 Kid “in” Africa (1933) Plot: Kids play act a tale about cannibals. Starring: Shirley Temple Director: Jack Hays Studio: Educational Running time: 1 reel King Klunk (1933) Pooch the pup and his girl are in Africa when a giant ape captures the girl. Pooch rescues her and they bring back the ape to exhibit in a sideshow. Everything goes well until the ape breaks loose, captures the girl again, and escapes to the top of a skyscraper with her. Pooch effects another rescue, via a cartoonist’s idea of an aeroplane, and destroys the monster. It is an amusing takeoff in cartoon form on King Kong. (MPH, Sept. 23, 1933) A Pooch the Pup comedy that has this cartoon character sharing some terrifying experiences in trying to rescue his sweetheart from an enamored pen and ink King Kong. Pooch resorts to Tarzan tactics and emerges a hero with his lady unharmed. About on a par with other subjects of the Pooch series. (MPD, Sept. 18, 1933)

Notes: This animated cartoon, a parody of the film King Kong (1933), features a prehistoric dinosaur along with the giant ape King Klunk. Starring: Pooch the Pup Director: Walter Lantz, William Nolan Studio: Universal Running time: 9 minutes

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

343

Knight Duty (1933) Plot: Harry hitches a ride on the back of a truck of wax figures. One falls on his head, knocking him out. As a result, he gets delivered to the museum with all of the other dummies. After being nearly beheaded in a guillotine exhibit, he ends up foiling a robbery in the middle of the night. Starring: Harry Langdon, Vernon Dent Director: Arvid E. Gillstrom Writer: Dean Ward and William Watson Studio: Educational Running time: 20 minutes Krazy Spooks (1933) Plot: Sheltering inside a creepy house after their car breaks down, Krazy and girlfriend Kitty are scared by a floating skeleton, a parrot flying beneath a bedsheet, and a gorilla. A new friend, Happy the pup, helps Krazy battle the ape, which isn’t defeated until attacked by Happy’s fleas. Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: Krazy Kat, Kitty, Happy Producer: Charles Mintz Directors: Manny Gould, Ben Harrison Studio: Mintz Studio Running time: 5:59 Lost in Limehouse or Lady Esmerelda’s Predicament (1933) Plot: Sheerluck Jones and Hotson to rescue a woman who is being held captive by evil Asians. In an old manor, suits of armor seem to be alive. Notes: A “Masquers Presentation,” which parodies Sherlock Holmes and Watson. Starring: Laura LaPlante (Esmerelda), Walter Byron (Harold Heartright), John Sheehan (Sir Marmaduke Rakes), Olaf Hytten (Sheerluck Jones), Charles McNaughton (Hotson), William Burress (Hop Tup), Maurice Black (Hoo Flung) Director: Otto Brower Writers: Walter Weems and Harrington Reynolds Studio: RKO Running time: 20:30 Lot in Sodom (1933) Anyone who has seen The Fall of the House of Usher [1928] will be eager to find out what its producers have done in their latest film. Lot in Sodom turns out to be

344 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

an amazingly effective cinematic creation. It has a scenario that tells a story, but it almost completely avoids explicit literal statement. It ‘tells,’ in the usual sense, no more than the brief Old Testament narrative tells, of that wicked city of the plain upon which God sent destruction, and of the saving of God’s good man, Lot. But the course of events is not hard to follow, and upon the plot action is built a structure of pictorial overtones, that, through the eye, works upon the senses with an effect like that of symphonic music, adding immensely to the emotional values implicit in the action. There have been plenty of films before, seeking for new ways to create mood through the medium of photography in motion, but they have usually been lacking in dramatic content and even the best of them have had the effect of not having completely passed the experimental stage. Lot in Sodom in its brief two reels, has definitely gone beyond the point where the striving of the creator is apparent — his creation is so complete that it is no more possible at first sight to detach the separate elements from their confluence than it is to isolate specific chords and instrumental combinations in a piece of orchestral music. Above all, it has — what so many advanced films lack — a definite, unified dramatic impact, to which every bit of movement, whether depicting character, event or mood, contributes an indispensable part. The picture is beyond argument one of the most important creations of the American cinema. (NBRM, Feb. 1934)

Producer, Writer, Director, Cinematographer: John S.  Watson, Jr. and Melville Weber Music: Louis Siegel Studio: DuWorld Pictures, Inc. Mad Doctor, The (1933) One of the liveliest animated cartoons to come along, and plenty comical. Shows Mickey’s dog being kidnapped by a fiendish doctor who plans to cut him up for experiments. Mickey follows them, breaks into the guarded castle, which is filled with skeletons, and, after a lot of spooky business, falls into the hands of the mad doc himself. As all hope seems lost, Mickey lets out a series of yells–and he wakes up to find it was all a dream. (FD, Feb. 10, 1933)

Notes: Animated cartoon that takes place on a stormy night. Dressed in a dark cloak, the mad doctor kidnaps Pluto, with Mickey following them to an old castle full of bats, skeletons, cobwebs, and a clock made out of a coffin. The mad doctor tries to experiment on Pluto in his laboratory, and then he captures Mickey. Waking up in his bed after a nightmare, Mickey is greatly relieved. Starring: Mickey Mouse (Walt Disney), Pluto (Pinto Colvig) Producer: Walt Disney Studio: United Artists Running time: 6:53

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

345

Fig. 32  Walt Disney and David Hand’s The Mad Doctor (1933), an unusually potent horror cartoon. (Courtesy Heritage Auctions)

Magic Mummy (1933) Plot: Tom and Jerry investigate the theft of a mummy from a museum. They trail the phantom-like culprit to a cemetery, where he descends through a grave into an underground hideout. The culprit uses magic to bring the mummy back to life, as well as to fend off Tom and Jerry. Then he presents the revivified mummy to an audience of skeletons. Tom and Jerry interrupt the show, but don’t manage to return the mummy to police headquarters.

346 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Notes: Animated cartoon, part of Van Beuren’s “Aesop’s Fables” series. Starring: Tom and Jerry (human characters, not the later cat and mouse duo) Studio: Van Beuren-RKO Running time: 7:30 Mickey’s Covered Wagon (1933) Action fun that should tickle the grown-ups and give the kids plenty of big laughs; brings many kinds of diverse entertainment packed in the short running time. Starting with an adaptation of the gag of the old man whose father won’t let him play the fiddle because it annoys grampa, the picture moves into a novel presentation of a monkey orchestra rendering Learn to Croon. For giving the old man a fiddle, Mickey is informed of a lost gold mine. Taking up the trek westward, the little Scorpions Club, making use of almost a score of laughable vehicular inventions, the gang is first beset by Stinky Davis with disastrous results to his father’s car. Night falling and a storm coming up, the kids land in a deserted house to experience all the laughable thrills of ghosts and other haunting apparitions. A monkey and cat provide the mechanics for the episode punches. Action assumes practically all the functions of explanatory dialogue, giving the short a speed that holds attention. Here is a good contrast for a thrill feature, or one that will take audience minds off anything heavily dramatic. (MPH, Nov. 25, 1933)

Starring: Mickey Rooney Studio: Columbia Running time: 18 minutes Mickey’s Gala Premiere (1933) In the enormously amusing cleverness of this latest of the Mickey Mouse cartoon efforts, the superior quality of the rodent’s concoctions is again demonstrated. In this, Mickey and Minnie star in their own comedy, while dozens of Hollywood’s best known stars appear, in admirable caricature, at the grand opening, at which, be it known, Clarabelle Cow, Horace Horsecollar, and Pluto appear in full dress, as It were. (MPH, July 29, 1933) They’ll go wild over this one, which shows in caricature about 20 screen stars attending the Hollywood premiere of a Mickey Mouse cartoon. … And it has nearly double the appeal and humor of any single release, which is going some. (FD, Aug. 9, 1933)

Notes: Animated cartoon. Among the animated celebrities in attendance at the premiere are Dracula, Frankenstein’s Monster, and Mr. Hyde. Starring: Mickey Mouse Director: Burt Gillett Studio: Walt Disney-United Artists Running time: 7:16

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

347

Mickey’s Mechanical Man (1933) Mickey goes into science with a vengeance, with his mechanical man, designed to fight the giant ape in the squared circle. The mechanical man is in a bad way when Minnie sounds the horn on her car, which galvanizes the robot into amazing action which brings victory for Mickey. Mr. Disney’s protege of the inkpot continues to shine among animated stars. (MPH, July 8, 1933)

Starring: Mickey Mouse Director: Wilfred Jackson Studio: Walt Disney-United Artists Running time: 6:50 Mother Goose Land (1933) Plot: Betty Boop meets Mother Goose, who is depicted as a witch on a flying broomstick. She also encounters various other fairy tale characters, including a large, monstrous spider. Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: Betty Boop Studio: Max Fleischer-Paramount Running time: 6:48 Murder at the Bridge Table (1933) An initial thought on this, the first of the RKO Radio series of bridge shorts featuring the expert, Ely Culbertson, would indicate that there is rather too much story and not enough Culbertson. Only after a foursome of bridge results in a violent quarrel and the murder of the husband by the browbeaten wife, followed by the trial in court does Mr. Culbertson put in an appearance. It is to be assumed that this series is designed for the country’s ‘bridgers,’ of which there are undoubtedly millions and that they are interested primarily in Culbertson. In court he gives a clear explanation of the game which resulted in the murder. It is interesting material, should be very much worth selling to bridge players everywhere, but could do with more of the expert. (MPH, Oct. 28, 1933)

Director: Sam White Studio: RKO Running time: 21 minutes Nut Factory, The (1933) Plot: On a dark and stormy night, Cubby Bear (who is dressed like Sherlock Holmes) tries to solve the case of a woman’s stolen teeth. He and his assistant explore an old house, where they are bothered by ghosts, skeletons, and an enormous spider. But the thieves turn out to be squirrels.

348 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: Cubby Bear Studio: Van Beuren-RKO Running time: 6:50 Oil Can Mystery, The (1933) Plot: The villainous Oil Can Harry pursues and captures Fanny Zilch, with his mechanical contrivance holding her in its clutches. Strongheart saves her. Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: Oil Can Harry, J. Leffingwell Strongheart, Fanny Zilch Studio: Terrytoons Running time: 6 minutes Old Man of the Mountain, The (1933) Plot: Betty Boop encounters a lustful, bearded giant. Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: Betty Boop, Cab Calloway and His Orchestra Studio: Max Fleischer-Paramount Running time: 6:55 On the Pan (1933) Plot: The Little King visits Africa, where he is nearly eaten by cannibals. One human skull is alive. Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: The Little King Writer: O. Soglow Studio: Van Beuren-RKO Running time: 6:56 One Awful Night (1933) One Awful Night is saved from being like the title strictly through the efforts of the comedy pair. It’s one of those haunted house things with a gang of crooks simulating spooks to keep unwelcome visitors out. The stellar pair are hokum Hawkshaws and their synthetic mannerisms provide whatever laugh diversion there is. (Var, Oct. 24, 1933) Eugene Pallette and Walter Catlett are teamed as a pair of dumb detectives who get themselves into hot water when their blundering attempts to run down a group of criminals land them behind bars. There are enough slapstick laughs to keep an audience amused. (MPD, Nov. 1, 1933)

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

349

Starring: Eugene Pallette, Walter Catlett, Dick Gilbert Director: Del Lord Studio: Paramount Running time: 15 minutes [Var], 21 minutes [MPD] Out of the Ether (1933) A welcome surprise introduces this Krazy Kat subject. In an operating room, hidden behind a quartet of assisting surgeons, a mysterious wielding of knife, saw, this and that, is under way, while in the ampitheatre [sic] an assemblage watches attentively. The assistants part company, and there’s Krazy Kat, the operation completed, and the radio working. He mounts a magic carpet with it, and visits cartoon representations of radio singers in action. (MPH, Oct. 14, 1933)

Notes: Animate cartoon Starring: Krazy Kat Studio: Columbia Running time: 7:30 Parade of the Wooden Soldiers (1933) Plot: A toy gorilla comes to life and menaces Betty Boop. Two toy planes capture him. The gorilla is a parody of King Kong (1933). Notes: Animated Max Sennett cartoon Starring: Betty Boop Director: David Fleischer Studio: Paramount Running time: 8 minutes Pet Store, The (1933) In addition to the antics in a bird store which Mickey is left to watch, this animated subject includes some excitement by Bimbo, movie gorilla, who imitates King Kong and runs off with Minnie. Re-enactment of the Empire State Building scene, with Mickey making a hilarious rescue, is the highlight of the short. Nice musical score accompanies it. (FD, Nov. 4, 1933)

Notes: Animated cartoon Director: Wilfred Jackson Studio: United Artists Running time: 7 minutes

350 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Phantom Rocket, The (1933) Plot: Tom and Jerry take off in a rocket, which they are unable to fly because an escaped convict has climbed aboard and holds them at gunpoint. Eventually the rocket crashes and police capture the criminal. Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: Tom and Jerry (human characters, not the later cat-and-mouse team) Studio: Van Beuren-Pathé Running time: 6 minutes Radio Murder Mystery, The (1933) One of the Louis Sobol series produced by Rowland-Brice. Sobol is seen in his newspaper office discussing an unusual murder case with Richard Gordon, the Sherlock of the air, and James Wallington, the announcer. The unraveling of the mystery is then shown in flashback. As it has a broadcasting studio angle, the action permits working in some vocal specialties by Jack Fulton, Alice Joy, and Peggy Healy. The subject has the benefit of ample production values. (FD, Apr. 22, 1933)

Starring: Richard Gordon (as “Sherlock Holmes of the Air”), Alice Joy, Jack Fulton, Peggy Healy, James Wallington, Louis Sobol (host) Director: Monte Brice Studio: Universal Running time: 20:35 Shriek, The (1933) There is amusement and liveliness in this Oswald the Rabbit short in which Oswald and his girl, touring in the desert, are surprised by the Sheik, who steals the girl. Oswald’s rescue attempt in the dark confines of a pyramid, with dancing mummies and the like, provide a few minutes of amusement. (MPH, Mar. 25, 1933)

Notes: Animated cartoon that features skeletons in addition to mummies. Director: Walter Lantz, William Nolan Studio: Universal Running time: 7:02 Silvery Moon (1933) Plot: Two cats visit the moon and indulge in various candy and dessert foods until they are chased back to earth by a personified bottle of castor oil and a spoon. Notes: Animated cartoon, which was part of the “Aesop’s Fables” series.

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

351

Studio: Van Beuren-RKO Running time: 5:56 Snow-White (1933) Plot: Jealous of Snow-White [sic] (Betty Boop), the Wicked Queen kidnaps her, encases her in ice, and banishes her underground, to Mystery Cave. Inside the cave, Betty is borne aloft by seven dwarfs, and joined by Ko-Ko the Clown and her doglike pal Bimbo. The Queen is finally transformed into a hideous dragon by her fed-up magic mirror. Betty is freed from the block of ice, and in a final act of defiance, Bimbo grips the Queen-Dragon’s tongue and turns her inside out. Moreover, Ko-Ko (with vocals by famed bandleader Cab Calloway) sings Saint James Infirmary, dancing through the hellish landscape of Mystery Cave. In the middle of the tune, the Queen transforms Ko-Ko into a peculiar, ghostly white figure—but the song-and-dance continues, uninterrupted. Starring: Betty Boop, Ko-Ko the Clown, Bimbo, Cab Calloway Directors: Dave Fleischer, Roland Crandall Writer: Roland Crandall Studio: Max Fleischer Running time: 7:03 Soda Squirt (1933) Plot: Flip the Frog opens a new drug store, which is patronized by cartoon caricatures of the Marx Brothers, Jimmy Durante, Buster Keaton, Laurel and Hardy, and Mae West. Flip mixes a bizarre concoction which turns one patron into Mr. Hyde. Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: Flip the Frog Producer: Ub Iwerks Studio: MGM Running time: 6:04 Strange Case of Hennessy, The (1933) Plot: In this musical comedy, the detective Silo Dance appears at an old dark house to help solve a mystery, but it turns out that he is really an escapee from a mental institute. Notes: The opening credits feature the music Misterioso Pizzicato (aka Mysterioso Pizzicato). Silo Dance is a parody of S. S. Van Dine’s famous detective Philo Vance.

352 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Starring: Cliff Edwards (Silo Dance), Jack Fulton, Jr., Jean Sargent, Fred Hillebrand, Johnny Downs, Walter Fenner Director: Ray McCarey Studio: Van Beuren Running time: 15:46 Stratos Fear (1933) Plot: Willie Whopper balloons upward thanks to receiving gas at his dentist’s office. He travels through space, past the moon and Saturn, before falling into the clutches of a mad scientist on another world. He sees various creatures, including the skeleton of a dinosaur, and is nearly killed by the scientist’s death ray. But then he wakes up to discover that his trip was just a dream. Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: Willie Whopper Producer: Ub Iwerks Studio: MGM Running time: 6:51 Techno-Cracked (1933) Plot: Flip reads about technocracy and creates a robot with a pumpkin head to do the lawn mowing. The robot makes an awful mess, even mowing inside the house. Flip destroys the robot with dynamite and mows the lawn himself. Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: Flip the Frog Producer: Ub Iwerks Studio: MGM Running time: 7:31 Techno-Crazy (1933) Plot: Jimmy, an adherent of technocracy, inadvertently meets a mad scientist who gives him a bomb intended to blow up the mayor. Starring: Monty Collins (aka Monte Collins), Billy Bevan, John T. Murray Producer: Al Christie Director: Charles Lamont Studio: Educational Running time: 18 minutes

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

353

Terrors of the Amazon (1933) Somewhat out of the ordinary in expedition films, this subject is quite an engrossing and sometimes exciting glimpse of the Amazon jungle, with its wild animal life and other hazards. Native-devouring crocodiles are shown in rather thrilling situations, and there are sights of strange birds, heavy vegetation, etc. (FD, June 10, 1933) Some exceptional and unusual situations not found in the average short in this class are dwelt upon, to the b. o. merit of the subject. There have to do with a species of crocodile indigenous to the Amazon. The suggestion that one of the reptiles has devoured several native children serves to promote a roundup of the crawlers. This is fast and exciting, huge jaws snapping by the hundreds as a handful of natives work their lariats. (Var, May 16, 1933)

Studio: Beverly Hills-World International Distributing Corp. Running time: 25 minutes [Var], 28 minutes [FD] That’s the Spirit (1933) Noble Sissle … in a hotcha syncopation of Harlem melodies … The idea is put over fantastically, by having two [African-Americans] hired as night watchmen in a pawn shop, and as they get scared in the darkness, the instruments play the harmonies and the screen shows the Sissle band doing the original numbers. Red hot rhythms done with plenty of class and pep. (FD, June 10, 1933) Trick opening has two [African-Americans] in vagabondia clothing entering a darkened shop and seeing ghostly activities. The band and its music is some and most of these ghostly matters. (Var, June 20, 1933)

Notes: This short features two ghosts. Starring: Noble Sissle, Cora La Redd, Washboard Serenaders, Miller & Moreland Director: Roy Mack Studio: Vitaphone Running time: 10 minutes [FD], 11 minutes [Var] Torchy’s Loud Spooker (1933) Torchy in a very funny spook comedy. Your audience will roar at this, and clean as a hound’s tooth. (MPH, Aug. 19, 1933)

Notes: This was the fifth entry in the “Torchy” series. Starring: Ray Cooke, Edmund Breese, Franklyn Pangborn, Gayne Whitman Studio: Educational Running time: 2 reels

354 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Voodoo (1933) The general excellence of the lengthy travel-adventure short subjects of Principal Pictures is hardly maintained to the same degree in this instance. The attempted inclusion of elements of drama rather reacts against the complete effectiveness of the subject as a whole. It deals basically with a highly interesting condition of civilization, the voodooism which is so prominent a part of the daily life and the religious activity of the natives of Haiti, the black West Indian republic. Something of the daily life, the mode of worship of the inhabitants of the island of La Ganave, small island off Haiti, is recounted by Faustin Wirkus, U.  S. Marine stationed there, and sometimes called the white king of La Gonave. Interesting is the pictorial record of the frenzied ritual of the blacks, but when the planned sacrifice of a girl is frustrated by the efforts of Wirkus, the picture smacks too much of the posed melodramatic to be highly effective. (MPH, May 13, 1933) Shots of Voodoo ceremonies in the West Indies, supposedly the only ones ever made, are the highlights of this latest Principal Adventure picture. The films were made by Faustin Wirkus of the U. S. Marine Corps. After a few opening shots of the island of Haiti and its inhabitants, the picture goes into a series of scenes showing how Sergeant Wirkus worked his way into the confidence of the natives and was allowed to witness the Voodoo sacrifices. These shots dramatically work up to a climax where Wirkus is instrumental in saving the life of a native girl scheduled to be sacrificed. (FD, Mar. 24, 1933) Because of its length, this can easily be used for double-feature purposes and billed accordingly. It contains, however, little that has not been seen on the screen before. It’s tame in the unfolding despite the ominous title and the chance for that horror exploitation. Faustin Wirkus, ex-­marine officer, is pictured in an abundant percentage of the footage. Native studies are worthwhile, but the angle of the Haitian girl who may be sacrificed is literally pasted on and is obviously staged. (Var, Mar. 28, 1933)

Starring: Frederick Shields (narration) Director: Faustin Wirkus Studio: Principal Running time: 27 Minutes [Var], 36 minutes [MPH] Walpurgis Night (1933) Notes: This “operalogue” short features a character playing Mephistopheles. According to an advertisement in FD (Dec. 11, 1932), the subject matter was inspired by Goethe’s Faust. Studio: Educational Pictures Running time: 2 reels

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

355

What Does 1934 Hold? (1933) Plot: An astrologer named Wynn makes predictions about the forthcoming year. Director: William Watson Studio: Educational Running time: 1 reel Who Killed Cock-Robbin? (1933) Plot: A cat bartender causes a skeleton to explode after mixing him a drink. Then the cat drinks the concoction himself and turns into a monster. Notes: Animated cartoon also known as Who Killed Cock Robbin? Writer: Paul Terry Director: Frank Moser Studio: Terrytoons Running time: 7 minutes Wild Elephinks (1933) Plot: Popeye and Olive Oyl arrive on a jungle island. A gorilla kidnaps her. Notes: Animated Max Fleischer cartoon Starring: Popeye, Olive Oyl, Wimpy Director: Dave Fleischer Studio: Paramount Running time: 6:05 Wild People (1933) Snappy Musical. The boys are sent to an unchartered island off the coast of Africa where they plan to broadcast a native program. All goes well with the comedy of Jans and Whalen, some snappy songs and dances by the torch singers, and a bit of neat wiggling by the ensemble, but in the end, Whalen informs the astounded Jans that he has neglected to connect the ‘mike.’ Color is beautiful, costumes pleasing, and all in all it’s an entertaining release. (FD, Jan. 17, 1933)

Notes: Film in Technicolor. Joyzelle Joyner, billed only as “Joyzelle,” plays “The Panther Lady.” Starring: Harry Jans, Harold Whalen, Eleanor Thatcher, Joyzelle Joyner, Helene Grant (aka Helena Grant), Edward Baker, the MGM Dancing Girls Director: Ray McCarey Studio: MGM Running time: 17 minutes

356 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Wreckety Wrecks (1933) Plot: Ben and Billy believe they’ve killed a person, but it is just a mannequin. To hide the “corpse,” they travel to a cemetery that is really a seminary. They also enter a “morgue” that is really a woman’s dormitory in the Morgan Seminary, where they believe they see a ghost. Notes: A “Taxi Boys” comedy Director: Del Lord Starring: Ben Blue, Billy Gilbert, James C. Morton, Nora Cecil Studio: Hal Roach Running time: 18:25 Wrongorilla (1933) There’s plenty of background and movement to the latest Haley release. It starts with a sap’s diploma as a trombone player, has him on a train next, then tossed off and accidentally on a carnival lot where he finally makes good by dumb luck. Story has two of the carny owner’s right hand men conniving to take his show away from him by wising opposition on dates and getting performers to walk out. Haley jumps in as the knife-thrower’s assistant, then as the featured hypnotist. Quite laughy are the sequences in which these acts are carried out. To top it, Haley thinks a real gorilla, escaped from a cage is actually one of the carny schemers, who he’s overheard is going to dress up as a gorilla to scare him off the lot. On the escape with the carny owner’s daughter, the two sit down in [the] hypnotist tent and mugg [sic] behind with hammer who’s been knocking ‘em cold on the proper cue, thinks act is still on and gives it to Haley from behind the canvas. (Var, Feb. 7, 1933)

Plot: An unemployed trombonist joins a circus and rescues it from the nefarious scheming of a rival outfit. The horror component is scant: After overhearing two rivals’ plan to scare him with a fake gorilla, Haley shows off for his girlfriend by confidently cuffing the animal around, unaware that he’s assaulting the circus’s real gorilla. The short’s highlights are Haley’s interlude with a nearsighted knife-­ thrower and a protracted bit involving hypnotism. Starring: Jack Haley, Joan Castle, Douglas Leavitt, Harry Shannon, Victor Kilian Director: Alf (Alfred) Goulding Writers: Glen Lambert, Jack Henley Studio: Vitaphone Running time: 21:15

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

357

1934 Another Wild Idea (1934) Plot: While he pursues a volatile romance, Charley (Charley Chase) becomes an unwitting guinea pig for his girlfriend’s father (Frank Austin), a scientist who’s invented something called the ultra-lavender ray. After just one zap from a contraption that looks like a mutated breadbox, Charley can’t suppress his desires: he impulsively flirts with another woman, pushes a stranger into a fountain, destroys a merchant’s display radio, and assaults a cop with fruits and vegetables. The girlfriend (Betty Mack) wants to know, “Were you ever dropped on your head when you were a baby?” Charley just wants to get back to what used to pass for normal. This short devotes its first half to domestic stuff between Chase and Mack—including a scary nighttime run-in with a train. The second half is dominated by the scientist’s nutty scheme, and Charley’s inability to behave himself. Note: The title card prepared in the 1950s for the Film Classics Inc. television print misspells Charley’s first name as Charlie. Starring: Charley Chase, with Betty Mack, Frank Austin, Tiny Sandford, Charles Lloyd Producer: Hal Roach Directors: Charles Parrott (Charley Chase), Eddie Dunn Studio: Hal Roach Studios Running time: 18:33

Beauty and the Beast (1934) Done in color, with the Cinecolor process, this subject should be found cleverly entertaining by both the adults and the youngstres [sic]. The little girl eats too much and too widely before going to sleep and has a disturbing nightmare, landing in a toyland where the wooden soldiers march. She is pursued by the great spider, and is being triumphantly rescued by the captain of the soldiers when she wakes up with a bump. Smart and well executed. (MPH, May 19, 1934)

Plot: A little girl’s dream of a castle begins agreeably enough (regal trumpeters, harmonizing pages, smiling wooden soldiers, and cheering storybook characters), but takes a dark turn when an oversized edition of Beauty and the Beast releases . . . the furry, cucumber-nosed Beast. A resourceful wooden soldier uses a toy airplane to buzz diagonal stripes into the Beast’s hide, and then engages the Beast in a fistfight. Before all this can be resolved, the little girl awakens and hides beneath her covers. Notes: Color, animated cartoon. Producer: Leon Schlesinger Director: Isadore Freleng (Friz Freleng) Studio: Warner Bros.-Vitaphone Running time: 7:35

358 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Big Bad Wolf (1934) Here is Walt Disney’s sequel to The Three Little Pigs, which has passed into something very like screen immortality. And the sequel is the equal of the original, with the addition of Little Red Riding Hood, herself immortal. In color, in subject matter, in development, it emerges as a treat for youngsters and oldsters, a brilliant job of animated motion picture making. This time, with the Disney variations, the story of Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf is reenacted, with the brickhouse oldest pig coming to the rescue of the little heroine.

Fig. 33  David McKay Company’s authorized hardcover retelling of Disney’s Big Bad Wolf (1934). (Courtesy Heritage Auctions)

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

359

Enormously clever is the shot of the wolf playing the part of grandma. The music, again, has a delightful lilt, with the Whose Afraid number again employed, and the other tuneful bits wholly in keeping with the production value of the rest of the subject. Give it top billing. It is worth it. (MPH, Apr. 28, 1934)

Notes: Color, animated cartoon Starring: Billy Bletcher (The Big Bad Wolf), Sara Berner (Little Red Riding Hood; Grandma), Dorothy Compton (Little Pig), Mary Moder (Little Pig) Pinto Colvig (Little Pig) Studio: Walt Disney-United Artists Running time: 9:21 Buddy the Detective (1934) Plot: On a dark, stormy night, a Svengali-esque “mad musician” hypnotizes a frog and makes it play a new composition for him. Then he hypnotizes a portrait of Napoleon, making him play a fiddle. Then he hypnotizes Cookie, a little girl, over the phone. Dressed as Sherlock Holmes, Buddy rescues her from the musician’s clutches. Buddy also encounters a few skeletons at the musician’s home. Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: Buddy, Cookie Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 7:30 Buddy the Gob (1934) In the role of a sailor, Buddy is over in China, where he stumbles on a little almond-eyed maiden in distress. She is about to be sacrificed in a ceremony for a fiery dragon. So Buddy goes to the rescue. (FD, Feb. 2, 1934)

Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: Buddy Director: Isadore “Friz” Freleng Studio: Warner Bros.-Vitaphone Running time: 6 minutes Bum Voyage (1934) Plot: Thelma and Patsy’s troubles start on Friday the Thirteenth. Undertaking an ocean voyage, they encounter a vicious gorilla. When they give a performance aboard ship, Patsy dresses as a gorilla, but the real gorilla returns and causes a mix-up. Starring: Thelma Todd, Patsy Kelly, Adrian Rosley, Noah Young, Charles Gemora Director: Nick Grinde Studio: Hal Roach Running time: 19:48

360 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Cannibal Islands (1934) One of the E. M. Newman Musical World Journeys, this subject carries the screen audience into the savage islands of the South Seas, where, on the seacoast, the influence of British civilization prevails, in sharp contrast to the savage behavior of the native blacks of the interior. Mr. Newman accompanies the subject with a lucid and interesting explanation. (MPH, May 5, 1934)

Notes: Also known as Cannibal Isles, this short was number 5 in Vitaphone’s Musical World Journeys series. Studio: Vitaphone Running time: 10 minutes Cave Man, The (1934) Plot: Willie Whopper recalls life in the Stone Age, when he rescues his beloved Mary from a dinosaur attack. Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: Willie Whopper Producer: Ub Iwerks Studio: MGM Running time: 7:08 Cubby’s Stratosphere Flight (1934) Plot: A devilish cloud spits lightning at Cubby Bear as he ascends higher and higher into the sky. Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: Cubby Bear Studio: Van Buren-RKO Running time: 7 minutes Death Drums of New Guinea (1934) A 30-minute travelogue filmed by the Commander F.  Strange Kolle and M. P. Greenwood Adams’ expedition in the New Guinea Islands. While most of the subject deals with the usual tribal doings, which have appeared in many previous pictures, one or two incidents stand out as new. The Devil dancers, whose supreme deity is the Ghost Owl, kill four of their members when the bird starts moaning. This is an outstanding feature of the film. The photography is not clear at times. (MPD, Jan. 9, 1934)

Studio: Majestic Running time: 30 minutes

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

361

Dream Walking, A (1934) The spinach-imbibing sailor, Popeye, in another of his heroic encounters with the lumbering rival in his race for the hand of the charming Olive Oyl. This time Miss Oyl turns sleepwalker, definitely cartoon speaking, and the boys go to the rescue. On and about the steel skeleton of a building under construction the ‘action’ takes place, ending in victory for Popeye, in really entertaining cartoon fashion. (MPH, Feb. 9, 1935)

Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: Popeye, Olive Oyl Studio: Max Fleischer-Paramount Running time: 7 minutes First Round-Up, The (1934) Plot: Wally, Stymie, and other Our Gang kids won’t let little Spanky and Scotty do a campout with them at Cherry Creek—but in the end it’s the bigger boys who are spooked by wind, night sounds, peculiar shadows, and a thunderstorm. Spanky and Scotty, meanwhile, calmly observe, eating jelly sandwiches and lamenting of the others, “They’ll never learn.” But lightning finally scares them, too. Note: The opening and closing title cards were customized for this short to depict trees and reeds backed by a nighttime moon. Spanky’s shadow, twisted and grotesque, is presented as animation. Starring: Our Gang (Wally Albright, Matthew “Stymie” Beard, George “Spanky” McFarland, Scotty Beckett, Tommy Bond, Billie Thomas, Mae “Buckwheat” Taylor, Jacqueline Taylor, Pete the Pup) and Billy Bletcher, Zoila Conan Producer: Hal Roach Director: Gus Meins Studio: Hal Roach Running time: 18:32 Giantland (1934) Here Walt Disney makes Jack and the Beanstalk live again in the person of his versatile Mickey Mouse. Picture opens with Mickey telling a bedtime story to his innumerable nephews, and switches to the tale itself, with Mickey as Jack. His adventures with the giants he meets, particularly when he hides in the behemoth’s mouth, are equal to anything that Disney has previously done. Mickey finally escapes by sliding down the stalk, and kills the giant by setting fire to the base after he has escaped. (MPD, Jan. 9, 1934)

Notes: Animated cartoon. Studio: Walt Disney-United Artists Running time: 8:01

362 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Goddess of Spring, The (1934) Plot: A serene glade becomes a sulfurous horror when intruded upon by Satan (standing in here for Greek mythology’s Pluto), who abducts the Goddess of Eternal Spring (called Persephone in Greek myth) and returns with her to Hell (filling in for the Greeks’ underworld). Unmoved by Satan’s entreaties and jewels, the goddess begs for her freedom. Meanwhile, in the forest above, the animals and sprites beloved by the goddess suffer a severe winter.

Fig. 33a  Wicked Pluto hectors Persephone, The Goddess of Spring (1934). Promotional art by Tom Wood.

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

363

Finally, the goddess agrees to Satan’s demand that she spend half of each year with him. She returns to the forest, her presence shooing away winter. Notes: A Silly Symphony animated cartoon, filmed in Technicolor. Music by Leigh Harline. Despite latter-day understanding of Disney’s use of Greek myth in this cartoon, the names “Pluto” and “Persephone” are not invoked in the film itself. The story is presented operetta-style, with dialogue expressed in song. The rotoscoped, haltingly “realistic” animation of the short’s human principals—as well as fire effects, complex shadowplay, shifting, unorthodox colors, and “scare” interludes—seems a technological test bed for the later cartoon-realism of Disney’s first feature, 1937’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. More sophisticated variants of this short’s dancing flowers appeared later in Disney’s feature Fantasia (1940). Starring: Singing voices of Diana Gaylen (as the goddess), Tudor Williams (Satan) Producer: Walt Disney Director: Wilfred Jackson Story: Bill Cottrell Studio: Walt Disney Productions, for United Artists Running time: 9:39 Gold Ghost, The (1934) Plenty of gags. A preview audience seemed to think it was great. Buster Keaton leaves his father’s palatial home when his girl turns him down as a mollycoddle and motors west until his gas runs out in a Nevada ghost town. Warren Hymer drops in by plane–accidentally. He is an escaping gunman. They pull a lot of funny stunts by themselves until a gold rush repopulates the town. Among the arrivals are the girl and her father. (MPD, Apr. 4, 1934) Filled with delightful Keaton touches, it will go over big with all his many admirers. (FD, Mar. 28, 1934)

Starring: Buster Keaton, Warren Hymer, Dorothy Dix, Joe Young, William Worthington, Lloyd Ingraham. Leo Willis Director: Charles Lamont Writers: Ernest Pagano, Charles Lamont Studio: Educational Running time: 20:52 Great Experiment, The (1934) The antics in this cartoon comedy have to do with laboratory experiments being practiced on Scrappy by an ugly scientist. With the use of his serums, the doc changes the little fellow into a fish, then back to his natural shape, then into an old man, and finally back to normal. Some action results from Scrappy’s efforts to get away from the doc, with the usual chase stuff. Animation is quite lively. (FD, Oct. 29, 1934)

364 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

A Scrappy cartoon and swell entertainment. Scrappy finds himself in the clutches of a crazed inventor of a ‘perpetual youth serum.’ After being subjected to an injection of the fluid, he finds himself living in 1990. His adventures are ribtickling. (MPD, Nov. 14, 1934)

Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: Scrappy Writer: Charles Mintz Studio: Columbia Running time: 6:51 Hell’s Fire (1934) Plot: Willie Whopper and his dog climb a volcano. The devil lives inside it, sitting on his throne surrounded by flames and bats. With him are Napoleon, Nero, Rasputin, a three-headed hellhound, and Dr. Jekyll, who transforms into Mr. Hyde. Much of the action involves Willie chasing the human personification of Prohibition, who tries to escape Hades. Notes: Animated cartoon, filmed in Cinecolor. Also known as Masquerade Holiday. Starring: Willie Whopper Producer: Ub Iwerks Studio: MGM Running time: 7 minutes How to Be a Detective (1934) Plot: Robert Benchley tries to explain to the audience how to identify, capture, and question criminals. Starring: Robert Benchley Director: Felix E. Feist Studio: MGM Running time: 8:48 In a Pig’s Eye (1934) Plot: A scientist has invented “Destructo,” an explosive ten times more powerful than dynamite. Drycleaners Clark and McCullough (and their pig Ajax) cause him trouble that leads to an explosion. Starring: Bobby Clark, Paul McCullough, Monte Collins, Pearl Eaton, Bud Jamison Director: Ben Holmes

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

365

Writers: John Grey and Joseph Fields Studio: RKO Running time: 20:37 Inventors, The (1934) [T]his enjoyable comedy shows Stoopnagle and Budd at their best as the nutty inventors. Opening with Stoopnagle and Budd receiving their diploma in their laboratory, they then show the committee some of their inventions. A school for girls being taught by Olive Borden, vote Stoopnagle and Budd as the outstanding inventors of the year. As a result, they are invited to the school to give a talk. The girls want them to demonstrate their abilities as inventors, but having no equipment, they send the girls out to get it, which results in some very funny situations. They wind up by building a ‘Stupenstein’ which scares everyone in the place, turning the school into an asylum from the result of phone calls to the authorities. If you are looking for plenty of belly laughs, this has them. (FD, Jan. 10, 1934) They wind up by building a ‘Stupenstein,’ which scares everyone in the place, turning the school into an asylum from the result of phone calls to the authorities. If you are looking for belly laughs, this has them. (FD, Jan. 10, 1934) At the school they make a Frankenstein which unfortunately works and roughhouses the place. When they come to the end of the second reel, it stops. One amusing sequence in which the girls are told off to get the material for the monster, but that’s brightly insane where the rest is mostly [pathetic]. But they laughed at the Roxy. (Var, Jan. 30, 1934)

Notes: According to FD (Dec. 9, 1933), this short was originally titled Stoopenstein. Filmed at Eastern Service’s studio in Astoria. Starring: Stoopnagle and Budd, Olive Borden Director: Al Christie Producer: Al Christie Writers: Sig Herzig, William Watson Studio: Educational Running time: 10 minutes Jack Frost (1934) A lively and amusing subject in the Powers ComiColor cartoon series, with Jack Frost coming down to warn the animals at play of the approach of winter. They all heed his word except the bear cub, who thinks his coat is warm enough for him to ignore the warning. But when Old Man Winter arrives, he realizes his error, and is saved by the kindly Jack Frost. A tuneful and entertaining number. (MPH, Dec. 22, 1934)

366 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Fig. 34  Old Man Winter and the change of seasons in Jack Frost (1934). (Courtesy Heritage Auctions) Kiddies and grownups will like this tale of the little bear who, after being tucked in bed, slips out of the window of his tree-trunk home and gets lost and somewhat battered wandering through the snow. … Subject is amusingly developed. (FD, Dec. 20, 1934)

Notes: Color, animated cartoon featuring living trees, jack o’ lanterns, and a pumpkin-faced scarecrow that sings like Cab Calloway, as well as a spooky Old Man Winter. Starring: Jack Frost, Old Man Winter

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

367

Director: Ub Iwerks Studio: Celebrity Running time: 8:31 Jungle Jitters (1934) A fairly amusing cartoon of the Willie Whopper series, this has our little hero shipwrecked and landing on a desert isle, where he meets an attractive little female native. Their happiness is disturbed by the arrival of cannibals, bent on a good meal of Willie, while the king is fascinated by the girl. Willie escapes with the girl, and they manage to elude the pursuing band, with the aid of a friendly elephant. (MPH, Dec. 29, 1934)

Notes: Animated cartoon that, along with the cannibals, includes a skull that comes to life. Starring: Willie Whopper Director: Ub Iwerks Studio: MGM Running time: 7:40 Knocking on Wood (1934) Plot: This short explains the superstition of its title subject. Director: Ray Nazarro Studio: Paramount Running time: 1 reel Little Dutch Mill (1934) Plot: An evil man captures two children in a mill and threatens to burn their tongues. The townspeople save the children and give the man a bath. Notes: Animated cartoon Director: Dave Fleischer Studio: Max Fleischer-Paramount Running time: 8:30 Live Ghost, The (1934) Very comical short, meaty both on ideas and laughs. Belongs on the best shows. Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy this time figure in a shanghai frameup [sic]. Skipper of a ship hires them to assist him in getting a crew together. Means by which Laurel and Hardy shanghai the hangers-on in an ocean front bar start the laughs. They continue on board, after both comedians have also gotten shanghaied. Direction is excellent. (Var, Jan. 22, 1935)

368 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Plot: A violent sea captain (Walter Long) who operates a purported “ghost ship” promises Stan and Ollie “a buck a head” for every man they can shanghai to toil as his crew—but the boys end up shanghaied too. Targeted for death by the rest of the unwilling sailors, Stan and Ollie also have ghost trouble after imagining they’ve accidentally killed a boozy crewman (Arthur Houseman), who later topples into a trough of whitewash and staggers ghost-like around the deck, and into and out of the boy’s quarters. As the captain warns the boys early on, “If anybody ever mentions ghosts to me again, I’ll take his head and I’ll twist it around so that when he’s walkin’ north he’ll be lookin’ south!” And at the conclusion of the short, this is exactly what the captain does to Stan and Ollie. Starring: Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Walter Long, Mae Busch, Arthur Houseman, Charlie Hall, Leo Willis Producer: Hal Roach Director: Charles Rogers Studio: Hal Roach Studios Running time: 19:39 Mad House, A (1934) Plot: Music- and song-driven adventure at a boardinghouse filled with lively skeletons that sing, dance, and play the piano. An itinerant mad scientist invades the house, restores a skeleton cat to corporeality, and then makes it invisible; after that, he uses the stuff on himself and terrorizes a (living) young couple skating on a pond. A skeleton rotates his pelvis to the floor and sits on it after his piano stool breaks; a skeleton mob thunders down a hallway to be first in the house’s only bathroom; a showering skeleton removes his head to wash it separately, and then happily runs the towel around and through his ribs. Notes: Animated cartoon Writer: Paul Terry Director: Frank Moser Studio: Educational Running time: 1 reel Mama’s Little Pirate (1934) Plot: Egged on by his aggressive alter ego (seen in double exposure), Spanky defies his mother and joins the Gang at a seaside cave, where they hope to discover pirates’ treasure. There the kids are terrorized by a giant (R. E. “Tex” Madsen) who dangles Stymie from a peg and captures Scotty in a giant mousetrap. Spanky becomes stuck on a carpet-sized piece of flypaper, and then has to dodge the giant’s enormous fly swatter.

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

369

Fig. 35  Spanky McFarland, Scotty Beckett (foreground), and the other Our Gang kids uncover hidden treasure in Mama’s Little Pirate (1934). (Courtesy Heritage Auctions)

Note: Oversized furniture and a giant-sized treasure chest accent the kids’ smallness and the giant’s great size. Starring: Our Gang (George “Spanky” McFarland, Matthew “Stymie” Beard, Scotty Beckett, Jerry Tucker, Billie “Buckwheat” Thomas) and R. E. “Tex” Madsen aka Ralph E.  Madsen, Joe Young aka Roger Moore (as Spanky’s father), Claudia Dell, Billy Bletcher (voice of giant) Producer: Hal Roach Director: Gus Meins Studio: Hal Roach Running time: 17:41 Miller’s Daughter, The (1934) Notes: Animated cartoon in which a statuette comes to life in order to repair a broken statuette with glue. Other statuettes that come to life include depictions of the Three Stooges. The cartoon also depicts images of dancing skeletons.

370 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Director: Isadore “Friz” Freleng Studio: Warner Bros.-Vitaphone Running time: 7 minutes My Mummy’s Arms (1934) Plot: In Egypt, Kenneth pretends to be the 3000-year-old mummy of King Phooey the Third in order to get close to a young woman. Then his friend Harry dresses in the mummy wrapping. Starring: Harry Gribbon (Harry), Shemp Howard (Kenneth), Sheldon Leonard Director: Ralph Staub Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 19:25 Oliver the Eighth (1934) Laurel and Hardy, in another of their amusing comedies, this time as partners in a barber shop, manage to develop numerous laughs. Hardy answers the matrimonial letter of Mae Busch, wealthy widow, and the double-crossed Laurel goes after him. They discover the butler to be more than a little eccentric, and learn that Miss Busch plans to cut Oliver’s throat, he being the eighth Oliver who has fallen into her clutches. As she finally gets to him, after amusing complications, Hardy suddenly awakens, in the barber shop, being shaved by Laurel. An amusing short, and the team is popular. (MPH, June 23, 1934)

Plot: Barber-shop owners Stan and Ollie are weary of cutting hair and “scraping chins,” and jump at a classified advert placed by a wealthy young widow looking for a husband. Naturally, there’s a catch to this grand-seeming opportunity: the widow (Mae Busch) is a psychotic serial killer who has dedicated herself to seducing “Olivers” and then slitting their throats. Why? Because years ago, another Oliver left her at the altar. If she succeeds in dispatching Ollie, he’ll be Oliver the eighth. And just to spice things in the widow’s household a little further, there’s Jitters the butler (Jack Barty), who plays solitaire with invisible cards and serves invisible food at supper. Starring: Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Mae Busch, Jack Barty Producer: Hal Roach Director: Lloyd French Studio: Hal Roach Running time: 25:49

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

371

Fig. 36  Oliver the Eighth (1934): Incipiently violent romance with (from left) Jack Barty, Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, and Mae Busch. (Courtesy Heritage Auctions)

Red Hot Mamma (1934) Plot: On a cold night, Betty sleeps in front of her fireplace. She dreams she goes to Hell, where devils put horns and tails on new arrivals. Another devil eats an ice-cream cone made of fire. Some of the devils approach Betty, but she gives them such a cold shoulder that Hell freezes over. She then awakens from her dream. Starring: Betty Boop Director: Dave Fleischer Writers: Dave Fleischer, Willard Bowsky, Dave Tendlar Studio: Max Fleischer-Paramount Running time: 6:26 Shiver Me Timbers! (1934) Another very amusing adventure of Popeye the Sailor. With Olive Oyl and Wimpy trailing along, Popeye defies warnings and goes exploring in a ghost ship. As soon as they are inside, the hulk takes off from shore, and there follows a series of

372 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

spooky incidents, winding up with Popeye’s usual trick of taking a big chew of spinach and then cleaning up the works. (FD, Aug. 2, 1934) They explore a ‘ghost ship,’ and this please our entire audience. Plenty of laughs and a good filler for any program. (Theatre manager report, MPH, Sept. 22, 1934)

Notes: In this animated cartoon, Popeye, Olive Oyl, and Wimpy explore a ghost ship, on which ghosts (and even ghost hamburgers) abound, as do dancing skeletons. Starring: Popeye, Olive Oyl, Wimpy Director: Dave Fleischer Studio: Max Fleischer-Paramount Running time: 6:40 Shivers (1934) Take a standing set, cover the furniture with white dusters, use lamps and candles instead of electricity, have the carpenter put in a couple of sliding panels. Result is the production for a spook house comedy short. It’s been done so often it’s only mildly funny, even when revived with a certain amount of finesse, as is the case with Harry Langdon. That fine pantomimic talent that once had Langdon on the major marquees is able to win many a laugh from situations and material of meager instrinsic [sic] merit. Florence Lake’s regular gabby dame specialty offers a good foil. (Var, Jan. 22, 1935)

Plot: Mystery writer Harry (Harry Langdon) spends a long night in a creepy old house and discovers he’s part Chinese. His wife (Florence Lake) no longer appreciates sharing her bed with him. Harry later turns his adventure into a novel. Starring: Harry Langdon, Florence Lake, Dick Elliott Producer: Jules White Director: Arthur Ripley Writers: John Grey, Arthur Ripley Studio: Columbia Running time: 17 minutes Shrimps for a Day (1934) Plot: While chaperoning a fancy daylong picnic for orphans, a young couple (Joe Young and Doris McMahon) discover a magic lamp and wish to be children again. Their wish comes true—and then they can’t make the nasty orphanage administrator (Clarence Wilson) believe they’re really grown-ups. As children back at the orphanage, the miniature adults (played by little people Olive and George Brasno) suffer castor oil and some mild bullying, and then expose the place after “wishing” themselves back to their usual sizes.

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

373

Starring: Our Gang (George “Spanky” McFarland, Scotty Beckett, Matthew “Stymie” Beard, Billie “Buckwheat” Thomas, Leonard Kibrick, Jerry Tucker, Marianne Edwards, Pete the Pup) and Olive Brasno, George Brasno, Clarence Wilson, Joe Young, Doris McMahon, Joe Young aka Roger Moore, Rosa Gore, Richard Brasno (as the miniaturized Clarence Wilson), Wilfred Lucas Producer: Hal Roach Director: Gus Meins Studio: Hal Roach Running time: 20:18 Sinister Stuff (1934) Plot: Cubby Bear saves his beloved in the nick of time from the clutches of an evildoer who attempts to kill her in a sawmill. Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: Cubby Bear Studio: Van Buren-RKO Running time: 6:20 Sky Larks (1934) When Oswald and his pal Dopey see motion pictures of the stratospheric Piccards [sic], they determine to do the same thing. The result is an amusing cartoon subject, recounting their adventures on Mars, their capture by the god of war. He begins to shake them into a state of unconsciousness, when they awaken in the theatre, under the impetus of the janitor, cleaning up for the night. (MPH, Nov. 10, 1934)

Notes: Sky Larks incorporates live-action Chicago Daily News Universal Newsreel coverage of the record-breaking August 1932 balloon ascension of Swiss-Belgian physicist Auguste Piccard; this footage is seen in the context of a cartoon theater attended by Oswald. Starring: Oswald, Dopey Director: Walter Lantz Studio: Universal Running time: 7:38 Superstition of the Black Cat, The (1934) Actionful [sic] comedy. Speeding to the big football game, Harry Myers has to turn around when a black cat crosses their path and his wife insists it would mean bad luck to continue. But the return trip brings a puncture and then the action trips off into a kidnapping by a witch and the final rescue. It’s fast moving and brightly developed. (MPH, Aug. 18, 1934)

374 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Director: Ray Nazarro Studio: Paramount Running time: 8 minutes Superstition of the Rabbit’s Foot, The (1934) An oddity showing how a young Greek athlete in the city of Arcadia, 1500 B. C. owed his life to a rabbit’s foot. INTERESTING. (PE, Apr. 15, 1935)

Director: Ray Nazarro Studio: Paramount Running time: 7 minutes Superstition of Three on a Match, The (1934) This skit, designed to show the origin of the superstition about three on a match, has been handled too clumsily to register properly. It presents an African soothsayer, back in the Boer War, as the one who warned a soldier to beware of the combination of three. The soldier laughed at the warning, and was shot down while in the company of two friends. It’s all so naive and so heavily acted that it gets amusing although it is not intended to be. (FD, Sept. 26, 1934)

Director: Ray Nazarro Studio: Paramount Running time: 10 minutes Superstition of Walking Under a Ladder (1934) Explanation of [the] story behind the superstition. (MPR, Jan. 1935)

Director: Ray Nazarro Studio: Paramount Running time: 9 minutes Then Came the Yawn (1934) Good Burlesque. A very funny burlesque that kids the trailers and the super-super productions with a lot of nonsense and clever comedy business. The big adjectives are thrown in regardless, and the plot of this ‘super-special’ wanders all over the world with stock shots, news clips, and special posed scenes. It makes no sense whatever, but it is good for quite a few chuckles. (FD, Aug. 21, 1934) Burlesquing the motion picture feature trailer, as currently used, this subject in the Treasure Chest series is often downright funny, as it exaggerates the caption lines on the usual trailer with its plethora of superlatives, then shoots off at ridiculous,

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

375

and amusing tangents in the manner of the ‘meller drammer’ of long ago in the motion picture. It is a novelty with a really amusing turn. (MPH, Sept. 15, 1934)

Notes: This short parodies trailers for horror movies, along with those of other genres. Director: Ben Blake and Max Hayes Studio: Treasure Chest-Educational Running time: 8 minutes Toyland Premiere (1934) Plot: At the invitation of Oswald the Rabbit, Santa Claus and his elves lead a Christmas parade of huge character balloons. Santa also has lunch party with various celebrities, among them the Frankenstein Monster. Starring: Oswald the Rabbit, Santa Claus, and cartoon versions of Al Jolson, Shirley Temple, Laurel and Hardy, Bing Crosby, Tarzan, and the Frankenstein Monster Notes: Color, animated cartoon Studio: Universal Running time: 8:47 Universal Newspaper Newsreel, Vol. VI, No. 233 (1934) Plot: Studio cameras were on hand at Universal City on March 14, 1934, when Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi (costars of The Black Cat, and wearing their costumes from that film) judged black cats owned by young children. (Nervous parents appear in the background.) The event’s purpose was for the stars to select a black cat to be featured in the same-named film. Notes: The story’s title was The Black Cats Parade. The segment runs fortyone seconds, and is the fourth of nine segments. Starring: Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, Graham McNamee (narrator) Studio: Universal Running time: 1 reel Wax Works (1934) An entertaining cartoon in the Oswald series, this subject has Oswald finding an foundling on the doorstep of his museum. After they have gone to sleep, the baby awakens, stirs all the famous waxen figures to life and winds up in trouble in the Chamber of Horrors. Just as they are about to turn the baby to wax, Oswald goes on the rescue  – and himself awakens to find he has been dreaming. (MPH, July 14, 1934)

376 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

In this cartoon Oswald is the curator of a wax museum. A child is left at his door one stormy night and he takes it in. Most of the reel concerns the child’s having a nightmare in which the wax figures come to life, and he is pursued by Dracula, Frankenstein, the Invisible Man, the Hunchback of Notre Dame, and countless other monsters. Fairly entertaining. (MPD, July 25, 1934)

Notes: Animated cartoon sometimes listed in the industry press as The Wax Works. Inhabitants of the “Horror Chamber” of waxworks that come to life include the Hunchback of Notre Dame, Bluebeard, Dracula, Frankenstein’s Monster (who is referred to simply as “Frankenstein”), the Mummy, the Invisible Man, and Mr. Hyde. The little baby scares them away with a blowtorch, but the Invisible Man still tries to make him into a wax figure. Starring: Oswald the Lucky Rabbit Studio: Walter Lantz-Universal Running time: 8:45 Whacks Museum (1934) This one ranks just so-so among animated cartoon comedies. Action takes place in a wax museum, where of course the exhibits come to life and engage in various antics. Nothing very exciting is developed, however, and [the] action is a bit slow until it is pepped up by a fire sequence in which some of the ugly figures are melted down into more shapely and attractive exhibits. Some of the figures are famous film stars, such as Jimmy Durante, Mae West, Joe E. Brown, and others. (FD, Jan. 8, 1934)

Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: Krazy Kat Director: Manny Gould, Ben Harrison Studio: Columbia Running time: 6 minutes Wolf! Wolf! (1934) Oswald goes into the forest, living two frisky lambs at home with a warning to call should the big, bad wolf show up. Like the boy in the fable, they cry ‘Wolf!’ just to play a joke on Oswald. They do this once too often. When the wolf really comes, they cry in vain, for Oswald thinks they are fooling. In the nick of time Oswald realizes they are in danger and goes to the rescue. ‘Let this be a lesson to you,’ says Oswald in effect after Mr. Wolf has been slain. (MPD, Apr. 23, 1934)

Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: Oswald Director: Walter Lantz Studio: Universal Running time: 8:11

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

377

Your Stars for 1935 (1934) Plot: An astrologer named Wynn makes predictions about the forthcoming year. Director: Al Christie Studio: Educational Running time: 1 reel

1935 Balloon Land (1935) Plot: The citizens of a strange city are all made of balloons, with some resembling Charlie Chaplin and Laurel and Hardy. One of the balloon boys goes into the spooky forest with his little girlfriend, unafraid of rumors of the Pin

Fig. 37  Although this lobby card identifies Balloon Land (1935) with a single-word title, the title as seen on-screen is two words. (Courtesy Heritage Auctions)

378 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Cushion Man. When they meet the villain, though, they are petrified and run from him. The Pin Cushion Man enters Balloon Land and pops many of its inhabitants, but the city’s army finally defeats him. The balloon boy and his girlfriend are saved. Notes: Animated cartoon, filmed in color Producer: Ub Iwerks Studio: Celebrity Productions Running time: 7 minutes Bring ’Em Back a Lie (1935) Notes: Two real gorillas appear in this comedy short subject. Its title is a parody of Bring ’Em Back Alive, a 1932 documentary film with Frank Buck. Starring: Sterling Holloway, Phyllis Fraser, Ben Turpin Director: Alfred Goulding Writer: Raymond Gannon Studio: Universal Running time: 2 reels Buddy in Africa (1935) An amusing Looney Tune number, in which Buddy is an African trader. He trades with the natives, with results which are amusing, judged by cartoon standards. When a small monkey tries to steal something, Buddy hits him and the little one brings his gorilla father. But when they both get the worst of it, the gorilla joins Buddy in chastising the young one. The youngsters should enjoy it especially. (MPH, July 6, 1935)

Notes: Animated cartoon Studio: Warner Bros.-Vitaphone Running time: 7 minutes Buddy’s Theatre (1935) Plot: Buddy’s theater shows a movie in which the heroine is menaced by a gorilla. Leaving the projection booth, Buddy literally swings into the film in order to save her. Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: Buddy, Cookie Director: Ben Hardaway Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 7 minutes

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

379

Calico Dragon, The (1935) It looks like a smash novelty in the animated field that may revolutionize the whole technique. Done in Technicolor, with most of the characters presented in calico material that actually shows as material on the screen. Not the lines of a cartoon character. How the intriguing effect is produced is the secret of the producers. But it’s a pip. The young hero of the skit travels with his horse and dog into the castle of the fearsome dragon, with some amazing adventures resulting. (FD, Apr. 29, 1935)

Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor. It received an Academy-Award nomination. Director: Rudolf Ising Studio: MGM Running time: 7:56 Cartoonist’s Nightmare, A (1935) A good idea, effectively worked out, gives this animated cartoon a generous quota of laughs. It shows an overworked animator falling asleep and dreaming that the villains of his pictures pounce upon him, and throw him down a well, from which he is eventually saved by the little hero. (FD, Sept. 20, 1935)

Plot: A tired cartoon animator falls asleep and is pulled by one of his monsters into his drawing board, where he’s dumped into a dungeon of “Cartoon Villains.” He’s kicked by an angry kangaroo, pummeled by an octopus, and nearly eaten by an alligator. Plucky little Beans the Cat tosses the cartoonist a pen, so that the artist can draw a ladder to escape the ’gator pit. A handy eraser allows the cartoonist to make the pit disappear. Shaken awake by the studio watchman, the artist draws a plate of ice cream for Beans. Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: Beans the Cat Producer: Leon Schlesinger Director: Jack King Studio: Warner Bros.-Vitaphone Running time: 7:30 Dancing on the Moon (1935) Good idea in back of this one, but worked out with only fairly successful results. A rocket ship takes off from the earth to the moon, carrying a load of animal couples, who neck and dance for a while on the celestial sphere, then return to earth and on disembarking are presented with babies by a flock of storks. One of the couples got separated at take-off, so the husband went to the moon alone, and on his return he gets no baby, whereupon wifie [sic] beats him up. Musical accompaniment is supplied by the ‘Dancing on the Moon’ song. (FD, July 1, 1935)

380 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Notes: Animated cartoon, filmed in color Director: Dave Fleischer Studio: Max Fleischer-Paramount Running time: 7:37 Foiled Again (1935) Plot: The villainous Oil Can Harry has Fanny Zilch in his clutches, but Strongheart saves her from being killed by a sawmill. Notes: Animated cartoon which includes a brief use of the song Misterioso Pizzicato (aka Mysterioso Pizzicato). Starring: Oil Can Harry, J. Leffingwell Strongheart, Fanny Zilch Studio: Terrytoons Running time: 6 minutes Friendly Spirits (1935) There is a fair amount of entertainment and amusement in this comedy, featuring the diminutive Ernest Truex. When Ernest loses everything at poker, including the piano and his savings, while wife and mother-in-law are away, he is in a real spot. They return, assume he has bought the nearby new home she wanted with the money, and proceeds [sic] to move in with mother-in-law. With the aid of his pals, Ernest decides to scare them out of the home with a ghost stunt, and the boys go to work with sheets. From that point, the comedy waxes extremely noisy, until it all comes out in the end as Ernest’s trick works. (MPH, June 15, 1935)

Starring: Ernest Truex Director: Al Christie Studio: Educational Running time: 19 minutes Good Little Monkeys (1935) Subject shows three little monkeys who are lured by the devil to the brink of hell where they are rescued by the emergence of a Boy Scout brigade and other rescuers from a group of story books about Napoleon. Technicolor is excellent and the action swiftly-paced. (FD, May 25, 1935)

Notes: Animated cartoon Director: Hugh Harman, Rudolf Ising Studio: MGM Running time: 9 minutes

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

381

Gum Shoes (1935) Plot: When a swank hotel is beset by jewel robberies, inept house dicks Plunkett (Tom Kennedy) and Kelly (Monte Collins) take the case. The thief is a welltrained circus gorilla, but the best description a frightened witness can manage is “a man in a fur coat.” Inevitably, the boys accost and manhandle an innocent man in a fur coat; meanwhile, the ape has free run of the hotel. Later, when the detectives mistake the gorilla for another man in a fur coat, Kennedy pushes up his sleeves and prepares to make the pinch: “I’ll handle this guy with me bare hands!” Collins: “Oh, now, don’t be too brutal!” Starring: Tom Kennedy, Monte (Monty) Collins, James C.  Morton, Al Thompson, Lynton Brent, Charles Gemora (gorilla) Producer: Del Lord Director: Del Lord Writer: Preston Black (Jack White) Studio: Columbia Running time: 19:33 Hollywood Capers (1935) Leon Schlesinger’s cartoon production featuring the mischievous kid, Beans. The hero wangles [sic] his way into a Hollywood studio, and starts to disrupt the works. He accidentally puts a mechanical robot into action, and the robot finishes the ruin that Beans has started. Finally Beans overcomes the mechanized [monster] and becomes a hero. (FD, Oct. 18, 1935)

Notes: Animated cartoon, with the robot resembling the Frankenstein Monster as he appeared in Frankenstein (1931) and Bride of Frankenstein (1935). Beans initially discovers him on a laboratory film set, with electricity bringing him to life. Starring: Beans, Little Kitty Director: Jack King Studio: Warner Bros.-Vitaphone Running time: 6:41 Hyp-Nut-Tist, The (1935) Popeye, the sailor of cartoon fame, herein takes his best girl to the vaudeville show, there to see the hypnotist. Popeye is anything but convinced, but changes his mind when the performer takes Olive Oyl as a subject and changes her into a chicken. When Popeye goes to the rescue, he suffers a similar fate, until the old reliable spinach gets in its work, after which it is too bad for the hypnotist. As usual with this series, an entertaining and amusing cartoon. (MPH, June 29, 1935)

382 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: Popeye, Olive Oyl, Bluto Director: Dave Fleischer Studio: Max Fleischer-Paramount Running time: 6:42 Jungle Antics (1935) Produced by an expedition unit in the South American jungles, this one-reeler shows an interesting collection of unusual animals engaged in amusing antics, while some additional humor is injected through the medium of offstage comments. The animals are all of the small variety, including armadillos, ant-eaters, monkeys, and various other strange creatures with equally strange names, and some of their activities are highly comical. (FD, Feb. 9, 1935)

Notes: This short was number fifteen in the Paramount Varieties series. Studio: Paramount Running time: 10 minutes Just Another Murder (1935) Plot: A writer describes a tale in which a murder takes place inside a hotel. Starring: Vince Barnett, Billy Gilbert Director: Mack Sennett Studio: Mack Sennett-Educational Running time: 2 reels

Kannibal Kapers (1935) Krazy Kat starts off in the middle of the ocean and is flung by a fish onto a palm tree on a tropical isle. He tries to entertain the cannibal chief and enrages the regular entertainers. They throw him all over the place and with [a] little novelty he is back in the sea again. An ordinary cartoon offering. (MPD, Jan. 7, 1936) Shipwrecked on a cannibal isle, Krazy Kat gets in right with a Mae West hot momma and by his own clever dancing keeps the King from using him for his supper til such time as it looks good for a getaway. The cartoon is cleverly gagged, and moved fast. (FD, Jan. 3, 1936)

Plot: Scat-singing cannibals busily prepare Krazy Kat (washed up on African shores) to be the main dish at a lively cannibal night club. Krazy is placed on a platter but leaps free to join the singing and dancing, finally annoying the cannibals so much that Krazy is catapulted back into the sea by the strings of a cannibal’s stand-up bass.

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

383

Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: Crazy Kat Director: Manny Gould, Ben Harrison Writer: Ben Harrison Producer: Charles Mintz Music: Joe de Nat Studio: Columbia Running time: 6:27 Magic of Music, The (1935) Given a refreshing touch of novelty by the application of supposed magic, whereby Richard Himber turns various statuettes into miniature performing artists, along with other tricks, this orchestra novelty short is generally entertaining. Some singing and impersonations by Sugar Cane, dancing by a ballroom team, and various band selections comprise the routine, which is kept moving along in interesting fashion. (FD, July 22, 1935)

Notes: In addition to being an orchestra leader, Richard Himber was a sleightof-hand magician. Starring: Richard Himber Director: Fred Waller Studio: Paramount Running time: 10:01 Magic Word, The (1935) Intruding upon a magician’s act in a vaudeville theatre, Tom Howard and George Shelton hand out a routine of stooge comedy that is good all the way. They start out by heckling the magician from their boxes on opposite sides of the theatre. Then they go up on the stage, at the invitation of the performer, to assist in one of the tricks, and proceed to gum up the works. While the wizard is offstage, Tom and George try to do the sawing-a-woman-in-half trick, exposing how it is done. They also get somewhat tangled up with the magician’s coquettish wife, leading to a windup fight with the jealous husband. Enough laughs and action to satisfy. (FD, July 24, 1935)

Starring: Tom Howard, George Shelton Writer: Marcy Klauber, Charlie Williams Director: Al Christie Studio: Educational Running time: 20 minutes

384 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Moans and Groans (1935) Plot: Farmer Al Falfa visits the dentist Dr. Groan. After taking gas, Al Falfa floats through outer space. He irritates the moon, rides a shooting star, and falls into the Little Dipper. Then he sees the June Moon, Harvest Moon, and Blue Moon dance and sing. Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: Farmer Al Falfa, Dr. Groan Studio: Terrytoons Running time: 5:20 Our Gang Follies of 1936 (1935) Plot: The Gang mounts an ornate revue inside a barn, treating the local kids to a variety of song and dance. Improbable but pleasing showbiz short is fondly recalled for little Darla Hood’s rendition of “I’ll Never Say Never Again,” the Brian Sisters’ amusing “How You Gonna Keep ’em Down on the Farm (After They’ve Seen Paree),” sung in three-part harmony, and the short’s excursion into horror: a lively skeleton dance performed with luminous costumes against a black backdrop. Starring: Our Gang (George “Spanky” McFarland, Carl “Alfalfa” Switzer, Darla Hood, Scotty Beckett, Billie “Buckwheat” Thomas, Leonard Kibrick, Jerry Tucker, Eugene “Porky” Lee) and the Brian Sisters, Ten Meglin Kiddies, Elmer the monkey Producer: Hal Roach Director: Gus Meins Studio: Hal Roach Running time: 17:41 Pluto’s Judgment Day (1935) This ranks away up among the best of the Mickey Mouse creations turned out by the Walt Disney studios. From idea conception to the details of execution, it shows a vast amount of ingenuity and painstaking effort. Action deals with a nightmare experienced by Pluto, Mickey’s dog, in which he goes through a lot of punishment for his bad deeds to little cats. (FD, Oct. 1, 1935)

Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: Mickey Mouse, Pluto Director: David Hand Studio: Walt Disney-United Artists Running time: 8:11

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

385

Public Ghost #1 (1935) Plot: Charley meets a crazy inventor who convinces him to become a professional haunter of houses. A realtor hires him to scare a couple out of a home, and he makes various ghostly sounds during the night. A dog wearing a skull runs through the house. However, Charley becomes frightened and submits his resignation. Starring: Charley Chase, Joyce Compton, Edwin Maxwell, Clarence Wilson Director: Charles Parrott and Harold Law Studio: Hal Roach-MGM Running time: 18 minutes Scrappy’s Ghost Story (1935) This would have been a rather more successful cartoon if it were not for its subject matter. In view of the fact that cartoons may be considered to be largely the material which most pleases small children, this can hardly be recommended for them. As Scrappy, before the fire, with his small brother, starts on his ghost story, the cartoon pictures all sorts of ghosts and goblins and the like pursuing the small boys, which is likely to keep small children awake far into the night. Otherwise a fair cartoon. (MPH, June 1, 1935) A good number of laughs evolve from this fast moving cartoon. Scrappy, who is telling his kid brother a ghost story, falls asleep and dreams of a variety of ghosts who chase him all over a forest with their chanting and haunting. (FD, May 28, 1935)

Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: Scrappy Writer: Ben Harrison Director: Manny Gould, Harry Love Studio: Columbia Running time: 7 minutes Screen Snapshots, No. 11 (1935) Plot: During this newsreel, Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi parody their chess game from the film The Black Cat (1934), the winner this time getting to lead the parade of the Film Stars Frolic. Karloff calls Lugosi “Dracula,” and Lugosi calls Karloff “Frankenstein.” Starring: Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, James Cagney, Eddie Cantor, Pat O’Brien, Genevieve Tobin, Maureen O’Sullivan Studio: Columbia Running time 1 reel

386 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Sinbad the Sailor (1935) Plot: Along with a skull-and-crossbones flag that comes to life, this short features a mermaid, a gorilla, and a fire-breathing giant bird. Notes: Animated cartoon produced in color. Starring: Sinbad the Sailor Producer/Director: Ub Iwerks Studio: Iwerks-Celebrity Pictures Running time: 7:30

Fig. 38  Lively Cinecolor adventure and scares in Ub Iwerks’s Sinbad the Sailor (1935). (Courtesy Heritage Auctions)

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

387

Sorcerer’s Apprentice, The (1935) Produced in France, but entirely without dialogue, this is, in effect, pantomime accompaniment to the music score of Paul Dukas, who based his composition on Goethe’s poem of the same title. The story is of the experiences of the apprentice who began to experiment with the magic formulae of his master during the latter’s absence. His master, returning, punishes him by creating weird phantoms. The pantomime dance of the sorcerer is effective. The subject, excellently produced, should have unusual appeal to class audiences in particular. (MPH, Apr. 27, 1935) Another outstanding short from the Societe Des Films Francais played by the Orchestre Symphonique of Paris. Based on the brilliant instrumental selection of the same title by the French composer, Paul Dukas. It tells of a sorcerer’s apprentice who in his master’s absence meddles with chemicals and creates a horde of evil phantoms. The sorcerer returns and creates more phantoms and scares the apprentice almost to death. The work of the actor who plays the apprentice is magnificent, with subtle dance movements hardly noticeable, for they are so cleverly an interpretation of the action of the story. A great novelty done with exquisite artistry. (FD, Apr. 16, 1935)

Studio: Metropolis-Tapernoux Running time: 10 minutes Stage Frights (1935) Plot: Tom and Monte are detectives who investigate a threatening letter sent to a theater actress. Wearing a black hat and cape, the mysterious culprit has a spooky laugh. Once unmasked, the culprit turns out to be a woman, the actress’s understudy. Starring: Tom Kennedy, Monte Collins, Herman Bing Director: Al Ray Writer: Preston Black Studio: Columbia Running time: 19 minutes Tin Man, The (1935) All kinds of fun and excitement as Thelma Todd and Patsy Kelly find themselves in a spooky house run by a nut who is a mechanical genius and has developed a marvelous Robot that does practically everything. From a hidden room the nut manipulates the control board that operates the Robot. The latter has the girls in a panic, with a lot of funny incidental business as Patsy Kelly tries to argue with the mechanical man and gets the worst of it. Matthew Betz as an escaped convict hiding in the house adds to the hilarity as he also encounters the Robot with disastrous results. Very clever, and a genuine novelty that carries the laughs. (FD, Mar. 23, 1935)

388 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Notes: The “nut” mentioned in the review is a mad scientist. His house features a painting of an evil, cloaked skeleton. Given its large, flat head, the robot is reminiscent of the Monster in James Whale’s Frankenstein (1931). When it runs amok, the robot attacks the mad scientist. Starring: Thelma Todd, Patsy Kelly, Matthew Betz, Clarence Wilson Director: James Parrott Studio: Hal Roach-MGM Running time: 14:49 Two Hearts in Wax Time (1935) Plot: A drunk believes that he witnesses mannequins come to life in this musical short. A group of villains (Captain Kidd, Fu Manchu, Bluebeard, and Frankenstein’s Monster) sing the song We’re Monsters One and All while trying to establish who is “the greatest menace of them all.” The Frankenstein’s Monster refers to himself simply as “Frankenstein.” Notes: Filmed in Technicolor. Starring: Jay Eaton, Frank Hayes, Sam McDaniel, Shirley Ross, Syd Saylor, Gus Shy Studio: MGM Running time: 14:51 Who Killed Cock Robin? (1935) Unusually clever and entertaining is this ‘free translation’ for the screen of the immortal story of the robin and his sudden demise, as prepared by Walt Disney as one of his Silly Symphonies of cartoons in color. When the foppish Robin, serenading the Mae Westian Jenny Wren, is slain by an arrow, the crowded trial is held with the owl on the bench. This trial is extremely interesting material. For the juvenile patronage, it develops that Robin was shot by the arrow of Sparrow Cupid, is not dead at all, but merely fell for Jenny Wren and landed on his head. (MPH, July 27, 1935) It’s class A stuff, effectively done in color. A mysterious, shadowy individual ‘kills’ the fabled Cock Robin, who, by the by, is the sweetie of a May Western type of bird. Then come the Keystonian cops, also birds, and later the trial. (FD, June 14, 1935)

Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: Jenny Wren Writer: Bill Cottrell, Joe Grant Director: David Hand Studio: Phil Brown Running time: 10 minutes

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

389

1936 Alchemist’s Hour-Glass (1936) For four centuries the public has laughed at the alchemist’s dreams. Today when platinum is literally turned into gold, this two-reeler featuring an interesting story of an alchemist of the seventeenth century in France is particularly timely and will have topical interest for every audience. … this story of creating artificial jewels and their subsequent use in developing civilization, presenting novel shots of man’s most modern triumphs in boats, motors, airplanes, etc., is illuminating as well as entertaining. Superb photography. Will interest fans and highbrows. (FD, Feb. 8, 1936) An alchemist, displaying to a Duke and his retinue some gems that he has created with chemicals, is interrupted by a disturbance outside his window. A street grinder, having ruined the sword of a noble, is being chastised severely. The alchemist takes the sword and sharpens it with a hone of his own make. The Duke, unconvinced by this display, is shown by the alchemist, through the medium of an hourglass, machinery in years to come. (MPH, Jan. 25, 1936)

Notes: On January 21, 1936, MPD noted: “As no distribution plans have been set, the film is being handled by the Norton Co. of Worcester, Mass.” Starring: Paul Leyssacc, Ernest Glendening Director: Leo Lipp Studio: Norton Company Running time: 18 minutes Blow Out, The (1936) Plot: In his first solo appearance, Porky is five cents short of an ice cream soda, and decides to cadge tips by helping passers-by retrieve things they’ve inadvertently dropped. One of Porky’s marks is a cloaked Mad Bomber, who’s been terrorizing the city; when the Bomber attempts to secrete his latest bomb, Porky helpfully hands it back to him—over and over, all around the town. No matter where the ­panicked Bomber flees, Porky and the ticking bomb show up at his side. The Bomber finally saves himself by dashing into a waiting paddy wagon. Porky happily accepts a $2,000 reward and fills himself with ice cream sodas. Notes: Animated cartoon. Although sources note the star of The Blow Out as Porky Pig, the character is still a work in progress, not least because he’s a little boy, rather than his familiar grown-up self. He has no formal name, either, though other characters address him as “Sonny.” Director: Fred (Tex) Avery Studio: Warner Bros.-Vitaphone Running time: 7:32

390 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Bold King Cole (1936) A Felix the Cat cartoon done in gorgeous colors and handsome settings representing the ancient castle of Old King Cole. Felix enters the castle during a thunderstorm and is instrumental in saving the old king from the ghosts of his ancestors who start mauling him around because he is bragging too much about his war deeds in his youth. Felix concealed in a suit of armor attracts the lightning bolts and shoots them out again on the heads of the ghosts, and the King crowns his rescuer, ‘Prince Felix.’ (FD, June 11, 1936)

Plot: Felix enters Old King Cole’s castle during a thunderstorm. The king claims he is not scared of anything, which prompts the ghosts of his dead relatives decide to “take the wind” out of him, which they literally do. Felix and Cole later become frightened by two suits of armor that seem to come to life, but their movements are merely the result of mice inside them. Notes: Animated cartoon, filmed in color Starring: Felix the Cat Director: Burt Gillett Studio: Van Beuren-RKO Running time: 7:27 Bottles (1936) A good deal of ingenuity and effort went into the making of this animated cartoon in Technicolor. It’s about an old bottle maker who falls asleep and has a nightmare about being given the works himself in his laboratory. The bottles on the shelves come to life and go into a series of singing and dancing specialties, while the bottle-maker, who has been greatly reduced in size, scrambles around to escape a menacing skeleton. Though a little more scary than comical, it’s a good subject of its kind. (FD, Aug. 26, 1936)

Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor. Contrary to the Film Daily review, the cartoon’s protagonist is a pharmacist, not a bottle-maker. Director: Hugh Harman Studio: MGM Running time: 10:16 Chemist, The (1936) Buster Keaton, he of the dead-pan, turns in some excellent comedy in this latest of his endeavors. As a chemist on the faculty of a university, his inventive mind runs toward powders that dissolve food into liquids that make things twice as big or small. His best beloved brain child [sic], however, is a powder that causes explosions without making any noise. Buster is alternately in hot and cold water with his inventions, and it mall [sic] makes for some good comedy. (MPH, Oct. 24, 1936)

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

391

Buster Keaton applies his straight-faced antics to a story set in the laboratory of a college and the result is an offering that should please audiences who might have pondered the star’s absence. The possibilities of the story, such as Keaton’s chemical concoctions in the form of an enlarging powder, love potions and a noiseless explosive, are drained for their utmost in comic worth. The film is well produced. It has a clever finish and a full content of excitement and laughs. (MPD, Oct. 21, 1936) After some hair-raising experiences with the bandits, Buster finally turns the tables and captures them in a very novel and laughable manner. (FD, Oct. 21, 1936)

Starring: Buster Keaton, Marlyn Stuart, Earle Gilbert, Don McBride, Herman Lieb Writer: David Freedman Director: Al Christie Studio: Educational Running time: 19 minutes [FD], 21 minutes [MPH] Cobweb Hotel, The (1936) Plot: An evil spider operates a hotel where he catches flies until a female guest sets them free. Notes: Animated cartoon, filmed in color Director: Dave Fleischer Studio: Max Fleischer-Paramount Running time: 7:50 Colorful Cairo (1936) The prominent role Egypt is playing at present in international politics, makes this short a timely trump for the box office. Vivid and impressive is the photography of Cairo, its thoroughfares, its strange admixture of people and the varied styles of living in the modern metropolis by the Nile. Producer Andre de La Varre does the city literally from top to bottom. His skillful camera shots are taken both from the level of the river and the crests of the hills. With admirable showmanship, he climaxes his sequences by portraying the pyramids and the eternally mysterious Sphinx. (FD, May 27, 1936) Some intimate shots of native Europeanized sections of Cairo; of tourists mounting camels; of the usual pyramids. Musical accompaniment and narration are very nice. GOOD. (PE, June 15, 1936)

Notes: An entry in the Screen Traveler series. Studio: Auten Running time: 11 minutes

392 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Graveyard of Ships (1936) the big draw of this splendid short is the manner in which the stranded hulks of vessels are presented in a very graphic narration, written by Harold McCracken, who also did the photography, which is outstanding. Several of the shots stand out like oil paintings. Few narrations ever written for the screen can boast the powerful, gripping appeal of McCracken’s, couched in poetic language that fairly haunts you with its beauty. Class audiences will go for this big, while the average mob will catch the thrill and drama of the wrecks that are strewn everywhere. (FD, Dec. 18, 1936)

Notes: Filmed off Cape Hatteras, with special attention given to an abandoned lighthouse, the wrecks suggested by the short’s title, and a Coast Guard drill. Starring: Alois Havrilla (narration) Studio: RKO Running time: 10 minutes Greedy Humpty Dumpty (1936) Plot: A witch on a broomstick appears in this story. Notes: Animated cartoon, filmed in Technicolor Starring: Humpty Dumpty Director: Dave Fleischer Studio: Max Fleischer-Paramount Running time: 7:47 Headless Horseman, The (1936) While not so attractively presented as some of this colorful series, it holds an interest for younger fans for its burlesque telling of Washington Irving’s story of Ichabod Crane and the headless horseman – a tale of Dutch days in New York. Color work is good, animation leans too far to the burlesque, but the cartoon affords a number of laughs. (FD, Feb. 26, 1936)

Notes: In this animated cartoon released in “ComiColor,” Ichabod prevents Brom Bones from marrying Katrina by pretending to be the Headless Horseman. Director: Ub Iwerks Music: Carl Stalling Studio: Celebrity Running time: 10 minutes

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

393

Fig. 39  Romance interrupted by The Headless Horseman (1936). (Courtesy Heritage Auctions)

How to Be a Detective (1936) Robert Benchley slips below the standard set by his earlier educational subjects in this one. Unlike How to Sleep and How to Vote, etc., there are no surprises, and most of the gas are telegraphed to the audience before they take form on the screen. However, Benchley addicts will not be too disappointed, and the picture should fit happily on most programs. (MPD, Nov. 4, 1936)

394 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

As a detective, Benchley usually finds himself answering his own questions. A good gag is the one is the one in which the composite of criminal types turns out to be Benchley. (FD, Oct. 28, 1936)

Starring: Robert Benchley Director: Felix Feist Studio: MGM Running time: 10 minutes Krazi-Inventions (1936) A funny novelty, which burlesques certain nut inventions that have actually been patented in Washington. One shows a mechanical device placed inside a gent’s derby which automatically tips his hat for him. In the demonstration the invention goes blooey, with disastrous results to the inventor. Another invention grows hair on bald heads, but when the barber inventor tries to put eyebrows on a girl who had her eyebrows singed off, the machine goes haywire and puts hair all over her face. The real is well handled for laughs. (FD, Oct. 21, 1936)

Starring: Senator Ford (narration), Eddie Hall, Frank Jacquet, Earl Gilbert, Aileen Cook, Rose Kessner, Jimmie Fox Writers: Juliet Lowell and Mort Lewis Director: William Watson Studio: Educational Running time: 10 minutes Medium Well Done (1936) Hardeen, the magician, exposes trickery in the séance racket. Posing as a friend of the couple being duped, he accepts a medium’s challenge to duplicate her tricks. It is all very interesting. GOOD. (PE, Nov. 15, 1936) If you have ever been duped by a so-called Mystic Yogi, see how it was done. This reel is very interesting and also educational. (MPH, Feb. 12, 1938)

Starring: Hardeen, the magician Studio: Vitagraph Running time: 10 minutes Midnight Blunders (1936) Only fair comedy results from the adventures of a couple of dumb but dutiful detectives who deplore the lack of a local crime wave. Learning that the inventor of a Frankenstein-like machine has been kidnapped by a one-legged Chinese [man], they make a dizzy tour of Chinatown hitting people on the feet with a hammer in order to find their man. Finally tracing him to his home, bumping into one another excessively in the hunt, one of the boys accidentally throws the

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

395

switch which vitalizes a monstrous corpse of Frankenstein proportions. The picture fades after a chase, in which the monster drinks an explosive fluid, gets himself shot, and is reduced to a skeleton still bearing the grotesque face. (FD, May 8, 1936)

Plot: A scientist who has created a Frankenstein Monster-style creature by electrical means is kidnapped by the insidious Dr. Wong. Tom and Monte, bank detectives, search for him in Chinatown. Once they discover Wong’s home, the duo encounters the creature. Once destroyed, all that is left of the monster is a skeleton. Notes: Remade by Kennedy and El Brendel as Sweet Spirits of Nighter (1941; see entry). Starring: Tom Kennedy, Monte Collins, Phyllis Crane, Val Duran, Wilfred Lucas, Jack “Tiny” Lipson Producer: Jules White Director: Del Lord Writers: Preston Black (Jack White), Harry McCoy Studio: Columbia Running time: 17:02 Mixed Magic (1936) Buster Keaton, broke and hungry, gets involved with a magician and his act due to his infatuation with Marlyn Stuart. When the act is put on all the comic possibilities of the story are used, and the resulting situations make a hilarious few minutes. Of course the comedy is not entirely unexpected, but there are good, substantial laughs. (MPD, Dec. 12, 1936) [Keaton] succeeds in getting everything balled up, and putting the Professor’s act on the bum. He retrieves himself at the end as a hero, however, when he saves the girl from the mad rival whose job he had taken. (FD, Dec. 15, 1936)

Starring: Buster Keaton, Marlyn Stuart, Eddie Lambert, Eddie Hall, Jimmie Fox, Walter Fener, Pass Le Noir Writer: Arthur Jarrett and Marcy Klauber Cinematography: George Webber Director: Raymond Kane Studio: Educational Running time: 18 minutes

396 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Molly Moo-Cow and Robinson Crusoe (1936) Plot: Molly is washed ashore on a remote island, where she encounters Robinson Crusoe. Though Robinson does not like her, Molly saves him from cannibals. Notes: This animated cartoon, filmed in Technicolor, was part of the Rainbow Parade series. It was also Molly Moo-Cow’s final appearance. Director: Burt Gillett and Tom Palmer Starring: Molly Moo-Cow, Robinson Crusoe Studio: Van Beuren-RKO Running time: 1 reel Old House, The (1936) Bosko, little Honey, and their dog Bruno are caught in an old haunted house, with Honey scoffing at ‘spooks,’ till their own imagination and tricks of wind and fright make them run from the house almost scared white. There are some laughs, and the color and draftsmanship are excellent. GOOD. (PE, Oct. 15, 1936) A colored cartoon that would have sent me howling home when I was a kid, but did not frighten the more sophisticated youngsters of 1936. (MPH, Jan. 16, 1937) A Happy Harmonies ghost story, packed full of thrills and action. (MPH, Jan. 23, 1937)

Notes: Color, animated cartoon, which features a skeleton and a ghost. Starring: Bosko, Honey, Bruno the dog Studio: MGM Running time: 8 minutes One Live Ghost (1936) Plot: In order to teach his family a lesson, Henry (Leon Errol) pretends that he has committed suicide. Affecting an English accent and wearing a false moustache, Henry pretends to be someone else. His family immediately understands his prank. Later, Henry pretends to be his own ghost at a séance, wearing angel wings and a halo. He gets scared by a ghostly skull with blinking eyes. At another point, the maid (Lucille Ball) calls Henry “Frankenstein.” Starring: Leon Errol, Vivien Oakland, Robert Graves, Lucille Ball, Delmar Watson Producer: Lee Marcus Director: Leslie Goodwins

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

397

Writers: Leslie Goodwins, Monte Collins Studio: RKO Running time: 19:54 Phantom Ship, The (1936) Beans and his nephew are after treasure in this cartoon and their hunt takes them by air to the north where their objective is a ship frozen in the ice. With the usual spooky invention, they run into all sorts of difficulties. Finding the treasure, they load up their plane and are ready to make off when two frozen pirates thaw out and go after them. The chase takes place at this point and with an explosion Beans is wafted into the air, landing in the cockpit of the plane and they are off to home. A good standard cartoon offering that will be acceptable. (MPD, Mar. 16, 1936)

Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: Beans the Cat, Ham, and Ex Producer: Leon Schlesinger Director: Jack King Studio: Warner Bros.-Vitaphone Running time: 7:04 Popeye the Sailor Meets Sinbad the Sailor (1936) Plot: Sinbad (who looks like Popeye’s nemesis Bluto) lives on an island where he keeps various creatures chained up, including dragons, an enormous vulture, an enormous snake, and a two-headed Man. Sinbad kidnaps Olive Oyl, but Popeye rescues her. Notes: Animated Max Fleischer cartoon filmed in Technicolor Starring: Popeye, Olive Oyl, Wimpy, Sinbad Director: Dave Fleischer Studio: Paramount Running time: 16:33

398 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Fig. 40  Dave and Max Fleischer’s Popeye the Sailor Meets Sinbad the Sailor (1936) earned a full page in a Paramount promotional book prepared for the 1936–37 exhibition season. (Courtesy Heritage Auctions)

Puddy Pup and the Gypsies (1936) Plot: Puddy falls prey to a group of knife-wielding gypsies. One of them pursues Farmer Al Falfa, but Puddy wears a bearskin to scare him away. Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: Puddy the Pup Studio: Terrytoons Running time: 6 minutes

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

399

Spooks (1936) The pickanniny [sic] outfit lands in a deserted cabin on a stormy night and do their numbers interspersed with a lot of excitement and scares as various spooky things occur to upset them. They get over the songs with their own original style and plenty of pep. (FD, June 10, 1936)

Starring: The Cabin Kids (Frederick Hall, Helen Hall, James “Darling” Hall, Ruth Chavis [billed as “Ruth Hall”], Winifred “Sugar” Hall) Producer: Al Christie Director: William Watson Studio: Educational Running time: 9 minutes Spooky Hooky (1936) Plot: Locked inside their school during a stormy night, the Gang is scared by the weather, an owl, Porky (inexplicably dressed in a bedsheet), a wheeled skeleton, and the live-in custodian (Dudley Dickerson).

Fig. 41  Spooky Hooky (1936): A night inside a dark, locked schoolhouse becomes a hair-raising endurance test for Alfalfa Switzer and the rest of Our Gang. (Courtesy Heritage Auctions)

400 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Note: Spooky Hooky was the fourth Our Gang short in the one-reel format adopted earlier in 1936; the one-reel length would characterize the series until the final entry in 1944. Spooky Hooky is also the fourth Our Gang comedy directed by Gordon Douglas, who would direct Them! in 1954. Starring: Our Gang (George “Spanky” McFarland, Carl “Alfalfa” Switzer, Billie “Buckwheat” Thomas, Eugene “Porky” Lee) and Rosina Lawrence, Dudley Dickerson Producer: Hal Roach Director: Gordon Douglas Studio: Hal Roach Running time: 10:27 Stars Can’t Be Wrong, The (1936) This is a very clever musical with an astrologer giving horoscopes on stars who appear in the picture in novel acts. (MPH, Dec. 26, 1936)

Studio: Warner Bros.-Vitaphone Running time: 2 reels Stranger than Fiction, No. 19 (1936) The famed Winchester house in California, with 160 ghostly rooms, described with adequate intelligence by announcer Alois Havrilla with sufficient detail by the editors. Other phenomena shown are the Great Bore of Hangchow, a church in a glass showcase; a lady blacksmith; harnessing of sun’s rays for heat and power. VERY INTERESTING. (PE, Apr. 1, 1936)

Studio: Universal Running time: 9 minutes Sunday Go to Meetin’ Time (1936) A lively, tuneful and generally amusing animated cartoon in Technicolor. Its characters are [African-Americans] and the action depicts the punishment befalling a shiftless [African-American] who prefers dice playing to church attendance on the Sabbath. Catapulted into Hades, he is put through the works down there, and eventually wakes up to find he has been dreaming, whereupon he makes a beeline for church. (FD, Aug. 13, 1936)

Notes: Animated cartoon Director: Isadore “Friz” Freleng Studio: Vitaphone Running time: 6:59

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

401

Thicker than Water (1935) Plot: Stan talks Ollie into emptying his savings account to pay off Ollie’s furniture, but the boys are distracted by an auction house, where Ollie squanders all but ten dollars on a grandfather clock—which is promptly run over by a truck and smashed to flinders. After the furious Mrs. Hardy lets loose with a frying pan, Ollie is taken to the hospital, where he needs a blood transfusion from Stan. Doctors and nurses become a little mixed up, and in the end, Stan has become Ollie, complete with bangs, mustache, and tie twiddle and other mannerisms; and Ollie is Stan, replete with head scratches and blubbering. Note: Thicker than Water is Laurel & Hardy’s final Roach short; henceforth, the team worked exclusively in features, except for a 1936 cameo in Roach star Charley Chase’s On the Wrong Trek; and a bit in the 1942 public-service one-reeler called The Tree in a Test Tube. Starring: Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, with Daphne Pollard, James Finlayson, Harry Jerome Bowen, Charlie Hall, Bess Flowers Producer: Hal Roach Director: James W. Horne Studio: Hal Roach Running time: 19:48 Voice of Experience, No. 10 (1936) Murder is the issue about which the plot of this number turns. The story is disconnected and hazy as it reveals the motive for the slaying and the eventual emotional consequences. The murderer, appealing to the Voice, is advised to go to the District Attorney with a lawyer and explain the case. When he does so, the case brought against him and for which he must face trial is that he had killed a dead man. The acting in the film is unconvincing, the logic sketchy. The possibilities are in selling to the rabid radio fans. (MPD, Apr. 7, 1936)

Studio: Columbia Running time: 11 minutes

1937 Attic of Terror, The (1937) Taken from the true story of Eddie Capps, a former salesman for a tobacco company, this picture is the first in a series of short subjects entitled ‘Your True Adventures’ with Floyd Gibbons as the narrator. The film serves as the announcement of a ‘true adventure’ contest. Eddie Capps (Chester Stratton) starts on a selling expedition through mountainous country when he is caught in a severe rainstorm. He seeks a night’s lodging and food at a mountaineer’s cabin. He is told he can sleep in the attic, but learns a corpse occupies a bed there, too. During the night he is awakened by voices and hears his hosts plotting to kill and

402 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

rob him. He foils the plan by changing places with the dead man, who turns out to be a rival salesman. The killers club the corpse, thinking they are murdering Eddie. Later, Eddie escapes when, while the killers are playing cards, he hurls a pitcher at them and dashes out into the rain. The picture ends with Mr. Gibbons explain that the actual killer was hanged and that the mountaineer and his wife were sentenced to life imprisonment and Mr. Gibbons presents the real Mr. Capps with a check for the story. (MPH, Sept. 11, 1937) Gibbons’ telling of the yarn, and his natural, easy presence before the camera, add considerably to the effect. (MPD, Sept. 3, 1937) The exploitation angles are good, but the short itself is not as thrilling as Gibbons tries to make it appear. FAIR. (PE, Sept. 1, 1937)

Notes: An entry in the Your True Adventures series. The full title of this short is Floyd Gibbons “The Headline Hunter” in “Your True Adventures: The Attic of Terror.” Starring: Floyd Gibbons (narration), Chester Stratton, Eddie Capps Director: Joseph Henabery Studio: Vitaphone Running time: 12 minutes Book Shop, The (1937) Plot: Puddy falls asleep after reading a book and dreams he visits a bookstore in the clouds, where he encounters various literary characters. A giant boils him in a cauldron, which causes Puddy to wake up from his nightmare. Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: Puddy the Pup Studio: Terrytoons Running time: 6 minutes Bosko and the Cannibals (1937) Again this series scores with a lightning-fast cartoon. Bosko is told to take some cookies to his grandmother. He is stranded in a lily pond, imagines he meets up with some frog-like cannibals, who act strangely like Cab Calloway, Fats Waller, Bill Robinson, others. They want his cookies, show him plenty of swing, almost cook him for a mulligan stew, but he wakes up in time. … It should score anywhere. EXCELLENT. (PE, Sept. 15, 1937)

Notes: Animated cartoon, released in color Starring: Bosko Director: Rudolf Ising Studio: Metro Running time: 10 minutes

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

403

Case of the Stuttering Pig, The (1937) This series may not be artistically perfect but it delivers belly laughs that the customers want. Here the lawyer, who tells Porky Pig and his relatives that the will of their late uncle leaves them the money unless something happens to them, at which time the lawyer gets it. The lawyer turns into a Doctor Jekyll, Mr. Hyde character and then goes after the pigs. The lawyer not only threatens the pigs, but someone sitting in the third row of the theatre. Eventually the pigs are caught but they are saved in the nick of time – by, it turns out, the person sitting in the third row. This is in the top bracket. EXCELLENT. (PE, Nov. 1, 1937)

Plot: Porky and various cousins gather at a storm-swept mansion for the reading of Uncle Solomon Swine’s will. The estate will go to Porky and his cousins, unless “something happens,” in which case lawyer Goodwill gets all the goodies. Part “old dark house” mystery, part mad doctor thriller, this Looney Tunes entry invokes Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, when Goodwill happily transforms himself into a hulking fiend (voice by Billy Bletcher). He puts most of the cousins in stocks, tries to polish off Porky and Petunia, and even threatens to kill the “big creampuff” sitting in the third row of the audience. Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: Porky Pig Producer: Leon Schlesinger Director: Frank Tashlin Story: Melvin Millar Studio: Warner Bros.-Vitaphone Running time: 7:44 Ghost to Ghost Hookup (1937) This has the Radio Ramblers but it’s pretty bad. They drive up to a haunted house during a rain storm, scare the hired man into thinking that the ghost of an eccentric is around again. They imitate but their imitations aren’t as good as usual and it doesn’t register. BAD. (PE, Apr. 15, 1937)

Starring: The Radio Ramblers Director: Joseph Henabery Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 10 minutes Headline Hunter, The (1937) Gibbons opens pix by pulling power switch in lighting plant. After examining machinery he tells men that he knows a story about a lineman which will top any yarn they have ever heard. Charley Boulton, a lineman, is shown leaving his home in Kansas City for day’s work. Just before quitting he climbs to repair broken insulator on top of pole. Power wires on the pole are supposed to be dead until an hour after he will be through, but unusual demand for power causes switch to

404 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

be thrown at plant. Boulton is believed dead as 2,300 volts have passed through his body. A doctor pronounces him dead. But Boulton, although dead to all appearances, with every operation of his body paralyzed, is able to hear men discussing his death, although unable to open his eyelids. He is taken to a morgue where coroner also pronounces him dead, and his wife comes in to bid him farewell. Just as undertakers are about to start their job, he makes a supreme effort and moves his eyelids. They send for doctor and Gibbons then introduces him as picture fades back to power plant where he is telling story. Gibbons builds up plenty of suspense and occurrence is unusual in annals of medicine. (FD, Dec. 3, 1937)

Starring: Floyd Gibbons (narration) Director: Joseph Henabery Studio: Vitaphone Running time: 14 minutes Hollywood Magic (1937) An expose of the means used by Hollywood studios in creating effects like cobwebs, Japanese villages, fog, breaking chairs, etc. The methods are interesting, amusing. GOOD. (PE, June 15, 1937)

Studio: Hoffberg Running time: 10 minutes, 30 seconds House of Magic (1937) Madcap Meany, Miny, and Moe take shelter from a rainstorm in a ‘House of Magic.’ What befalls them turns out to be several times more worrying than a shower. Though the adventures are a bit routine, the treatment is fast and fresh. Ghostly hands come from nowhere to play a weird tune upon a piano. Strange changes in monkey anatomy take place. A magic carpet lends a note of mystery. Rabbits that multiple from a silk hat and paper snakes serve as complications. (MPH, Feb. 13, 1937) A cleverly concocted cartoon which records the adventures of Meany, Miny, and Moe when they seek shelter in a magic store during a storm. There are plenty of fast moving situations done with spectacular animation. (MPD, Feb. 1, 1937)

Notes: Animated cartoon Director: Walter Lantz Studio: Universal Running time: 8 minutes

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

405

Inventor, The (1937) A baffler that eventually turns out to be hilarious comedy. It is a take off on the queer patents cycle. The screwy patents are demonstrated by a phony professor who eventually is shown to be an inmate of a nuthouse. His convincing lines will build the audience up for the climax which they will no doubt find laughable. (MPD, Oct. 13, 1937)

Starring: Gayne Whitman (narrator) Studio: Paramount Running time: 11 minutes It’s a Living (1937) Seven strange business occupations and vocations comprise this snappy short. … [These include] a woman who is such an expert screamer that her services are employed by Hollywood producers to emit blood-curdling screeches for sound films, particularly mystery pictures. (FD, Apr. 3, 1937)

Notes: Filmed in Technicolor Starring: Rush Hughes (narrator) Studio: Paramount Running time: 11 minutes Land of the Wends, The (1937) An entrancing little idyll photographed with charm and a delicate touch, among the quaint people who live along the River Spree. Here they are seen pursuing their leisurely lives along the quiet river banks, in the famous country with its legendary background of giants and goblins. And something of that fantastic atmosphere of long ago is conveyed in a photographic treatment. Here is a camera artist with a genuine talent for conveying and creating distinct moods. (FD, June 2, 1937)

Starring: Alwyn Bach (narration) Music Director: Winston Sharples Studio: Russell Spaulding Running time: 9 minutes Little Red Walking Hood (1937) Plot: Urban, music-driven retelling of the Red Riding Hood fable, with the Wolf’s horror-trope desire to eat Red extant, and with equal emphasis on the wolf’s highly sexualized, masher persona (he goes to great lengths, for instance, to entice Red—who resembles Bette Davis and speaks like Katharine Hepburn—into his fancy, tricked-out car). For added flavor and a bit of the

406 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

surreal, the action is periodically paused by the presence of Egghead, a peculiar, whistling little man who (after the Wolf finally demands to know who he is) bashes the Wolf with a mallet and announces, “I’m the hero of this picture!” Direction by Avery includes his fondness for breaking the fourth wall, including the Wolf’s impatience with theatergoing latecomers whose silhouettes block the action while they edge toward their seats. In the funniest instance, Grandma puts a temporary halt to the Wolf’s frenzied pursuit of her to answer the phone: [to the audience]: “Will you people pardon me just a minute? [to the caller]: Uh, let me see now, one dozen eggs . . . [back to the audience]: It’s the grocer, folks, heh! [to the caller]: . . . a pound of butter, one head of lettuce, a can of peas—” Wolf: “Aw, c’mon, Grandma!” (Grandma concludes her order by asking for a case of gin.) Notes: Color, animated cartoon Starring: Red Riding Hood, the Wolf, Grandma, Egghead Writer: Cal Howard Director: Fred (Tex) Avery Studio: Warner Bros.-Vitaphone Running time: 7:43 Lonesome Ghosts (1937) One of the funniest of the Mickey series. Mickey, the Duck, and the Goof get a job as ghost exterminators when four ghosts haunting an old mansion decide to have some fun and send for the ‘experts.’ They go to work on Mickey, who chases one of the ghosts, and lands up against a blank wall, which turns into a waterfall and soaks him. Donald the Duck has another ghost following him all over the house scaring the stuffing out of him by clashing a heavy chain and breaking dishes in back of him. The Goof has a tough time with another ghost, who appears in a mirror and does everything the Goof does, till the latter almost goes out of his mind. After the three ‘experts’ are scared into a panic and hide in a dresser down the stairs into the cellar, and leave the house laughing. The ghost stuff is played for laughs instead of spookiness, and the kids will eat it up. (FD, Dec. 23, 1937) In the end, the ‘ghost exterminators,’ floundering around in molasses and flour, present such an awesome spectacle that even the ghosts become scared and flee. (MPH, Dec. 25, 1937) What ensues is the usual highly imaginative stuff executed with touches that are the work of a genius. (MPD, Dec. 30, 1937) This is a howl, perhaps the best yet of the new series from Walt Disney. … This is absolutely a riot from start to finish. EXCELLENT. (PE, Nov. 15, 1937)

Notes: Color, animated cartoon Starring: Micky Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy Director: Burt Gillett Studio: Walt Disney-RKO Running time: 8:45

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

407

Fig. 42  Inexpert ghost catchers Goofy, Donald, and Mickey go to work in Lonesome Ghosts (1937). (Courtesy Heritage Auctions)

Magician Mickey (1937) Mickey cavorts behind stage footlights in this chapter of his amazing and amusing adventures. He is a magician. And what a master he is of the sleight-of-hand art! His audience applauds vociferously when he makes all manner of things appear, disappear, or change form. But, alas, there is an unruly patron occupying a box in the theatre’s auditorium. The gentleman is none other than raucous Donald Duck, and he heckles the magical Mickey to the point of distraction. The latter

408 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

makes a laughing stock of the obstreperous Donald through a series of comical tricks, to the delight of the audience that has come to see him perform. Audiences will find an equal degree of merriment in the sequences. (FD, Feb. 26, 1937) Mickey offers some of the finest magic ever demonstrated and performs the most amazing transformations on the heckling Donald. Foiling Donald at every turn he changes him successively into a kangaroo, sea lion, ape, etc. The hilarity is continuous and mounts to a state that will leave audiences limp and gasping. However, Donald finally gets his inning with a magic pistol and with all the tints that Technicolor can create, the fireworks go off. Donald, later, gets his due. (MPD, Feb. 24, 1937)

Notes: Animated cartoon Director: David Hand Studio: United Artists Running time: 7:32 Masque Raid, The (1937) A fairly entertainable subject, this has Krazy as the watchman in a costumer’s [shop]. An old gag is used. Krazy falls asleep [and] dreams that the wax models are roaming about. [H]e gets into trouble, [and] awakens when he is about to be boiled in hot wax. There is some nice animation in this one. FAIR. (PE, July 1, 1937)

Plot: Krazy Kat falls asleep and imagines that wax figures come to life, among them a witch, a suit of armor, and cavemen. Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: Krazy Kat Director: Manny Gould, Ben Harrison Studio: Columbia Running time: 7 minutes Mechanical Cow, The (1937) Plot: When his cow goes on strike, Farmer Al Falfa builds a mechanical replacement. But the robotic cow runs amok. Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: Farmer Al Falfa Studio: Terrytoons Running time: 6 minutes

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

409

Fig. 43  Farmer Al Falfa’s bovine milk producer goes on strike, and is replaced by The Mechanical Cow (1937). (Courtesy Heritage Auctions)

Mechanical Handy Man (1937) Two of Producer Walter Lantz’s pet characters, Oswald and the Dumb Cluck, have a literal and figurative field day in this chapter, for they pay a proud visit to Farmer Hippo and place at his disposal for demonstration purposes a mechanical Handy man which they have invented. This odd contraption, equipped with a

410 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

convenient dial, has the form of a modernistic ostrich and is capable of performing numerous chores. Farmer Hippo opines he’d like to see the thing milk his cow. The animal becomes frightened and bolts through the barn, with the Handy Man in hot pursuit. Eventually, Oswald and the Dumb Cluck are hauled into court where the judge insists that the cow be brought back following another bolt. At the finale the inventors destroy their weird Handy Man. Short is amusingly delineated and has enough humor and imagination to appeal to cartoon reel fanciers. (FD, Nov. 1, 1937) Sometimes it’s clever. (MPD, Oct. 18, 1937) This is fair fun, mostly for the kiddies. (PE, Nov. 1, 1937)

Notes: PE referred to this animated cartoon as The Mechanical Handyman. Starring: Oswald Director: Walter Lantz Studio: Universal Running time: 8 minutes Modern Inventions (1937) One of the funniest episodes in which Donald Duck has been featured. He enters a modern mechanized house with everything done by machinery. There is even a mechanized butler, who insists on taking Donald’s hat. Every time he starts to

Fig. 44  Better living through automation in Modern Inventions (1937). (Courtesy Heritage Auctions)

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

411

play around with a machine, the mechanism does the work for him. The duck gets in a baby carriage, and the automatic contraption nearly drives him cuckoo. Finally he lands in the automatic barber chair, which straps him in upside down and shines his face in lieu of his shoes, and his rear end is carefully clipped by the automatic barber. And all the way through Donald Duck is finding new hats for himself, which are as quickly taken from him by the mechanized butler. So Donald finally beats it in disgust. (FD, June 18, 1937)

Notes: Animated cartoon released in Technicolor Starring: Donald Duck Director: Jack King Studio: Walt Disney-United Artists Running time: 10 minutes Murder in Swingtime (1937) From the torrid rhythm of Les Hite and His Orchestra in a night club the scene shifts to Les Hite and His Orchestra in a night court. The all-­sepia cast are intent on finding out ‘Who Killed Dinah?’ Each player’s defense is his playing and when it is apparent that an innocent man is to be convicted of the crime the real culprit, a piccolo player, confesses. It is only a bad dream, however, as the piccolo player finds out when he is rudely awakened. June Richmond sings. (MPH, Sept. 4, 1937)

Starring: Les Hite and His Orchestra Studio: Running time: 10 minutes Mysterious Jug, The (1937) Oswald hits into an adventure as he goes snooping around a junk yard with his doggie, Doxie. The hero finds a bottle marked ‘The Magic Jug.’ When he uncorks it, out jumps a genii [sic] with his magic wand. The genii transforms all the pictures on the ad labels on old cans and bottles into very alive people. They organize a dancing and singing party. But one of the ads on a ham tin, a devil with a pitch fork, gets jealous, steals the genii’s wand, and starts to mess things up. Oswald saves the day by vanquishing the little devil, and restoring the wand to the genii. (FD, Dec. 15, 1937) [A]n opportunity for really clever and entertaining cartoon material is offered, but it cannot be said that the most is made of the chance. (MPD, Dec. 9, 1937) This is a bit better than the usual run; it is helped by Nat Schilkret’s music. GOOD. (PE, Dec. 1, 1937)

412 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Notes: Animated cartoon Director: Walter Lantz Studio: Universal Running time: 7 minutes Night ’n’ Gales (1937) Plot: Forced by a storm to spend the night at Darla’s house, Spanky and his pals bunk with Darla’s dad (Johnny Arthur) and drive him nuts with their ceaseless chatter, trips to the kitchen, and stomach aches. During the story’s final two minutes, Dad retreats to the downstairs loveseat, covering himself in a bearskin rug before dreaming that the boys—dressed as devils—are standing on his shoulders and jabbing him with pitchforks. Thus roused, he stumbles upstairs, wrapped in the bearskin and scaring the boys into deciding to go home after all. Starring: Our Gang (George “Spanky” McFarland, Carl “Alfalfa” Switzer, Billie “Buckwheat” Thomas, Eugene “Porky” Lee, Darla Hood, Gary “Junior” Jasgur) and Johnny Arthur, Elaine Shepard Producer: Hal Roach Director: Gordon Douglas Studio: Hal Roach Running time: 10:47 Old Mill, The (1937) The story depicts a night in the life of an old windmill. The sun goes down and the old mill comes to life. Frogs appear in the mill pond and scores of bats wing silently forth from the mill. Suddenly a gust of wind comes, and a storm follows after with the various occupants of the mill disturbed by the storm. A bird on a nest has a narrow escape when the old wheel starts to turn and the rest of the inhabitants are soaked by the rain coming through the torn roof. Morning comes and the occupants of the mill are none the worse for the storm and peace is restored to the mill and inhabitants, but the mill has a slight list to one side. Another top Disney short. (FD, Oct. 15, 1937)

Notes: Animated cartoon, released in Technicolor. Reissued in 1950. Director: Wilfred Jackson Studio: Walt Disney-RKO Running time: 9 minutes

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

413

Fig. 45  Rustic atmosphere in Walt Disney and Wilfred Jackson’s The Old Mill (1937). This one-sheet promotes a 1951 reissue. (Courtesy Heritage Auctions)

Pigs Is Pigs (1937) Plot: A little pig who likes to eat falls prey to a mad scientist who straps him into a chair and force-feeds him using various mechanical devices. The little pig wakes up in his bed, the story having been a dream. Notes: Animated cartoon, filmed in Technicolor Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 7:15

414 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Porky’s Garden (1937) Plot: Eager to win a local “largest home growth” garden and livestock contest, Porky gooses his planted seeds with Quick Grow hair tonic. Clever idea, but Porky’s competitive Italian neighbor sends his chickens over to Porky’s, where they eat every carrot, apple, and celery stalk. A tiny chick that gobbles Porky’s spinach becomes a miniature Popeye—complete with Popeye’s physique and voice. Porky salvages a pumpkin and takes it to the county fair for judging. The neighbor’s chicken are bigger than the pumpkin, but Porky gets a break when the hens swallow a sideshow shill’s “reducing pills” and shrink to teeny-tiny size, and finally to eggs! As the cartoon irises out, Porky snatches the sack of prize money from his startled neighbor. Notes: Color, animated cartoon Starring: Porky Pig Writer: Allen Rose Director: Fred (Tex) Avery Studio: Warner Bros.-Vitaphone Running time: 7:13 Porky’s Hero Agency (1937) The highly entertaining cartoon character appears all too briefly here in a comedy adaptation of that Greek myth involving the Gorgon’s Head. It has been ingeniously executed. There are modern comic slants and laughs every few seconds. It should get advance billing. (MPD, Dec. 10, 1937)

Plot: Little Porky drifts off to sleep after reading Greek mythology and dreams he’s a hero called Porkykarkus (a variation on “Parkyakarkus,” the stage name of comic Harry Einstein), set to do battle with the dreaded Gorgon. The Gorgon (who uses a camera instead of her gaze) transforms people into stone. Porky frees them with the Gorgon’s own restoration hypodermic. Notes: Animated cartoon. Starring: Porky Pig Producer: Leon Schlesinger Director: Robert Clampett Studio: Warner Bros.-Vitaphone Running time: 7:29 Porky’s Road Race (1937) One of the better entrants in this series, this stands out because those who entered in Porky’s road race represent caricatures of movie prominents. (PE, Mar. 1, 1937)

Notes: Boris Karloff is one of the “movie prominents” depicted in this animated cartoon. He is named “Borax Karoff” and drives car thirteen, which is long and black and features a skull for a hood ornament.

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

415

Starring: Porky Pig Producer: Leon Schlesinger Director: Frank Tash (Tashlin) Studio: Warner Bros.-Vitaphone Running time: 7:15 Saw Mill Mystery, The (1937) Plot: The villainous Oil Can Harry attacks Fanny Zilch in her own home. When she refuses to marry him, he attempts to kill her using a circular saw at a mill. Strongheart is in danger of the same fate, but the saw stops turning because it is quitting time. Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: Oil Can Harry, J. Leffingwell Strongheart, Fanny Zilch, Puddy the Pup Studio: Terrytoons Running time: 6 minutes Scary Crows (1937) A farmer boy and his dog, awakened by the first rays of the morning sun, set out to the fields to do the day’s chores. A flock of hungry crows swoop down on the field and as fast as the boy plants a seed the crows devour it. The boy and his dog chase the crows, but outnumbered as they are and much slower the boy and dog are harassed and finally routed. Goaded into action by a little girl, the boy starts all over again, but finds surcease only when the waning sun drops beyond the horizon and he climbs wearily into bed. The little man had a busy day. (MPH, Sept. 11, 1937)

Notes: Animated cartoon released in color Starring: Scrappy, a farmer boy Writer: Sid Marcus Studio: Columbia Running time: 8 minutes Scrappy’s Trip to Mars (1937) Plot: Scrappy and dog Yippy leave bed, scurry to the attic, and pilot their rocket to Mars, where they are welcomed by smiling, diminutive locals. Innocuously cute cartoon is lamentably short on ideas: Scrappy spends most of his time inside a Martian night club, where the locals do what Earth people do: sing, dance, and listen to a torch singer. As the cartoon’s bedtime opening suggests, the whole trip has been a dream. Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: Scrappy, Yippy Studio: Columbia Running time: 6:42

416 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Skeleton Frolic (1937) A Technicolor production with the skeletons coming out of the graves and dancing to swing music as the orchestra leader puts his band through some eccentric capers. The musicians play on each other’s bones. Rather a gruesome subject in a way, but done with great technical cleverness and filled with a grim sort of humor. (FD, Feb. 13, 1937) A strikingly entertaining color cartoon of the macabre doings of a troupe of graveyard inhabitants. The various bony acts, projected with diverting comic relief and executed with fertile imagination and invention, should be found highly amusing. (MPD, Feb. 12, 1937) In a graveyard replete with eerie owls, bats, skeletons arise from graves, offer a series of typical cartoonal [sic] antics. FAIR. (PE, Feb. 15, 1937)

Plot: A tree comes to life on a dark night, as do numerous skeletons who play music and dance. When the rooster crows at 5 a.m., the skeletons rush back into their graves. Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor Producer: Charles Mintz Director: Ub Iwerks Studio: Columbia Running time: 7:05 Spooky Hooky (1937) A typical Our Gang, with the kids trying to frame the teacher to let them off from school the next day. They leave a note on her desk saying they must be excused because they all have colds. Then they discover she is going to take the class to the circus anyway. So the trick is to try and get the note back from the desk before she reads it. So they break into the classroom that night, and a lot of things that are spooky [occur], and scare the kids to death. Caught in a thunderstorm as they escape the spooks, they are all in bed the next day when the teacher takes the rest of the class to the circus. (FD, Feb. 3, 1937) Containing some set but amusing comedy situations, this latest Our Gang adventure carries in addition a neat little moral for truants arranging their school attendance schedule to the circus season. (MPH, Mar. 6, 1937)

Starring: Our Gang (George “Spanky” McFarland, Carl “Alfalfa” Switzer, Billy “Buckwheat” Thomas, Eugene “Porky” Lee, Von the Dog) and Rosina Lawrence, Dudley Dickerson Studio: MGM Running time: 11 minutes

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

417

That’s the Spirit (1937) Plot: Two crooks try to fool an old man who believes in spiritualism. Two good guys save the day by pretending to be ghosts. The short ends with a chase scene and the police arresting the crooks. Starring: Herman Timberg, Jr., Pat Rooney, Jr., George Shelton, Sally Starr, Eddie Hall Director: Raymond Kane Studio: Educational Running time: 19 minutes Timid Ghost, The (1937) Plot: Charles Kemper purchases a ghost from a drunkard. The ghost embarrasses Charlie, including when Charlie wants to talk to his girlfriend’s father. But the ghost makes everything okay by scaring the father into giving Charlie his approval. Starring: Charles Kemper, Rose Kessner Director: William Watson Studio: Educational 20th Century Fox Running time: 16 minutes Villain Still Pursued Her, The (1937) Plot: The villainous Oil Can Harry takes Fanny Zilch to the Lost Hope Mine and hypnotizes her and Strongheart. Nevertheless, Strongheart comes to his senses and saves both of them. Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: Oil Can Harry, J. Leffingwell Strongheart, Fanny Zilch Studio: Terrytoons Running time: 6 minutes We Work Again (1937) Notes: This short documentary chronicles the impact of the Works Projects Administration on African Americans. It features footage of Orson Welles’s 1936 theater production of Macbeth, staged in Harlem and set in Haiti. The play’s voodoo witches are seen. Starring: Orson Welles, Maurice Ellis (Macbeth), Charles Collins (Macduff), Eric Burroughs (Hecate), Zola King (Witch), Josephine Williams (Witch), Wilhelmina Williams (Witch) Producer: Alfred Edgar Smith Studio: Works Projects Administration Running time: 15 minutes

418 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

What Do You Think? (1937) Looks like a real novelty and one that will meet strong response from that big section of the public interested in psychic phenomena. Carey Wilson tells the story, which purports to be an actual experience of a young man saved from death by an auto collision by the voice of his mother who is thousands of miles away. Other strange phenomena are present in the youth’s experience, such as the vision of a dead woman’s body on his bed, which later turns out to be the woman who is killed in the auto crash. The point is that the youth would have been the victim instead of the other if his mother’s voice had not delayed him for the fraction of a minute. (FD, Mar. 12, 1937)

Plot: On a stormy night in a dark house in the Hollywood Hills, guests listen to a tale of another, earlier Hollywood party where a screenwriter named John stymies other guests with his self-invented murder mystery challenge. The next day, John believes he hears his mother’s voice and has a vision of a woman lying face up on a bed. Soon after, he happens upon a fatal auto crash, where he sees the body of a woman. Before the strange phenomena began, John misplaced his car key for almost a minute; he determines that if he had had the key all the time, he would have been involved in the fatal crash. Later that day, his brother calls to tell John that their mother has had a vision of John about to act recklessly. The narrative returns to the Hollywood party that started the film; John wonders aloud whether telepathy is real. Notes: This was the first entry in the series What Do You Think? Starring: Carey Wilson (narration), William Henry Director: Jacques Tourneur Studio: MGM Running time: 10 minutes What Do You Think?, No. 2 (1937) Another of those psychic phenomena pictures from the combined efforts of Carey Wilson as commentator and author, and Jack Chertok as producer. Wilson is personally sold on the spiritualism school of thought, and this film purports to tell the strange experiences of a young married chap who becomes jealous of a former suitor of his wife’s. He sees his wife arrive home late one morning, alighting from an automobile, escorted by the supposed rival, a young physician. In a rage he goes to the physician’s office the next day prepared to kill him, but has a strange psychic experience, talking with an elderly stranger, who dissuades him from his act of murder, convincing him his wife was innocent of wrong doing. The facts later prove the strange visitor to have told exactly what happened. The psychic and spiritualist fans will go for it. (FD, Jan. 31, 1938)

Starring: Carey Wilson (narrator) Director: Felix Feist Studio: MGM Running time: 1 reel

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

419

1938 Aladdin’s Lantern (1938) One of the best of the Our Gang series, with a real clever skit for the youngsters to sink their histrionic teeth in. They put on the Arabian Night’s tale of Aladdin and his magic lantern. Spanky plays the role of the Caliph. Darla is his beautiful daughter, a singer and a dancer. She is in love with Aladdin, played by Alfalfa. The latter approaches the Caliph and gets him excited over the magic lamp when he rubs it brings a bevy of dancing girls out of nothing to entertain the potentate. There are some very funny scenes with Alfalfa riding on the magic carpet, strung on ropes and a pulley that gets stuck under a lighted candle as Alfalfa attempts a song and scorches his underside. This skit is done with just the right amateur touch and all the kids do fine work. (FD, Oct. 18, 1938)

Notes: Aladdin’s Lantern is one of the first Our Gang shorts made under the production aegis of longtime distributor MGM. Starring: Our Gang (Spanky McFarland, Carl “Alfalfa” Switzer, Billie “Buckwheat” Thomas, Darla Hood, Waldo Kaye, Eugene “Porky” Lee) Director: Gordon Douglas Studio: MGM Running time: 10 minutes Demons of the Deep (1938) Real thrills with professional fishermen who go out after the big ones. Harpooning swordfish is [an] exciting sport. A fisherman is dragged overboard by the rope, with a giant shark hovering nearby, and one of his pals goes over the side and helps him back on board. This is obviously planted stuff, and the reel would have been better without it, for the fights with the monster fish are thrilling enough. The finale has the crew going after a giant shark, which they harpoon, and it drags them through the water in their boat. (FD, Sept. 23, 1938)

Starring: Ford Bond (narration) Writer: Jack Kofoed Director: Ben Schwalb Studio: Columbia Running time: 9 minutes Deviled Ham (1938) Here the lower depths are the setting for a number of interesting acts. Gus Van is the Satanic master of ceremonies. There is a clever dance routine by Toy and Wing, a Chinese dance team; music by Erskine Hawkins and [his band], and interpretative dancing by Moya Engele. It is the usual sort of thing made more interesting by Van’s humorous antics and singing. (FD, Jan. 26, 1938)

420 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Set in a handsome Satanic background, this musical divertissement offers a brand of entertainment that can be considered only lukewarm. (MPH, Jan. 22, 1938)

Notes: The setting of this short is Hell. Starring: Gus Van, Toy and Wing, Moya Engele Music: Erskine Hawkins Studio: RKO Running time: 10:05 Donald’s Lucky Day (1938) Donald Duck experiences his usual misfortunes, and his chief good luck is that he doesn’t get blown to pieces. He is a messenger boy on Friday, the 13th, and, carrying a package containing a time-bond, he meets with a black cat. His antics in endeavoring not to let the cat cross his path, and in not losing the package make up the bulk of the action. A very funny sequence takes places when the cat is on one end of a teetering board and Donald tries to keep the balance from the other end. In the end, the cat saves both their lives by unwittingly throwing the bomb into the lake. Notable in this short was the musical accompaniment which heightened the action two-fold. (FD, Oct. 12, 1938)

Notes: Animated cartoon, filmed in Technicolor Starring: Donald Duck Director: Jack King Studio: Walt Disney-RKO Running time: 8 minutes Ghost Town Frolics (1938) A run-of-the-crop cartoon telling the adventures of three monkeys, two of whom are of the masculine gender and one of the eternal feminine. Together they arrive by auto in a village which is haunted, and settle down for the night at a spookladen house. Happenings within this eerie edifice come thick and fast, and [the] two male monks [are] subjected to all sorts of indignities by the ghosts. As a climax, the trio escapes, but not until the young gallants have driven off in the car and then returned for the forgotten girl monk who was left behind in the house. Kids will probably enjoy this one most. As adult fare it lacks more than ordinary interest and punch. (FD, Oct. 12, 1938) It’s a nice little fantasy, with some funny touches. GOOD. (PE, Oct. 1, 1938)

Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: Jock and Jill Writer: Victor McLeod Director: Les Kline Studio: Universal Running time: 7 minutes

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

421

Goonland (1938) Popeye goes to a desert island in search of his old man whom he has not seen in forty years. Poopdeck is the name of the old boy, who is a dead ringer for Popeye, only with white whiskers. He smokes a pipe, too. The island is run by a strange race of savages, called Goons that look like the Zombies. Popeye is made a prisoner, and they are getting ready to drop a great rock on him from the cliff above, when dad comes to the rescue as he breaks out of his prison with the help of his son’s can of spinach. They flee the island together. (FD, Nov. 14, 1938)

Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: Popeye, Poopdeck Director: Dave Fleischer Studio: Max Fleischer-Paramount Running time: 8:02 Have You Got Any Castles (1938) Plot: One of many Warner “library book” cartoons, in which characters from storybooks and literature come to life. The first gag—involving the main characters from Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Fu Manchu, The Phantom of the Opera, and Frankenstein—is one of the best: all four fiends step from their books to growl—and then face each other for a moment of minuet dancing, and then some spirited patty-cake. A bit later, the Invisible Man—apparent only as a top hat, bow tie, gloves, and tap shoes—performs a lively dance. Notes: Color, animated cartoon. The onscreen title features no question mark. Producer: Leon Schlesinger Director: Frank Tashlin Studio: Warner Bros.-Vitaphone Running time: 7:07 Head Hunters and Baby Dolls (1938) Native practices among the Malay natives on the west coast of Sumatra, once known as the head hunters. Now they only go through the performance in their dance ritual. (FD, Feb. 16, 1938)

Starring: Lowell Thomas (narrator) Director: Charles E. Ford Studio: Universal Running time: 9 minutes Hide and Shriek (1938) Done in the better and ingenious ‘Our Gang’ style, this comedy will hand plenty of thrills to the young audience. Alfalfa would be a detective. He and his aides are shanghaied into a haunted house at an amusement party while trailing ‘criminals’

422 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

and have a hair-raising time of it for an entertaining few minutes. (MPD, July 8, 1938)

Plot: Tasked by Darla to locate her missing box of candy, self-proclaimed “Sooper-Slooth” Alfalfa enlists Buckwheat and Porky to help him crack the case. While trailing a pair of suspects, the boys end up inside a crate headed for the Haunted House at the Long Beach amusement pier, where they discover more than they bargained for. The boys run into skeletons, various mechanical monsters, a devil—even a treadmill floor that drops them through a trap door. Voice actor Billy Bletcher provides a variety of emphatic “spook” voices heard on the House’s phonograph system. In the end, Alfalfa decides he never wants to hear anything about candy or detectives again. Note: Hide and Shriek is the last Our Gang comedy produced by Hal Roach. Stung by diminishing returns for shorts, the great producer sold the series to MGM, which had been distributing the films since 1927. MGM brought Our Gang to its lot and produced the series there until suspending it in 1944. Starring: Our Gang (Carl “Alfalfa” Switzer, Billie “Buckwheat” Thomas, Darla Hood, Eugene “Porky” Lee, Leonard “Percy” Landy, Gary “Junior” Jasgur) and Fred Holmes, Billy Bletcher (voices on spook-house recording) Producer: Hal Roach Director: Gordon Douglas Studio: Hal Roach Running time: 10:35 Jungle Jitters (1938) This Merrie Melody is interestingly developed and played for its utmost in laughs, but it follows a routine course. The color and animation are good and ingenious, respectively. The plot sets a comical salesman down amid cannibals. Unsuccessful at peddling his wares to the savages, he assigns himself to the cook-pot rather than marry their white queen. (MPD, Jan. 26, 1938) This is full of cute little touches that will be best appreciated by a class audience, but will still have the masses chuckling. EXCELLENT. (PE, Feb. 1, 1938)

Plot: Jungle cannibals set the table for a lanky, hayseed salesman, whom they envision as a cooked chicken. The spinsterish white queen, however, has other ideas. Note: Color, animated cartoon Producer: Leon Schlesinger Director: I. Freleng (Isadore “Friz” Freleng) Writer: Geo. (George) Manuell Studio: Warner Bros.-Vitaphone Running time: 7:35

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

423

Krazy Magic (1938) Krazy Kat and Kitty Kat in this animated cartoon are riding along in their trailer when a terrific lightning storm destroys it. They seek shelter in an abandoned farmhouse and run into all sorts of experiences when a mad magician appears on the scene. After repeated attempts to escape fail, Krazy and Kitty manage to gain their freedom just before a blast of wind carries the farm house along with it. (MPH, June 4, 1938) This clever utilization of the cartoon medium here for the utmost in fantastic effect should make this cartoon an exceptional item. The plot concerns Krazy Kat’s harum-scarum adventures in a deserted magician’s house where he takes refuge from a storm. The execution is highly imaginative. (MPD, June 2, 1938) This is much better than the usual in this series. (PE, June 1, 1938)

Notes: Animated cartoon that features a magician who seems to be an invisible man. His top hat, cape, and gloves are visible, but his body is not. Starring: Krazy Kat, Kitty Kat Studio: Columbia Running time: 6:36 Magician’s Daughter, The (1938) Eleanor Lynn and Frank Albertson are featured in a very original short that deals with exposing the tricks of a magician by a magazine publisher to get the lowdown. The youth meets the magician’s daughter, who assists him in his act, and has a novel experience visiting her home where all sorts of magical tricks are pulled on him. But he can’t get backstage to get the secret of the tricks. Finally a rival gets the info, which is published in the mag, and the hero is blamed for it by the girl. Before he convinces her he is innocent, he is put through a trying experience by the professor, who goes through the motions of beheading him on the stage with a guillotine. The tricks are finely presented, including some of those used by Howard Thurston and Alexander Herrmann. (FD, Aug. 4, 1938)

Starring: Eleanor Lynn, Frank Albertson, Maurice Cass, Tommy Bond Director: Felix Feist Studio: MGM Running time: 18 minutes Midnight Frolics (1938) A visit to a haunted house where ghosts dance, play, sing. Nothing much to it, except an occasional good gag. FAIR. (PE, Dec. 14, 1938)

424 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Plot: On a dark, stormy midnight, a ghost plays the organ in an old house. Other ghosts sing and dance to the music. A silly ghost arrives and hopes to haunt the house with the others. At dawn, the ghosts end their fun. Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor Director: Ub Iwerks Studio: Columbia Running time: 7 minutes

Fig. 46  Ghostly musical revelry at the Midnight Frolics (1938). (Courtesy Heritage Auctions)

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

425

Nightshirt Bandit, The (1938) Plot: Professor Chase investigates a sleepwalking burglar on a university campus. He soon discovers that the somnambulist is himself. Starring: Charley Chase, James C. Morton, Eva McKenzie, Phyllis Barry Director: Jules White Writers: Al Giebler and Elwood Ullman Studio: Columbia Running time: 17:13 Nostradamus (1938) The material offered in this newest number from the Historical Mysteries group studies a subject that should hold a greater audience response than the customary high degree of attention given these intriguing short queries. It offers the strange success of a certain psychic individual … Nostradamus, whose name has been coined into the word ‘nostrum,’ to foretell coming events. A learned medico of the middle ages, Nostradamus wrote a tome called Prophetic Centuries in which are contained forecasts of happenings such as the London Fire of 1666, the tragic fate of Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette, and the military career of the little Corsican corporal. The riddling of the future is done in historical and entertaining accuracy. (MPH, Oct. 22, 1938) One of the ‘Historical Mysteries’ group, this subject recounts in interesting and well produced dramatic fashion the story of Michael de Nostradamus, doctor of the 16th Century, who foretold the Black Plague, saw his loved ones die, and devoted the rest of his life to a volume of verses in which he prophesied events of the following 300 years, carrying to our own day. An unusually fine subject. (MPD, Oct. 13, 1938) As good as a single reel as I have seen in some time. (Theatre manager report, MPH, May 27, 1939) A swell short that will satisfy and make them talk. (Theatre manager report, MPH, Feb. 4, 1939)

Starring: Carey Wilson (narrator), John Burton (as Nostradamus), Forrest Taylor, Barbara Bedford, Egon Brecher Writer: Carl Dudley Director: David Miller Studio: MGM Running time: 11 minutes

426 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Out of the Inkwell (1938) Plot: A janitor hypnotizes Betty Boop. In retaliation, she reads a book on the subject and hypnotizes him. Notes: Animated cartoon featuring some live-action footage. Starring: Betty Boop Director: Dave Fleischer Studio: Max Fleischer-Paramount Running time: 5:49 Porky in Egypt (1938) Plot: An Egyptian offers a local tour with a sign that reads, “See the Homes of The Mummy Stars.” When the tour departs without him, Porky rides a camel of his own under the blistering desert sun. The two of them suffer delusions. Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: Porky Pig Director: Robert Clampett Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 6:56 Porky in Wackyland (1938) Plot: Porky (via airplane) travels to Wackyland, a place where normal rules of physics and logic do not apply. After encounters with dancing feet, caricatures of the Three Stooges (one body, three heads), a Foo in a cannibal pot, stars and moons hung by strings, peculiar flora, a window and a child’s swing that float in midair, and other oddities, Porky encounters the Dodo (spelled onscreen as “Do-Do”)—a zany, hyperactive critter that is a clear precursor of Daffy Duck. Notes: Animated cartoon. Remade in 1949 as Dough for the Do-Do (see entry). Starring: Porky Pig Producer: Leon Schlesinger Director: Robert Clampett Studio: Warner Bros.-Vitaphone Running time: 7:20 Ship that Died, The (1938) The mystery of the Mary Celeste, still unsolved after 66 years, provides the factual background for this strongly interesting short. The pix depicts the sailing of the ship from New York in the year 1872 with a full crew, which caused uneasiness

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

427

among the superstitious sailors. Fourteen days out the ship is found by the Barkentine Dia Gratia with sails set, but not a sign of life. Food is still warm in the galley, there is no evidence of mutiny or struggle and one longboat is still lashed to the deck. The evidence is turned over to a maritime court, but no theory will stand up when examined closely. To this day no clue has ever been discovered, or any trade of the crew found, to throw any light on what is probably the most baffling sea mystery of all time. (FD, Mar. 1, 1938)

Starring: John Nesbitt (narration) Writer: George Sayre Director: Jacques Tourneur Studio: MGM Running time: 10 minutes Three Missing Links (1938) Ideal casting places the Stoogian musketeer trio in roles characteristically suited to the primitive style of their comedy playing. Formerly janitors in a farcical tintype of a Hollywood studio, the boys are hired to play in a jungle epic. Curly is cast as a gorilla, while his friends, Moe and Larry, are assigned to portray primeval cavemen. A real gorilla turns up on location and the situation of mistaken identity is given the fullest treatment. For once the farce seems well suited to the needs of the plot. (MPH, June 25, 1938) The Three Stooges contribute a large number of laughs of a familiar sort as this two-reeler unwinds. Cast as janitors … they ultimately become actors and go to Africa on location. … They brush with a ‘real’ gorilla and a native witch doctor and generally have a harum scarum time of it. (MPD, June 23, 1938) This is one of the funniest of the series. (FD, June 17, 1938)

Starring: Moe Howard, Curly Howard, Larry Fine (The Three Stooges), Monte Collins, Jane Hamilton, James C. Morton, John Lester Johnson, Ray “Crash” Corrigan (as the gorilla) Writer: Searle Kramer Director: Jules White Studio: Columbia Running time: 18:01 Universal Newsreel, No. 715, Vol. 10 (1938) Notes: Released the first week of November 1938, this newsreel features the story, Radio Station’s ‘Attack by Mars’ Panics Thousands. It presents footage of Orson Welles at a press conference held shortly after the October 30,

428 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

1938, broadcast of The War of the Worlds on his radio show The Mercury Theatre on the Air. Studio: Universal Running time: 1 reel Voodoo in Harlem (1938) Reviving the effective cartoon technique of pouring drawings out of an inkwell and arranging them in their animated business against realistic backgrounds, this pen product produces some imaginative and entertaining moments. The miniature fantasy occurs when a bottle of indigo ink becomes upset and a crew of [African-American] figures take form and, growing atavistic, indulge in a set of lively trucking steps. Comes the dawn and the charm is broken. A combination of a good musical background and some atmospheric shots of wind and cloud effects create a suitable eerie mood for the ingenious cartooning. (MPH, July 9, 1938) Big blotches of ink fall on the sheets of paper, and becomes wild African warriors and Harlem jitterbugs who go into weird dances as the storm outside howls. As dawn comes, the storm subsides, and the inky figures go back into the inkwell again, as the maid comes to clean up the room, and finds nothing but ink smudges on the scattered papers. (FD, June 20, 1938)

Notes: Combined live action and cartoon animation. Although the opening title card reads “Oswald Rabbit Presents,” this is not an Oswald cartoon. Writer: Victor McLeod Director: Rudy Zamora Studio: Universal Running time: 6:54 What Do You Think?, No. 3 (1938) Highly interesting excursion into the inexplicable. It is as good, perhaps better, than previous numbers. Story concerns the young widow of a famous violinist who is about to commit suicide. A weird occurrence as she prepares for death changes the course of her life. Tastefully handled. (MPD, Mar. 28, 1938)

Starring: Carey Wilson (narrator) Director: Jacques Tourneur Studio: MGM Running time: 11 minutes

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

429

What Do You Think?, No. 4 (1938) Tupapaoo is the curse of the shooting star the natives [on a South Sea island] believe falls on anyone who violates the sacred religious rites of the islanders. The story is told in flashback, as a party on board a steamer in the island group see a shooting star, and one of their members tells the tale of an earlier day. It involves a white trader, who abused the native, violated the sanctity of the burial ground, and suffered a series of mishaps that drove him to become a frightened wanderer. The climax is the death of a stranger aboard, as a shooting star falls. He proves to be the trader on whom the curse had fallen. (FD, June 27, 1938)

Starring: Carey Wilson (narrator), Moroni Olsen, John Ince Director: Jacques Tourneur Studio: MGM Running time: 11 minutes

1939 Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp (1939) Based on the fairy tale of the same name, this two-reel Popeye color cartoon will be the delight of children and adults alike. With the exception of a prologue which shows Olive Oyl working as a Hollywood script writer, the remainder of the cartoon is a faithful transcription of the story. Popeye is Aladdin who rescues the princess Olive Oyl. A sure fire hit with any audience. (MPD, May 16, 1939)

Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor Starring: Popeye, Olive Oyl Director: Dave Fleischer Studio: Max Fleischer-Paramount Running time: 20:15 Alfalfa’s Aunt (1939) Spook stuff introduced with the arrival of Alfalfa’s aunt to stay for a few weeks. Alfalfa’s dad is sore, but can do nothing about it. She has a new hobby, now being a mystery murder story writer engaged on a novel. Alfalfa finds a page of her notes, and it reads as if she is going to murder him in order to grab the family estate. He calls on the Gang to help him out, and arrived in the house one dark stormy night when Auntie is all alone, some exciting complications develop, resulting in Auntie getting sore and quitting the house in a hug. Which is exactly what the family wanted. (FD, Jan. 24, 1939)

Plot: Alfalfa’s eccentric Aunt Penelope (Marie Blake) drops by for her annual visit, toting the manuscript of her latest mystery novel. Alfalfa gets a look at one of the handwritten pages, learning that “only my nephew stands between me and the Switzer millions. … He shall die in agony … at the stroke of

430 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

nine!” Alf naturally finds this alarming and enlists Spanky and the rest of the Gang in a nighttime mission to save his life. Additional misunderstandings— a bust that’s mistaken for Alfalfa’s dead body, a moving tiger-skin rung, Porky inexplicably ghosting along a hallway wearing a sheet—attempt to create scares. Note: Alfalfa’s Aunt is the seventh Our Gang short produced by MGM. Starring: Our Gang (Carl “Alfalfa” Switzer, George “Spanky” McFarland, Billie “Buckwheat” Thomas, Eugene “Porky” Lee, Leonard “Percy” Landy, Gary Jasgur) and Marie Blake, William Newell, Barbara Bedford Producer: Jack Chertok Director: George Sidney Writers: Hal Law, Robert A. McGowan Studio: MGM Running time: 10:40 Ancient Egypt (1939) Plot: Travelogue shows Egypt and the tomb of Tutankhamen Starring: James A. FitzPatrick (narrator) Studio: FitzPatrick-MGM Running time: 9 minutes Bookworm, The (1939) A melodrama enacted in the library, with the various fictional characters coming to life. ‘Macbeth’ starts it when the three witches brewing a devil’s portion require a worm. The ‘Raven’ is assigned to get the worm. He goes in search of a bookworm, and the chase is on. The chase calls into activity such characters as Paul Revere, King Arthur, [and] the modern Gang Busters, who finally save the poor bookworm from going into the witches’ brew. (FD, Sept. 11, 1939)

Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: Frank Elmquist (as the Bookworm), Mel Blanc (the Raven) Director: Isadore Freleng Studio: MGM Running time: 8:26 Daffy Duck and the Dinosaur (1939) Leon Schlesinger delivers good color cartoon work in this ‘Merrie Melody’.’ But the striving for whimsy hits only in spots. A ravenous caveman, in the stone age, seeks to make a breakfast of Daffy Duck, but gets ‘the bird’ throughout. (MPD, Mar. 30, 1939)

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

431

The gags and situations are appropriately matched to the zany personality of the duck. (MPH, Apr. 22, 1939)

Plot: Casper Caveman (who sounds like radio comedian Jack Benny) decides he wants duck for breakfast and stumbles upon Daffy. But Daffy isn’t in the mood to be eaten, and subjects Casper to various indignities—not least being smacked in the face with his own slingshot. In the coda, Daffy, caveman, and dino-dog are in heaven, where Daffy muses, “Y’know, maybe that wasn’t such a hot idea after all!” Notes: Animated cartoon in Technicolor Starring: Daffy Duck, Casper Caveman Director: Chuck Jones Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 7:45 Dark Magic (1939) By far the most entertaining of the Robert Benchleys, this daffy adventure into the realms of ‘magic’ had a projection room audience howling with enjoyment. Benchley purchases a magic set for his young son and doesn’t do too well in explaining how the tricks work. He closes with an attempt to disappear – and succeeds. EXCELLENT. (PE, May 31, 1939) Robert Benchley excels himself in this reel and the result is one of the funniest shorts to be seen. He purchases a magic set for his youngster but starts to use it himself. At the beginning none of the tricks works, but Benchley amazes himself and his audiences by making himself disappear. (MPD, June 2, 1939)

Starring: Robert Benchley Director: Roy Rowland Studio: MGM Running time: 10 minutes Dog Gone Modern (1939) Plot: Playing off of the then-current interest in the New York World’s Fair, Dog Gone Modern delivers Chuck Jones’s Two Curious Dogs (in their first appearance) to an all-electronic home of the future. Every convenience is robotic and automatic: the front door, the dishwasher, even a cigar starter. The little black-and-white puppy and the brown boxer observe all of this with passive, believably dog-like interest until the robot appliances grab them. The boxer is roughly washed like a plate (numerous times); the puppy runs afoul of the

432 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

automatic napkin folder. And both dogs tangle with an anthropomorphic automated broom, a Frankenstein’s Monster that roars from its closet to sweep away the dogs’ chew bones. Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: Two Curious Dogs Producer: Leon Schlesinger Director: Charles M. Jones Story: Rich Hogan Studio: Warner Bros.-Vitaphone Running time: 7:03 Fresh Vegetable Mystery, The (1939) A lively color that should please. A ‘ghost’ kidnaps a Carrot’s offspring and the Potato Police round up all suspicious characters for questioning. When the Hard Boiled Egg won’t talk, and the police are badly battered by the ‘ghost,’ a chase ensues. The criminal proves to be four mice under a cloak. (MPD, Oct. 9, 1939)

Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor Director: Dave Fleischer Studio: Max Fleischer-Paramount Running time: 6:58 G-Man Jitters (1939) Gandy Goose takes his father’s pipe, imagines himself a detective, becomes entangled with ghosts, a Frankenstein monster. The conclusion finds him awakening– perhaps the audience will, too. FAIR. (PE, Mar. 22, 1939)

Plot: Costumed like Sherlock Holmes, “detective” Gandy Goose visits an old house, slides down a gimmicked set of stairs (a la Keaton in The Haunted House, 1921; see entry) and meets a variety of ghosts, plus Dracula, Frankenstein’s Monster—and the creature that’s been terrifying the whole lot of them: a tiny mouse. Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: Gandy Goose Director: Eddie Donnelly Studio: 20th Century Fox Running time: 6 minutes

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

433

Fig. 47  Amateur sleuth Gandy Goose meets Dracula and Frankenstein’s Monster in G Man Jitters (1939). (Courtesy Heritage Auctions)

Ghosks Is the Bunk (1939) Popeye and Olive say they are not afraid of ghosts… [Bluto] sneaks into a nearby deserted hotel and after making suitable preparations decoys Popeye and Olive into the place. He proceeds to scare the daylights out of the unbelievers, but is discovered. The tables are turned, with Bluto finally becoming convinced that the house is really haunted. (MPD, July 11, 1939)

434 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Notes: After realizing that Bluto has pretended to be a ghost at a deserted hotel, Popeye and Olive Oyl use invisible paint on themselves to scare Bluto. Starring: Popeye, Olive Oyl, Bluto Director: Dave Fleischer Studio: Max Fleischer-Paramount Running time: 6:35 Gorilla Hunt, The (1939) A would-be lecturer tells of his gorilla hunt in Darkest Africa. This has some gags, of the sort that Leon Schlesinger long ago discarded. FAIR. (PE, Mar. 8, 1939)

Notes: Color animated cartoon Director: Ub Iwerks Studio: Columbia Running time: 8 minutes Happily Buried (1939) The handsome young president of a company which makes square waffle irons is engaged to the comely president of a company which makes round ones. They can’t agree on the future shape of waffle irons and have a falling out. The young man obtains a Hindu slave through saving him from jail and at his suggestion buries himself alive to regain his love. At the World’s Fair, he spoils her exhibit but wins her back again. It seemed rather silly to us and not up to MGM standard. There doesn’t seem to be much point to a lot of what goes on [in] the picture. There’s a good song number to recommend it, however. If you have a show that requires something light with music, this will fit the bill fairly well. (STR, May 27, 1939)

Starring: Rita Oehman, John Hubbard Director: Felix Feist Studio: MGM Running time: 21 minutes Haunted House (1939) One of Floyd Gibbons’ Your True Adventure series, this subject dramatizes the frightening adventure of two young girls, seeking shelter from the rain in a ‘haunted’ house, who are trussed up and abandoned by an escaped convict. They spend a terrible night, and are rescued in the morning by state police hunting the convict. It makes for a telling piece of drama. (MPD, June 22, 1939) Following the usual pattern of this series, Gibbons tells and the action shows how two little girls take refuge from a storm in a house reputedly haunted. There are no ghosts, but there is an escaped convict present who ties up the children, gags

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

435

them and locks them in a cellar. During the awful night they cry for help in vain, but morning brings the state troopers with bloodhounds and their resultant rescue. It’s an exciting, dramatic subject worthy of a place on any program where this type is needed. (STR, June 17, 1939) Although we can’t frankly admit that the story rings true, we must admit that there’s more than a single helping of suspense in Mr. Gibbon’s latest entry. (PE, June 14, 1939)

Starring: Floyd Gibbons Director: Joseph Henabery Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 12 minutes Haunting We Will Go, A (1939) Little Eight Ball, Walter Lantz’s [African-American] cartoon character, sets out to prove to a baby ghost and almost succeeds. He is taken to a haunted mill, the home of the ghosts, where after a conclave, he is ‘given the works.’ It’s in color. (MPD, June 30, 1939) Little Eight Ball is visited by a baby ghost who drags him to a haunted mill where the grown-up ghosts put on their best scary act. Some good, fantastic cartooning in this one should go over with the kids. GOOD. (PE, July 12, 1939)

Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor. Not to be confused with a 1949 Casper the Friendly Ghost cartoon, also called A Haunting We Will Go (see entry). Starring: Lil’ Eightball Director: Burt Gillett Studio: Universal Running time: 7:13 History Repeats Itself (1939) A situation involving fake operators of a corporation that is supposed to have a machine which projects any scene from past history is here employed to allow the Radio Rogues to mimic film and radio stars. The Rogues imitate Jimmy Durante, Ned Sparks, Baby Snooks, Lionel Barrymore, Edward G. Robinson, Bing Crosby, Bob Burns, Jack Benny, Rochester, Ben Bernie, and Charles Laughton. (MPH, Oct. 14, 1939)

Notes: On Sept. 25, 1939, MPD referred to the “machine” specifically as a “time machine.” Starring: The Radio Rogues Director: Lloyd French Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 10 minutes

436 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

It’s an Ill Wind (1939) Plot: While fishing off a dock, Porky and Dippy Duck shelter from a sudden storm in an abandoned yacht club. Although structured like a haunted house comedy, the cartoon quickly establishes that the place isn’t haunted at all— just filled with junk, and occupied by a small dog and a turtle. A diving helmet stuck on the dog’s head causes some frights, but Porky and Dippy inadvertently bring their worst scares on themselves, like the bearskin rug that’s snagged by Dippy’s fish hook and then goes rolling in an office chair. Starring: Porky Pig, Dippy Duck Producer: Leon Schlesinger Directors: Ben Hardaway and Cal Dalton Studio: Warner Bros.-Vitaphone Running time: 7:22 Jeepers Creepers (1939) This is a ‘Looney Tune’ cartoon in which Officer Porky is ordered to investigate a haunted house. Entering with fear, Porky encounters a playful ghost who proceeds to tease him. Many amusing effects are obtained as the ghost terrifies Porky, but the latter gets even by refusing the ghost a ride in his patrol car later. (MPD, Sept. 25, 1939) [Porky] finds himself beset by a spook who scared and annoys Porky with every handy device. Although this type of material has been done so often in animated subjects, Jeepers Creepers carries enough humor to make it worthwhile for cartoon devotees, and particularly the younger generation of pix-goers. Reel has a surprise ending in which Porky turns the tables on the spook. (FD, Oct. 19, 1939) Porky, the cop, is sent to the haunted house where a ghost has plenty of fun with him. The gags are generally up to average, the result rather humorous. GOOD. (PE, Oct. 18, 1939)

Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor Starring: Porky Pig Director: Robert Clampett Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 8:43 Jitterbug Knights (1939) Birth of a prince overjoys the king, who stages a celebration to which the Three Wise Fairies are invited to bestow good wishes. Their wishes are strictly modern and on the swing side, with results that the royal infant changes the pompous musical and dance habits of the court into something hot, rhythmic and wholly

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

437

in the jitterbug vein. It makes fair entertainment with the swing and song departments well taken care of. (STR, Sept. 9, 1939)

Notes: Color, animated cartoon Director: Sid Marcus Studio: Columbia Running time: 7 minutes Monkeys Is the Cwaziest People (1939) For the past few years audiences have been chuckling at Lew Lehr’s newsreel invasions of the simian world. These invasions have been collected, edited and packaged into a reel that’s more fun than a barrel of monkeys. The almost-human antics of the simians, combined with Lehr’s dialect-­able dialogue, will have most audiences rolling in the aisles. The monkeys are infinitely better comedians than most humans we’ve seen. (STR, Sept. 30, 1939)

Starring: Lew Lehr (narrator) Director: Lew Lehr Studio: 20th Century Fox Running time: 10 minutes Nutty Network, The (1939) Plot: Jungle radio station APE mounts a spoof invasion from the moon and panics the animals, including cowardly King Lion and even Tarzan. When the hoax is admitted, the angry king summons the chimpanzee writer and the effects artist—whose rocket firework blows all three to the moon. Notes: Animated cartoon. Timely reaction to the October 1938 Orson Welles War of the Worlds radio broadcast. Writer: John Foster Director: Mannie Davis Studio: 20th Century Fox Running time: 6:44 Porky’s Movie Mystery (1939) After a series of crimes committed in a Hollywood studio by the invisible phantom, Porky, as Mr. Moto, is called in. From a deserted island comes the famed detective and after much ado the villain is captured. The insertion of appropriate action sequences from feature pictures adds to the enjoyment. (MPD, Mar. 8, 1939)

438 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

The sound effects and humorous dialogue help make it a likeable cartoon. (MPH, Mar. 4, 1939) It has several novel twists, but lacks a certain something to put it up with the top subjects. GOOD. (PE, Mar. 8, 1939)

Plot: When the Warner Bros. studio lot is terrorized by the black-garbed Phantom (who looks very like a Mickey Mouse comic strip adversary, the Phantom Blot, who made his debut just two months after this cartoon’s release), ace investigator Mr. Motto is called onto the case. The first suspect to be questioned is an anxious Frankenstein’s Monster, property of rival film studio Universal. And before Motto’s arrival, the Phantom is revealed to be the Invisible Man (voice by Billy Bletcher)—another Universal character. Motto (taken from the 20th Century Fox character, Mr. Moto, played by actor Peter Lorre) combines Porky’s clumsiness and verbal tics with a stereotypical Asian caricature. Finally, armed with a little jiu-jitsu and a spray pump filled with “Anti-Invisible Juice,” Motto uncovers the Phantom’s true identity: comic actor Hugh Herbert. Notes: Animated cartoon. Starring: Porky Pig (“Mr. Motto”) Producer: Leon Schlesinger Director: Robert Clampett Story: Ernest Gee Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 6:38 Prest-O Change-O (1939) Although this cartoon can be labeled as good, it nevertheless fails to come up to the excellent ratings established by predecessors in this series. Our two heroes take refuge in a house of magic on a stormy night, and the comedy depends on their predicaments at the hands of a vanishing rabbit. There are none too many laughs, and the usual clever gags present in these cartoons are absent here. (STR, Apr. 8, 1939)

Notes: Animated cartoon in Technicolor Director: Charles M. Jones Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 7 minutes Quiet Please (1939) Katherine Kane, a movie star, has a habit of getting on the set late. Fritz Feld, the director, decides to remedy this situation and changes the script so he has a gorilla in the picture. We go on the set and see the gorilla in his cage with Tom Kennedy, the gorilla’s stand-in, begging for a larger part in the picture. Feld sits down to

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

439

read the script and the gorilla appears with everybody thinking it is Kennedy and nobody paying any attention to it. Plenty of laughs are provided with windup of the situation. (FD, May 18, 1939)

Notes: Filmed in Technicolor Starring: Fritz Feld, Charles Foy, Katherine Kane, Larry Williams, Tom Kennedy, Fred Tozere Writer and Director: Crane Wilbur Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 20 minutes Scared Crows, The (1939) Betty Boop and her dog, Pudgy, run into some trouble with crows when they start planting their garden. A scarecrow solves the problem temporarily, but the birds return to raid the kitchen. After a scrap, Betty scares them off permanently. A black and white cartoon. (MPD, June 21, 1939)

Notes: Animated cartoon in which Betty dresses as a scarecrow to scare the crows away. Starring: Betty Boop, Pudgy Director: Dave Fleischer Studio: Max Fleischer-Paramount Running time: 6:02 Screen Snapshots, No. 1 (1939) The mysteries of makeup are explained, and several stars are seen being made up by such experts as the Westmore Brothers. … Of particular interest is Perc Westmore’s makeup of Charles Laughton for his role as the ‘Hunchback of Notre Dame’. (STR, Oct. 14, 1939)

Starring: Harriet Parsons (narrator) Director: Ralph Staub Studio: Columbia Running time: 10 minutes Silly Superstition (1939) Here is a Walter Lantz Cartune [sic] which sets out to prove that superstition is nonsense and winds up with the rueful conclusion that there may be something to it after all. Little Eightball, [an African-American] lad, tells his dog that superstitions are silly and defies them all. A few mishaps, however, change his mind. (MPD, Sept. 15, 1939) The thesis of this Lantz laugh effort is to prove that superstitions are silly stuff. (MPH, Sept. 23, 1939)

440 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Plot: It’s Friday the 13th, and Lil’ Eightball ignores his mother’s pleas to avoid tempting fate. He happily walks beneath a ladder and unknowingly causes the collapse of a partially built skyscraper; and when Eightball walks up to a black cat, he finds himself in a serious tussle with an escaped lion. All is saved when Eightball’s tiny dog inflates himself to lion size and scares the big cat right back into its cage at the zoo. Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: Lil’ Eightball Director: Walter Lantz Studio: Universal Running time: 7:06 Sniffles and the Bookworm (1939) Sniffles rests in the library, scares the literary-looking bookworm, who enlists the aid of story book characters to help him. … they find Sniffles friendly, and when he helps destroy the Frankenstein monster, even the bookworm kisses him. All in all, this is rather pleasant. GOOD. (PE, Dec. 13, 1938)

Plot: Library mouse Sniffles (voice by Margaret Hill-Talbot) meets a jowly, bespectacled bookworm in this handsome Technicolor “library book” cartoon. The frightened worm enlists Ivanhoe and other literary characters to scare off the “fearsome” Sniffles, but the mood lightens when director Chuck Jones and musical director Carl Stalling bring on various storybook characters for “Mutiny in the Nursery,” an orchestra-and-chorus swing version of the 1938 Paul Whiteman hit, highlighted by a hot trumpet solo. But the trumpet awakens Frankenstein’s Monster, who throws back the cover of the Shelley novel and lumbers after Sniffles. When the mouse sticks out a tiny foot, the Monster trips and falls from a high bookshelf. Notes: Color, animated cartoon Starring: Sniffles Mouse Producer: Leon Schlesinger Director: Charles M. Jones Story: Rich Hogan Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 7:48 Trip to the Sky (1939) Based on recent scientific research, this subject is [a] hypothetical and fascinating excursion into the celestial space. A look at many of the heavenly bodies, such as Saturn, Mars, the Moon, etc., give one the feeling that he is actually being transported to these places. The technique and photography are unique, probably accounting for the fact that the subject was awarded the Grand Prix for scientific films at the International Exhibition in France, 1937. Those who see it will be spellbound by its unusual treatment of an unusual subject. (STR, July 1, 1939)

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

441

Director: Jean Painlevé Studio: Leo Malchin Running time: 11 minutes Two Headed Giant, The (1939) Jack the Giant Killer pits his strength against the Two-Headed Giant and comes off victorious. Done in color, this Terrytoon provides a number of funny sequences, although many of the effects have been done before. The Giant raids the castle and overwhelms its guards, but Jack saves the day. (MPD, Aug. 11, 1939)

Notes: Color, animated Terry-Toon cartoon Writer: John Foster Director: Connie Rasinski Studio: 20th Century Fox Running: 6:39 Voodoo Fires (1939) Floyd Gibbons relates the adventure of the Indianapolis man, Robert Taylor (no, not the movie star) who while stationed as overseer of a sugar plantation in the tropics learned too much about voodooism for his own good. He was marked for death, escaped by a miracle when he left his cabin through a trap door and literally rose from the dead as he made his way out of a grass-covered door in the midst of the voodooists. The voodooists were scared (who wouldn’t be?) and Taylor escaped. The reel concludes with Gibbons presenting him a check for his true adventure. Although this subject is satisfactory, it doesn’t possess the intriguing, gripping situations that made others in this series outstanding. (STR, May 20, 1939)

Notes: An entry in the Your True Adventures series. On May 17, 1939, PE listed the title as Voodoo Fire. Starring: Floyd Gibbons Director: Joseph Henabery Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 12 minutes We Want Our Mummy (1939) As detectives seeking the mysteriously disappearing Egyptology professor, the Three Stooges are commissioned to go to Egypt to bring back the mummy of King Rootin-Tootin. They go (by taxi), succeed, after many Stoogian escapades, in getting back both the professor, the mummy. Notable, however, is Curly’s pantomime, going swimming in the mirage ocean. GOOD. (PE, Feb. 8, 1939)

442 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Fig. 48  Larry Fine (from left), Moe Howard, and Curly Howard: detectives turned amateur archaeologists in We Want Our Mummy (1939). (Courtesy Heritage Auctions) Excellent two reel with lots more laughs than usual. Stooges in ancient Egyptian tomb and you can’t help but laugh. (Theatre manager report, MPH, July 8, 1939)

Plot: Unscrupulous archaeologists hire Moe, Curly, and Larry to travel to Egypt. Assignment: locate a missing professor, uncover a cursed, long-lost tomb, and bring back the mummy of King Rootin-Tootin. Starring: Moe Howard, Curly Howard, Larry Fine (the Three Stooges), Bud Jamison, Dick Curtis, Ted Lorch (the mummy) Producer: Jules White Director: Del Lord Writers: Searle Kramer, Elwood Ullman Studio: Columbia Running time: 16:26 Wotta Nitemare (1939) Popeye suffers a nightmare and encounters the difficulties that are usually found in dreams. He finds his path blocked by prison bars, his bicycle turns [into] a snail

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

443

Fig. 49  Popeye is tormented by a vivid dream in Wotta Nitemare (1939). (Courtesy Heritage Auctions) when he is trying to escape from a steam roller, food disappears when he tries to eat, etc. Even when he reaches for the customary spinach, he discovers carrots and beets instead. Exceptionally well done. (MPD, June 21, 1939) One of the best of the one-eyed sailor’s animators’ efforts in the Popeye cartoon series, the subject is replete with laughs, nor does the story seem so unreal or fantastic as the general run of cartoons, for it deals with nightmares. (MPD, July 15, 1939)

444 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

One of the screwiest of the usually screwy Popeye black-and-white [cartoons], this had an adult audience howling with delight. (PE, May 17, 1939)

Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: Popeye, Olive Oyl, Bluto Director: Dave Fleischer Studio: Max Fleischer-Paramount Running time: 7:20

1940 Africa Squeaks (1940) Plot: Porky Pig explores Africa and encounters various wild animals, including a singing gorilla. Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: Porky Pig Director: Robert Clampett Producer: Leon Schlesinger Running time: 8 minutes Bookworm Turns, The (1940) The Raven and the Bookworm, mentally invalid and brainchild, respectively, comparatively new to the cartoon field, are involved in a Hugh Harman fable which is moderately amusing. It is highlighted by the presence of a Jekyll and Hyde character. The ‘doctor’ is employed by the Raven to switch his brain with that of the Bookworm. The change is made both mentally and physically, then both are brought back to normal. (MPD, Aug. 2, 1940)

Notes: Animated cartoon, filmed in Technicolor Starring: The Bookworm, The Raven Director: Hugh Harman Studio: MGM Running time: 8 minutes Club Life in the Stone Age (1940) Plot: Stone Age romance in which an ebullient young cavewoman soundly clubs the young caveman who’s been pursuing her, and triumphantly declares, “He’s mine!” Dinosaurs appear. Notes: Animated cartoon Writer: John Foster

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

445

Director: Mannie Davis Studio: 20th Century Fox Running time: 1 reel Crazy House (1940) In fair color, is spun this much told yarn of Andy Panda and his pop who seek succor in a ‘crazy house’ during a terrific storm. The beating they take in their haven sends them rushing back into the storm. FAIR. (PE, Oct. 16, 1940)

Notes: Color animated cartoon. Also known as Andy Panda’s Crazy House. Not to be confused with the 1943 live-action Olsen and Johnson comedy feature of the same title. Starring: Andy Panda Director: Alex Lovey Studio: Universal Running time: 7:30 Door Will Open, A (1940) Carey Wilson, continuing his series of psychic phenomena, presents the story of Arthur Campbell, an American composer and pianist, who some 10 years ago, had a strange experience which led to years of success in his chosen field. When his career seems about to be dealt a severe blow in the form of a plagiarism suit, a light through a window guides him to a book and among its pages is found an old I. O. U. he had signed on a manuscript containing 16 bars of the music in dispute. Thus he is exonerated. The film poses the question whether the events were coincidental or of the supernatural. (MPH, Apr. 13, 1940)

Starring: Carey Wilson (narrator), Dalies Frantz, Lynne Carver Studio: MGM Running time: 11 minutes Dreams (1940) John Nesbitt delves into dreams, shows two which might prove familiar to audiences, and winds up with one which Abraham Lincoln dreamt – on the occasion when he [en]visioned his own death. Well made, even if it might have been spookier. It is a good addition to any program. GOOD. (PE, Dec. 11, 1940)

Notes: This is number eighteen in the series John Nesbitt’s Passing Parade. Starring: John Nesbitt, Peter Cushing Director: Felix Feist Studio: MGM Running time: 10 minutes

446 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Ghost Wanted (1940) A baby ghost answers a want ad in a ghost newspaper. Arriving on the scene, the little wisp finds itself in the ghost union headquarters. The chief phantom asks the little ghost to do his stuff and then tries to outdo him, but ends up in trouble. FAIR. (PE, Sept. 4, 1940) The little ghost wants to learn how to haunt a house, so he answers an ad asking for a house haunter. The expert house haunter out-haunts him when he gets there, and he gives up in disgust. (STR, Oct. 26, 1940)

Plot: A little ghost who wants to haunt a house answers an ad in The Saturday Evening Ghost and reports to 1313 Dracula Drive, where an older ghost pulls one noisy practical joke after another. Worn out by the tumult, the young ghost finally runs back to his own house. Notes: Animated cartoon Producer: Leon Schlesinger Director: Charles Jones (Charles M. Jones) Story: Dave Monahan Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 7:12 Goodness! A Ghost (1940) Harry Langdon, old-time comedian of the silent days, has the leading role in this weak two-reeler about an amateur theatre group. Langdon lends the players the policeman’s uniform of his late grandfather. The spirit of the old man prevents everyone but Langdon from wearing the uniform. He is later mistaken for a real cop, tangles with a bunch of crooks, captures them with the aid of grandfather’s ghost. FAIR. (PE, Feb. 7, 1940)

Notes: This story does feature a real ghost, one who is sometimes invisible and sometimes seen as a translucent superimposition. Starring: Harry Langdon Producer: Lou Brock Director: Harry D’Arcy Writer: Harry Langdon Studio: RKO Running time: 17 minutes

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

447

Fig. 50  A deceased police officer’s spirit aids grandson Harry Langdon in Goodness! A Ghost (1940). (Courtesy Heritage Auctions)

Happy Haunting Grounds (1940) The painter pig gets a job to redecorate a haunted house, and the ghosts have a swell time scaring him. This is similar in content to others seen around, with one good gag at the end a bit off the beaten track. FAIR. (PE, Oct. 30, 1940)

Notes: Animated cartoon Writer: John Foster Director: Mannie Davis Studio: 20th Century Fox Running time: 7 minutes

448 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Just a Cute Kid (1940) Based on a comedy story by Damon Runyon, Cliff Edwards is featured as playing the part of a fellow who is completely in hock and desperate for money. As a last resort, to straighten out his finances, he sells his body to a doctor for experimental purposes, and promises delivery within thirty days. During that time period he goes through many hilarious experiences. Finally the time arrives for him to deliver his body to the physician. He takes several poison tablets, and sits down to await his death. But without his knowledge his wife has substituted harmless pills for the poison and they have no effect on him. Finally his wife calls to tell him that he doesn’t have to fulfill his contract because the doctor is crazy. (MPH, Nov. 10, 1940)

Starring: Cliff Edwards Studio: Warner Bros.-Vitaphone Running time: 20 minutes Magic Pencil, The (1940) Gandy the goose acquires a magic pencil through which he manufactures a gorgeous girl. The cat falls in love with her, and Gandy also creates a villain. But he solves all the problems with his magic pencil. Jerky animation and a lack of realism counteract whatever good effects the gags might have had. (STR, Dec. 7, 1940)

Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: Gandy Goose, Sourpuss Writer: John Foster Director: Volney White Studio: 20th Century Fox Running time: 7 minutes Prehistoric Porky (1940) Porky Pig as a caveman in the stone age and in search of a new fur suit encounters various prehistoric monsters, but has little difficulty until he meets a saber-tooth tiger. The latter is about to devour Porky but quietly walks away when he hears the pig’s pleas. Children should enjoy the cartoon. (MPD, Oct. 18, 1940) Porky gets back into prehistoric times, and although a few gags are present, it doesn’t come up to the usual average. (PE, Oct. 16, 1940)

Plot: Set in “One Billion, Trillion B.C. (A long time ago).” The latest issue of Expire, “The Magazine for Cavemen,” inspires caveman Porky to find a new wardrobe. He encounters various dinosaurs and a saber-toothed tiger. Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: Porky Pig

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

449

Director: Bob Clampett Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 7:14 Sniffles Takes a Trip (1940) Plot: A picaresque countryside adventure featuring Sniffles, Chuck Jones’s guileless little mouse voiced by Margaret Hill-Talbot. The central gag is that what looks inviting by day (trees, birds, insects, and the like) assumes a sinister aspect at night, scaring the daylights out of Sniffles. Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: Sniffles Mouse Producer: Leon Schlesinger Director: Charles M. Jones Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 8:18 Snow Man, The (1940) Plot: A monstrous snowman comes to life and menaces denizens of the South Pole. But he and his evil laugh are defeated by the heat that melts him. Notes: Animated cartoon Director: Mannie Davis Studio: Terrytoons Running time: 8 minutes Spook Speaks, The (1940) The mere fact that Buster Keaton is involved in a comedy that concerns spiritualism in a magician’s house suggests laughs. Keaton is employed as a caretaker while the magician goes on tour. A former assistant to the magician, in seeking to learn the latter’s secrets, tries to scare Keaton out. Newlyweds, the bride a spiritualist, also are on hand, as well as a trained penguin and the magician’s tools. There are many laughs. (MPD, Oct. 8, 1940) The zany comedy peculiar to Buster Keaton is prominent in this two-reel comedy staged in a magician’s house. Buster and Elsie Ames play a married couple who become caretakers of the house when the magician goes on tour. Mysterious things happen, naturally, but it is the Buster way, which, for the uninitiated, calls for much physical pummeling with Buster on the receiving end. He can take it. Other characters involved in the goings-on include a newly wedded couple, a rival magician, and a trained penguin. (MPH, Oct. 12, 1940) Audience reaction on this was fairly good. (PE, Sept. 4, 1940)

450 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Plot: An illusionist hires Buster (Buster Keaton) and Elsie (Elsie Ames) to protect his house from a snoopy former assistant. In the course of the evening, the caretakers are visited by affable newlyweds (the bride is a spiritualist), and the sneaky former assistant and his girlfriend. During a stormy night, as people dash here and there, upstairs and down, Buster and Elsie are scared witless. The gags include an aggressive boxing glove secreted behind a door panel, an omnipresent jug of moonshine, a collapsing chair, a floating skeleton, a burning candle stuck to somebody’s derriere, and a penguin under a sheet mistaken for a ghost. Starring: Buster Keaton, Elsie Ames, Don Beddoe, Dorothy Appleby, Lynton Brent, John Tyrrell, Bruce Bennett Producer: Jules White Director: Jules White Writer: Ewart Adamson, Clyde Bruckman Studio: Columbia Running time: 18:28 Spook Sport (1940) Another in the series of abstract shorts produced by Mary Ellen Bute, with camera work by Theodore J.  Nemeth. No human figures appear on the screen. Motion is represented by animated figures in color which are synchronized with the sound track to form an abstract blend of sight and sound. Experimental in nature, the subject will appeal to sophisticated audiences able to appreciate an attempt to create motion to accompany music. (FD, Aug. 5, 1940)

Plot: It is midnight; spooks, ghosts, and bats cavort in a “deserted graveyard.” Notes: Color, animated cartoon featuring the music Danse Macabre by SaintSaëns, as well as the subtitle A Graveyard Gambol. Animation by Norman McLaren. Producers: Mary Ellen Bute, Norman McLaren, Ted Nemeth Writers: Mary Ellen Bute, Norman McLaren Director: Mary Ellen Bute Studio: Ted Nemeth Studios-Expanding Cinema Running time: 7:56 Ugly Dino, The (1940) This Max Fleischer Stone Age cartoon is a variation of the ‘Ugly Duckling’ fable, the characters here being dinos instead of ducks. A brood of five dinos includes one black, abandoned by the family. However, when a huge tiger threatens the other four, the ‘Ugly Dino’ saves the day. (MPD, July 11, 1940)

Notes: Animated cartoon Director: Dave Fleischer Studio: Max Fleischer-Paramount Running time: 6:26

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

451

Universal Newsreel (1940) Plot: During the shooting of Black Friday (1940), Manly P. Hall purportedly puts his friend Bela Lugosi into a hypnotic trance on Stage 14 at Universal Studios, to enhance the realism of a scene in which the character played by Lugosi suffocates in a locked closet. Notes: This newsreel story, entitled Bela Lugosi Hypnotized, included “several shots” of Hall hypnotizing Lugosi. Starring: Bela Lugosi, Manly P.  Hall, Boris Karloff, Stanley Ridges, Graham McNamee (narrator) Studio: Universal Running time: 1 reel You’re Next! (1940) A mad professor believes he has found the formula for reversing the evolutionary process and turning men into gorillas. Walter Catlett, as a ‘star’ detective, undertakes to protect Roscoe Ates, the fiend’s next victim. The laughs begin when Ates, Catlett, and the latter’s assistants are trapped in the professor’s house. (MPD, June 10, 1940) Walter Catlett and Monte Collins, detectives, are on the trail of a criminal who is causing people to disappear. It turns out that the ‘criminal’ is only a demented professor, trying to serve drinks to people which he believes will turn men into gorillas. There’s a lot of nonsense with a gorilla, but the entire subject is too silly for the consumption of most audiences. (STR, June 15, 1940) Using the old gags, the ape, secret panels, underground tunnels, etc., this still results in being pretty funny and might even be called inspired in spots. Walter Catlett is a not-to-bright detective tracking a mad scientist, who might have stepped right out of a horror feature. GOOD. (MPE, Apr. 20, 1955 [Published at the time of the short’s reissue])

Plot: Inept private detectives Slocum and Pruitt (Walter Catlett and Monty Collins) are called to a mansion where the owner (Roscoe Ates) is being terrorized by a fiend who signs threatening notes “Baby Face Weasel.” Weasel turns out to be a demented scientist (John T.  Murray) who laments, “Civilization has been a complete failure.” So that humankind can start over, Weasel has invented a serum he calls “evolution in reverse.” Shortly, the homeowner vanishes and the detectives are braced by a gorilla—who, they are convinced, is their pal, Sam (Dudley Dickerson). Notes: The onscreen title of You’re Next! features an exclamation point, as opposed to mention of the film in the trade press. The mad scientist’s home features a laboratory and a skeleton. Starring: Walter Catlett, Monty Collins, Dudley Dickerson, Roscoe Ates, John T. Murray

452 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Producer: Hugh McCollum, Del Lord Director: Del Lord Writers: Elwood Ullman, Harry Edwards Studio: Columbia Running time: 17:22

1941 Brave Little Bat, The (1941) The rating of Fair [from this critic] is to be on the conservative side, since there is perhaps more adult appeal in this than children will find because of the rather fearsome appearance of the villainous cat and the too-close-to-be-comfortable moments when the cat almost gets the charming little mouse, which goes into an abandoned lighthouse and there meets a friendly little bat and is chased high up in the cob-webby rafters by that cat. (STR, Dec. 27, 1941)

Notes: Color, animated cartoon Starring: Sniffles Director: Charles (Chuck) Jones Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 7:45 Crystal Gazer, The (1941) A crowd is gathered in the theatre to listen to Zaza Raja, a renowned mystic, who answers all questions regarding one’s life and future. A young girl rises and asks a question. The psychic, wonder-gazing into his crystal ball, visions ancient Egypt. In search of the answer, he wanders off to the tombs of the great Pharaohs. Here many mummies help him solve the riddle of the young lady’s future. But just when the psychic snaps out of his spell, the audience becomes disappointed when he completely forgets the answer. (MPH, Nov. 8, 1941) A black-and-white cartoon, this reel has little to offer. A mystic offers to predict the future and invites the audience to submit questions. One lady offers a query, there is an involved flashback to Egypt and its mummies, but the mystic finally tells the lady not to mix whipped cream with potato salad. (MPD, Nov. 13, 1941)

Notes: Animated cartoon in which mummies come to life. Not to be confused with a 1930 live-action short with the same title (see entry). Writer: Rich Hogan Director: Sid Marcus Studio: Columbia Running time: 8 minutes

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

453

Exploring Space (1941) Made with the cooperation of the Hayden Planetarium, this subject presents an interesting, although somewhat fanciful picture of what may be the existing conditions on neighboring planets, as seen by an imaginary rocket ship racing through space. As an example of the wonders achieved at the planetarium with mirrors and lenses, it is very interesting. (MPD, Aug. 21, 1941)

Notes: This short was Columbia’s fifteenth “Cinescope” short. The studio released seventeen of them between 1939 and 1941. Starring: Gregory Abbott (narrator) Director: Fred Waller Studio: Columbia Running time: 9 minutes Ghost Treasures (1941) Carey Wilson delivers another superior short in this. It is an intensely interesting account of three incidents that, according to legend, occurred in Death Valley, each having to do with the wealth of gold which the Valley possesses, and the natural human instinct to obtain it in spite of the risk. In one instance, the persons finding the gold perished mysteriously; in another the finder was half-crazed by the sun and unable to find the treasure later; and the third took just the amount for his own needs and died with the secret. In color, the short should captivate any audience. (MPD, Aug. 11, 1941) Very outdoorsy, weird, and unique. (MPH, Nov. 1, 1941)

Notes: On Aug. 16, 1941, STR referred to this short by the title Ghost Treasure (1941). Director: Will Jason Studio: MGM Running time: 11 minutes Goofy Groceries (1941) Plot: Characters on product packaging come to life at a grocery store in the middle of the night. These include a massive gorilla who escapes from a box of animal crackers. A parody of Superman named “Superguy” tries to come to the rescue but is too scared to do anything. Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor Director: Bob Clampett Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 8:53

454 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Haiti, Land of Dark Majesty (1941) Historic landmarks of Haiti are revealed in the interesting Technicolor reel. Producer-Narrator James A. FitzPatrick explains the background of many of the island’s famous sites, thus affording the spectator a complete understanding of the particular subject being viewed. While the reel is not outstanding in any way, it compares favorably with other travel-talks and should fit nicely into any program. (STR, June 28, 1941)

Notes: Filmed in Technicolor, this short briefly discussed voodoo. MPH (July 9, 1941) rendered its title as Haiti–Land of Dark Majesty. Starring: James A. FitzPatrick (narrator) Producer: James A. FitzPatrick Studio: MGM Running time: 9 minutes Hands of Destiny (1941) Dr. Josef Ranald, palm reader, joins a train conversation and tells his fellow-travelers of foretelling a man’s destiny by hand analysis. He points out, with a chart, significant line variances in the hands of Benito Mussolini, Adolph Hitler, Winston Churchill, and President Roosevelt, explaining that he had interviewed each years ago, and in each case his prediction was borne out. The efficacy of palm reading might be disputed, but the subject should hold the interest of audiences. (MPD, July 17, 1941)

Starring: Dr. Josef Ranald Director: Al Christie Studio: Paramount Running time: 10 minutes Haunted Mouse, The (1941) In this Leon Schlesinger cartoon, a weary cat comes to the deserted Ghost Town in quest of food. Entering one of the empty houses, he is confronted by a ghost mouse. The rodent proceeds to get even with all cats in general by feeding the feline food, which disappears as the cat attempts to eat it. The mouse has a gay time at the cat’s expense, appearing and disappearing at will. This all ends, however, when a ghost-cat appears and frightens the rodent out of its wits. The subject maintains its snappy pace until the end. (STR, Mar. 15, 1941)

Plot: A bedraggled tomcat visits a ghost town in search of food, only to be tickled, tricked, and teased by a sassy little ghost mouse. The mouse’s final mischief, a hot foot, sends the cat hurtling through a window, and to his death. He returns as a ghost cat, and now the shoe is on the other foot. Notes: Animated cartoon Producer: Leon Schlesinger

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

455

Fig. 51  Cat vs. rodent in The Haunted Mouse (1941). (Courtesy Heritage Auctions)

Director: Fred (Tex) Avery Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 7:49 Hollywood Steps Out (1941) The action all takes place at Ciro’s. While some of the cartoon representations of Hollywood stars are unrecognizable, their voices easily identify them. (STR, June 21, 1941)

Notes: Populated by caricatures of nearly three dozen Hollywood luminaries, including Cary Grant, Humphrey Bogart, George Raft, the Three Stooges, Buster Keaton, Ann Sheridan, Harpo Marx, and Clark Gable. The horror element is a cameo by Frankenstein’s Monster, who stiffly dances the conga. Director: Fred (Tex) Avery Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 7 mins.

456 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Host to a Ghost (1941) This has Andy Clyde and Dudley Dickerson in a series of forced comedy situations which might possibly be considered funny by Clyde fans. The two are first seen building a house and after cavorting about for a spell abandon that trade in favor of the wrecking business. A slapstick adventure with a policeman and the haunted house routine. (MPD, Aug. 4, 1941) Andy Clyde is in the building business, but decides to change to the wrecking business when he is nailed inside a new house and the place has to be torn down to get him out. Andy’s first job is to wreck a haunted house. On the way, he and Henry, his [African-American] helper, have a series of misadventures with traffic police, and thus it’s nightfall when they reach the house. Things start happening from the moment they enter. A ghostly voice says the home used to be occupied by a Confederate general and later by a Union general and that every night the two re-fight the Civil War. So it seems, as the panic-stricken Andy and Henry are driven from corner to corner by shots, bugle calls and fierce bickerings of the generals. At dawn, the two discover most of the sounds come from phonograph records. As they laugh over their fears, real bullets pepper the house. Deputy sheriffs are closing in on crooks who make the place a hideout. As the criminals flee, Andy and Henry, now thoroughly fed up with the wrecking business, lead the way. (MPH, Aug. 9, 1941)

Notes: Spooky laughs, a person under a sheet, and a creepy claw emerging from a grandfather clock are among the scares. Remade by Columbia/Andy Clyde as One Spooky Night (1955). This comedy shares a title with an unrelated 1947 Edgar Kennedy short produced by RKO (see entry). Starring: Andy Clyde, Dudley Dickerson, Frank Mills, Monty Collins, Lew Kelly, Vernon Dent, Bud Jamison Producers: Hugh McCollum, Del Lord Director: Del Lord Writers: Elwood Ullman, Harry Edwards Studio: Columbia Running time: 16:58 Information Please, No. 8 (1941) Boris Karloff is the guest expert for this subject, which presumably explains the number of queries addressed to the identification of tombs, ghosts, murder victims, and ‘men in white.’ (MPD, Apr. 14, 1941) Karloff fails to remember the name of the man he killed in Frankenstein [1931]. (MPH, Apr. 19, 1941)

Starring: Boris Karloff Studio: RKO-Pathé Running time: 1 reel

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

457

Information Please, No. 12 (1941) Guest star of this issue is the screen’s ‘tycoon of terror,’ Boris Karloff, and naturally there is a standout question for him to try his teeth on, namely, a query on murders. (FD, Aug. 6, 1941)

Notes: This was Karloff’s second appearance in the Information Please series. According to MPH (July 26, 194), Karloff correctly answered a question about the meaning of a “zombie glass.” Starring: Boris Karloff, Oscar Levant Studio: RKO-Pathé Running time: 9 minutes Love at First Fright (July 25, 1941) Uncle Tadpole, who owned the biggest still in the hills, has ‘kicked the bucket.’ At the reading of the will, it is revealed that the still goes to Zeb Hatrack, a favorite nephew who had disappeared when he was three years old. The still goes to the McCunes if Zeb cannot be found. Old Man Hatrack hears a man using the name of Zeb (El Brendel) giving a lecture on the radio. He ‘captures’ Zeb and brings him home. Zeb walks right into the feuding hillbillies armed with bombs. When last seen, Zeb is being pursued by the Devil. (MPH, Aug. 23, 1941)

Starring: El Brendel Studio: Columbia Running time: 17 minutes Mechanical Monsters, The (1941) A small army of monstrous flying robots engaging in nefarious activities are controlled remotely by an unscrupulous inventor. When the inventor successfully raids a display of the world’s finest gems by means of his robots, Lois hides inside one of the robots. Clark changes into Superman and attacks the robot, but the mechanical monster escapes. Superman breaks into the inventor’s hideout, saves Lois from destruction in a cauldron of molten steel, and grabs the inventor when that individual attempts to commit suicide. (MPH, Dec. 27, 1941) Well named is Superman, who has the speed of a discharged bullet, X-ray eyes capable of penetrating metal, etc. In this, his second screen appearance for Paramount, he battles a small army of robots controlled by a villainous inventor after one of the ‘mechanical monsters’ takes to the air with a $50,000,000 jewelry haul. Upon defeating the army in short order, Superman zooms through the air and effects a nick-of-time rescue of the pretty feminine reporter who is suspended over a cauldron of liquid fire. (MPD, Dec. 22, 1941)

Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor Starring: Superman, Lois Lane

458 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Director: Dave Fleischer Studio: Max Fleischer-Paramount Running time: 10:12 Monsters of the Deep (1941) The noted fisherman, Michael Lerner, goes angling for deep water fish off the coasts of Chile and Peru. Although somewhat long for this type of reel, there are plenty of exciting moments, particularly when a giant broadbill swordfish is landed. Included, too, are underwater shots of a battle between an octopus and a shark. (MPD, Dec. 26, 1941)

Starring: Knox Manning (narrator) Director: Bob Edge Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 20 minutes More About Nostradamus (1941) The prophecies of the French seer of the 16th century are dramatized by Carey Wilson in a dramatic sequel to the original Nostradamus of two years ago. The film first depicts dramatically the death of the nobleman who desecrated Nostradamus’ tomb, just as predicted. It then follows Nostradamus’ book of predictions, Prophetic Centuries, and depicts how they are borne out in such historical developments as Britain’s defeat of the Spanish armada, the World War, and various episodes in the second World War. Nostradamus also wrote of the U.S. entry into the present war and of a vanquished German nation. The effect is startling. (MPD, Feb. 17, 1941)

Notes: More About Nostradamus was Oscar-nominated in the Best Short Subject category. Starring: Carey Wilson (narrator), John Burton (Nostradamus), Hans Conried (Feliz Paretti), Jimmy Dime (gravedigger) Writer: Carl Dudley, Franco Bruno-Averardi Director: David Miller Studio: MGM Running time: 11 minutes Movie Magic (1941) The subject matter in this Cinescope should fascinate audiences. First, the manufacturing methods of ‘kissable’ lipstick are shown, and the reel concludes with a sequence which shows Floyd B. Thayer, inventor and manufacturer of magical paraphernalia used by magicians, busy at work in his laboratory. Many of the tricks are performed, but their secrets are not revealed. (STR, Mar. 29, 1941)

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

459

Starring: Eugene Francis (narrator) Producer: Willard Van Der Veer Studio: Columbia Running time: 10 minutes Nix on Hypnotricks (1941) Olive is completely bewitched by a hypnotist’s voice over the telephone and, at his bidding, sets out to meet him at his apartment. Popeye follows her, seeing to it that automobiles miss her as she walks in her trance. On more than one occasion, when Olive is walking along a roof edge, Popeye yanks an adjacent building within reach so that she can continue in her trance quite safely. When they approach a hypnotist’s window. Popeye swallows his spinach and practically demolishes the charlatan. (MPH, Dec. 27, 1941)

Plot: The hypnotist is named Professor I. Stare. Notes: Animated cartoon. A variant of an earlier Fleischer Popeye cartoon, A Dream Walking (1935; see entry). Director: Dave Fleischer Studio: Max Fleisher-Paramount Running: 7 minutes Ready, Willing, but Unable (1941) Plot: Pals El Brendel and Tom Kennedy accidentally run over a male mannequin, assume they’ve killed somebody, and then scramble for a place to get rid of the “victim.” Mistaking a seminary for a cemetery, the boys scare the night watchman (Dudley Dickerson), frighten the headmistress (Anne O’Neal), and assume that a dormitory packed with sleeping female students is a morgue. After a lot of screaming and running around, the mannequin is misplaced, and the boys come close to burying Dickerson, and even O’Neal (who falls down a well instead). Finally, a talking parrot hops inside the dummy’s head and toddles around behind Dickerson. Note: This is a remake of Wreckety Wrecks (1933). It was later remade with the Three Stooges as Three Pests in a Mess (1945; see entry). Starring: El Brendel, Tom Kennedy, Anne O’Neal, Dudley Dickerson, Jack Norton, Bud Jamison Producers: Hugh McCollum, Del Lord Director: Del Lord Writer: Elwood Ullman Studio: Columbia Running time: 16:24

460 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Robinson Crusoe Jr. (1941) Plot: Porky is shipwrecked on a remote island and encounters cannibals. Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: Porky Pig Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 7:16 Robot Wrecks (1941) The ‘Our Gang’ kids in this issue of the series, construct a mechanical man to do their chores for them. Working with discarded radio tubes, stove pipes, inner tubes and rubber boots, the gang builds what looks like a robot but when they try to make it work, it refuses to move. Slicker, the gang’s arch enemy, helps Boxcar squeeze inside the mechanical man while the gang is away and when they return, he tells them he has used an invisible ray to make it work. The robot causes all kind of damage before the gang discovers Boxcar is the cause. (MPH, Aug. 9, 1941)

Plot: Inspired by a department-store demonstration of a robot named Volto, the Gang builds one of their own—but it doesn’t work until “pal” Slicker (Fred Walburn) sells the kids a box of “invisible rays.” The Gang’s robot goes berserk in Froggy’s yard, destroying flower beds and generally making a mess. When Froggy’s dad comes home, he shows the kids that the robot works only because Slicker’s pal Boxcar has squeezed himself inside. Note: Child actor Mickey Gubitosi joined the Our Gang cast in 1939. He soon called himself Bobby Blake and found steady feature work as a child actor. After changing his name to Robert Blake in the late 1950s, he had a successful film and television career, most visibly in TV’s Baretta (1975–78). Starring: Our Gang (George “Spanky” McFarland, Billy “Froggy” Laughlin, Billie “Buckwheat” Thomas, Darla Hood, Mickey Gubitosi, Fred Walburn, Billy Ray “Boxcar” Smith) and Emmett Vogan, Billy Bletcher Director: Edward L. Cahn Writers: Hal Law, Robert A. McGowan Studio: MGM Running time: 10:54 Sockeroo (1941) Laugh Loaded. If the public wants belly laughs here’s one that should satisfy the demand. Maxie Rosenbloom as a college student … Rosenbloom consents to return to the ring for a benefit fight, but he is hypnotized to believe he is a poet. His opponent knocks him all over the ring until the last round when he is restored mentally as a fighter and wins a knockout. The campus and classroom scenes are especially good. (FD, May 21, 1941)

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

461

Notes: An entry in the “Broadway Brevity” series. Starring: Maxie Rosenbloom Director: B. Reeves Eason Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 21 minutes Superman (1941) Plot: In this Technicolor, animated cartoon, Superman battles a mad scientist who has invented an electrical death ray. Notes: Animated cartoon, filmed in Technicolor Starring: Superman, Lois Lane Director: Dave Fleischer Studio: Max Fleischer-Paramount Running time: 10:27 Sweet Spirits of Nighter (1941) If a comedy seems a little too silly to an adult, there can be consolation in the fact that the kiddies will enjoy it. In the case of Sweet Spirits of Nighter, however, the subject matter is not only foolish and senile but is also in bad taste, dealing as it does with two detectives, El Brendel and Tom Kennedy, who are assigned to investigate strange goings-on in a cemetery. There they encounter a crazy professor who is trying to restore life to the dead. Much of the action centers around the state of affairs when the experimental victim comes to life and nearly scares the detectives out of their wits. He’ll scare the children in any audience, too, which makes this definitely a comedy from which youngsters should be barred. And only adults with an extremely strong taste for senseless slapstick will find it amusing. (STR, Jan. 24, 1942)

Plot: El and Tom are bumbling private cops dispatched to investigate a rash of grave robbing. The culprit is a nutty scientist (Lew Kelly) who can reanimate the dead. Frightened inside the scientist’s creepy house, El and Tom hide beneath a rug, only to be joined by the zombie. Note: This is a remake of the 1936 Tom Kennedy and Monty Collins short, Midnight Blunders (see entry). Some sources give the short’s title as Sweet Spirits of the Nighter, but the title shown above is correct. The wording is a play on “sweet spirits of nitre,” a once-popular chemical compound in alcohol, ethyl nitrite, used as a diuretic and a diaphoretic. Starring: El Brendel, Tom Kennedy, Lew Kelly, Frank Lackteen, Vernon Dent, Bud Jamison, Duke York Producers: Hugh McCollum, Del Lord Director: Del Lord Writers: Harry Edwards, Al Giebler Studio: Columbia Running time: 16:01

462 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Tell-Tale Heart, The (1941) Based on Edgar Allan Poe’s story of a murderer’s battle with his conscience, this two reel special features Joseph Schildkraut, Academy Award-­winning actor, and Roman Bohnen. Schildkraut, the Young Man, a servant, becomes stiff with fear whenever Bohnen, the Old Man, approaches. He can always expect a beating from his master. The Old Man taunts the servant, [and] calls him a coward. The servant sneaks into the master’s room that night and strangles him to death. The ticking of the clock, the dripping of the water from the rainspout are ‘heart beats’ magnified many times over in the servant’s ears. With the morning comes the sheriff, but the servant has covered his tracks well. Then the beating starts again and the frantic servant confesses. (MPH, Nov. 8, 1941) Reminiscent of the silent films in its paucity of speech and in letting the action largely speak for itself, A [sic] Tell-Tale Heart is a ‘different’ kind of short. In point of compression, Jules Dassin, the director, has skillfully translated a short story to the screen in literal form. From a viewpoint of entertainment, discriminating audiences will probably be more impressed than the general. … Action, speech, silences, and sound effects in combination develop the story and sustain a definite mood. … The novelty of the film and the names of the author and leading actors are merchandising assets. (MPD, Nov. 4, 1941) Although certain outstanding short subjects have been winning Academy Awards since the season of 1931–32, only in two instances in the same category have Special Awards been made: 1931–32 — Walt Disney, for the creation of Mickey Mouse; 1935–36— The March of Time, as a distinct novelty. When all the subjects for 1941–42 come up for consideration, surely The Tell-Tale Heart will merit similar recognition for elevating the quality of the short subject beyond that of most features, for setting a new standard in short subject production, direction and acting. Here is, indeed, a miniature masterpiece whose mood of terror and suspense is tautly maintained throughout. Edgar Allan Poe’s story, familiar to most people, is an engrossing study of a murderer’s battle with his conscience. The final heart beats of his victim continue to throb in the killer’s brain until, with the discovery of the body, he is released from his relentless conscience. Few performances Joseph Schildkraut has ever essayed in feature-length productions can excel in sheer emotional power [to] his portrayal in this picture. Although capably supported by Roman Bohnen, he is the ‘whole show.’ Much credit is due [to] Director Jules Dassin for his skillful handling of a difficult assignment, and to Doan Hoag for a laudable script. If proof is needed that the short subject is becoming a powerful and persuasive force in screen entertainment, The Tell-Tale Heart can readily supply it; a few more subjects of this caliber and so-called ‘second features’ will be doomed. (STR, Nov. 15, 1941)

Starring: Joseph Schildkraut, Roman Bohnen Director: Jules Dassin Writer: Doan Hoag (adaptation of the Edgar Allan Poe short story) Studio: MGM Running time: 20 minutes

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

463

Third Dimensional Murder (1941) Here is another of the very amusing third-dimensional subjects known as Metroscopics which MGM introduced recently. The illusion of depth is created when patrons look upon the screen through colored lenses. The result is extremely effective. A Pete Smith special, this has a man summoned to a mysterious house, where he meets a witch, the Green Archer, Frankenstein, and others. The witch’s spider, the archer’s arrow and such are thrown at the man and actually appear to leave the screen and land on the audience. (MPD, Feb. 17, 1941)

Notes: Also known as Murder in 3-D. This short also features a chattering skull and a clutching hand. Starring: Pete Smith (voiceover) Writer: Jerry Hoffman Director: George Sidney Studio: MGM Running time: 6:57

1942 All Work and No Pay (1942) Notes: After first being scared by a horrifying radio show about a “Tiger Man,” Andy encounters a gorilla on an ocean liner. Starring: Andy Clyde, Frank Lackteen, Duke York Director: Del Lord Studio: Columbia Running time: 15:30 Arctic Giant, The (1942) There is unquestionable [sic] a large reader following for this comic strip miracle man of muscle. The youngsters and undoubtedly many adults who follow his fantastic exploits will be duly impressed by the manner in which he rescues a city from the ravages of an escaped prehistoric monster of gigantic proportions. (MPD, Mar. 9, 1942)

Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor Starring: Superman, Lois Lane Writer: Bill Turner, Tedd Pierce Director: Dave Fleischer Studio: Paramount Running time: 8:34

464 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Fig. 52  The Arctic Giant (1942) is tamed by Superman. (Courtesy Heritage Auctions)

Bats in the Belfry (1942) Three bats of graduated size hold forth in the belfry and contend that the zaniness generally credited to their species is due to the periodic ringing of the bells. In a ‘round the clock’ rhyme they relate their grievances building up to the terrors that accompany the ringing of 12 o’clock. There is a little too much mugging of the cartoon characters, with the result that the thinly spread comedy action never quite registers. (STR, July 18, 1942)

Notes: Color, animated cartoon Studio: MGM Running time: 6:57 Billion Dollar Limited (1942) Plot: Superman defeats a band of masked robbers who steal a gold shipment. During the theft, Lois Lane uses a machine gun against them. Notes: Animated cartoon, filmed in Technicolor Starring: Superman, Lois Lane

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

465

Director: Dave Fleischer Studio: Max Fleischer-Paramount Running time: 8:36 Blitz Wolf (1942) Plot: In the nation of Pigmania, Sergeant Pork is the only one of the Three Little Pigs who prepares for war against predatory Adolf Wolf. When Pigmania is invaded and the pigs finally band together, their artillery literally blows Adolf Wolf to Hell, which seems sinister and very hot. Notes: Color, animated cartoon. Blitz Wolf was nominated for an Academy Award. Starring: Sergeant Pork, Adolf Wolf, Frank Graham (narrator) Writer: Rich Hogan Director: Fred (Tex) Avery Studio: MGM Running time: 9:50 Bugs Bunny Gets the Boid (1942) Plot: Mama Buzzard sends her brood out to fetch food; reluctant young Killer (imagined à la radio’s Mortimer Snerd) happens upon Bugs Bunny, who is more than Killer can handle. Bugs falls into a gruesome mass of cow bones and becomes convinced he’s dead. After much wailing and finally coming to his senses (“Ahh, I knew it all the time!”), Bugs spins the buzzard into the same bones, giving the bird an identical existential scare. Notes: Color, animated cartoon Starring: Bugs Bunny, Mama Buzzard Writer: Warren Foster Director: Robert Clampett Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 7:24 Bulleteers, The (1942) Superman performs his usual stunts, this time flying through space and stopping a bullet shaped projectile which demolishes whole buildings as it hits them with terrific speed. It should certainly sustain the interest of the millions of Superman fans, despite its similarity to its predecessors. The subject has plenty of interest in it. (STR, May 2, 1942)

Notes: In this Technicolor cartoon, Superman defeats a trio of mad scientists who operate a “bullet car” that can destroy buildings. Starring: Superman, Lois Lane

466 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Director: Dave Fleischer Studio: Paramount Running time: 8:01 Cartoon Travesty on the Raven, A (1942) The annual Fleischer two-reel cartoon this year is a burlesque on Edgar Allan Poe’s famous story, The Raven. In this version, the Raven is a vacuum cleaner salesman who meets up with his old pal, the Fox. Together they go to a neighboring Scottie ostensibly to sell him a vacuum cleaner. But while the Raven is practicing his blandishments on Scottie, the Fox is robbing the safe. But the vacuum cleaner goes berserk during the demonstration and among other results, this spoils the plans of the Fox. To the Raven’s surprise, the Scottie buys a cleaner when he finds that the machine has foiled the Fox and lodged him in the clutches of the law. (STR, May 2, 1942)

Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor, which was referred to in STR simply by the title The Raven. Director: Dave Fleischer Studio: Fleischer-Paramount Running time: 14 and 1/2 minutes Case of the Missing Hare (1942) When a magician seeks a volunteer to help him perform his tricks, that ne’er-dowell extrovert, that long-eared, carrot-chomping Bugs Bunny disguises himself, [and] offers his services. Before the act is over, Bugs is performing the magic, with the bewildered and half-crazy magician acting as his stooge. (STR, Jan. 23, 1943) When [Ala Bahma] insists on tacking signs on the door of Bugs Bunny’s tree home, he is heading for trouble. Bugs gets even when he takes over Ala’s magic act on the stage of the theatre and makes the magician his stooge. (MPD, Dec. 31, 1942)

Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor Starring: Bugs Bunny, Ala Bahma Writer: Tedd Pierce Director: Charles (Chuck) Jones Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 8:11

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

467

Crazy Cruise (1942) Plot: “Travelogue” cartoon humorously invokes a variety of exotic scenes and wildlife, including zebras that drink from an incongruous water fountain; a carnivorous plant that makes the mistake of trying to eat a bee; and cute little rabbits menaced by a buzzard Hunters are led on safari into a lair of razortoothed cannibals, where they’re somehow shrunken and packed like cigarettes (presumably, to be enjoyed later). Notes: Color, animated cartoon. A pan shot of the Egyptian desert includes not just the Sphinx but sand-colored versions of the Trylon and Perisphere, key architectural elements of the 1939 New York World’s Fair. Starring: Robert C. Bruce (narrator), Bugs Bunny (cameo) Writer: Michael Maltese Director: Fred (Tex) Avery and Robert Clampett Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 6:37 Destruction Inc. (1942) Plot: Superman defeats a group of wartime saboteurs who plan to blow up an American bomb factory. Notes: Animated cartoon, filmed in Technicolor Starring: Superman, Lois Lane Director: I. Sparber Studio: Famous Studios-Paramount Running time: 8:33 Don’t Lie (1942) Plot: Buckwheat can’t stop telling lies, and when he claims he’s seen a monkey near the local haunted house, Spanky and Mickey decide to scare Buckwheat by confronting him with Froggy in a monkey outfit. The monkey seen by Buckwheat is real (freed in a circus-train derailment), so Froggy’s antics inside the creepy house lead to mistaken identity and chaos. Starring: Our Gang (George “Spanky” McFarland, Billie “Buckwheat” Thomas, Billy “Froggy” Laughlin, Mickey Gubitosi) and Billy Curtis (Melinda), Emmett Vogan Director: Edward L. Cahn Writers: Hal Law, Robert A. McGowan Studio: MGM Running time: 10:46

468 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Electric Earthquake, The (1942) In this, Superman tangles with the devices of a mad inventor who has rigged up electric energy for the destruction of New  York. The inventor has Lois Lane bound in a chair to witness the procedure. To the rescue comes Superman who finds the connecting wires on the river bottom and proceeds to make harmless the destructive current released from the submarine laboratory. He catches up with the inventor who is trying to escape and leave Lois to a terrible fate in the now crumbling laboratory and everything resumes serenity as Superman dons his Clark Kent character and escorts Lois to a vantage point overlooking the metropolis. (STR, June 27, 1942)

Notes: From his undersea command center, a bitter Native American scientist—a stand-in for Germans and Japanese in this wartime cartoon—insists that Manhattan be vacated and returned to his people. When the demand is dismissed, the scientist creates a terrible earthquake that sunders streets, tears apart skyscrapers, and threatens port facilities. Reporter Lois Lane, captured after stowing away on the scientist’s speedboat, is forced to watch. Starring: Superman, Lois Lane Director: Dave Fleischer Studio: Max Fleischer-Paramount Running time: 8:42 Eleventh House (1942) Plot: Superman rescues Lois Lane from the Japanese military. Notes: Animated cartoon, filmed in Technicolor Starring: Superman, Lois Lane Director: Dan Gordon Studio: Famous Studios-Paramount Running time: 8:57 Fraidy Cat (1942) A modest number of laughs are to be had in this session with Tom Cat and Jerry Mouse. The prankster mouse scares his playmate with the use of a white sheet and the like. The victim, after losing some of his nine lives, catches on and then comes the chase. (MPD, Jan. 30, 1942) Tom the Cat and Jerry the Mouse are back again and at it again. This time Tom has been listening to spook stories on the radio and is scared of anything unusual. Jerry sees this and takes advantage of it, and as usual Tom comes to grief, with Jerry laughing up his sleeve over the discomfiture of his persecutor. The animation is excellent and there are plenty of good laughs. (STR, Feb. 7, 1942)

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

469

Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor, in which Tom becomes scared of a pulsating ghost that Jerry creates with a white nightshirt and a vacuum cleaner. Starring: Tom and Jerry Director: William Hanna, Joseph Barbera Studio: MGM Running time: 7 minutes Frankenstein’s Cat (1942) Plot: Frankenstein’s cat lives in an old castle, which he leaves in pursuit of a bird. Various woodland animals like birds and mice storm the castle with torches, but to no avail. Super Mouse thus comes to the rescue, fending off the cat and some vampire bats. Notes: Animated cartoon, filmed in Technicolor Starring: Super Mouse (later known as Mighty Mouse) Studio: Terrytoons 20th Century Fox Running time: 6 minutes Further Prophecies of Nostradamus (1942) Here’s Nostradamus again and, with intelligent presentation of the subject … [it] makes good copy. In recent issues Wilson illustrated how the predictions of the 16th century French seer materialized. In this he depicts a photostat copy of the original Nostradamus book of prophecies, follows through on the method of interpretation, and then points out recent developments in the present war which have borne out the predictions. At the outset, Nostradamus is pictured as an outstanding scientist who, following the death of his wife and children, undertakes to look into the future. (MPD, May 18, 1942)

Starring: Carey Wilson (narrator), John Burton (as Nostradamus), Harold Miller Writer: Carl Dudley Director: David Miller Studio: MGM Running time: 11 minutes Hare Brained Hypnotist, The (1942) Bugs Bunny is too elusive to be caught with a gun, so Elmer tries hypnosis. Bugs’ hypnotic powers equal Elmer’s, so the device is of no avail. In Technicolor. (MPD, Nov. 18, 1942)

Plot: Emboldened because he’s hypnotized a bear he encounters in the forest, Elmer Fudd tries to mesmerize Bugs Bunny—who has more resistance than

470 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Elmer imagines. Inevitably, Bugs hypnotizes Elmer into thinking he’s the rabbit. Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor Starring: Bugs Bunny, Elmer Fudd Director: I. [Isadore] Freleng Writer: Michael Maltese Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 7 minutes Hungry Wolf, The (1942) This is an unusually entertaining cartoon about a shivering, hungry wolf and a little rabbit who pops in from the storm. The thought of the visitor, roasted and on a platter, enters the mind of the wolf. The naïve victim-to-be chatters about being fatherless, and the tender-hearted wolf foregoes the meal, but as it turns out is rewarded with a feast at the rabbit’s home. It’s very well done in color. (MPD, Feb. 24, 1942)

Notes: Animated cartoon, filmed in color Director: Hugh Harman, Robert Allen Studio: MGM Running time: 9:13 Impatient Patient, The (1942) Plot: While trying to deliver a telegram in Ookaboochie Swamp to someone named Chloe, Daffy is overcome by hiccups. (The setup is a riff on “Chlo-e: Song of the Swamp,” a popular show tune from 1927.) Ah, a doctor’s house, dead ahead. Never mind that the place belongs to Dr. Jerkyl and that strange things are going on inside. The doc is a mild, red-headed fellow who decides he can scare Daffy’s hiccups away. A quick mix of a cocktail (combining Flit, mothballs, India ink, and soda water), a fast stir (the spoon dissolves in Jerkyl’s hand), and then a big swig. Although still ginger-haired, Jerkyl is now immense. “Duhh, I’m Chloe,” he says. “Let’s you and me wrassle.” Daffy quickly reads the telegram aloud, a birthday greeting from Frank N.  Stein, and then spends the cartoon’s remaining two minutes running for his life. Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: Daffy Duck Producer: Leon Schlesinger Director: Norman McCabe Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 7:44

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

471

Incredible Stranger, The (1942) Highly competent handling makes this newest of the John Nesbitt series a fascinating subject. The strange story concerns ‘the stranger,’ a newcomer to a small town some years ago, who mystifies the townsfolk by his odd behavior. It unfolds with [an] emphasis on suspense. In a dramatic climax, ‘the incredible stranger’ is found to be suffering mentally from the sudden death of his wife and family and is cured by a little kindness. (MPD, June 15, 1942)

Plot: In a western town called Bridgewood in 1892, a man who has commissioned the construction of a large new house arrives and moves in alone, revealing nothing about himself. Snoopy townsfolk become intrigued when the stranger stops at the general store to take delivery of expensive clothing suited for a young woman and a little boy and little girl—intrigued because no one but the stranger has ever gone in or out of the house. When the local doctor’s carriage returns to town without him, citizens convinced of foul play descend upon the stranger’s house, where they discover an odd tableau: life-size “wooden dolls,” dressed in the new clothes, carefully arrayed around a Christmas tree. Doc explains that the stranger lost his family in a house fire and came to Bridgewood because his wife had left there to marry him. Starring: John Nesbitt (narrator), Paul Guilfoyle (the stranger), Walter Baldwin (Doc), Dorothy Vaughan Writer: Douglas Foster Director: Jack [Jacques] Tourneur Studio: MGM Running time: 10:24 Japoteurs, The (1942) Plot: Superman defeats a Japanese spy who steals an American bomber. Notes: Animated cartoon, filmed in Technicolor Starring: Superman, Lois Lane Director: Seymour Kneitel Studio: Famous Studios-Paramount Running time: 9:05 Jasper and the Haunted House (1942) This amusing and original cartoon is a Technicolor puppet production in which [an African-American] boy named Jasper is tricked into entering a haunted house so that a scarecrow and his friend, a crow, may steal the pie which Jasper is taking to the Deacon. Upon hearing a ghost, all three inside the piano, and take a terrific beating when the spirit proceeds to rap out some violent boogie woogie. This will particularly please juvenile audiences. (MPD, Nov. 10, 1942)

472 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Notes: Filmed in Technicolor Starring: Jasper, Scarecrow, Blackbird Producer: George Pal Studio: Paramount Running time: 7 minutes Jasper and the Watermelons (1942) Plot: Lured to a forbidden watermelon patch by Scarecrow and Blackbird, Jasper eats too many and imagines being chased and scolded by watermelons with scowling faces. Notes: This Jasper stop-motion Madcap Models Puppetoon was filmed in Technicolor. The horror content is about 40 percent of short’s running time; it’s staged like a carefully choreographed musical, with angry, neatly arrayed watermelon creatures singing and dancing very close to the scared Jasper and his companions. Starring: Jasper, Scarecrow, Blackbird Producer: George Pal Director: George Pal Studio: MGM Running time: 7:31 Lights Out (1942) Gandy Goose in the Army and bedded down beside a tough sergeant. The Goose is troubled with nightmares that place himself and the sergeant as guests of a wacky lady who presides over a housefull [sic] of ghosts. Gandy and the sergeant try their best to get away from the spooks and are given a merry chase through the weird halls of the haunted house, finally landing behind the bars. They awaken to find their heads stretched through the bars of the bed end and the sergeant expresses the wish that Gandy leave him out of all future dreams. (STR, July 18, 1942)

Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor. The ghostly story turns out to be a dream. Starring: Gandy Goose, Sourpuss Writer: John Foster Director: Eddie Donnelly Studio: 20th Century Fox Running time: 7 minutes Magnetic Telescope, The (1942) Here’s Superman again this time fighting not men from Mars or some other planet but an inhabitant of the earth who has invented a method of attracting

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

473

planets to the earth. It looks as though the earth is in for a bad time of it until Superman gets busy with his superhuman powers and pushes the planets back into the sky where they belong. (STR, May 2, 1942)

Plot: A violently spitting comet attracted to Earth by a reckless astronomer flattens bridges and buildings, and is nearly more than Superman can handle. With a useful assist from Lois Lane, Superman sends the thing back into space. Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor Starring: Superman, Lois Lane Writer: Dan Gordon Director: Dave Fleischer Studio: Max Fleischer-Paramount Running time: 7:38 Mouse of Tomorrow, The (1942) Super-Mouse and his supernatural powers, gained by a trip to a modern supermarket and a meal of super-cheese, comes to the rescue of his fellow mice at the mercy of the cats of the community. (MPD, Nov. 23, 1942)

Plot: In a town dominated by cats, the mouse population is under siege—terrorized, pursued, gassed (with Flit), collected, and presumably eaten by the dozens. One little mouse hides inside a “Super Market,” where he feeds himself on Super Soup, Super Celery, and Super Cheese. Fortified, he becomes an invulnerable, costumed Super Mouse, who frees the captive mice and routs the cats. Grim and curiously metaphoric wartime origin of Mighty Mouse concerns itself with the horrors of genocide, becoming one of the most insistently political animated cartoons of its day. Writer: John Foster Director: Eddie Donnelly Studio: 20th Century Fox Running time: 6:28 Phoney Cronies (1942) Plot: Inept movers Oley (El Brendel) and Tom (Tom Kennedy) destroy the belongings of a gout-ridden grouch (Monty Collins) and are later tricked into delivering a pair of thieves to the inside of a museum via crates. Oley and Tom, plus their bookkeeper, Petty Larsen (Dudley Dickerson), are scared witless by various museum artifacts and repeated run-ins with the crooks. Note: A 16mm print struck for home use gives the title as Phoney Cronies (with an “e” in Phoney), but original-release lobby cards say Phony Cronies. Starring: El Brendel, Tom Kennedy, Monty Collins, Dudley Dickerson Producers: Hugh McCollum, Del Lord Director: Harry Edwards

474 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Writer: Harry Edwards Studio: Columbia Running time: 16:12 Popular Science (1942) A good portion of the footage in this is given to the development of an x-ray camera which pictures the organs of the body in action, and not alone in still form. The especially designed motion picture camera brings into view the process of digestion, among other things. This is especially interesting, and the other items in the short also are good. (MPD, June 3, 1942)

Notes: Paramount’s Popular Science shorts series spanned 1939–45 and eighty-three installments. This is No. J1-5. Starring: Gayne Whitman (narrator) Studio: Paramount Running time: 11 minutes Showdown (1942) Plot: A crook dresses as Superman, but the real superhero exposes his “double” and the mob boss who planned the scheme. The mob boss has a secret trapdoor in his office. Notes: Animated cartoon, filmed in Technicolor Starring: Superman, Lois Lane Director: I. Sparber Studio: Famous Studios-Paramount Running time: 8:20 Sleep Walker, The (1942) Pluto is joined in sleepwalking by a lady dachshund, handing over his bones to her when asleep but accusing her of robbery when awake. A litter of five puppies, however, arouses his protective instincts, and he gives up his house to them in a storm. (MPH, Aug. 22, 1942)

Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor Starring: Pluto Director: Clyde Geronimi Studio: Walt Disney-RKO Running time: 6:49

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

475

Fig. 53  Walt Disney’s Pluto is The Sleep Walker (1942). (Courtesy Heritage Auctions)

Terror on the Midway (1942) Lois Lane is busy photographing the acts at [the] circus when a gorilla escapes. The crowd is thrown into a frozen fear as the gorilla hurls cages around and runs after a group of children. Lions and tigers breaking loose doesn’t help the situation any, and just as the gorilla has Lois trapped atop a trapeze platform Superman comes to the rescue, captures the gorilla, lions and other escaped animals and restores peace and order to the big top. Superman fans will enjoy this. (STR, Aug. 22, 1942)

476 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Notes: Animated cartoon, filmed in Technicolor. Contemporaneous audiences were well aware of the massive Congolese gorilla called Gargantua, a star attraction of the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus during 1937–49. Starring: Superman, Lois Lane Writer: Jay Morton, Dan Gordon Director: Dave Fleischer Studio: Max Fleischer-Paramount Running time: 8:20 Vanishing Private, The (1942) Plot: G. I. Donald Duck helps himself to “invisible paint” from the Camouflage Corps’ experimental lab and paints a mammoth artillery piece into invisibility—and then paints himself, much to the consternation of his foul-tempered sergeant. After bad encounters with a cactus, hand grenades, and a general’s sword, the Sarge ends up jailed and in a straitjacket—and guarded by the now-visible Donald. Notes: Animated cartoon, filmed in Technicolor Starring: Donald Duck (voice by Clarence Nash), the sergeant (Billy Bletcher), the general (John McLeish) Producer: Walt Disney, for Walt Disney Productions Director: Jack King Story: Carl Barks Studio: RKO Running time: 7:07 Volcano (1942) Plot: Superman saves the day after a volcano erupts. Notes: Animated cartoon, filmed in Technicolor Starring: Superman, Lois Lane Director: Dave Fleischer Studio: Max Fleischer-Paramount Running time: 7:56

1943 Boobs in the Night (1943) El Brendel and his pal, Bill, attempt carpet-laying, and in doing so, supply most of the laughs in this amusing slapstick comedy. For added thrills, the two are cast as wardens, who, in investigating a fully-lit house during a blackout, find themselves part of an adventure familiar to mystery story fans, who revel in plots containing a mad professor, a robot, and a guillotine. (MPD, June 9, 1943)

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

477

Plot: Air raid wardens El and Monty check out a creepy house, where they run afoul of crazy men who (inexplicably) have designs on El’s brain. Note: Remade in 1950 with the Three Stooges as Dopey Dicks (see entry). Starring: El Brendel, Monty Collins, Charles Middleton, Frank Lackteen Producers: Hugh McCollum, Del Lord Director: Del Lord Writers: Elwood Ullman, Monty Collins Studio: Columbia Running time: 16:50 Boogie Woogie Man Will Get You if You Don’t Watch Out (1943) Another of those swell Technicolor show-dressers pointed for the jive fans. This time it is a ghost convention broadcasting an appeal for membership on a ghost to ghost hook-up. The Boogie Woogie delegates from Harlem give out with hepantics until the clock strikes and they take a ghost powder. It is a very pleasing and well produced musical cartoon. (STR, Oct. 9, 1943)

Plot: As the sun sets on a Western ghost town, the Spook of the Month Club Swing Convention perks to life. Tablecloths and other white linen become jolly spirits that Lindy Hop to music by Spook Jones and His Creep Crooners. Come 5:00 a.m., the celebratory banners fade from Main Street and the ghosts end their revel. Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor Director: Shamus Culhane Writer: Ben Hardaway, Milt Schaffer Studio: Universal Running time: 6:32 Coal Black and de Sebben Dwarfs (1943) Plot: This adaptation of Snow White features African-American characters in the roles. Snow White (renamed herein as “So White”) encounters a poisoned apple sent by a wicked queen. Versions of the seven dwarfs also appear. Notes: Animated cartoon featuring offensive stereotypes. Producer: Leon Schlesinger Director: Robert Clampett Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 7:32

478 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Dizzy Detectives (1943) Plot: Three rookie cops are assigned to round up the fearsome “Ape Man” gang that’s terrorizing the city. Much of the humor of this pleasingly mild “spook” comedy is rooted in the Three Stooges’ misapprehension about the gorilla: they are convinced the perp is a crook in a costume, but no, the gorilla is very real. Most of the action plays out at night inside a shadowed office building. Starring: Moe Howard, Curly Howard, Larry Fine (the Three Stooges), John Tyrrell, Bud Jamison, Ray “Crash” Corrigan (the gorilla) Producer: Jules White Director: Jules White Writer: Felix Adler Studio: Columbia Running time: 18:33 Falling Hare (1943) Plot: Bugs Bunny runs afoul of one of the teeny critters at an Army airfield and is treated to a scarifying plane ride that nearly kills him. One of the few Bugs adventures in which the intrepid bunny is at a complete loss—he’s essentially defenseless before the gremlin’s malevolent mischief—Falling Hare flirts with horror by taking events entirely from Bugs’s hands and transforming him into a helpless prop. At the conclusion, the vertically crash-diving plane suddenly halts, inches from the ground—out of gas! Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: Bugs Bunny Producer: Leon Schlesinger Director: Robert Clampett Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 8:26 Fly in the Ointment, The (1943) The familiar story of the spider and the fly is here in reverse, with the fly worsting [sic] all the lures of the spider and catching him in his own web. Two bats open the subject by wondering whether all spook pictures have to start this way, and end it by wondering whether they all have to end this way. The spook angle does not belong, for outside of some weird-looking artwork, the film is not spooky. It might slightly scare very young children, but if you don’t show it for them you have no audience. (STR, July 17, 1943)

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

479

Notes: Animated cartoon with a spooky old house and a spider who plays spooky music on an organ. Director: Paul Sommer Studio: Columbia Running time: 6:34 Food and Magic (1943) Warner Bros., cooperating with the Office of War Information, has engaged the services of Mysto the Magician to bring home a few facts about food and the war effort. The patter covers waste, rationing and price control as articles appear from nowhere and, just as mysteriously, vanish. (MPH, Dec 4, 1943)

Starring: Mysto the Magician Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 10 minutes Gem of a Jam, A (1943) Plot: Three office cleaners who are mistaken for doctors are forced to operate on a fugitive crime boss. After dumping the boss out a window, the boys escape into a warehouse, where they struggle with the gangsters, as well as a rubbery doorknob, creepy mannequins, and a gigantic jack-in-the box. Curly becomes drenched, mummy-like, in quick-drying white paint. Starring: Moe Howard, Curly Howard, Larry Fine (the Three Stooges), Bud Jamison, Fred Kelsey, Dudley Dickerson Producer: Hugh McCollum Director: Del Lord Writer: Del Lord Studio: Columbia Running time: 16:26

Imagination (1943) A little girl’s animation conjures why her toys are in a tattered condition. In her dreams, she sees her two rag dolls, a boy and girl, in love when along comes a villain with evil intentions. He takes the girl away from the boy, but ‘our hero’ is persistent, and outwits the scoundrel. Seeing he has lost, the scoundrel causes the two to have an accident, and the heroine ends up in a serious condition. When the doctors call for a transfusion, ‘the hero’ volunteers, and that is the reason for his lack of sawdust when the girl finds him. EXCELLENT. (MPE, Sept. 22, 1954 [Published during the film’s reissue])

480 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Notes: Color animated cartoon Writer: Dun Roman Director: Bob Wickersham Studio: Columbia Running time: 8 mins Indian Signs (1943) In an effort to relieve himself of a pest–his mother-in-law, Edgar Kennedy resorts to the dramatic, in an attempt to scare her away by means of the supernatural. After discovering her interest in the psychic, he disguises himself as Ettiwanda, the Indian mystic, and proceeds to advise her during a seance. The comedy is a bit on the slow side, but is provided with the usual amount of Kennedy slapstick. (MPD, June 2, 1943)

Notes: The Ettiwanda character is Native American, rather than Indian. Starring: Edgar Kennedy, Irene Ryan, Dot Farley, Jack Rice, Harry Harvey, Eddie Gribbon, Frank O’Connor, Charles Dorety Writer and Director: Charles E. Roberts Studio: RKO Running time: 17 minutes Jasper’s Music Lesson (1943) Amusing puppetoon providing a ‘solid jam session’ as its highlight. Jasper, seated at the piano, produces sounds too sour for the consumption of the musicallyminded scarecrow and his companion blackbird. In reprisal, the scarecrow demonstrates his ability, reenacting the scenes of his former success as a ‘concert pianist.’ (MPD, June 4, 1943)

Notes: A “Madcap Models” puppet short. Writer: George Pal, Jack Miller Director: George Pal Studio: Paramount Running time: 8 minutes Jungle Drums (1943) You either like or loathe ‘Superman’ pictures. If you like them you’ll find this one right up your alley, for it is higher entertainment than many of its predecessors. Superman battles Axis forces seeking to sink an allied convoy. Lois gets tangled in their meshes, for she carries secret papers the Axis agents are anxious to procure. They tie her to a stake and are burning her to death when out of the skies Superman appears. The tables are turned. The convoy is warned. Superman sinks the axis subs. (STR, May 1, 1943)

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

481

Notes: Animated cartoon, filmed in Technicolor Starring: Superman, Lois Lane Writer: Robert Little, Jay Morton Director: Dan Gordon Studio: Famous Studios-Paramount Running time: 9 minutes Mummy Strikes, The (1943) Precedent topples in this ‘Superman’ episode, as reporter Kent scoops Lois, instead of vice versa. Dr. Wilson is killed as he works in the reconstructed tomb of King Tush at the museum. Kent discovers a poison needle hidden in the tomb and in so doing releases the magic beam which returns King Tush and his four giant guards to life. Kent, buried in a mass of pillars and tomb walls, reappears from under the debris garbed as Superman, saves Lois from the giants, and beats her to the story. Superman fans will find this thrilling. (MPD, Mar. 8, 1943) Superman is faced with a murder in the Egyptian Museum near the resurrected mummy of King Tush. The murdered man is the scientist who had hoped to restore the mummy to life. This Superman unconsciously does, and then fights his way back to the Daily Planet for a scoop on the Story. (MPH, Mar. 13, 1943)

Plot: Superman defeats two mummies who return to life after the tomb of King Tush has been violated. Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor Starring: Superman, Lois Lane Director: I. (Isadore) Sparber Studio: Famous Studios-Paramount Running time: 7:47 Nursery Rhyme Mysteries (1943) John Nesbitt proves in this Passing Parade that behind the innocence of a Mother Goose rhyme often lies a sinister history. Mary, Mary quite contrary (Queen of Scots), for instance, was thought by her contemporaries to be contrary enough to chop off her head. Four-and-twenty blackbirds refers to Henry VIII who really served deeds of confiscated land to his friend in a pie, and Rock-a-bye Baby is about James II who tried to pull a national fraud with a counterfeit son. (MPD, July 31, 1943)

Notes: Part of the John Nesbitt’s Passing Parades series. Starring: John Nesbitt (narrator) Director: Edward Cahn Studio: MGM Running time: 11 minutes

482 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Pandora’s Box (1943) Plot: A wicked witch named Hazel drops a box off of her broomstick. A trio of flying cats with bat wings escape from the box to chase the local mice. Super Mouse saves the day. Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor Starring: Super Mouse (later known as Mighty Mouse) Writer: John Foster Studio: Terrytoons 20th Century Fox Running time: 6 minutes Secret Agent (1943) Plot: Superman defeats the “largest and most ruthless gang of saboteurs” in America. Notes: Animated cartoon, filmed in Technicolor. Starring: Superman, Lois Lane Director: Seymour Kneitel Studio: Famous Studios-Paramount Running time: 7:39 Somewhere in Egypt (1943) The duck and cat soldier buddies are found in a tent in Egypt, with a cross-eyed sphinx looking on. When the duck plays haunting oriental strains on what looks to be an oboe, the cat falls asleep and dreams a fantasy that includes flying on a rug, landing in a tomb, becoming a shah – or maybe it is a pasha – in a harem, and joining a young pussy-hussy in a dance that goes from hootchie-cootchie [sic] to jitterbug. The cat awakes from his marvelous sleep and asks the duck to play again. Although the wild fantasy of this Technicolor cartoon may be confusing to some literal-minded youngsters, the whole effect is of a good-natured dream spoofing, and some of the detail is original and striking – such as the dancing hieroglyphics. (STR, Sept. 4, 1943)

Plot: In Egypt, Gandy Goose encounters a reanimated skeleton and a mummy in an Egyptian tomb. Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor. Animation from this cartoon was re-used in a 1950 Heckle and Jeckle cartoon, King Tut’s Tomb (see entry). Starring: Gandy Goose Director: Mannie Davis Writer: John Foster Studio: 20th Century Fox Running time: 6:29

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

483

Spook Louder (1943) The Three Stooges are at it again in a wacky adventure as reducing machine salesmen who turn their talents to guarding the home of an eccentric inventor. Before they capture three enemy spies, they go through their usual slapstick antics. (MPD, Mar. 19, 1943)

Plot: Three door-to-door salesmen are hired by a nutty inventor (Ted Lorch) to look after his “death ray.” Complications arise when the house becomes infested with Axis spies. Determinedly weird, virtually plotless exercise trots out the scares in the manner of those venerable “laugh in the dark” carnival rides, with clutching hands, a devil, a skeleton, a sinister man in black—even a boxing glove hiding behind a row of books. The inventor tells the Stooges, “Now remember boys, you will defend my property until your life’s blood goes down the floor in rivers!” Starring: Moe Howard, Curly Howard, Larry Fine (the Three Stooges), William Kelly, Ted Lorch (the inventor), Stanley Blystone, Symona Boniface, Charles Middleton Producers: Del Lord, Hugh McCollum Director: Del Lord Writer: Clyde Bruckman Studio: Columbia Running time: 16 minutes Underground World, The (1943) Plot: Superman saves Lois from a group of fantastical, birdmen who live in an underground cavern. Notes: Animated cartoon, filmed in Technicolor Starring: Superman, Lois Lane Director: Seymour Kneitel Studio: Famous Studios-Paramount Running time: 8:13 Who Killed Who? (1943) This short is a novel combination film and cartoon, in which logic disappears and laughs are substituted. A murder is committed, a detective tries to solve it, and the audience follows the swift series of events and arrives at the surprise ending. The film is funny in spots and utter nonsense in others. (MPD, June 23, 1943) This is [a] heavy spoofing of the popular whodunit melodrama. The detective is very diligent and very dumb. The suspects are equally innumerable and innocent. But with all the clues and trails, the culprit turns out [to be] a complete surprise. (MPH, June 26, 1943)

484 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

the cartoon-work carries the audience through a wild melange of screams, horrendous laughs, haunted houses, ghosts, falling bodies, drooping guns, and every possible murder mystery device, with a silly detective as the central point. (STR, July 10, 1943)

Plot: At the stroke of midnight inside a shadowy mansion, the place’s elderly owner is shot to death. After a pugnacious police detective grills the servants (a shifty-looking bunch), he’s braced by a ghost, discovers a multitude of trussed corpses inside a closet, meets Red Skeleton, runs into the arms of a murderous figure in a black shroud, and even gets dressed down by an irritable Santa Claus. Notes: Animated cartoon, filmed in Technicolor. It begins with a live-action introduction before switching to an old dark house on a stormy night. It ends with live action, the host being revealed as the murderer. Writer: Heck Allen Director: Tex Avery Studio: MGM Running time: 8 minutes Who’s Next? (1943) Barbering is a tonsorial art with a history. Through the medium of the collection of Charles de Zemler, barber of New York’s Rockefeller Center, the history of barbering is interestingly presented in this entertaining novelty. De Zemler’s collection includes sketches, paintings, and books, as well as the tools of the trade which reminds the barber was once a blood-letter, a dentist, and sometimes a physician. (MPD, Aug. 31, 1943)

Notes: A Variety View short (no. 122). Starring: Charles de Zemler (aka Charles De Zemler) Studio: Universal Running time: 9 minutes Who’s Superstitious? (1943) An interesting expose on the basis of some of our old superstitions, including those of not letting a black cat cross your path, crossing your fingers when telling a lie, and opening an umbrella in the house. Despite the fact that many people refuse to believe in these time-worn idiosyncracies [sic], thousands still persist in throwing split salt over the shoulder, avoid walking beneath a ladder, and remaining in bed on Friday the 13th. (MPD, Apr. 26, 1943) John Nesbitt goes into the matter of familiar superstitions, paying particular attention to the fascinating sea stories which have given sailors such a reputation for gullibility. One of these, the story of the Flying Dutchman, made an innocent

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

485

contributor to the cause of science, when Mathew Maury charted the ocean currents in his attempt to disprove an old legend. (MPH, May 1, 1943) If you’re superstitious – and who isn’t – you’ll get a kick out of learning where and how some superstitions originated. And you’ll see depicted the story of the ‘ghost ship,’ The Flying Dutchman, and how an American sea captain, Mathew Maury, charting a course to find the ‘ghost’ came upon the science of oceanography, which is much more interesting than it sounds. (STR, May 1, 1943)

Notes: An entry in the series John Nesbitt’s Passing Parade. Starring: John Nesbitt (narrator), Emmett Vogan, Barbara Bedford, Don Taylor Director: Sammy Lee Studio: MGM Running time: 10 minutes

Willoughby’s Magic Hat (1943) Willoughby Wren finds himself the possessor of a magic cap, woven from Samson’s magical hair centuries ago. As the new owner, he has many hazardous adventures with a mechanical monster and a beautiful blonde. Willoughby beats the monster, but the blonde turns on him and beats him up. Story and filming are clever. (MPD, Apr. 13, 1943)

Notes: Animated cartoon Writer: Sam Cobean Director: Bob Wickersham Studio: Columbia Running time: 7:03

1944 Abou Ben Boogie (1944) Plot: An Arab character briefly dances with a mummy. Under its wrappings it is a camel. Notes: Animated cartoon, filmed in Technicolor Producer: Walter Lantz Studio: Universal Running time: 6:43 Angel Puss (1944) Plot: Little Sambo drowns a black cat (or thinks he does) for four bits. The cat takes revenge by painting himself white, grabbing a harp, and putting on angel’s wings. Convinced he’s being haunted, Sambo literally “whistles past the graveyard” and then runs home, where the cat follows. But when the cat

486 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

is dunked in water and sheds the white paint, Sambo coolly shoots him to death—only to be greeted by the ghosts of the cat’s nine lives. Dated and insulting for its racist caricature. Notes: Color, animated cartoon Starring: Sambo Writer: Lou Lilly Director: Chuck Jones Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 7:10 Case of the Screaming Bishop, The (1944) A take-off on the mystery film with mildly amusing results. The cartoon proceedings involve the search for a missing dinosaur by Hairlock Combs and his man Friday with a solution of the crime that is truly amazing. (MPD, Aug. 25, 1944)

Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in black-and-white. Hairlock Combs is a parody of Sherlock Holmes. The “missing dinosaur” mentioned in MPD is a dinosaur’s skeleton. Director: Howard Smith Writer: John McLeish Studio: Columbia Running time: 7 minutes Dark Shadows (1944) Plot. Here is the case file of a “man who didn’t know why he killed,” a “mystery man” who strangles a doctor and a nurse. He hated his mother, which spurred him to become a murderer. Realizing what he has done leads him to commit suicide. Notes: This short was part of the Crime Does Not Pay series. Starring: Henry O’Neill, Morris Ankrum, Arthur Space, Paul Guilfoyle Director: Walter Hart Studio: MGM Running time: 21:32 Donald Duck and the Gorilla (1944) The kids will especially love Donald Duck’s latest. Donald, with Huey, Dewey, and Looey, is visited by an escaped gorilla. A riotous chase follows in which Donald triumphs over the beast with a surprisingly effective device. (MPD, Apr. 19, 1944)

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

487

Fig. 54  Simian trouble for Donald in Donald Duck and the Gorilla (1944). (Courtesy Heritage Auctions)

The kids dress up as a gorilla to give Uncle Donald a scare just as the live gorilla enters the house. (STR, May 6, 1944)

Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor. The story takes place on a dark, stormy night, with a dangerous gorilla on the loose. In addition to the ducks dressing in costume, they encounter the real gorilla. Starring: Donald Duck, Huey, Dewey, Louie Director: Jack King Studio: Walt Disney-RKO Running time: 7 minutes Ghost Town (1944) Gandy Goose and the tough sergeant arrive in the ghost town, where the ghosts lead them a merry chase. Instead of a bag of gold, they find they have a hungry buzzard on their hands. FAIR. (MPE, May 5, 1954 [review published during the film’s reissue])

488 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Plot: Song-driven spook cartoon finds prospectors Gandy and Sourpuss in a well-populated ghost town, where spirits sing, do rope tricks, guzzle beer (which turns one ghost into a transparent water bag), and dance. Notes: Color, animated cartoon Starring: Gandy Goose Director: Mannie Davis Studio: 20th Century Fox Running time: 6:24 Green Line, The (1944) Plot: An “evil spirit” cat with devilish wings convinces the cats in a town to cross a green line that separates them from the mice. Mighty Mouse arrives to save the day. Notes: Animated cartoon, filmed in Technicolor Starring: Mighty Mouse Studio: Terrytoons 20th Century Fox Running time: 5 minutes Gypsy Life (1944) Plot: A large number of flying cats with bat wings attack a traveling band of gypsy mice. Mighty Mouse arrives to save the day. Notes: Animated cartoon, filmed in Technicolor Starring: Mighty Mouse Studio: Terrytoons 20th Century Fox Running time: 5:45 Idle Roomers (1944) Plot: Three hapless bellboys run into a werewolf that’s the prize attraction of a promoter staying at the boys’ hotel. Things really get difficult when Curly tunes loud music on the radio, unaware that music drives the wolf man mad. Starring: Moe Howard, Curly Howard, Larry Fine (the Three Stooges), Christine McIntyre, Duke York (the werewolf), Vernon Dent, Eddie Laughton Producer: Hugh McCollum Director: Del Lord Writers: Del Lord, Elwood Ullman Studio: Columbia Running time: 16:50

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

489

Fig. 55  Musical woes with (from left) Larry Fine, Curly Howard, Duke York, and Moe Howard in Idle Roomers (1944). (Courtesy Heritage Auctions)

Jasper and the Beanstalk (1944) Plot: Young Jasper trades his guimbard to devious Professor Scarecrow for “black magic” beans, which sprout into a colossal beanstalk. At the top, Jasper rescues Lyre, a beautiful humanoid harp who has been imprisoned by a giant. Back on solid ground, Lyre delights Jasper with her music. Notes: A stop-motion Puppetoon release, in Technicolor, featuring Jasper, and his untrustworthy acquaintances, Professor Scarecrow and Blackbird. The short is the fifteenth (of twenty) Jasper Puppetoons released during 1942–47. Nominated for an Academy Award, Best Short Subject. Starring: Jasper, with the voices of Sara Berner (as Jasper), Peggy Lee (Lyre, the harp), Roy Glenn (Professor Scarecrow), Alvin Childress (Blackbird) Producer: George Pal Director: George Pal Studio: George Pal Productions, for Paramount Running time: One reel

490 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Fig. 55a  Jasper and the Beanstalk (1944): Generic Jasper one-sheet with “snipe” paste-on title

Mighty Mouse Meets Jekyll and Hyde Cat (1944) Superman Mouse is on the loose again. His little friends, the field mice, are seen playing in a deserted mansion, which once belonged to Dr. Jekyl [sic]. The doctor’s cat attacks the mice and ‘gasses’ them with a concoction made by his former master. But Mighty Mouse swoops down from the skies and saves the day spectacularly. The Mighty Mouse has much appeal for children. (MPD, Apr. 24, 1944)

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

491

Notes: Animated cartoon, filmed in Technicolor. TV-print title is Mighty Mouse Meets Jekyll and Hyde Cat, with “Jekyll” spelled correctly. Starring: Mighty Mouse, Tom Morris (narrator) Writer: John Foster Director: Mannie Davis Studio: 20th Century Fox Running time: 6:25 Nostradamus IV (1944) Carey Wilson again takes the audience into a survey of the amazing predications of a strange 16th Century philosopher and their bearing on current historical happenings. In principal [sic] the reel deals with predictions of the downfall of Hitler and the means by which he may die. … A very good short for any program. (STR, Nov. 4, 1944)

Starring: Carey Wilson (narrator) Director: Paul Burnford and Cyril Endfield Studio: MGM Running time: 10 minutes Old Grey Hare, The (1944) Plot: Loudly bemoaning whether he’ll ever manage to dispatch Bug Bunny, Elmer Fudd is addressed by a spectral voice (God, or perhaps Fate) that invites Elmer to find comfort by looking “far, far into the future.” Years spin by until Elmer, now stooped and aged, finds himself in the year 2000. He spies wobbly old Bugs and shoots him (in the back!) with a “Buck Rogers Lightning-Quick Rabbit Killer.” Fatally wounded and resigned to death, toothless Bugs comforts Elmer with a photo album that recounts—via animated interlude—Baby Elmer’s first attempt to murder Baby Bugsy. Finally, his energy nearly gone, the weeping Bugs digs his own grave. “Adios!” says Bugs, grasping Elmer’s hand. “Saludos Amigo! Goodbye, m’friend!” The sobbing Elmer is heartbroken, inconsolable. Busily shaking hands, Bugs maneuvers himself out of the grave and Elmer into it, and then dashes his old nemesis in the face with a shovelful of Earth. Elmer, buried alive, takes it in stride, reasoning that at least he’ll be rid of “that pesky wabbit!” Notes: Color, animated cartoon. Although original ad art gives the title as The Old Gray Hare, the original onscreen title card reads “Grey.” Starring: Bugs Bunny; Elmer Fudd Writer: Michael Sasanoff Director: Robert Clampett Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 7:15

492 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Fig. 56  The Old Gray Hare (1944) is promoted via a “snipe” image attached to this generic Warner Bros. cartoon poster. (Courtesy Heritage Auctions)

Plastics Inventor, The (1944) Plot: Inspired by a radio science program, “junior inventor” Donald Duck throws random junk into a pot, cooks it to make plastic, and then bakes himself a plane. Unfortunately, Donald’s plastic softens and melts during a rainy flight, and our hero can barely hold the stretchy thing together.

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

493

Notes: Animated cartoon in Technicolor. An illustrated tutorial on plastic featuring Donald appeared in a June 1944 issue of Look magazine. In the late spring of 1945, Modern Plastics magazine criticized The Plastics Inventor, claiming the cartoon was rife with mockery and misapprehension. Disney resisted a call to remove the short from exhibition. Starring: Donald Duck Writer: Jack Hannah, Dick Shaw Director: Jack King Studio: Walt Disney-RKO Running time: 6:49 Russian Rhapsody (1944) Plot: Soviet gremlins  – bizarre little creatures  – sabotage Nazi warplanes, including one flown by Adolf Hitler. Notes: Animated cartoon, filmed in Technicolor Starring: Adolf Hitler Director: Robert Clampett Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 7 minutes Screen Snapshots, No. 4 (1944) Queries about blood bank donations will be answered with shots of Vampire Bela Lugosi giving back a pint of blood, and footage showing Anita Louise working as a nurse’s aide. (IFJ, Oct. 14, 1944) Alan Mowbray acts as m.c. while baking a cake, and seen are Leo Carrillo’s rodeo, Bela Lugosi at a Red Cross blood bank, Vic Mature and his Tars and Spars Coast Guard Recruiting show, Jerry Colonna demonstrating post-war hirsuit adornments for men, and Smiley Burnette hosting a barbecue. The Lugosi sequence is a swell gag, with the idea being his paying back some of the blood he stole as a screen vampire. GOOD. (Exhib, Nov. 29, 1944)

Notes: This release was part of the twenty-fourth season of the long-running series Screen Snapshots. Starring: Bela Lugosi, Anita Louise, Alan Mowbray (host) Studio: Columbia Running time: 9 minutes Sultan’s Birthday, The (1944) Plot: A fleet of cats on magic flying carpets attack the mice who live in the Sultan’s kingdom. Mighty Mouse arrives to save the day. Notes: Animated cartoon, filmed in Technicolor

494 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Starring: Mighty Mouse Studio: Terrytoons 20th Century Fox Running time: 6 minutes

To Heir Is Human (1944) Una Merkel, a capable comedienne, is teamed with Harry Langdon, but the result is far from what an audience would hope for. Instead of a bang-up comedy, the short proves very lowbrow entertainment. Miss Merkel, in a case of mistaken identity, gets hired to find a missing heir in the person of Harry Langdon, window washer very ordinary. Of course, Miss Merkel, after a reel of slapstick and hokum not only locates the rightful heir, but save his fortune from a gang of crooks who are trying to kill Langdon so that they can control the estate. (STR, Mar. 11, 1944)

Plot: When Una (Una Merkel) is mistaken for a tracer of missing persons, she’s hired to locate Harry Fenner (Harry Langdon), a missing heir to the Finervsick fortune. Other heirs want the fortune for themselves, so once Harry sets foot inside the Finervsick mansion, he narrowly avoids being poisoned, electrocuted, scorched by acid, and hanged. Starring: Una Merkel, Harry Langdon, Christine McIntyre, Eddie Gribbon Producer: Hugh McCollum Director: Harold Godsoe Writers: Elwood Ullman, Monty Collins Studio: Columbia Running time 16:11 Yoke’s on Me, The (1944) Plot: The Three Stooges have a harrowing night after running into three escapees from a stateside Japanese internment center. The short flirts with comic horror during a lengthy sequence inside a dark barn, after the Japanese inexplicably cover their heads with jack-o-lanterns and scare the Stooges. At the climax, the Stooges blow up the Japanese, apparently killing them. Starring: Moe Howard, Curly Howard, Larry Fine (the Three Stooges), Bob McKenzie, Emmett Lynn Producer: Jules White Director: Jules White Writer: Clyde Bruckman Studio: Columbia Running time: 16:10

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

495

1945 Congo (1945) Excellent. An intelligently produced documentary, its excitement never lagging and containing no footage that might upset a queasy spectator. Kasanda, an old inhabitant of the Congo country with its 12,000,000 natives and 40,000 white men, tells the history of the territory to some youngsters. His narration includes, and the film shows, tribal dances, witchcraft rituals and other voodoo customs. Contrasted with these are scenes of modern Africa — a vast continent slowly but surely doing his magnificent best in the winning of World War II. (Box, Mar. 10, 1945)

Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 20 minutes Duck Pimples (1945) Plot: Donald Duck becomes scared listening to a spooky radio show. He turns the dial and keeps hearing other spooky shows. Then a door-­to-­door salesman tries to sell him spooky novels. His imagination runs wild. Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor Starring: Donald Duck Director: Jack Kinney Studio: Walt Disney-RKO Running time: 7:35 Eyes Have It, The (1945) It was only a question of time before Donald Duck would take up hypnotism. With a set of newly acquired E-Z hypnotism glasses, Donald focuses a sadistic interest on Pluto and puts him through the paces of transforming him into a mouse while Donald enacts the role of a cat. The climax reaches pitch when Pluto is mesmerized into a lion. Pluto then chases Donald through the roof until a fall brings Pluto to his senses. Donald streaks off over the horizon calling for help while Pluto turns to the audience with a puzzled, raised eye-brow expression. (STR, May 12, 1945)

Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor Starring: Donald Duck, Pluto Writer: Bill Berg, Ralph Wright Director: Jack Hannah Studio: Walt Disney-RKO Running time: 7:17

496 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Fig. 57  Donald Duck and Pluto are at odds over hypnotism in The Eyes Have It (1945). (Courtesy Heritage Auctions)

Friendly Ghost, The (1945) Plot: Mild-mannered Casper, a boy-ghost who wants to “make friends with the world,” is disheartened when he inadvertently scares living folks. Things look up when Casper is befriended by a little boy and girl, and then helps the kids’ mother secure her mortgage from a blustery banker. Casper happily

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

497

greets living people who respond by shouting, “A g-g-g-ghost!” before running away. Notes: This is the first installment in what would be a fourteen-year run of Casper animated color shorts. Although Warner Bros. and director Chuck Jones (with story man Dave Monahan) created an amusing proto-Casper in a 1940 cartoon called Ghost Wanted, the basis of the Casper known today was the conception of animator Seymour Reit; his creative partner, animator Joe Oriolo, did the original character design. Starring: Casper the Friendly Ghost (voice by Cecil Roy). Other voices: Frank Gallop (narrator), Mae Questel (little boy), Cecil Roy (little girl). Producers: Isadore Sparber, Seymour Kneitel, Sam Buchwald Director: I. [Isadore] Sparber Writer: Bill Turner Studio: Famous Studios-Paramount Running time: 9:20 Grave Laughter (1945) Numerous epitaphs, inscribed on ancient grave stones all over New England are shown with running commentary that emphasizes the grim humor often accompanying the inscriptions. The humor at times was evidently unconsciously included, adding to its comic aspects. (STR, Nov. 24, 1945)

Notes: A Variety Views short, no. 147. Starring: Jack Costello (narrator) Studio: Universal Running time: 9 minutes Gypsy Life (1945) Starring: Mighty Mouse Writer: John Foster Director: Connie Rasinski Studio: 20th Century Fox Plot: A gypsy-mouse caravan is terrorized by hideous, slavering bat-cats. Mighty Mouse pummels the bats and saves the girl from the jaws of an alligator. Notes: Nominated for an Academy Award, Best Short Film, Animated. If a Body Meets a Body (1945) Plot: Curly becomes heir to a $3 million fortune, but he must attend the reading of the will at a creepy old mansion. The Three Stooges find the place crowded with suspicious family members and others, all of whom hope for a

498 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

portion of the estate. The gags include a skull that walks and flies (a parrot has gotten inside), and a corpse that pops up here, there, and everywhere. Starring: Moe Howard, Curly Howard, Larry Fine (the Three Stooges), Fred Kelsey, Ted Lorch, Joe Palma (the housekeeper) Producer: Jules White Director: Jules White Writer: Jack White Studio: Columbia Running time: 18:10 Mother Goose Nightmare (1945) Gandy Goose and the Sergeant are having sleeping trouble again. This time their dreams are a hodge-podge from the stories and nursery rhymes, peopled by the Three Little Pigs, the Big Spider and Miss Muffet, the Cow That Jumped Over the Moon, and finally Jack in the Beanstalk to chase them all away. (MPH, Aug. 4, 1945)

Notes: Animated cartoon Writer: John Foster Director: Connie Rasinski Studio: 20th Century Fox Running time: 6:21

Phantoms, Inc. (1945) Plot: A group of con artists use spiritualism and “smooth talk” to swindle customers with “spirit phenomena.” Notes: This short was part of the Crime Does Not Pay series. Starring: Arthur Shields, Dorothy Adams, Morris Ankrum, King Baggott Director: Harold Young Studio: MGM Running time: 16:41 Post War Inventions (1945) Plot: Gandy Goose dreams about the “world of tomorrow,” which includes a pill that becomes a cooked meal when a drop of water is added, a robot butler, a large screen television, and a rocket. Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor Starring: Gandy Goose Director: Connie Rasinski Writer: John Foster

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

499

Studio: Terrytoons Running time: 6:30 Spook to Me (1945) Starting at a slow pace, this two-reeler has Andy Clyde heading a kids’ organization known as Bloodhounds, Pack No. 1. The action picks up when Andy and the boys on a camping trip come in contact with a ‘haunted house.’ The ghosts turn out to be a gang of counterfeiters who were using the house as headquarters. Andy and the kids do their duty in capturing the gang and turning them over to the police. (FD, Jan. 28, 1946) Andy Clyde is leader of a kid’s organization, Blood Hound’s Pack No. 1, and demonstrates pseudo bravery for the kids. They camp next to a haunted house in the woods, and Andy and the kids enjoy a high old time when the counterfeiters inhabiting the house attempt to scare them off with all sort of invented supernatural antics. (STR, Mar. 2, 1946)

Notes: A spooky voice, a suit of armor, a skeleton, a make-believe ghost, and a “headless” automaton create scary situations. The headless automaton shows up five years later in a Three Stooges short, Dopey Dicks (see entry). Starring: Andy Clyde, Violet Barlowe, Dudley Dickerson, Frank Hagney, Wally Rose Producer: Hugh McCollum Director: Harry Edwards Writer: Harry Edwards Studio: Columbia Running time: 17 minutes Three Pests in a Mess (1945) Plot: After accidentally shooting a mannequin, the Stooges imagine they’ve killed a man and try to hide the body in a creepy pet cemetery. The place’s owner and two friends show up to investigate—in costume, as they’ve been at a party dressed as a devil, a skeleton, and a man dressed in black. Note: A remake of a 1941 El Brendel & Tom Kennedy short, Ready, Willing but Unable (see entry). Starring: Moe Howard, Curly Howard, Larry Fine (the Three Stooges), Vernon Dent, Christine McIntyre, Victor Travers, Snub Pollard, Heinie Conklin Producer: Hugh McCollum Director: Del Lord Writer: Del Lord Studio: Columbia Running time: 15:17

500 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Fig. 58  The Three Stooges (from left, Larry Fine, Curly Howard, Moe Howard) have sinister visitors in Three Pests in a Mess (1945). (Courtesy Heritage Auctions)

1946 Beanstalk Jack (1946) Plot: The old woman who lives in a shoe is starving; when a genie presents young Jack with magic beans, Jack climbs the beanstalk and steals the giant’s riches so that the woman and her children can eat. Notes: This animated cartoon is a remake of Bean Stalk Jack (1933; see entry). Writer: John Foster Director: Eddie Donnelly Studio: 20th Century Fox Running time: 6:24 Bird in the Head, A (1946) Moe, Larry, and Curly are engaged as paper hangers in a house where a mad scientist is looking for a very small human brain to put into an ape’s head. The boys blotch [sic] up the paper hanging job, and Curly becomes the object of the

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

501

scientist’s experiment. The boys fight their way out in time, but Curly finds affection for the gorilla and takes him along as a pal. (FD, Apr. 23, 1946)

Plot: Three idiot paperhangers run into Professor Panzer, a screwy scientist who has a gorilla in need of a human brain. Frantic chase comedy turns on the brain transplant trope from horror literature and films, designating Curly Howard as the fellow with a brain small enough (“Ah!” sighs Panzer, “a bird brain!”) to fit the gorilla’s head. In a cute turnabout, Curly and the ape become friends; everybody escapes Panzer after the gorilla lets loose with a Tommy gun. Starring: Moe Howard, Curly Howard, Larry Fine (the Three Stooges), Vernon Dent (Prof. Panzer), Robert Williams, Frank Lackteen, Art Miles (the gorilla) Producer: Hugh McCollum Director: Edward Bernds Writer: Edward Bernds Studio: Columbia Running time: 17:17 Fistic Mystic, The (1946) Popeye and Olive, wandering through an Oriental bazaar, fall into the ken of a mystic, and presto, before you can say Jack Robinson, Popeye is turned into a parrot. What is more, Olive is stuffed into a basket and prepared to be cut in half. It’s Popeye’s energy-laden spinach that eventually saves the day. (MPH, Dec. 7, 1946)

Plot: Bluto hypnotizes Popeye. Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor. Not to be confused with Fistic Mystic, a 1969 Warner Bros. cartoon featuring Merlin the Magic Mouse. Starring: Popeye, Olive Oyl, Bluto Director: Seymour Kneitel Studio: Paramount Running time: 6 minutes Fortune Hunters (1946) Plot: Gandy Goose tries to sneak back into an army camp after having had his palm read. He dreams about a fortune teller, who instructs him to go to his rich grandfather’s house. A spooky tree gives him directions. Ghosts and bats fly around the old mansion. Frankenstein’s Monster also appears. Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor Starring: Gandy Goose Writer: John Foster

502 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Director: Connie Rasinski Studio: 20th Century Fox Running time: 6:25 Foxy Flatfoot (1946) Plot: Two policeman (The Fox and The Crow) have to investigate an old, haunted mill. Accidentally covered in flour, they scare each other. Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor Starring: The Fox, The Crow Director: Bob Wickersham Studio: Columbia Running time: 5:25 Frank Duck Brings ’Em Back Alive (1946) Plot: Donald Duck (parodying real-life explorer Frank Buck) sets his sights on Tarzan-like “wild man” Goofy. Most gags involve Donald’s attempts to trap Goofy inside a cage with a top but no floor. Then wild man Goofy plummets from the trees toward Donald, intent on skewering him on an enormous knife. Later, Donald ends up in Goofy’s leopard skin and is chased through the jungle by a hungry lion. Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor Starring: Donald Duck, Goofy Writer: Dick Kinney Director: Jack Hannah Studio: Walt Disney-RKO Running time: 6:46 Friendly Ghost, The (1946) Here is an amusing Technicolor fantasy about a young ghost eager to make friends with people rather than scare them. His efforts at friendliness are of no avail until he meets two youngsters who take him to their hearts. The ghost wins over the youngsters’ mother by preventing the foreclosure of the mortgage on the house. (FD, Mar. 8, 1946)

Notes: Animated cartoon, filmed in Technicolor Studio: Paramount Running time: 7 and 1/2 minutes

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

503

Frozen Bride, The (1946) This story was filmed by Tom Terriss while mountaineering in Switzerland. It recounts how a hermit guide, who lost his bride in an avalanche, finds her body many years after the tragedy. Preserved in the ice wall, she is as young and beautiful in appearance as on her wedding day. This legend of the Alps is told rather effectively by the use of both realistic and symbolic photography. Like all Terriss films, it stresses the unusual. It would be technically stronger via revision of recording. (FD, July 2, 1946)

Notes: A Tom Terriss Travelog [sic]. Explorer Tom Terriss called himself the “Vagabond Adventurer.” Starring: Tom Terriss (narrator) Writer: Tom Terriss Studio: General Film Productions Running time: 10 minutes Get Along, Little Zombie (1946) Hugh Herbert, as a real estate agent, finds himself in a lot of trouble. Not only does he find himself in a compromising situation with the wife of a prospective client, but the house he is trying to sell seems haunted. It all constitutes a hilarious episode in Hugh’s life. (MPH, June 29, 1946)

Plot: Real-estate agent Hugh Herbert hopes to unload “the old Stacy house” on a husband and wife he’s spoken with only by phone. He doesn’t know that the couple had earlier mistaken him for a masher and will wring his neck the moment they see him again. And worse: the Stacy place is crawling with murderous psychopaths who want to kill everybody. Notes: The short’s final gag, including footage of a speeding car, was recycled for a 1950 Three Stooges short, Dopey Dicks (see entry). Starring: Hugh Herbert, Dudley Dickerson, Christine McIntyre, Dick Curtis, Symona Boniface, Jack Roper, Jessie Arnold, Duke York Producer: Hugh McCollum Director: Edward Bernds Writer: Edward Bernds Studio: Columbia Running time: 17:23 Golden Hen, The (1946) Plot: Gandy builds a mechanical “post war hen” that lays patterned eggs on command. When the hen squirms inside one of the eggs, the boys follow, into a fantastical candyland where they can fly—and the hen freely abuses them. Producer Paul Terry’s take on Warner’s Porky in Wackyland (1938; see entry) is rife with non sequitur gags: an outdoor elevator to nowhere; a

504 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

gunshot that produces an angry little storm cloud; flypaper that removes Sourpuss’s face; and the hen itself, which transmogrifies into a cackling witch. Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor Starring: Gandy Goose, Sourpuss Writer: John Foster Director: Mannie Davis Studio: 20th Century Fox Running time: 6:23 Great Piggy Bank Robbery (1946) Daffy Duck, who follows Dick Tracy with great avidity, decides to look into the mystery of the stolen piggy banks. After many horrifying encounters with macabre characters and animals like you’ve never seen before, he locates the banks in a cave. It is all a dream, but don’t worry – Daffy is as daffy as ever. Good anywhere, although there is some doubt about it for over-impressionable children. (STR, Sept. 14, 1946)

Plot: Comic-strip fan Daffy Duck accidentally knocks himself unconscious and imagines life as hard-boiled private dick Duck Twacy, hot on the trail of the Piggy Bank Bandit. Duck Twacy is shortly up to his eyeballs in a stunning assemblage of monstrous criminal adversaries: Pussycat Puss, Double Header (a two-headed ballplayer), Pumpkinhead, Picklepuss (probably inspired by Gould’s Pruneface), Hammerhead, the dreaded Neon Noodle (neon tubing shaped like Frankenstein’s Monster), 88 Teeth (à la Gould’s 88 Keyes), and others. Can Duck Twacy escape? Yes, with dire violence exacted by machine gun and hand grenade, which kills at least a dozen bad guys. But in the end, the dream is over, and Daffy awakens in a pig pen, hugged by an amorous sow. Notes: Color, animated cartoon Starring: Daffy Duck Producer: Edward Selzer Director: Robert Clampett Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 7:36 Hair-Raising Hare (1946) All sorts of weird goings-on result when a scientist lures batty Bugs Bunny to his laboratory to feed him to a monster. In his own inimitable fashion, Bugs leads them both [on] a merry chase. Heaping laugh upon laugh, this cartoon is a good item for any bill. (FD, May 20, 1946)

Plot: Lured to the sinister lab of a mad scientist (who looks and sounds like Peter Lorre) by a shapely mechanical she-bunny, Bugs meets a hulking orange monster kitted out in sneakers. Most of this short is a chase comedy, with Bugs dashing madly through a castle, the monster in pursuit—until

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

505

Fig. 59  Manicurist Bugs chats up a peculiar customer in Hair-Raising Hare (1946). (Courtesy Heritage Auctions)

Bugs notices the monster’s nails. Bugs gives the monster a manicure, making insipid small talk (“I love to meet INN-teresting people”), and then manages a temporary escape. Notes: Color, animated cartoon, which includes the horror tropes of someone hiding inside a suit of armor and of someone looking through the eyeholes in a portrait hanging on the wall. The nameless monster is known today as Gossamer, though he didn’t get that name until Duck Dodgers and the Return of the 24 1/2th Century, a Warner cartoon released in 1980. Starring: Bugs Bunny Producer: Edward Selzer Director: Charles M. Jones (Chuck Jones) Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 7:39

506 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Hare Remover (1946) Plot: High on a hill, Elmer Fudd has a secret laboratory, where he hopes to perfect a formula that will turn a normal character into “a deviwish fiend.” Fresh out of experimental animals, Elmer traipses into the woods, where Bugs Bunny generously allows himself to be trapped. Back at the lab, Elmer leaps atop Bugs and forces him to guzzle the serum. Bugs shakes, twists, spasms, and grimaces—all to no effect. “No soap, Doc,” he explains. The stuff has no effect on Elmer, either, but a bear ends up wearing Elmer’s derby, causing Bugs to believe the serum works. A little later, the bear munches on a carrot, encouraging Elmer to conclude the serum works. Near the end of this amusing sendup of the Jekyll-Hyde tale, Elmer shuts his eyes and plays dead beneath the angry bear. When the bear leaves, Bugs takes over, enthusiastically growling and jumping on Elmer. Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: Bugs Bunny Producer: Edward Selzer Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 7:26 Hiss and Yell (1946) Plot: On the day that police are searching for a trunk murderer the press has dubbed Bluebeard, Vera Vague (Barbara Jo Allen) is horrified when she encounters a harmless magician called Bluebeard the Great (Barton Yarborough, who had briefly been married to Allen in the early 1930s). Bluebeard’s act involves a decapitated dummy and a winking mechanical head kept in a simple case. When Vera is shocked to find herself sharing a train compartment with Bluebeard the Great, the magician innocently offers her some of his lunch: “scrambled brains and tongue,” “head cheese,” “blood sausage,” and “lady fingers.” Starring: Vera Vague (Barbara Jo Allen), Barton Yarborough, Fred Kelsey, Emil Sitka Producer: Jules White Director: Jules White Writer: Felix Adler Studio: Columbia Running time: 18:01

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

507

House of Skulls (1946) There is none of the artificial Hollywood staging in this reel which presents sequences photographed in Italian East Africa before the war. The footage was made under difficulties by an expedition of which the film’s narrator, Tom Terriss, was a member. The adventurers come upon a literal house of skulls and find a native dying from fear, brought about by a witch doctor’s power of suggestion in the form of a doll wound ‘round with a cord.’ An expedition member dismantles the charm, leaving the audiences to wonder whether or not the dying man survived. This is an unusual story. (FD, July 2, 1946)

Notes: A Tom Terriss Travelogue Starring: Tom Terriss (narrator) Writer: Tom Terriss Studio: General Film Productions Running time: 10 minutes It’s All in the Stars (1946) Plot: Gandy and Sourpuss dream of the constellations, and the nature of life on Earth. What begins as a mock travelogue of the cosmos quickly becomes earthbound—and incomprehensible. With little prelude, Sourpuss is physically assaulted by monkeys, a lion, pigs, and an elephant. Notes: Generous portions of this animated cartoon’s footage are pickups from earlier Terry-Toon shorts, including The Nutty Network (1939; see entry) and Slap Happy Hunters (1941). Early in 1946, Terry-Toon animators voted on whether to call a strike. Recycled footage would have allowed Terry and 20th Century Fox to meet their deadlines and cartoon exhibition schedules. Starring: Gandy Goose; Sourpuss, Farmer Al Falfa Writer: John Foster Director: Connie Rasinski Studio: 20th Century Fox Running time: 6:24 Jasper in a Jam (1946) Plot: Jasper finds himself in an old building on a stormy night. Many ticking clocks hang on the wall. A female sculpture on a harp sings. Then Jasper hears various instruments play music without human agency. He joins the band and seems happy until a wooden Indian comes to life and throws an axe at him. Then a totem pole comes to life and captures Jasper. All returns to normal when a policeman arrives to check on things. Notes: This was a “puppetoon” filmed in Technicolor Starring: Jasper, Peggy Lee (singer) Producer: George Pal Director: Duke Goldstone

508 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Studio: Paramount Running time: 7:40 Kongo-Roo (1946) Fuzzy-Wuzzy finds out in this reel that getting mixed up with cannibals is no sport for any man. Hunting the cannibal on his pet ostrich, the Fuzzy-Wuzzy meets him, to his regret. (MPH, June 29, 1946)

Notes: Animated cartoon Director: Howard Swift Writer: Cal Howard Studio: Columbia Running time: 6:13 Mouse Menace (1946) Porky Pig has mouse trouble, and the mouse is a toughie. An ordinary cat is routed, as is a killer cat. Finally, Porky constructs a mechanical cat which the mouse also finally manages to dispense with after blowing both it and the house up with TNT. Porky thinks he has an ace in the hole, the dog house, but finds it is already occupied by the mouse menace. GOOD. (MPE, July 14, 1954 [This review was published when the cartoon was reissued])

Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor Starring: Porky Pig Writer: George Hill Director: Arthur Davis Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 6:41 Mousemerized Cat (1946) Babbit, a mouse who’s an amateur hypnotist, tries to put his pal, Costello, in a trance so that he can make him like a dog, scare the cat, and grab some cheese. But Costello turns the table, and Babbit thinks he’s the dog, allowing Costello to happily consume the cheese. Audiences should appreciate this very entertaining cartoon. (FD, Nov. 11, 1946)

Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor Starring: Babbit and Costello Writer: Warren Foster Director: Robert McKimson Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 6:24

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

509

Mysto Fox (1946) The crow, in order to get free room and board, applies for a job with Mysto Fox, the magician, dressed as a rabbit. The fox hires him but in the act, the crow turns things around, and saws the fox in half. This ends with the fox shooting at the running crow with a cannon. (MPE, Dec. 15, 1954 [Published at the time of this short’s reissue])

Notes: Color, animated cartoon Starring: Fox and Crow Director: Bob Wickersham Writer: Sid Marcus Studio: Columbia Running time: 7 minutes Pardon My Terror (1946) Gus Schilling and Dick Lane decide to hire themselves out as private eyes, but almost change professions when their first job turns up. Confronted by a disappearing corpse, sliding panels, and general dilemma, the boys manage to wiggle in and out of traps set for them. A happy piece of slapstick garnished with spooks to entertain most fun-loving audiences. (FD, Nov. 11, 1946)

Plot: Sent to a creepy mansion to investigate a murder, a pair of bumbling private detectives get the scare of their lives. This short incorporates a lot of mayhem: a hard-punching gunsel, a creepy butler, poison, a corpse that won’t stay in one place, a beautiful heiress, a femme fatale—and a settee rigged to deliver 10,000 volts. Notes: Writer-director Edward Bernds designed Pardon My Terror as a Three Stooges vehicle but had to quickly adapt the dialogue for Columbia two-reel contract players Schilling and Lane after Curly Howard suffered a careerending stroke in the spring of 1946. Remade with the Stooges (Larry, Shemp, and Moe) in 1949 as Who Done It? (see entry). Starring: Gus Schilling, Richard Lane, Christine McIntyre, Lynn Lyons, Dick Wessel, Kenneth MacDonald, Philip Van Zandt, Vernon Dent, Dudley Dickerson Producer: Hugh McCollum Director: Edward Bernds Writer: Edward Bernds Studio: Columbia Running time: 16:50 Rocket to Mars (1946) When Popeye is whirled on to Mars on a rocket ship, he finds the inhabitants, led by his arch-enemy Bluto, are about to attack and destroy the earth. However,

510 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

even on Mars, spinach does things to Popeye, and he soon nips the impending assault in the bud. (MPH, June 29, 1946)

Plot: During a visit with Popeye to the Technical Museum to see a rocket ship display, Olive accidentally engages the engines and propels the craft through the museum walls and all the way to Mars. The green Martian leader (looking and sounding like Bluto, but with a Russian accent) wants to conquer Earth; after brief imprisonment, Popeye puts an end to the scheme by mowing down a battalion’s worth of little green Martian troops and smashing Martian fighter craft and armor. On the way to Mars, Popeye spies Venus (who undresses behind a backlit window shade), the Milky Way (randomly arrayed bottles of milk), and an eight-ball planet. Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Cinecolor Starring: Popeye, Olive Oyl, Bluto Director: Vladimir “Bill” Tytla Writer: Bill Turner, Otto Messmer Studio: Paramount Running time: 6:33 Svengali’s Cat (1946) Twisting the old tale of the Pied Piper, this Terrytoon has for its villain a hypnotist who hypnotizes a charming young thing into luring all the mice in the town into Svengali’s cellar, where they will be killed. Zoom – Mighty Mouse to the rescue and all’s well. (MPH, Mar. 30, 1946)

Plot: During the climax, Mighty Mouse conducts an aerial dogfight (in which the cats’ planes bark like dogs) while, far below, a hypnotized girl mouse softly sings, unaware that she’s tied to timber cruising toward a buzz saw. Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor. The hypnotized girl-mouse sings a nineteenth-century ballad, “Ben Bolt (Don’t You Remember Sweet Alice?)”—a tune sung by (appropriately enough) the title character in George du Maurier’s 1895 novel, Trilby, and later heard in the book’s 1931 film adaptation, Svengali. Svengali’s Cat was adapted to seven-inch record in 1977, as part of Terrytoons/Vanity Fair Industries’ “Movin [sic] Pictures See & Hear Pack” series. Starring: Mighty Mouse, Svengali Writer: John Foster, Tom Morrison Director: Eddie Donnelly Studio: 20th Century Fox Running time: 7 minutes

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

511

Toccata and Fugue (1946) A note preceding the actual shots in this Cinecolor film states, ‘The strange and wonderful formations of Bryce Canyon, Utah shown in this picture express visually the exalted spirit of Bach’s great music,’ and whatever Johann Sebastian Bach had in mind when he wrote the music might have been just about what a motion picture audience sees on the screen as the fantastic shapes and coloring of the canyon appear, accompanied by the Janssen Symphony Orchestra of Los Angeles. Like the art collector who said he didn’t know much about art but knew what he liked, motion picture audiences who know little about music will know what they like when they see this short. It’s good entertainment aurally and musically. (STR, Oct. 26, 1946)

Notes: Filmed in Cinecolor Director: Alan Stensvold Studio: United Artists Running time: 10 minutes

1947 Aladdin’s Lamp (1947) Plot: Mighty Mouse—undeterred by a gigantic boar and other menaces conjured by a magic lamp—rescues an unhappy harem girl who has been abducted by Sourpuss. Notes: Color, animated cartoon Starring: Mighty Mouse, Sourpuss Writer: John Foster Director: Eddie Donnelly Studio: 20th Century Fox Running time: 6:10 All Gummed Up (1947) Plot: Three dim pharmacists laboring at the Cut Throat Drug Store concoct a “youth vitamin” and offer it to the aged wife of their skinflint landlord. She instantly becomes young and vivacious, and when hubby Mr. Flint demands the same, he gets it—only he becomes a querulous little boy (with Flint’s beard). Other comic business involves a cake baked with bubble gum instead of marshmallows. Notes: Remade by the Three Stooges, with considerable re-used footage, as Bubble Trouble (1953; see entry)

512 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Starring: The Three Stooges (Moe Howard, Shemp Howard, Larry Fine), Christine McIntyre, Emil Sitka, Cy Schindell, Norman Ollestad (as the regressed Flint) Producer: Jules White Director: Jules White Writer: Felix Adler Studio: Columbia Running time: 18:17 Birth of a Notion (1947) Plot: Daffy Duck is too lazy to fly south for the winter; he’d rather just crash somewhere. When he runs into a dumb dog that lives in a beat-up farmhouse, Daffy thinks he has it made—but the dog’s master is a crazy scientist, the Peter Lorre character introduced in the previous year’s Hare-Raising Hare (see entry). And what does the scientist need to complete his experiment? A duck’s wishbone! The indignant Daffy feels a need for revenge, which puts the dog on the spot: he’ll be punished if his master discovers he’s invited a duck into the house. But the doc finally meets Daffy when Daffy tries to stab him to death. Notes: Color, animated cartoon Starring: Daffy Duck Producer: Edward Selzer Director: Robert McKimson Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 6:59 Chiquita Banana and the Cannibals (1947) Plot: A cannibal nearly cooks an English man, but instead shares cooked banana scallops with him. Notes: Animated cartoon with some live-action footage. Filmed in Technicolor. This was a theatrical commercial for bananas. Studio: John Sutherland Productions Running time: 1:21 Cockatoos for Two (1947) Plot: A cartoon version of Peter Lorre is entrusted with a rare cockatoo, but rather than care for him, the evil Lorre plans to cook him for dinner. Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor Director: Bob Wickersham Studio: Columbia Running time: 6 minutes

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

513

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Mouse (1947) To prevent Jerry Mouse from drinking milk from the refrigerator, Tom brews a deadly potion. Instead of polishing the rapid rodent off as intended, it imbues him with super-mousean powers and for a while the familiar cat-after-mouse chase is reversed. When the brew wears off, the familiar routine begins once again, with amusing, if frightening results. Some pretty strong stuff for kids, but entertaining overall. (FD, May 20, 1947)

Fig. 60  Murderous laughs with Tom and Jerry in the Oscar-nominated Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Mouse (1947). (Courtesy Heritage Auctions)

514 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor. Oscar-nominated for Best Short Subject, Cartoon. Writer and Director: William Hanna, Joseph Barbera Studio: MGM Running time: 7:24 Electronic Mouse Trap, The (1947) The cat professor builds a robot dinosaur which is in reality a giant mousetrap which traps, paralyzes and crates mice with assembly line precision. Mighty Mouse speeds to the rescue of the helpless ones and is himself ensnared, momentarily. He extricates himself and turns the machine on the cats. M. M. has saved Mouseville from extinction. Fantasy lends originality to this one. (FD, Jan. 27, 1947)

Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor Starring: Mighty Mouse Writer: John Foster Director: Mannie Davis Studio: 20th Century Fox Running time: 7 minutes Fisherman’s Nightmare (1947) A lazy fisherman dozes off in Wakulla Springs, Fla., and dreams of all sorts of fantastic things happening under the water, aptly described by Lew Lehr. This footage will leave an audience puzzled; its production is clever and unexplainable. Should provide more than average interest. (FD, Jan. 27, 1947)

Plot: Underwater curiosities encountered by a fisherman include Native Americans smoking a peace pipe, clothes-washing, a man enjoying a bath, a pretty woman getting a shoeshine, and a wise couple with an umbrella. Starring: Lew Lehr (narrator) Studio: 20th Century Fox Running time: 8 minutes Hat Box Mystery, The (1947) Mystery whose title derives from a device put together by a band of blackmailers intent upon murdering a woman by employing a dupe. They tell a girl detective that a hatbox they give her contains a camera and that she is to obtain evidence for a divorce by taking pictures of the woman they have marked for murder. When the device is used there is an explosion and the woman is killed. Tom Neal solves the murder, and also saves the life of his pretty secretary, whom he clears of all complicity in the killing after several brushes with the murderers. (STR, June 14, 1947) As the first in a new series of Screen Guild mystery pictures starring Tom Neal, Pamela Blake and Allen Jenkins, The Hat Box Mystery is the usual story of a private detective, his fiancee and a murder in which they become involved.

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

515

Produced by Carl Hittleman and directed by Lambert Hillyer, it is a slow moving film utilizing trite situations to develop the plot. Miss Blake as the assistant to the private detective is assigned to take a picture of a woman with a camera concealed in a hat box. A gun is actually hidden in the box and the woman is killed. Charged with murder Neal and Jenkins get on the case and prove that the shot was fired by the murderer from across the street. Although some of the elements in the story are implausible, it has its interesting and amusing moments, especially when Allen Jenkins appears in the scene. (MPH, Aug. 30, 1947)

Starring: Tom Neal, Pamela Blake, Allen Jenkins Director: Lambert Hillyer Studio: Screen Guild Running time: 44 minutes Hitch Hikers, The (1947) Plot: In order to scare two dogs, Heckle and Jeckle pretend to be ghosts. At the end of the story, a real ghost scares Heckle and Jeckle. Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: Heckle and Jeckle Studio: Terrytoons Running time: 6 minutes Host to a Ghost (1947) The trouble starts when Edgar Kennedy’s brother-in-law decides to go into the real estate business. He sells Edgar’s house so that Edgar will buy another from him. They are forced to move into the Parkhurst mansion, which has the reputation of being haunted. Edgar and family soon learn why. Kennedy fans will knock themselves out at this one. (FD, Aug. 25, 1947) When Edgar Kennedy returns home and finds the house has been sold by his brother-in-law, he is furious but is forced to rent a haunted apartment. After numerous ghostly escapades, Edgar buys back the house at a fantastic price. (MPH, Aug. 2, 1947)

Notes: A crystal ball, a black cat, a knife-wielding hand, and a ghost (Edgar’s brother-in-law covered in flour) cause the humorous scares. This short shares its title with an unrelated 1941 Andy Clyde comedy produced by Columbia (see entry). Starring: Edgar Kennedy, Florence Lake, Dot Farley, Jack Rice Producer: George Bilson Director: Hal Yates Writers: Hal Yates, Charles E. Roberts Studio: RKO Running time: 16:54

516 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Invisible Mouse, The (1947) The usual chase is on, with Tom using cheese tied to a string, and hovering nearby with a flat iron to smash on Jerry. Finally, the mouse accidentally falls into a chemical set, which makes him invisible. The chase continues, although Tom, the cat, is naturally bested, and thinks he is going crazy since he can’t see Jerry, who proceeds in his invisible state to give him a hot foot and a general mauling. Desperate, Tom is about to corner the invisible Jerry when his old enemy, the bull dog, appears, and chases Tom away just as the chemical wears off, and Jerry returns to visibility. FAIR. (MPE, Oct. 5, 1955 [Published at the time of the short’s reissue])

Notes: Animated cartoon, filmed in Technicolor Starring: Tom and Jerry, Spike Writer and Director: William Hanna, Joseph Barbera Studio: MGM Running time: 7:19 King-Size Canary (1947) Plot: A hungry tomcat forces a bottle of Jumbo Gro on a puny canary and starts a cascade of outrageous growth involving not just cat and bird but the local bulldog and a mouse. In the end, the Brobdingnagian cat and mouse literally bestride the globe. Notes: Color, animated cartoon Writer: Heck Allen Director: Tex Avery Studio: MGM Running time: 7:54 Meet Mr. Mischief (1947) Plot: The wife and friends of radio announcer—and obnoxious practical joker— Harry (Harry Von Zell) hire an actor to play a head-­hunting swami, to frighten Harry and teach him a lesson. When Harry and the mock assassin race from studio to studio, they cause many live broadcasts to descend into chaos. Starring: Harry Von Zell, Rolf Harolde, Charles Wilson, Christine McIntyre, Dudley Dickerson, Emil Sitka, Fred Kelsey, Phil Arnold, Symona Boniface, Vernon Dent Producer: Hugh McCollum Director: Edward Bernds Writer: Edward Bernds Studio: Columbia Running time: 17:41

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

517

Monkey-Tone News (1947) In a travesty on its own Movietone News, 20th-Fox and Lew Lehr have combined talents to produce an amusing series of sequences with monkeys as actors and with Lehr’s droll commentary. (STR, Feb. 1, 1947)

Starring: Lew Lehr (narrator) Studio: 20th Century Fox Running time: 9 minutes Moon Rockets (1947) Moon rockets, weighting 30 tons, aflight [sic] to the ionosphere, are featured in this exciting reel. Color camera, mounted into the heads of rockets, record pictures from hundreds of miles above the earth. (MPH, June 21, 1947)

Studio: Paramount Running time: 10 minutes Nervous Shakedown (1947) Hugh Herbert, an eccentric millionaire, arrives at a sanitarium for a cure. A couple of ex-convicts are using the place to lay low after escaping from the penitentiary. They try every trick in the book to force Herbert’s departure, but the patient refuses to leave. Finally, the convicts decide to wait until dark and then shoot the works. When nightfall arrives, they do everything possible to scare him, but Herbert exposes them, and turns them over to the police. FAIR. (MPE, Feb. 20, 1957 [Published at the time of the short’s reissue])

Notes: During the dark and stormy night, men wearing spooky masks scare Hugh Herbert. A fake ghost repeatedly flies by a window. Starring: Hugh Herbert, Dudley Dickerson, Dick Wessel, Kenneth MacDonald Writer: Clyde Bruckman Director: Del Lord Studio: Columbia Running time: 15:20 Safari So Good (1947) Plot: Popeye and Olive Oyl explore an African jungle, with Olive filming the animals they encounter. These include a gorilla. Notes: Animated cartoon, filmed in Technicolor Starring: Popeye, Olive Oyl, Bluto Director: I. Sparber Studio: Paramount Running time: 7 minutes

518 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Spook Speaks, The (1947) Mrs. Errol goes to considerable lengths in this short to break Leon of the drinking habit. Seems Leon’s favorite nephew is erroneously reported killed in a plane crash. When he comes to visit the Errols, Leon is just waking up from a drunk. He sees his nephew and believes the nephew to be a spirit. Thus Leon believes that he, too, is a spirit and has passed over. (MPH, Dec. 20, 1947)

Fig. 61  Chronic tippler Leon Errol thinks he sees the spirit of his “dead” nephew in The Spook Speaks (1947). (Courtesy Heritage Auctions)

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

519

Notes: Not to be confused with the 1940 Buster Keaton short of the same title (see entry). Starring: Leon Errol, Dorothy Granger, Harry Harvey, Mickey Simpson Writer: Julian Woodard Director: Hal Yates Studio: RKO Running time: 19 minutes Stupidstitious Cat, The (1947) Superstition proves to be the downfall of the cat in this color short. Buzzy, the wise-guy bird, saves himself by being devoured by the cat by creating a number of supernatural situations. He finally escapes, but just as the film ends, a black cat crosses his path, throwing fear into his heart. (MPH, Apr. 19, 1947) A superstitious cat catches Buzzy, a flippant bird, who knows the feline’s weakness. Every time the cat gets ready to devour him, Buzzy brings on another omen or charm which panics the cat and frees him. Switch at the end proves that the wise-guy is not always so smart, and the audience gets the last laugh. (FD, May 13, 1947)

Notes: Animated cartoon Starring: Buzzy the Crow Writer: Carl Meyer, Jack Ward Director: Seymour Kneitel Studio: Paramount Running time: 6:23 Woody the Giant Killer (1947) Plot: Woody purchases magic beans, climbs the magic beanstalk, and then defeats a giant. Notes: Animated cartoon, filmed in Technicolor Starring: Woody Woodpecker Producer: Walter Lantz Studio: Running time: 6:47 Wotta Knight (1947) Popeye goes back to the middle ages in this one to joust with Bluto, the Black Knight, for the hand of Sleeping Beauty, Olive Oyl. Bluto resorts to his usual below the belt tricks, but Popeye, as always, wins. (MPH, Nov. 8, 1947)

Notes: Animated cartoon, filmed in Technicolor Starring: Popeye, Olive Oyl, Bluto

520 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Writer: Carl Meyer, I. (Isadore) Klein Director: I. (Isadore) Sparber Studio: Paramount Running time: 6:51

1948 A-Lad in His Lamp (1948) Plot: Bugs Bunny finds Aladdin’s lamp and rubs it, thus causing the genie to appear. The genie grants Bugs’ wish for two carrots, as well as his wish to go to Baghdad. There Mad Man Hassan tries to steal the lamp, and Bugs fails to escape on a magic carpet. The genie then beats Mad Man Hassan “to a pulp.” Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor Starring: Bugs Bunny, Genie, Mad Man Hassan Director: Robert McKimson Writer: Warren Foster Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 7 minutes Bone Sweet Bone (1948) After an exhaustive endeavor to retrieve the sole bone missing from the dinosaur’s skeleton and blamed for the disappearance, Shep, the professor’s dog, finally brings it back only to find out his master had it all the time. (FD, July 15, 1948)

Notes: Animated cartoon, filmed in Cinecolor Starring: Shep Writer: William Scott, Lloyd Turner Director: Arthur Davis Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 7:05 Cat that Hated People, The (1948) Plot: When a tomcat grows tired of being swatted, kicked, stomped, and punched, he steals a rocket ship and flies to the moon—only to be assaulted by a weird variety of moon creatures: a hammer that chases a nail, a scissors that snaps at a fleeing piece of paper, a lipstick in pursuit of lips, a dog’s collar that barks after a galloping fire hydrant, a pencil sharpener hot on the heels of a pencil, and other abusive anomalies that involve the cat in their violent business. Fed up, the cat golfs himself back to a busy street on Earth, where he relaxes while heedless people step on him.

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

521

Notes: Color, animated cartoon Writer: Heck Allen Director: Tex Avery Studio: MGM Running time: 6:41 Crime on Their Hands (1948) Plot: Three newspaper janitors impersonate investigative reporters and tangle with jewel thieves. This crime comedy has an incidental horror element, as Shemp Howard is strapped to a table and then nearly fileted by a knifewielding gorilla. Starring: Moe Howard, Shemp Howard, Larry Fine (the Three Stooges), Kenneth MacDonald, Christine McIntyre, Frank Lackteen, Ray “Crash” Corrigan (the gorilla) Producer: Hugh McCollum Director: Edward Bernds Writer: Elwood Ullman Studio: Columbia Running time: 17:34 Go Chase Yourself (1948) Plot: Professor Andy Clyde investigates a sleepwalking burglar on a university campus, only to discover that he is the somnambulistic culprit. Notes: This short is a remake of The Nightshirt Bandit (1938). Starring: Andy Clyde, Florence Auer, Patricia Barry, Ferris Taylor, Gay Nelson Director and Writer: Jules White Studio: Columbia Running time: 17 minutes Gorilla My Dreams (1948) Plot: Mrs. Gorilla loves Bugs and wants him for her adopted baby, but Mr. Gorilla does not. Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor Starring: Bugs Bunny Director: Robert McKimson Writer: Warren Foster Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 7 minutes

522 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Haredevil Hare (1948) Plot: Dragooned into “volunteering” to be onboard the first rocket to the Moon, Bugs survives a bumpy landing and shortly meets an officious little Martian, who readies his V-16 cannon (an allusion to Nazi V-weapons) to “blow up the Earth.” But Bugs makes off with a key component, the Uranium PU-36 (pronounced “pew-36”) Explosive Space Modulator. Pursued across the lunar landscape by the Martian and the Martian’s green, doglike flunky, Bugs finally has no choice but to save Earth by blowing up the Moon. Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor. The space alien subsequently became known as Marvin the Martian. Starring: Bugs Bunny Director: Chuck Jones Writer: Michael Maltese Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 7:42 Hot Cross Bunny (1948) Plot: Bugs has been living what he calls “the life of Riley” at an experimentalresearch hospital, but then a dotty French scientist selects Bugs for an electrical process that will leave Bugs with the brain of a chicken. Brisk and smartly funny chase comedy puts Bugs on the run but, being Bugs, he pauses to mix an explosive compound that turns out to be a chocolate shake and then dives into a green pup tent that says “Oxygen Tent.” In an instant he’s back outside, sitting cross-legged and wearing a Boy Scout hat, roasting a weenie over a campfire. Finally overcome by laughing gas, Bugs turns the tables on the doctor at the moment of brain transfer. Notes: Color, animated cartoon Starring: Bugs Bunny Producer: Edward Selzer Director: Robert McKimson Story: Warren Foster Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 7:09 Hot Scots, The (1948) Plot: Three gardeners employed by Scotland Yard investigate a spooky Scottish castle inhabited by a miserly Earl, his beautiful niece, and a clutch of masked fiends. The Stooges hide in sliding beds, dodge the gaze of living portrait paintings, and meet a skeleton that plays bagpipes. Notes: Remade in 1954 with the Three Stooges, and extensive stock footage, as Scotched in Scotland (see entry).

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

523

Fig. 62  Hot Scots (1948): Inside a Scottish manor house, the Stooges tangle with spooks and skeletons.

524 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Starring: Moe Howard, Shemp Howard, Larry Fine (the Three Stooges), Christine McIntyre, Herbert Evans, Ted Lorch Producer: Hugh McCollum Director: Edward Bernds Writer: Edward Bernds Studio: Columbia Running time: 17:13 I’m a Monkey’s Uncle (1948) Plot: Living in a prehistoric era, the Three Stooges are cavemen who have to fend off competition for their girlfriends. Note: Footage from this film was recycled into the later short Stone Age Romeos (1955). Starring: Moe Howard, Shemp Howard, Larry Fine, Virginia Hunter Writer: Zion Meyers Director: Jules White Studio: Columbia Running time: 18:08 Jungle Man Killers (1948) Hunting party goes in search of a man-eating tiger that has already killed several villagers in Hyderabad, India. Colorful and authentic scenes lift this short above the average travelogue. (FD, Sept. 16, 1948)

Notes: A Sports Parade short filmed in Technicolor. Starring: Art Gilmore (narrator) Director: Charles Tedford Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 10 minutes Mighty Mouse and the Magician (1948) The mean old cat steals a magic wand and makes himself disappear as he upsets the little town of mice, with the aid of his relatives. Word gets to Mighty Mouse, however, and the cats are sent scurrying. (STR, June 19, 1948)

Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor Starring: Mighty Mouse Writer: John Foster Director: Eddie Donnelly Studio: 20th Century Fox Running time: 6 minutes

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

525

Mystery in the Moonlight (1948) Dog and mouse have a session with a cat, this time with a good proportion of eerie doings to round out routine chase elements. Concentration of attention points to the dog getting the worst of the deal from time to time and the cat at length makes off to where he came from. (FD, June 28, 1948) In keeping with the current trend to suspenseful, spooky dramas, this amusing cartoon deals with a cat, a mouse, and a dog. The cat is the villain and proves more than a handful for the dog and mouse. (STR, June 19, 1948)

Plot: A tuxedo cat invades an old house and terrorizes the bulldog and mouse living inside. Chase cartoon has an amusing “fantastic” idea: the predatory cat appears on a television program called Mystery in the Moonlight, where he’s stuffed in a sack and dumped from a car; suddenly, he’s inside the house. Later, his malicious mischief complete, he dashes outside and is retrieved by the same car—and appears again on the mouse and dog’s TV. Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor Writer: John Foster Director: Eddie Donnelly Studio: 20th Century Fox Running time: 6:25 No More Relatives (1948) Notes: Edgar encounters a gorilla, which he initially believes is his brother-inlaw in a costume. Starring: Edgar Kennedy, Florence Lake, Dot Farley, Jack Farley Director: Hal Yates Studio: RKO Running time: 18 minutes Power of Thought, The (1948) Plot: Heckle (or is it Jeckle?) ruminates about the power of the mind and demonstrates by thinking himself into a puppy, a one-man band, and a bathtub. When a gruff cop shows up, things get pretty kinetic, with a magic ladder, a tippy stack of dishes, a locomotive, and a hammer. But the cop finally realizes the power of his mind and sends his revolver to chase the boys (snapping at them with metal jaws) before imprisoning them in stocks. Notes: Color, animated cartoon Starring: Heckle and Jeckle Writer: John Foster Director: Eddie Donnelly Studio: 20th Century Fox Running time: 1 reel

526 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Pre-hysterical Man (1948) Popeye and Olive Oyl get involved with prehistoric animals & Bluto. Plenty of slam-bang animation cleverly concocted to provoke laffs … in color, t’will send ’em. (FD, Apr. 6, 1948)

Plot: Deep inside Yellowstone Park, Olive Oyl becomes the love object of a red-headed caveman. Popeye calls the brute a “missing link”; Olive thinks he is “wunnderful!” But the caveman’s rough behavior eventually wears thin, and Olive cries for Popeye to rescue her. A dinosaur appears. Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Polacolor. Starring: Popeye, Olive Oyl, Bluto Writer: Carl Meyer, Jack Mercer Director: Seymour Kneitel Studio: Paramount Running time: 6:42 Rocket of the Future (1948) Such topics as how long would a V-2 rocket take to get to the moon … are presented in an engrossing manner. (FD, Sept. 16, 1948)

Notes: Also known as Rockets of the Future. Director: Ben Parker Studio: Universal-International Running time: 8 minutes Scaredy Cat (1948) Porky Pig and his cat, Sylvester, move into an old house, already inhabited by a gang of cut-throat mice. Sylvester spies an old cat being executed, and is afraid, but Porky doesn’t see the mice. After much mishap, Porky is captured by the mice. Sylvester flees, overcome by fear, returns, and drives out the mice. GOOD. (MPE, June 27, 1956 [Published at the time of the short’s reissue])

Plot: Porky rents a creepy old house; pet cat Sylvester is already scared to death before they even get inside. Banished downstairs, Sylvester observes mice leading a cat to its execution, and for the remainder of the night, the mice mount assassination attempts against Porky—attempts that force Sylvester to sacrifice himself to an anvil, a bowling ball, and other heavy objects. Taken into the cellar via a descending platform in the kitchen floor, Sylvester returns dazed, and looking like an anemic zombie. Recovered, Sylvester flees when the mice capture Porky, but his conscience shames him into returning. Sylvester dashes back into the house, which rocks and jumps in the distance before sending forth a tremendous river of mice. Notes: Color, animated cartoon

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

527

Starring: Porky Pig, Sylvester Cat Producer: Edward Selzer Director: Charles M. Jones (Chuck Jones) Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 7:22 Seeing Ghosts (1948) One of the constantly recurring themes in the Terrytoon collection, this number in Technicolor has an interior decorating pig coming to do over a haunted house. In no time the ghosts and skeletons that lurk about the place give him a hectic time. Proceedings end on a loud note generated by the explosion of a giant firecracker. (FD, June 30, 1948) What happens to an interior decorator (a pig) when he blunders into a crowd of slap-happy spooks in a haunted house. (STR, June 19, 1948)

Plot: Ghosts inhabiting in an old house are appalled when the place is sold and an unsuspecting house painter shows up. The film includes the painter’s moving shadow thrown from behind a tombstone, a ghostly woman who sleepwalks, dancing skeletons, and a phalanx of ghosts cavorting in the sky. Notes: Animated cartoon film in Technicolor Director: Mannie Davis Studio: 20th Century Fox Running time: 6:35 Shivering Sherlocks (1948) First the Three Stooges aid a pretty blonde by working in her declining beanery. Then they help her investigate an inheritance – an old house now tenanted by a collection of criminals. Also on the premises is a homicidal Karloffian monster. In time, after goodly portions of mayhem and such like transpires, Shemp Howard disposes of the killers [and] turns them over to the cops. Public pleased by Stooge antics won’t be let down in the latest shenanigans. (FD, Apr. 21, 1948) The Three Stooges can always be relied on to liven up the screen with a lot of fun. Here they try to help out a pretty blonde who has inherited an antiquated country house, occupied by a crew of killers. There is a hilarious chase through the old house, but in the end the stooges do all right for themselves. (MPH, Jan. 24, 1948)

Plot: When three nitwits visit an empty mansion that’s been inherited by a friend, they run afoul of some gangsters and a machete-wielding hunchback. Note: Remade in 1955 with the Three Stooges, considerable stock footage, and some intriguing new exteriors as Of Cash and Hash (see entry).

528 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Starring: Moe Howard, Shemp Howard, Larry Fine (the Three Stooges), Christine McIntyre, Kenneth MacDonald, Frank Lackteen, Duke York (Angel) Producer: Hugh McCollum Director: Del Lord Writers: Del Lord, Elwood Ullman Studio: Columbia Running time: 17:08 Sleepless Night, A (1948) Notes: In this color cartoon, Heckle and Jeckle hypnotize a bear. Starring: Heckle and Jeckle Studio: Terrytoons Running time: 5:15 So You Want to Be a Detective (1948) Plot: Phillip Snarlowe/Joe McDoakes looks into a murder case at an old house that features a secret panel and several corpses. Notes: The character name Phillip Snarlowe is a parody of Raymond Chandler’s detective Philip Marlowe Starring: George O’Hanlon (Joe McDoakes/Phillip Snarlowe), Art Gilmore Director: Richard Bare (aka Richard L. Bare) Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 11 minutes Souvenirs of Death (1948) Here’s a good lesson for war souvenir owners. Story is dramatically told when a German Mauser pistol soliloquies about itself from the time it was part of a soldier’s equipment until it poured out death via a criminal’s hand. (FD, July 14, 1948)

Plot: Quasi-documentary short relates the tale of a Mauser P.38 pistol, narrated by the pistol itself, on its course from wartime souvenir to child’s playtoy, to “gift to cousin Richard” to poker-game ante, and finally to the hand of a heist man (Morris Ankrum) who uses the gun to murder a policeman after sticking up a gambling house. Functional and unpretty, the sentient Mauser is disturbingly blasé about its journey through multiple hands. When it finally becomes court exhibit no. 3315, it remarks that the situation “is of complete indifference to me.” Notes: An entry in the series entitled John Nesbitt’s Passing Parade.

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

529

Starring: John Nesbitt (narrator), Don Castle, Morris Ankrum, Barbara Billingsley, Gil Perkins, Jimmy Hunt, Tony Taylor, Mitchell Lewis, Brick Sullivan Director: Edward Cahn Studio: MGM Running time: 10:21 Spook Speaks, The (1948) Leon Errol is the usual chronic drunk. His wife and partner are disgusted with him. While he is on a spree, his favorite nephew, thought killed in the war, returns to visit him, and everybody conspires to make Errol think he has taken one drink too many, and died. He and his nephew, he thinks, are revisiting his old earthy haunts, where he finds his ‘widow’ of two weeks, just married to his former partner. The climax comes when Errol decides the only way to dissolve the new marriage and keep his beloved for himself alone is to kill her, so he goes after her with a gun. GOOD. (MPE, Oct. 4, 1955 [Published at the time of the short’s reissue])

Starring: Leon Errol, Dorothy Granger, Steven Flagg aka Michael St. Angel, Harry Harvey, Suzi Crandall, Mickey Simpson Writer and Director: Hal Yates Studio: RKO Running time: 19 minutes Tall, Dark and Gruesome (1948) Hugh Herbert’s adventures in a deserted country house. (STR, June 5, 1948)

Plot: Mystery writer Hugh Herbert relocates to a country home, where a gorilla runs amok. Adding to the scares are three costumed neighbors dressed as a devil, ghost, and skeleton. Starring: Hugh Herbert (Hugh Sherlock), Dudley Dickerson, Charles C. Wilson, Christine McIntyre, Myron Heasley, Heinie Conklin Director: Del Lord Writer: Clyde Bruckman Studio: Columbia Running time: 16:19 There’s Good Boos To-Night (1948) Plot: A friendly little fox that has made pals with Casper is killed by a hunter, but all ends happily when the dead fox rises from his grave so that he and Casper can continue to play. This cartoon unfolds at night beneath a starry, dark blue sky. The opening sequence takes place in a graveyard, as the other ghosts leave their graves to go frighten people, is eerie and textured.

530 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Notes: Color, animated cartoon. Various modern sources misspell “To-Night” as “Tonight.” Starring: Casper the Friendly Ghost (voice by Alan Shay). Other voice: Frank Gallop (narrator) Producers: Isadore Sparber, Seymour Kneitel, Sam Buchwald Director: I. [Isadore] Sparber Writers: Bill Turner, Larry Riley Studio: Famous Studios-Paramount Running time: 8:43 Witch’s Cat, The (1948) The mice world is celebrating Halloween when a witch and her cat come into the scene for some dirty business. They try to join in the festivities but are discovered. A chase ensues. Many rodents are captured; some, however, escape and signal Mighty Mouse. He comes. Enuff said. (FD, Sept. 23, 1948)

Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor Starring: Mighty Mouse Writer: John Foster Director: Mannie Davis Studio: 20th Century Fox Running time: 6:22 Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing, A (1948) Plot: A bullying Egyptian sheik develops a yen for Olive Oyl and mounts various violent schemes to wrest her from Popeye: he sends a giant roc to abduct her, wraps Popeye like a mummy and shoots him (via cannon) deep into a tomb inside the Sphinx, and even threatens to feed Olive to a crocodile. Popeye finally punches the sheik into a wall of hieroglyphics, and he and Olive take their leave on a flying carpet. Starring: Popeye, Olive Oyl Studio: Paramount Running time: 7:08

1949 Bad Luck Blackie (1949) Plot: A white kitten tormented by a bulldog hooks up with a streetwise black cat, who promises to intervene whenever the kitten blows a whistle. Sure enough, the whistle dependably brings the black cat, as well as a series of bricks, horseshoes (plus the horse), and other falling objects that dispatch

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

531

the dog. The bulldog finally paints Blackie white, only to be undone when the kitten paints itself black—and acquires enough weird magic so that the dog is flattened by a falling piano, a steam roller, a school bus, an airliner, and a battleship. Notes: Color, animated cartoon Writer: Rich Hogan Director: Tex Avery Studio: MGM Running time: 7:05 Bye Bye Bluebeard (1949) Plot: Porky is pushed into panic when a radio news bulletin warns of Bluebeard, a crazed killer on the loose. Although Porky buttons up his house, he forgets about the frisky mouse that lives inside. In a flash, the mouse dons a blue beard (logically enough) and terrorizes Porky into feeding him a grand meal. (Before the news bulletin, the mouse had slathered mustard on Porky’s finger and taken a bite.) When a further bulletin describes Bluebeard’s enormous height and weight, Porky holds a ruler next to the wee mouse and then prepares to annihilate the rodent. Enter the real Bluebeard (a wolf), who engages the mouse in close-quarters combat with pies, a loaf of bread and a large knife (particularly funny), and a toaster. As Porky is about to meet his fate on Bluebeard’s hastily constructed guillotine, the mouse feeds the fiend a platter of bombs. Notes: Color, animated cartoon Starring: Porky Pig Producer: Edward Selzer Director: Arthur Davis Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 6:50 Dingbat Land (1949) Plot: Gandy and Sourpuss strap on pith helmets and leap into a nature book to find the elusive dingbat. Although tiny, the birdlike creature (part Tweety Bird, part whirling dervish) has its way with the interlopers, magically unleashing a stampede of multi-color elephants, conjuring a racing locomotive from inside a tree trunk, and manufacturing other mischief. Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor Starring: Gandy Goose; Sourpuss Writer: John Foster Director: Connie Rasinski Studio: 20th Century Fox Running time: 6:12

532 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Dough for the Do-Do (1949) A remake of Porky in Wackyland (1938; see entry), with segments of the original animation combined with new animation supervised by Friz Freleng. Notes: Color, animated cartoon Starring: Porky Pig Producers: Leon Schlesinger (source cartoon), Edward Selzer Directors: Bob Clampett (source cartoon), Friz Freleng Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 6:59 Ghost Talks, The (1949) Plot: While doing a job inside a windswept old castle, three movers encounter card-playing skeletons and a suit of armor that holds the voluble spirit of Tom the Tailor—better known as Peeping Tom. A somnambulistic Lady Godiva rides in for a cameo appearance. Starring: Moe Howard, Shemp Howard, Larry Fine (the Three Stooges), Phil Arnold (voice only, as Tom), Nancy Saunders (as Godiva) Producer: Jules White

Fig. 63  Inside a drafty castle, a suit of armor puts the bite on Shemp Howard in The Three Stooges’ The Ghost Talks (1949). (Courtesy Heritage Auctions)

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

533

Director: Jules White Writer: Felix Adler Studio: Columbia Running time: 16:17 Haunting We Will Go, A (1949) Plot: Studying in a ghost classroom where “Fright Makes Right,” perpetually friendly Casper is shamed by a dunce cap. After school he innocently scares a pelican (plus the fish in the pelican’s bill) and a very slow turtle who spies Casper and burns rubber like a hot rod. “I might as well be dead,” Casper mopes. “Nobody wants me for a friend.” Enter a smiling newborn duckling. “Now I have a real friend!” Casper exclaims. Notes: Color, animated cartoon, often referred to in modern sources as A-Haunting We Will Go, with erroneous hyphen. Starring: Casper the Friendly Ghost (voice by Alan Shay). Other voice: Frank Gallop (narrator) Producers: Isadore Sparber, Seymour Kneitel, Sam Buchwald Director: Seymour Kneitel Writer: Larz Bourne Studio: Famous Studios-Paramount Running time: 8:09 Heavenly Puss (1949) Plot: Tom dies and must get Jerry to sign a form of forgiveness; otherwise, Tom will fall into Hell, where a satanic devil dog with a pitchfork is waiting to boil him in a cauldron. Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in color Starring: Tom, Jerry, Spike Director: Joseph Barbara, William Hanna Studio: MGM Running time: 8 minutes Hokus Pokus (1949) Plot: Svengarlic, the “Great Hypnotist,” makes Larry behave like a cat and Shemp behave like a monkey. During his radio show, he commands the Three Stooges to walk out onto a horizontal flagpole on a skyscraper. An accident knocks Svengarlic unconscious, causing the Stooges to resume free and nearly fall to their deaths. Their antics expose Mary, who is attempting to defraud an insurance company by pretending to be disabled. Notes: Svengarlic is a parody of the character Svengali. Footage from Hokus Pokus was recycled into Flagpole Jitters (1956; see entry).

534 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Starring: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Shemp Howard (The Three Stooges), Mary Ainslee (Mary), Vernon Dent (Insurance Agent) Director: Jules White Writer: Felix Adler Studio: Columbia Running time: 16:21 Hoodoo (1949) The latest in the This Is America series strikes right through the dark corridors of superstition and shows that, despite centuries of enlightenment, it still plays a part in our daily lives. The subject passes in review a numberless roster of superstitions, such as black cats, ladders, lucky pennies, hex signs, Friday the 13th, rabbits’ feet, etc., showing how these ancient taboos still shape our conduct. Interesting and informative, the subject is on a par with predecessors in the series. (MPD, July 26, 1949)

Notes: RKO-Pathé’s This Is America series was produced during 1942–51. Hoodoo is no. 10 in the series. Starring: Andrew Baruch Writer: Phil Reisman Jr. Director: Larry O’Reilly Studio: RKO Running time: 16 minutes House of Tomorrow, The (1949) This is concerned with modern inventions in the home of the future. Among the items viewed are often inventions which don’t work. Included are a collapsible house, an air moistener, atomic cooking, and a three screen television set, etc. (MPE, Dec. 28, 1955 [Published at the time of this short’s reissue])

Notes: Animated cartoon, filmed in Technicolor, which includes some liveaction footage Starring: Joi Lansing, Frank Graham (narrator) Writer: Jack Cosgriff, Rich Hogan Director: Tex Avery Studio: MGM Running time: 6:33 Microspook (1949) Radio announcer Harry Von Zell’s practical jokes annoy his co-workers so much they decide to get even by selling the sponsor on Von Zell announcing from a haunted house. They then sneak in to scare him with a gorilla’s outfit only to find an escaped gorilla and his eccentric keeper already there. Von Zell mistakes one

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

535

for the other continuously till the end, when the gorilla is captured, and he takes the credit. FAIR. (MPE, Apr. 18, 1956 [Published when the short was reissued])

Plot: Radio station employees who are sick and tired of practical jokes perpetrated by announcer Harry (Harry Von Zell) sell Harry on what they claim is a publicity stunt: a solo, all-night broadcast from a haunted house. Things quickly become complicated, as the house becomes occupied not just by Harry and his assistant (Dudley Dickerson), but the other station employees (who have arrived with a gorilla costume intended to frighten Harry), and a rogue gorilla and its keeper (who sports a scary mask). Mistaken identity revolving the real and faux gorillas provide most of the laughs. Starring: Harry Von Zell, Christine McIntyre, Emil Sitka, Dudley Dickerson, Jimmy Aubrey, Ray “Crash” Corrigan (the gorilla) Producer: Hugh McCollum Director: Edward Bernds Writer: Edward Bernds Studio: Columbia Running time: 16 minutes Miss in a Mess (1949) Vera Vague is the lady in question, and her quandary concerns her marrying a fellow who is the ‘spitting’ image of an escaped axe-murderer, and having the latter turn up with [an] axe. Her aunt first mistakes the two in a photograph, then Vague goes in person, and is kidnapped by the killer, but is rescued after a car crash by the police and her beloved, whom she mistakes again, and flees. FAIR. (MPE, Mar. 20, 1957 [Published when the short was reissued])

Plot: Because Vera Vague (Barbara Jo Allen) mistakenly believes her fiancé is a fugitive ax murderer, she feigns craziness to avoid taking her vows, but ends up getting married anyway—and then the real ax fiend shows up to impersonate the new husband. Note: Some sources note this short as A Miss in a Mess, but the onscreen title card has no prefatory “A.” Starring: Vera Vague (Barbara Jo Allen), Stephen Roberts (dual role), Lois Austin Producer: Jules White Director: Jules White Writer: Jules White Studio: Columbia Running time: 15:35

536 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Perils of Pearl Pureheart, The (1949) Plot: In a parody of silent films serials and George du Maurier’s Trilby, Oil Can Harry hypnotizes Pearl Pureheart and forces her to sing. Mighty Mouse saves the day. Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor Starring: Mighty Mouse, Oil Can Harry, Pearl Pureheart Studio: Terrytoons 20th Century Fox Running time: 6 minutes Which Is Witch (1949) Plot: An African witch doctor named I. C. Spots needs a rabbit to complete the ingredients for his new potion. Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor Starring: Bugs Bunny, Dr. I. C. Spots Director: Friz Freleng Writer: Tedd Pierce Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 7 minutes Who Done It? (1949) Plot: Three inept private detectives investigating a disappearance at a dark mansion tangle with a criminal gang and a scary, raccoon-­ eyed strangler called the Goon. Note: Who Done It? reworks the 1946 Schilling and Lane short, Pardon My Terror (see entry).

Fig. 64  Sociopaths holed up inside a shadowy mansion work hard to murder private dicks Larry, Shemp, and Moe in Who Done It? (1949). (Courtesy Heritage Auctions)

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

537

Starring: Moe Howard, Shemp Howard, Larry Fine (the Three Stooges), Christine McIntyre, Kenneth MacDonald, Emil Sitka, Dudley Dickerson, Duke York (the Goon) Producer: Hugh McCollum Director: Edward Bernds Writer: Edward Bernds Studio: Columbia Running time: 16:31

1950 Casper’s Spree Under the Sea (1950) Plot: Banished from his ghostly digs because of his desire to pick flowers instead of frighten people, Casper innocently scares a pair of kangaroos and even a hive of bees (who frantically cover Casper with honey). Despondent, Casper ties himself to a boulder and jumps off a bridge. Underwater, Casper meets a cute, big-eyed goldfish named Goldie, who takes Casper to the Fish Fair amusement park. When Goldie and many other fish are suddenly carried to the surface in a fishing net, Casper frightens the fishermen away. With order restored, the fish acclaim Casper as their hero and proclaim him their king. Notes: Color, animated cartoon. Following three widely spaced Casper adventures released during 1945–49, Famous Studios-Paramount undertook a regular schedule of Casper cartoons released theatrically during 1950–59. In this series, Casper appears less visually transparent than in his first three cartoon adventures, and his body shape is less baggy. Casper’s Spree Under the Sea is the first Casper cartoon to open with Casper the Friendly Ghost, the theme with music by Jerry Livingston and lyrics by Mack David. Starring: Casper the Friendly Ghost (voice by [actress] Cecil Roy). Other voices: Jack Mercer (pitchman no. 2, pitchman no. 4), Sid Raymond (various ghosts, express conductor, pitchman no. 1, pitchman no. 3, pitchman no. 5, fishermen); Mae Questel (Goldie). Producers: Isadore Sparber, Seymour Kneitel, Sam Buchwald Director: Bill Tytla Writer: I. [Isadore] Klein Studio: Famous Studios-Paramount Running time: 8:03 Comic Book Land (1950) Plot: Sourpuss becomes engrossed in Gandy’s comic book collection and dreams that he and his pal are transported to Comic Book Land. They meet a black knight, enjoy a hula dance, and are chased by a comics-loving giant before making off with the giant’s enormous collection. Loose adaptation of

538 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Jack and the Beanstalk substitutes comic books for the golden goose (“Comic books!” Gandy exclaims. “They’re as good as gold!”) and occasionally places our heroes inside comic book panels. Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor Starring: Gandy Goose, Sourpuss, Mighty Mouse (cameo) Writer: John Foster Director: Mannie Davis Studio: 20th Century Fox Running time: 6:30 Cuckoo Clock, The (1950) Plot: On a stormy night in an old dark house, a cat confesses he is losing his mind due to a cuckoo clock. He unsuccessfully tries to catch the cuckoo. Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor. The story parodies the style of Edgar Allan Poe. Writer: Rich Hogan Director: Tex Avery Studio: MGM Running time: 6 minutes Dopey Dicks (1950) Plot: After locating an abducted beauty, three custodians employed by a private detective are menaced by a pair of escaped lunatics, including a wacky scientist whose robot requires a human brain. Note: Dopey Dicks is a remake of a 1943 El Brendel and Monty Collins short, Boobs in the Night. The dapper robot had already been seen in a 1946 Andy Clyde two-reeler, Spook to Me. The final gag, plus footage of a speeding car, is recycled from Get Along, Little Zombie, a 1946 short starring Hugh Herbert. See separate entries for all of these. Starring: Moe Howard, Shemp Howard, Larry Fine (the Three Stooges), Philip Van Zandt, Christine McIntyre, Stanley Price Producer: Hugh McCollum Director: Edward Bernds Writer: Edward Bernds Studio: Columbia Running time: 15:43 Dream Walking (1950) Plot: Gandy Goose is a somnambulist, with his sleepwalking causing various problems. Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

539

Starring: Gandy Goose Director: Connie Rasinski Writer: Tom Morrison Studio: Terrytoons Running time: 6:30 Flying Cups and Saucers (1950) An amusing Technicolor cartoon which deals with the recent headlines about flying saucers. A dozing dog hears a radio bulletin about this strange manifestation and runs out of the house just as a large cup and saucer lands on a lake near the house. Two cats emerge and announce that they are from the moon and are looking for mice. The dog helps the cats find the mice while the desperate little animals scurry for safety. (Box, Feb. 4, 1950)

Notes: Animated cartoon in Technicolor Studio: 20th Century Fox Running time: 7 minutes High and Dizzy (1950) Plot: A chicken stepping across piano keys scares a cleaner who believes it to be a ghost. Even after learning the truth, the cleaner believes the chicken is “haunted.” Starring: Leon Errol, Dorothy Granger, Willie Best, Marlo Dwyer Director: Hal Yates Writer: Earl Baldwin Studio: RKO Running time: 17 minutes Hold that Monkey (1950) Two bumbling hotel detectives attempt to capture a burglar. The perpetrator is a real gorilla, trained by criminals to perform the heists. Note: This is a remake of a 1935 Monte Collins and Tom Kennedy short, Gum Shoes (see entry), with stock footage from the earlier film. Starring: Gus Schilling, Richard Lane, Jean Willes, Margie Liszt Producer: Jules White Director: Jules White Writers: Jack White, Jules White Studio: Columbia Running time: 16 minutes

540 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Fig. 65  Just another day on the job for Gus Schilling and Richard Lane, in Hold that Monkey (1950). (Courtesy Heritage Auctions)

Hurdy-Gurdy Hare (1950) Plot: Bugs Bunny works as a hurdy-gurdy man with a monkey that he soon fires. The monkey’s father is an enormous gorilla that comes after Bugs. Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor Starring: Bugs Bunny Director: Robert McKimson Writer: Warren Foster Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 7 minutes Hypo-Chondri-Cat, The (1950) Plot: Claude Cat’s silly preoccupation with his health renders him unable to deal with mice Hubie and Bertie, who have invaded the house. Brimming with faked concern, the mice pretend to operate on Claude, only to “lose” the patient, and inform the cat that he’s dead. Although minor in the Warner Bros. canon, The Hypo-Chondri-Cat has a nightmare sequence, in which the cat imagines himself victimized by an egg beater, a hand saw, gigantic pills, and a sudden gush of water. Awake again, he sees Hubie and Bertie mourning over his grave and is finally convinced that he’s a ghost.

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

541

Notes: Color, animated cartoon Starring: Hubie and Bertie Producer: Edward Selzer Director: Charles M. Jones (Chuck Jones) Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 7:16 Jingle Jangle Jungle (1950) Plot: Cannibals try to eat a hunter. Notes: Color, animated cartoon Director: Seymour Kneitel Studio: Famous Studios-Paramount Running time: 6:33 King Tut’s Tomb (1950) Plot: Heckle and Jeckle travel by flying carpet to Egypt and run afoul of King Tut, the Sphinx, skeletons, dancing girls, and voracious termites. Frankenstein’s Monster materializes from a shape-shifting harem woman. One mummy looks like Harpo Marx, and the termites gobble a wood sarcophagus, a clay urn, a stone staircase, the magpies’ flying carpet—and the boys’ feathers, too. Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor. Re-uses animation from Somewhere in Egypt (see entry), a 1943 Terry-Toon Cartoon featuring Gandy Goose. Starring: Heckle and Jeckle Writer: Tom Morrison Director: Mannie Davis Studio: 20th Century Fox Running time: 5:42 Mother Goose’s Birthday Party (1950) Plot: The Wicked Wolf invades Mother Goose’s birthday party and terrorizes Jack and Jill, Old King Cole, Simple Simon, Little Boy Blue, and many other storybook guests before Mighty Mouse vanquishes the wolf. Song-driven cartoon is structured like a list, with traditional characters trotted out for a few moments of gag footage before Mighty Mouse arrives. Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor Starring: Mighty Mouse Writer: Tom Morrison Director: Connie Rasinski Studio: 20th Century Fox Running time: 6:12

542 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Once Upon a Rhyme (1950) Plot: While happily reading a Mother Goose collection, Casper climbs the book’s pages to Mother Goose Land, where he rescues friendly Little Red Riding Hood from the Big Bad Wolf. Semi-musical Casper short features the Three Blind Mice, the Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe, and other familiar characters. Casper innocently frightens the Miss Muffet spider and causes the Old Woman’s shoe to leap from its foundation—Mom, kids, and all—and gallop into the distance. Casper’s mere presence is sufficient to horrify the Wolf and send him running. Notes: Color, animated cartoon. Extended footage from Once Upon a Rhyme appears in a late Casper theatrical short, Ghost Writers (1958; see entry). A clip from Once Upon a Rhyme is glimpsed in the 1995 Casper feature film. Starring: Casper the Friendly Ghost (Cecil Roy). Other voices: Cecil Roy (Mother Goose, the Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe); Jackson Beck (narrator, Wolf) Producers: Isadore Sparber, Seymour Kneitel, Sam Buchwald Director: I. [Isadore] Sparber Writer: I. [Isadore] Klein Studio: Famous Studios-Paramount Running time: 7:16 One Shivery Night (1950) Plot: A man (Vernon Dent) hires Hugh (Hugh Herbert) and Julius (Dudley Dickerson) to remodel an old dark house, but they become scared on a stormy night by two fortune-hunters (Philip Van Zandt and Robert Williams) trying to find some money stashed in it. The fortune-hunters wear spooky masks and costumes as part of the ruse. But then Julius unintentionally scares the fortune-­hunters away after getting drenched in white paint and resembling a ghost. Starring: Hugh Herbert, Dudley Dickerson, Vernon Dent, Philip Van Zandt Producer: Hugh McCollum Director: Del Lord Studio: Columbia Running time: 16:15 Spooky Wooky (1950) Plot: Leon (Leon Errol) buys a house in the country, but his family doesn’t want to move. To scare him back to the city, his daughter gets her friends to dress as a ghost, a monster, a devil, and a skeleton on a windy night. Notes: The studio originally intended to call this film Scared Stiff. Starring: Leon Errol, Dorothy Granger, Wendy Waldron, Ralph Hodges, Edward Gargan Director: Hal Yates Writer: Hal Yates

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

543

Studio: RKO Running time: 17 minutes Ventriloquist Cat, The (1950) Plot: A cat uses ventriloquism to get a dog into all manner of trouble. Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor. Director: Tex Avery Studio: MGM Running time: 6:39

Fig. 66  Throwing one’s voice is a fiendish art in Tex Avery’s Ventriloquist Cat (1950). (Courtesy Heritage Auctions)

544 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

1951 Boo Hoo Baby (1951) Plot: Casper leaves home to make friends in the big city, where he discovers a baby left on the doorstep of a foundling home. The nurse and police that show up later are terrified but relent and ask Casper to come back when they see how much the babies love him. (In other words, they want Casper to be an unpaid worker.) Notes: Color, animated cartoon. Sequences from Boo Hoo Baby appear in the final Casper theatrical short, Casper’s Birthday Party (1959; see entry). Starring: Casper the Friendly Ghost (Cecil Roy). Other voices: Jackson Beck (narrator, policeman); Jack Mercer (man at mailbox, Casper’s mom and dad); Mae Questel (nurse, babies) Producers: Isadore Sparber, Seymour Kneitel, Sam Buchwald Director: Seymour Kneitel Writer: Larz Bourne Studio: Famous Studios-Paramount Running time: 7:17 Boo Scout (1951) Plot: Casper innocently scares a Scoutmaster and Boy Scout troop, and later saves them from a hungry bear. In return, the grateful Scoutmaster makes Casper a “first class Scout.” Although peppered with the requisite “A g-gghost!” scare gags, Boo Scout is the first Casper cartoon in which the friendly ghost is an involved, active character; things don’t simply happen to him, as in earlier entries. He’s a determined hero, zipping through trees to get to the trapped Scoutmaster and boys. Notes: Color, animated cartoon. Starring: Casper the Friendly Ghost (Cecil Roy). Other voices: Jackson Beck (Scoutmaster); Mae Questel (Billy) Producers: Isadore Sparber, Seymour Kneitel Director: I. [Isadore] Sparber Writer: Larz Bourne Studio: Famous Studios-Paramount Running time: 7:03 Car of Tomorrow, The (1951) Plot: This faux-documentary cartoon spoofs splashy auto shows and aspirational marketing via seal-beam headlights (two barking seals); a rickshaw limousine); cushy upholstery (that swallows occupants); step-down framechassis design (à la new-generation Hudsons, only here the driver steps over the frame rail and plunges out of sight); generous head room (achieved with roofline hillocks); even a fancy dreamboat that folds into a pocket-size pack-

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

545

age. The mild science fiction element is seasoned with horror when the cartoon turns its attention to bumpers so wide they never fail to strike pedestrians; and a see-thru floor that allows the driver to determine if the hit-and-­run victim happens to have been a friend. Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor Starring: Gilman Rankin (narrator) Writer: Roy Williams, Rich Hogan Director: Tex Avery Studio: MGM Running time: 6:15 Casper Comes to Clown (1951) Plot: Casper teaches tricks to a friendly bear cub, only to discover that the cub has been put to work by a circus, which promotes him as a high-wire juggling bear. When a gorilla is released by a mischievous circus monkey, Casper scares the big ape away and then joins the cub in the high-wire act. Casper inadvertently frightens an owl, an enormous family of rabbits, and a swarm of bees. Notes: Color, animated cartoon. Sequences from Casper Comes to Clown appear in the final Casper theatrical cartoon, Casper’s Birthday Party (1959; see entry). Starring: Casper the Friendly Ghost (Cecil Roy). Other voices: Jack Mercer (ghost instructor, owl) Producers: Isadore Sparber, Seymour Kneitel Director: I. [Isadore] Sparber Writer: I. [Isadore] Klein Studio: Famous Studios-Paramount Running time: 6:44 Casper Takes a Bow-Wow (1951) Plot: The Spookreme Court finds Casper guilty of ghostly inadequacy, sentencing him to “life with the human race.” After Casper scolds and scares away bad boys who have tied cans to the tail of a puppy, he and the pup become fast friends. When the gun-happy dog catcher shows up, Casper flies to the rescue. Notes: Color, animated cartoon. Sequences from Casper Takes a Bow-Wow appear in a late Casper theatrical short, Not Ghoulty (1959; see entry). Starring: Casper the Friendly Ghost (Cecil Roy). Other voices: Jack Mercer (ghost prosecutor, ghost bouncer, flea; dog catcher) Producers: Isadore Sparber, Seymour Kneitel Director: I. [Isadore] Sparber Writer: Larz Bourne Studio: Famous Studios-Paramount Running time: 6:15

546 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Champ Steps Out, The (1951) Plot: Max and Maxie are detectives hired to guard a professor’s valuable collection of rare artifacts, one of which is a pterodactyl egg. During the night, Maxie mistakenly believes some costumed thieves are ghosts. Starring: Max Baer, Slapsie Maxie Rosenbloom, Jean Willes, Emil Sitka Director: Edward Bernds Writer: Elwood Ullman Studio: Columbia Running time: 16:29 Destination Meatball (1951) Plot: Woody becomes partially invisible thanks to invisible ink. He also uses a sheet to pretend to be a ghost. Notes: Animated cartoon, filmed in Technicolor Starring: Woody Woodpecker Producer: Walter Lantz Studio: Universal-International Running time: 6:42 ’Fraidy Cat (1951) Plot: Two brainless private detectives hunt for a gorilla burglar that’s been terrorizing the city and find it inside a creepy antiques shop. Note: ’Fraidy Cat is a remake of the Three Stooges’ Dizzy Detectives (1943, see entry) and was remade with Besser in 1955 as Hook a Crook (see entry). Starring: Joe Besser, hawthorne (Jim Hawthorne, whose name was given with a lower-case “h”), Tom Kennedy, Eddie Baker, Joe Palma, Steve Calvert (the gorilla) Producer: Jules White Director: Jules White Writer: Jules White Studio: Columbia Running time: 15:54 Goons from the Moon (1951) The quiet mouse village is thrown into panic when it learns that a strange planet is coming. The planet lands, and throngs of bat-winged cats with strange weapons attack the population. Finally, Mighty Mouse sends the invaders fleeing. GOOD. (MPE, Dec. 25, 1957 [Published when the short was reissued])

Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor Starring: Mighty Mouse Director: Connie Rasinski Studio: 20th Century Fox Running time: 7 minutes

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

547

Haunted Cat, The (1951) Plot: During a typical day of cat vs. mouse combat inside the house, Little Roquefort feigns death after being beaten with a rolling pin, and then gaslights the guilt-ridden cat with spooky shadows, ghostly mist (cigar smoke), an evil-looking balloon, and footprints on the ceiling. Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor Starring: Little Roquefort; Percy the Cat Writer: Tom Morrison Director: Eddie Donnelly Studio: 20th Century Fox Running time: 1 reel His Hare Raising Tale (1951) Plot: Bugs Bunny tells stories to his nephew Clyde, one of which is about his journey to the moon. Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor, which repurposes footage from Haredevil Hare (1948). Starring: Bugs Bunny, Clyde Director: Friz Freleng Writer: Warren Foster Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 7 minutes Movietone News, No. 15 (1951) Notes: Among other stories, this newsreel featured a segment entitled Navy Explains Mystery of Flying-Saucer. Studio: Fox Running time: 1 reel Mystery of the Flying Saucers (1951) The enigma of the flying saucers is posed but not answered in this eight-minute short subject from Hoffberg Productions. The film has the appeal of a mystery and as such provides a satisfactory interlude for patrons, despite some rough edges in editing. The subject does prove photographically, and by statements of authority, that the soaring discs are real and not the product of imagination. (MPD, Jan. 8, 1951) Very good. Fifty years ago, H. G. Wells described flying saucers and since 1947 there have been reports of people seeing them. This timely short shows actual shots taken of these saucers and eye-witness accounts are given by people who have seen them. It introduces the question of whether the flying saucer is some secret weapon or a strange visitor from outer space. (Box, Jan. 20, 1951)

548 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Notes: Nonfiction “Science Short” that was also released as The Flying Saucer Mystery. Studio: Hoffberg-Telenews Running time: 8 minutes Paramount News, No. 52 (1951) Notes: Among other stories, this newsreel featured a segment entitled Explode Myth of Flying-Saucers. Studio: Paramount Running time: 1 reel Scrambled Brains (1951) Plot: As Shemp prepares to finally leave Croakers Sanitarium (run by Drs. HartBurns and Belcher), he’s beset by hallucinations: a hand reaches down from the chimney flue to bid him goodbye; and he’s delighted by the beautiful blonde vision of his nurse cum fiancée—who is actually quite homely. Moe and Larry are appalled, but bring Shemp home anyway. During a therapeutic session at the piano, Shemp’s hands are joined by three others. He slams the cover on the keyboard, and when he lifts it, five severed fingers continue to play. In the end, he marries his nurse, still convinced she’s beautiful. Notes: Pointed in its allusions to mental illness, the short reflects new, postwar awareness of what was then called “nervous exhaustion” or “shell shock.” Starring: The Three Stooges (Moe Howard, Shemp Howard, Larry Fine), Babe London, Vernon Dent, Emil Sitka Producer: Jules White Director: Jules White Writer: Felix Adler Studio: Columbia Running time: 15:42 To Boo or Not to Boo (1951) Plot: On Halloween night, Casper hops into a bucket of whitewash to create a ghost “costume” that goes over big at a masquerade square dance. But when the whitewash is accidentally washed off, the revelers flee—right through the wall. A kind little girl who remains takes off her costume to show Casper that she’s a ghost, too. Notes: Color, animated cartoon. Extended footage from To Boo or Not to Boo shows up in a late Casper theatrical short, Ghost Writers (1958; see entry). Starring: Casper the Friendly Ghost (Cecil Roy). Other voices: Jackson Beck (narrator, trick or treater, partygoers); Jack Mercer (trick or treater, dance caller, donkey, partygoers); Mae Questel (girl ghost, lady at door) Producers: Isadore Sparber, Seymour Kneitel, Sam Buchwald

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

549

Director: I. [Isadore] Sparber Writer: I. [Isadore] Klein Studio: Famous Studios-Paramount Running time: 7:10 Warner Pathe News, No. 102 (1951) Notes: Among other stories, this newsreel featured a segment entitled Clear “Mystery” of the Flying-Saucer. Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 1 reel Wearing of the Grin, The (1951) Plot: On a dark, stormy night, Porky Pig arrives at a spooky old castle in Ireland. While unconscious, he dreams that two leprechauns bedevil him, their humorous torture resulting in him wearing green shoes that dance of their own accord, including in surreal landscapes. Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor Starring: Porky Pig Director: Chuck Jones Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 7:24

1952 Cage Fright (1952) Plot: Uninterested in leaving the abandoned fire house at midnight to go spooking with the older ghosts, Casper takes himself to the zoo. He makes friends with a sweet baby elephant, and the two of them go to a nearby park to play. When Mama elephant notices that baby is no longer with her, she surges from her cage and is nearly killed by the alarmed zookeepers. Casper ends the threat—and is installed as a happy permanent resident of the elephant house. Notes: Color, animated cartoon. Sequences from Cage Fright appear in the final Casper theatrical cartoon, Casper’s Birthday Party (1959; see entry). Starring: Casper the Friendly Ghost (Cecil Roy). Other voices: Mae Questel (baby elephant); Jack Mercer (ghosts, zookeeper); Sid Raymond (zookeepers) Producers: Isadore Sparber, Seymour Kneitel Director: Seymour Kneitel Writer: I. [Isadore] Klein Studio: Famous Studios-Paramount Running time: 6:22

550 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Deep Boo Sea, The (1952) Plot: Crowned with a dunce cap at Fright School, Casper goes to the seashore and meets Little Billy, who wants to play pirate. Together they build a raft and discover an underwater treasure. When Billy and two of his pals sail into the maw of a whale, Casper shows that he’s not a dunce at all. Ends with Casper and the boys singing, “Yo ho ho and a bottle of pop!” Notes: Color, animated cartoon Starring: Casper the Friendly Ghost (Alan Shay). Other voices: Mae Questel (Billy); Jack Mercer (octopus, turtle, skeleton, boy) Producers: Isadore Sparber, Seymour Kneitel Director: Seymour Kneitel Writer: Larz Bourne Studio: Famous Studios/Paramount Running time: 6:47 Flop Secret (1952) Plot: Dr. Frankenstein can’t complete his latest experiment without the hair of a black cat. Enter Percy the Cat, who’s interrupted in his pursuit of Little Roquefort and pulled into Frankenstein’s lab via mesmerism. Roquefort saves the day with a Bunsen burner, turned up to singe Dr. Frankenstein’s backside. And yet it has all been a dream, and Percy uncharitably forces Roquefort to eat the pages of the scary magazine that started it all. Notes: Color, animated cartoon Starring: Little Roquefort; Percy the Cat Writer: Tom Morrison Director: Eddie Donnelly Studio: 20th Century Fox Running time: 5:20 Ghost Buster (1952) Plot: A window washer, who aspires to be a journalist, looks into the case of the missing heir to the Bigelow fortune. He pretends to be a female nurse in order to gain access to the old Bigelow home. A knife-wielding killer appears from behind a painting, and a maid screams in the middle of the night. In the end, the window washer finds the missing heir, who is attempting to scare his uncle to death. Starring: Gil Lamb Director: Hal Yates Studio: RKO Running time: 17:21

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

551

Ghost of the Town (1952) Plot: Casper’s ghostly associates adopt a military demeanor in this cartoon, doing drills, flying in formation, and giving Casper a dishonorable discharge because he’d rather not scare people. After he saves a toddler from a blazing skyscraper, Casper is given a ticker-tape parade, is handed the (skeleton) key to the city, and makes the cover of The Saturday Evening Ghost. He even appears on The Ed Sullivan Show, Sullivan’s real-life television program. Notes: Color, animated cartoon. The Ed Sullivan Show, which aired Sunday nights on CBS, was known as Toast of the Town, hence this short’s title. Sequences from Ghost of the Town appear in two late Casper theatrical shorts, Not Ghoulty (1959; see entry) and Casper’s Birthday Party (1959; see entry). Starring: Casper the Friendly Ghost (Cecil Roy). Other voices: Jackson Beck (ghostly sergeant), Walter Winchell, mayor); Jack Mercer (cabbie, conniving ghost); Ed Sullivan (himself) Producers: Isadore Sparber, Seymour Kneitel Director: I. [Isadore] Sparber Writer: I. [Isadore] Klein Studio: Famous Studios-Paramount Running time: 6:01 Great Who-Soo-It, The (1952) Plot: Woody attends a circus and enters the tent of a magician named Harry Who-Dood-It. Woody uses the magic tricks to wreak havoc on Buzz Buzzard. Notes: Animated cartoon, filmed in Technicolor Starring: Woody Woodpecker Producer: Walter Lantz Studio: Universal-International Running time: 6:12 Hansel and Gretel (1952) Plot: Two little mice fall into the clutches of a bad witch riding a vacuum cleaner. Mighty Mouse arrives to save the day. Notes: Animated cartoon, filmed in color Starring: Mighty Mouse, Hansel, Gretel Director: Connie Rasinski Studio: Terrytoons 20th Century Fox Running time: 6 minutes Hasty Hare (1952) Plot: The Commander of Flying Saucer X-2 and his space dog K-9 land on earth, and Bugs Bunny mistakes them for Halloween trick-­or-­treaters. When they try to take Bugs back to Mars, he ties them up and flies the ship back to earth, accidentally bringing a crescent moon, Saturn, and Jupiter with him.

552 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor. The Commander later became known as Marvin the Martian. Starring: Bugs Bunny, Commander of Flying Saucer X-2, K-9 Director: Chuck Jones Writer: Michael Maltese Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 7:31 How to Be a Detective (1952) Plot: Spoof of the private-eye genre, complete with confused shamus (Goofy), a hostile police detective, a beautiful woman, a dive bar, a taxi cab pursuit, and plenty of criminal types. The climactic car chase takes place on winding, isolated country roads. Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor Starring: Goofy Writer: Dick Kinney, Brice Mack Director: Jack Kinney Studio: Walt Disney-RKO Running time: 7:02 Hypnotized (1952) Plot: Percy the Cat discovers a book on hypnotism and proceeds to make life difficult for Little Roquefort. Roquefort assumes a variety of animal identities before turning the tables on Percy. Notes: Color, animated cartoon Starring: Little Roquefort Writer: Tom Morrison Director: Mannie Davis Studio: 20th Century Fox Running time: 1 reel Magical Maestro (1952) Plot: When Mysto the Magician is spurned after trying to insert himself into an opera recital by the Great Poochini (Tex Avery’s Spike the Bulldog, in a tux), he puts the conductor out of commission and uses his magic to erase Poochini’s free will and roundly embarrass him: grinning bunny rabbits appear on the struggling baritone’s outstretched arms; he abruptly segues into a costumed Hawaiian war chant; sings a childish snatch of A-Tisket, A-Tasket (while attired in a Little Lord Fauntleroy outfit); channels Carmen Miranda; and plucks a wiggling hair from the projection gate. When Poochini finally grasps what’s been going on, he turns the tables and forces Mysto into a rapid reprise of the demented show.

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

553

Fig. 67  Magical Maestro (1952), Rich Hogan and Tex Avery’s manic deconstruction of opera. (Courtesy Heritage Auctions)

Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor Starring: The Great Poochini, Mysto the Magician Writer: Rich Hogan Director: Tex Avery Studio: MGM Running time: 6:29

554 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Paramount News, No. 100 (1952) Notes: Among other stories, this newsreel featured a segment on UFOs entitled Saucers Dish Up New Controversy. Studio: Paramount Running time: 1 reel Pig-A-Boo (1952) Plot: Booted from the cemetery for reading a book called Poems of Friendship, Casper goes fishing with a friendly boy-pig and later saves the entire pig family from a hungry wolf. Notes: Color, animated cartoon. Various modern sources erroneously give this cartoon’s title as Pig a Boo, Pig-a-Boo, and Pig A Boo. Starring: Casper the Friendly Ghost (Cecil Roy). Other voices: Mae Questel (boy-pig); Sid Raymond (wolf, chief ghost, father-pig); Jack Mercer (bull) Producers: Isadore Sparber, Seymour Kneitel Director: I. [Isadore] Sparber Writer: I. [Isadore] Klein Studio: Famous Studios-Paramount Running time: 6:21 Prehistoric Perils (1952) Plot: A time machine transports Oil Can Harry and Pearl Pureheart to the prehistoric past. Amid dinosaurs, Mighty Mouse saves the day. Notes: Animated cartoon, filmed in Technicolor Starring: Mighty Mouse, Oil Can Harry, Pearl Pureheart Writer: Tom Morrison Director: Connie Rasinski Studio: Terrytoons 20th Century Fox Running time: 6:26 Prize Pest, The (1952) Plot: Arriving at Porky’s house as a prize from the What’s the Name of Your Name radio quiz show, Daffy proceeds to take over the joint. After making many unreasonable demands, the duck pretends to be a Jekyll-Hyde personality: bearable when catered to and violently awful when denied. As Daffy switches between personalities, Porky attends to him (cigars, a comfy chair, even a fez) or runs for his life. Porky finally dons a Hyde disguise of his own and turns the tables. Starring: Porky Pig, Daffy Duck Producer: Edward Selzer Director: Robert McKimson Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 7:09

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

555

Push-Button Kitty (1952) Plot: The lady of the house buys a robot cat (“Mechano, the Cat of Tomorrow”) because Tom is so lazy. Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor Starring: Tom and Jerry Director: Joseph Barbara, William Hanna Studio: MGM Running time: 7 minutes

Fig. 68  Meet the better mousetrap: Push-Button Kitty (1952). (Courtesy Heritage Auctions)

556 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Spunky Skunky (1952) Plot: A little skunk falls into a bucket of white paint and believes that he’s a ghost, just like his new friend Casper. But when he’s dunked in a pond, he can see that he’s not a ghost, after all. Skunky diverts an ax-wielding wolf (who sounds like comic actor Bert Lahr) from eating a group of animal companions—only to place himself in mortal danger. Casper flies to the rescue, and the other animals that had spurned the smelly Skunky welcome him into their group. Notes: Color, animated cartoon Starring: Casper the Friendly Ghost (Cecil Roy). Other voices: Mae Questel (Skunky); Jack Mercer (employment agency ghost, Porkchop); Jackson Beck (baseball rabbit); Sid Raymond (wolf, baseball turtle) Producers: Isadore Sparber, Seymour Kneitel Director: I. [Isadore] Sparber Writer: Larz Bourne Studio: Famous Studios-Paramount Running time: 6:31 Termites from Mars (1952) Plot: Thousands of spaceships from Mars attack earth. Green termites emerge from them, and they begin to eat through Woody Woodpecker’s home. One of them zaps Woody repeatedly with a ray gun. Soon Woody learns that tape is the way to capture and defeat them. He becomes president of a termite control company, which makes inventions out of the Martian pests. Notes: Animated cartoon, filmed in Technicolor Starring: Woody Woodpecker Director: Don Patterson Studio: Universal-International Running time: 6:15 Trick or Treat (1952) Plot: When nephews Huey, Dewey, and Louie ring Uncle Donald’s doorbell on Halloween, Donald drops lighted firecrackers into their treat bags and then douses them with water; eccentric old Witch Hazel tells the boys she’ll help them get their candy. But Donald resists her magic and isn’t fazed when the witch summons a ghostly chorus. He even swallows the key to his goodie closet. Subsequent spells (effected via Flit gun) force Donald to dance against his will, literally cough up the key and then use his head to batter down the goodie-closet door. Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor Starring: Donald Duck, Witch Hazel, Huey, Dewey, and Louie Writer: Ralph Wright Director: Jack Hannah Studio: Walt Disney Productions-Buena Vista Running time: 7:53

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

557

True Boo (1952) Plot: In a holiday letter to Santa, Casper asks for a friend. Booted out of the ghost house (again) for being a goodie two-shoes (“Christmas is the time for friendship and good will!”), Casper visits the local shopping district. He innocently frightens a husky male shopper (who furiously pedals away on a teeny tricycle he’d been carrying) and scares a street-corner Santa right out of his costume. In a Dickensian touch, Casper discovers Billy, a threadbare little boy who laments that Santa is unlikely to bring him a thing. Casper slips into the Santa suit, greets the kid, and jury-rigs a variety of gifts: an airplane made from window-shade pieces and a spoon; a bow and arrow made from a stick, a string, and a bathroom plunger; and an electric train cobbled together from plates and a tea kettle. Billy is delighted. Not so his mother, who is scared by Casper and hustles her son into another room. But when she sees how Billy pines for his new friend, she invites Casper back inside. Notes: Color, animated cartoon. The business with the homemade toys is borrowed from a 1936 “Professor Grampy” Fleischer cartoon called Christmas Comes but Once a Year. Starring: Casper the Friendly Ghost (Cecil Roy). Other voices: Cecil Roy (mother); Jack Mercer (ghost, male shopper, street corner Santa); Mae Questel (Billy) Producers: Isadore Sparber, Seymour Kneitel Director: I. [Isadore] Sparber Writer: Larz Bourne Studio: Famous Studios-Paramount Running time: 6:18 Warner Pathe News, No. 102 (1952) Notes: Among other stories, this newsreel featured a segment entitled Flying Saucer Mystery. Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 1 reel Water, Water Every Hare (1952) Plot: Gossamer, the furry orange monster from Hair-Raising Hare (1946; see entry), returns in this cartoon—only this time he’s called Rudolph. A flood carries Bugs, mattress, and all, along a river straight to the castle of an “evil scientist.” (That’s what the flashing sign on the castle says.) The doc has put together an oversized robot that needs a brain, and Bugs gets the call. After pretending to be a hairdresser (à la the manicurist he impersonates in HairRaising Hare), Bugs prepares a TNT “permanent” wave that blows off the monster’s scalp. Notes: Color, animated cartoon Starring: Bugs Bunny

558 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Producer: Edward Selzer Director: Charles M. Jones (Chuck Jones) Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 7:25 Witch Doctor (1952) Plot: Interpretive voodoo healing and exorcism dance ritual. Notes: Jéan Leon Destiné was a highly regarded Haitian dance artist. Witch Doctor was a selection of the 1952 Edinburgh and Venice Film Festivals. Starring: Jean Léon Destiné & His Troupe, Jeanne Ramon (as the possessed woman), Alphonse Cimber (drummer) Writer: Jéan Leon Destiné Director: Lloyd Martin Ritter, Robert Milton Young, Murray Leon Lerner Studio: Ritter-Young-Lerner Associates and Unity Films Running time: 8:05

1953 Boos and Saddles (1953) Plot: During a sojourn out West, Casper flies into the town of Gun Gulch, where he meets Billy the Kid (who really is a kid) and a bank-­robbing desperado called Desert Dan. After Casper and Billy foil Dan, grateful townsfolk appoint Casper sheriff. Notes: Color, animated cartoon. With Boos and Saddles, the Famous Studios Casper cartoons execute an early foray into the mid-century modernism that came to cartoon animation at this time. Starring: Casper the Friendly Ghost (Cecil Roy). Other voices: Mae Questel (Billy the Kid); Sid Raymond (Desert Dan); Jack Mercer (barfly, various cowpokes) Producers: Isadore Sparber, Seymour Kneitel Director: I. [Isadore] Sparber Writer: Larz Bourne Studio: Famous Studios-Paramount Running time: 6:42 Bubble Trouble (1953) Plot: The Three Stooges decide to create a vitamin to make elderly people young again. After barking and making other sounds, their female test subject becomes young and beautiful. The “fountain of youth” drug is a success. But their male subject ingests too much of the formula and becomes a talking gorilla, an ape-man who attacks the Stooges. The final joke has Moe turning into a gorilla.

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

559

Starring: Moe Howard, Shemp Howard, Larry Fine (The Three Stooges), Emil Sitka, Christine McIntyre Producer and Director: Jules White Studio: Columbia Running time: 16:39 By the Old Mill Scream (1953) Plot: By giving a little invisible assistance, Casper helps a much-teased young beaver gain confidence in his short tail. When a wolf goes after the other beavers, Casper scares him off. Notes: Color, animated cartoon. Starring: Casper the Friendly Ghost (Cecil Roy). Other voices: Mae Questel (Short-Tail); Jack Mercer (ghost emcee, misc. ghost-audience members, beaver foreman, captive beaver, wolf) Producers: Isadore Sparber, Seymour Kneitel Director: Seymour Kneitel Writers: Jack Mercer, Carl Meyer Studio: Famous Studios-Paramount Running time: 6:26 Do or Diet (1953) Plot: On Thanksgiving Day, Casper wanders onto a farm and meets Timothy Turkey, who has a date with the farmer’s axe. Casper has an idea: “If you were thinner, nobody will want to eat you!” The greater part of this amiable short concerns Casper’s efforts to help Timothy lose weight; trouble is, Timothy insists on eating everything within arm’s reach, even while he exercises. Apples, a pie, ears of corn—all of it disappears into Timothy’s gullet. Casper’s idea to simulate thinness by tightly cinching Timothy into a corset is cute and looks as if it might work, until Timothy nibbles at another apple, which causes him to explosively burst from the corset as the farmer looks on. Just as the axe is about to fall on Timothy’s neck, Casper arrives, the farmer flees, and the turkey is saved. Notes: Color, animated cartoon. For the first time in the Casper series, it is evident that the little ghost is invisible—until he pulls on his sheet-shroud. That cartoon’s title is a riff on The Voice of the Turtle, a 1943–47 Broadway smash that inspired a popular 1947 movie adaptation. Starring: Casper the Friendly Ghost (Cecil Roy). Other voices: Sid Raymond (Timothy Turkey); Jack Mercer (farmer, mule) Producers: Isadore Sparber, Seymour Kneitel Director: I. [Isadore] Sparber Writer: I. [Isadore] Klein Studio: Famous Studios-Paramount Running time: 6:28

560 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Duck Amuck (1953) Plot: Amuck is stylish and firmly grounded in the existential horror of personal disorientation and oblivion. An extended fourth-wall gag, the short acknowledges, via dialogue from hapless star Daffy Duck, that “this is supposed to be an animated cartoon.” From there, an unseen presence (“artist” or “animator” hardly seem sufficient to convey the horror that follows) manipulates the cartoon environment, and Daffy himself, painting a barnyard background when the duck is dressed as a swashbuckling musketeer and allowing Daffy (who has dressed himself as a farmer) to step into a frozen North Pole tableau. The “blackout” black color that typically concludes Warner cartoon shorts becomes a heavy, taffy-like substance that oozes onto Daffy from above his head, finally squashing him at the bottom of the frame. The very nature of 35mm film is revealed when the sprockets jam as Daffy struggles to make a verbal point, the screen bisected horizontally by a frame border, trapping Daffy’s lower half in the upper half-frame and exiling Daffy’s upper half to the lower half-frame. In time, the artist-presence messes with Daffy’s very body, turning him into a multi-colored, clown-like quadruped, and even erasing him altogether. But Daffy resists: when a “The End” title card appears prematurely, Daffy digs in his heels and pushes the card out of frame. The short’s final revelation is that Bugs Bunny is Daffy’s tormentor. Reworked in 1955 for Rabbit Rampage (see entry). Notes: Color, animated cartoon Starring: Daffy Duck Producer: Edward Selzer Director: Charles M. Jones (Chuck Jones) Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 6:56 Duck Dodgers in the 24 1/2th Century (1953) Plot: Duck Dodgers (Daffy Duck) is tasked with finding Planet X, which he locates with the help of a young space cadet (Porky Pig). Dodgers claims the planet for the earth, but Marvin does the same for Mars. They battle until the entire planet is destroyed except for a small chunk. Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor Starring: Daffy Duck, Porky Pig Director: Chuck Jones Writer: Michael Maltese Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 7 minutes Frightday the 13th (1953) Plot: After Casper meets Lucky the black cat on Friday the 13th, the two set off to collect good luck charms. Episodic Casper adventure invokes a four-leaf clover (which has been claimed by an amusingly nearsighted mole), a horse-

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

561

shoe (which decorates the house of an enormous bulldog), and a rabbit’s foot (which is still attached to the rabbit). Notes: Color, animated cartoon Starring: Casper the Friendly Ghost (Mae Questel). Other voices: Jack Mercer (ghost, man outside pet shop, rabbit) Producers: Isadore Sparber, Seymour Kneitel Director: I. [Isadore] Sparber Writers: Carl Meyer, Jack Mercer Studio: Famous Studios-Paramount Running time: 6:38 Herman the Catoonist (1953) Plot: When a newspaper cartoonist leaves for the day without finishing his Herman and Katnip Sunday page, the mouse and cat come to life on their own, using the cartoonist’s pen and other implements to alternately pursue each other and defend themselves. After Herman draws himself into full existence (the cartoonist had left him half-finished), he mounts a terror campaign against Katnip: he erases one of Katnip’s feet (the cat is rightfully horrified by the smooth stump), draws a mousetrap and catches Katnip’s paw, mangles Katnip’s tail in a pencil sharpener, wipes away the middle of the cat’s body with “ink eradicator,” snips off Katnip’s head with scissors, and finally traps Katnip inside the artist’s bottle of ink—to a cartoon character, perhaps the ultimate horror. Notes: Color, animated cartoon Starring: Herman, Katnip Writer: Izzy Klein Director: Isadore Sparber Studio: Harvey Films Running time: 6:15 Hypnotic Hick (1953) Plot: Assigned to deliver a summons to irritable high-iron worker Buzz Buzzard, Woody flounders until hypnotizing Buzz to protect him at all costs. Hundreds of feet above the street and fitted with roller skates, the mesmerized buzzard zips along slippery steel, passes through a rope pulley, and gets squashed by a falling girder. Summons delivered! Notes: Hypnotic Hick is the only Woody Woodpecker animated cartoon released in 3-D. In a unique pre-title sequence, the laughing Woody pecks his way through a tree and sends sawdust flying toward the camera. Starring: Woody Woodpecker, Buzz Buzzard Writer: Homer Brightman Director: Don Patterson Studio: Universal-International Running time: 6:05

562 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Let’s Ask Nostradamus (1953) Carey Wilson again delves into early French history to point out the prognostications of [an] era fraught with troubles and killings. Several of Nostradamus’ quotations are read which prophecy events which took place later, including the ultimate beheading of Louis XVI, his queen and his mistress, Madame Du Barry. (Box, July 25, 1953)

Fig. 69  Grisly French history is brought to life in Let’s Ask Nostradamus (1953). (Courtesy Heritage Auctions)

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

563

Notes: This short was an entry in the series Prophecies of Nostradamus. Producer: Carey Wilson Studio: MGM Running time: 10 minutes

Little Boo Peep (1953) Plot: Casper is tossed out of the ghost corps because he wishes to make friends with people instead of scaring them. Unperturbed, he wanders into the countryside, meets Little Bo Peep, and rescues her missing sheep from ravenous Wolfie. Nicely crafted but rote Casper adventure, in which Humpty Dumpty, the Three Men in a Tub, and even the Four-and-Twenty Blackbirds in the king’s pie are scared by Casper’s presence. Notes: Color, animated cartoon. Some modern sources erroneously give the title as Little Boo-Peep (with hyphen). This cartoon’s setup—Casper’s delight at being kicked out of the service—is identical to the setup of a 1952 Casper adventure, Ghost of the Town (see entry). Sequences from Little Boo Peep appear in the final Casper theatrical cartoon, Casper’s Birthday Party (1959; see entry). Starring: Casper the Friendly Ghost (Cecil Roy). Other voices: Mae Questel (Little Bo Peep); Jack Mercer (pie man, Humpty Dumpty, sheep, Three Men in a Tub); Sid Raymond (Wolfie, ghost-sergeant) Producers: Isadore Sparber, Seymour Kneitel Director: Seymour Kneitel Writer: Larz Bourne Studio: Famous Studios-Paramount Running time: 5:56 Missing Mouse, The (1953) Plot: Tom mistakenly believes that Jerry is an explosive mouse from an experimental laboratory. Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor Starring: Tom and Jerry Director: Joseph Barbara, William Hanna Studio: MGM Running time: 6 minutes North Pal (1953) Plot: Shot from the torpedo tube of a ghost-sub because he won’t get into the “scare” habit, Casper comes ashore at the North Pole. Although he innocently frightens Mr. and Mrs. Seal, he makes friends with their young offspring, who juggles Casper on his nose, plays catch with snowballs, and joins

564 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Casper skiing on icicles. The usual trouble with an apex predator follows when the seal is pursued by an angry polar bear. Notes: Color, animated cartoon. The imprint of Casper’s ski tracks, curving on either side of a tree, is a lift from “The Skier,” a famed Charles Addams cartoon published by The New Yorker in 1940. Starring: Casper the Friendly Ghost (Cecil Roy). Other voices: Jack Mercer (ghost-sub captain, misc. ghosts) Producers: Isadore Sparber, Seymour Kneitel Director: I. [Isadore] Sparber Writer: I. [Isadore] Klein Studio: Famous Studios-Paramount Running time: 6:33 Nostradamus and the Queen (1953) Like the earlier shorts in this series, this has educational value, but it is only mildly entertaining. Dipping into the well-preserved volumes written by … Nostradamus, the producer shows how his insights into the future have come true. Many of the things that happened to Catherine de Medici and the royalty of France were predicted by Nostradamus. (Box, Oct. 24, 1953)

Notes: This short was the final entry in the series Prophecies of Nostradamus. Producer: Carey Wilson Studio: MGM Running time: 10 minutes Nostradamus Says So! (1953) For the first time in eight years, Carey Wilson has produced another in the series which attracted some attention in the early 1940s. Turning the leaves of Nostradamus’ volumes, the narrator picks out many prophecies which are applicable to today’s events. One of his amazing 16th century predictions includes a vision of the atom bomb. Shots of the modern-day version of his prophecies are then shown. (Box, Mar. 14, 1953)

Notes: This short was the first entry in the series Prophecies of Nostradamus. It was sometimes rendered in the press without the exclamation point. Producer: Carey Wilson Studio: MGM Running time: 10 minutes Popeye, the Ace of Space (1953) Plot: Spirited into space by extraterrestrials, Popeye is subjected to the Cosmic Ager (which ages him to 125 years old, and then all the way back to 2); the Atom Apple Smasher (a high-tech stretch rack); and the Electronic Disintegrator, which reduces him to nothingness. But a can of spinach

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

565

Fig. 70  Popeye, the Ace of Space (1953), a “Stereotoon” cartoon released in 3-D. (Courtesy Heritage Auctions)

inadvertently tossed in Popeye’s direction by quarrelling aliens gives him the power he needs to prevail. Notes: Ace of Space is a loose, 3-D remake of a “flat” Popeye cartoon from 1946, Rocket to Mars (see entry). Starring: Popeye Director: Seymour Kneitel Studio: Paramount Running time: 6:57

566 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Robot Rabbit (1953) Plot: Bugs Bunny successfully battles the new robot on Elmer Fudd’s farm. Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor Starring: Bugs Bunny Director: Friz Freleng Writer: Warren Foster Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 7 minutes So You Want to Be an Heir (1953) Plot: Joe McDoakes learns he will inherit a million dollars from his witch-like grandmother if he reaches her bedside before she dies. He journeys to an old, dark house on a stormy night, where he meets a suit of armor (his grandfather), a skeleton, and a bizarre attorney. In reality, the grandmother isn’t really a millionaire, but that doesn’t stop other relatives from trying to kill McDoakes. The entire story turns out to be a nightmare. Notes: The ending of this short is a parody of the then-current feature film House of Wax (1953), to the extent that it recycles music from it. Starring: George O’Hanlon (Joe McDoakes) Director: Richard Bare (aka Richard L. Bare) Cinematographer: Gilbert Warrenton Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 9 minutes Spook No Evil (1953) Plot: Once again convicted of being an unenthusiastic ghost, Casper is forced to walk the plank on a ghost-pirate ship. As a ghost, he’s able to walk along the sea floor and right onto a tropical island, where he befriends a little monkey he calls Jocko. Casper lopes like a monkey, makes a monkey face, and giggles far too often. Conflict arrives as a hungry lion. Notes: Color, animated cartoon Starring: Casper the Friendly Ghost (Cecil Roy). Other voices: Jackson Beck (ghost-ship captain) Producers: Isadore Sparber, Seymour Kneitel Director: Seymour Kneitel Writer: I. [Isadore] Klein Studio: Famous Studios-Paramount Running time: 6:45

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

567

Spooks! (1953) Plot: Three door-to-door pie salesmen stumble onto an abducted girl, a mad scientist, a skeleton, and a gorilla. Notes: One of two Three Stooges comedies shot and released in 3-D. Starring: Moe Howard, Shemp Howard, Larry Fine (the Three Stooges), Philip Van Zandt, Tom Kennedy, Norma Randall, Steve Calvert (the gorilla)

Fig. 71  The Three Stooges, headliners of Columbia’s two-reel unit, uncover a gorilla, a mad scientist, and violent 3-D gags in Spooks! (1953). (Courtesy Heritage Auctions)

568 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Producer: Jules White Director: Jules White Writer: Felix Adler Studio: Columbia Running time: 15:42 Timid Scarecrow, The (1953) Plot: Dinky believes a scarecrow in a cornfield is not just alive, but also scared of crows. When the crows attack Dinky, the scarecrow finds his courage. Notes: Color, animated cartoon Starring: Dinky Duck Studio: Terrytoons Running time: 5 minutes T.V. of Tomorrow (1953) Plot: This faux-documentary introduces various iterations and drawbacks of that relatively new domestic phenomenon, television. Despite eyestrain (orbs that bulge right through eyeglasses); numerous cowboy movies; and reception problems (a watcher who flip-rolls in place as the TV picture rolls), TV technology of tomorrow promises “a set for people who squint” (a console with a horizontal tube barely thicker than a spaghetti strand); TV “for people who smoke” (a lighter with a tiny screen that, when turned on, shows a forest fire and emits a flame for one’s cigarette); a screen equipped with windshield wipers (for programs showing rain storms); “night owl shows” (enjoyed in a dark room by a man and seven owls); a color TV that’s half paid for (with neatly bisected live-action speedboat footage that’s half in color and half in black and white); “a special set for Peeping Toms” (with keyholeshaped screen, and more eye-bulging); and a set large enough to house a TV repairman who never has to leave. The final gag, TV from Mars, shows… a cowboy movie. Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor Starring: Paul Frees (narrator), Dave O’Brien (stock footage) Writer: Heck Allen Director: Tex Avery Studio: MGM Running time: 6:49 Warner Pathé News, (1953) Plot: In this installment of Warner Bros.’ one-reel Warner Pathé News newsreel series, a segment lasting 2:11 looks at the April 16–17, 1953, Los Angeles premiere of the Warner thriller House of Wax at the Paramount Theatre, located at 6th and Hill in L.A.’s Pershing Square district. Bela Lugosi arrives

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

569

attired as Dracula, leading—or being led by—a gorilla on a chain leash. Numerous industry luminaries are present outside. Starring: Bela Lugosi, Steve Calvert (gorilla), Jack Warner, Richard Denning, Evelyn Ankers, Jeanne Crain, Keefe Brasselle, Danny Thomas, Shelley Winters, Ronald Reagan, Nancy Davis, Ann Blyth, David Brian, William T. Orr Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 1 reel

1954 Bewitched Bunny (1954) When Bugs Bunny sees the nasty old witch about to make a meal of Hansel and Gretel, he goes to the rescue. With them free, the witch decides that rabbit stew is just as good and goes after Bugs. FAIR. (MPE, Aug. 25, 1954)

Plot: Bugs impersonates a truant officer and rescues Hansel and Gretel from Witch Hazel—so Hazel prepares to eat rabbit instead. Notes: Color, animated cartoon Starring: Bugs Bunny, Witch Hazel Producer: Edward Selzer Director: Charles M. Jones (Chuck Jones) Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 6:56 Billy Boy (1954) Plot: A foundling goat left on the doorstep of a laid-back farmer wolf eats the carpet, the drapes, the furniture, the wolf’s arm, the house, nearby railroad tracks—everything. At a bit of a loss, the wolf calmly straps the goat to a rocket and then observes as the full moon is munched to a crescent—and then to nothing at all, as the landscape is plunged into darkness. Notes: Color, animated cartoon Writer: Heck Allen Director: Tex Avery Studio: MGM Running time: 5:48 Boo Moon (1954) Plot: In this variation on Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels, Casper flies to the moon, falls asleep, and is trussed and captured by teeny tiny moon men. He innocently makes a bad impression on King Luna and is tossed into a dungeon— but all is forgiven when Casper helps the moon men defend their fort from

570 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Fig. 72  Benevolent little ghost Casper flies to space in Boo Moon (1954). (Courtesy Heritage Auctions)

attacking Tree Men. Besides Swift, Boo Moon draws obvious inspiration from Western movies. Notes: Color, animated cartoon. Boo Moon was a “Stereotoon,” designed for and released in 3-D.  Famous Studios-Paramount issued two other 3-D Stereotoons, Popeye, the Ace of Space (1953), and Dizzy Dishes (1954, starring Little Audrey). Boo Moon’s 3-D effects include Casper flying toward the

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

571

camera eye, a frightened man dashing toward the camera, planet and star effects, flaming arrows, moonscape elements, and more. Starring: Casper the Friendly Ghost (Alan Shay). Other voices: Jackson Beck (King Luna); Jack Mercer (panicked commuters); Sid Raymond (pitchman, courtier, lookout, various moon men, panicked commuters) Producers: Isadore Sparber, Seymour Kneitel Directors: I. [Isadore] Sparber, Seymour Kneitel Writer: I. [Isadore] Klein Studio: Famous Studios-Paramount Running time: 6:57 Boo Ribbon Winner (1954) Plot: During a visit to a greyhound track, Casper decides to train Molasses, a lazy, pot-bellied racer who’s on his way to the pound if he doesn’t literally shape up. Not surprisingly, Molasses doesn’t respond well to Casper’s exercise ideas: He hitches a ride on a turtle during swimming, fails to respond when Casper impersonates a bait rabbit, and (in the short’s best gag) passes Casper on a Greyhound bus during roadwork. Exasperated, Casper finally smears honey on Molasses’s rear end, which brings an onslaught of buzzing bees that gets the dog moving—and into the winner’s circle. Notes: Color, animated cartoon Starring: Casper the Friendly Ghost (Cecil Roy). Other voices: Jack Mercer (Molasses, weigh-in supervisor, spectators) Producers: Isadore Sparber, Seymour Kneitel Director: I. [Isadore] Sparber Writer: I. [Isadore] Klein Studio: Famous Studios-Paramount Running time: 6:28 Boos and Arrows (1954) Plot: Casper wanders into a “Friendly Indian Village” and plays with a happy boy named Little Feather. Casper rescues Little Feather from a mountain lion and then saves a variety of other animals that the kid is determined to skewer with arrows. Little Feather’s mom has doubts about Casper, but welcomes him after he rescues her other son, an infant, from a hungry vulture. The village chief names Casper Little White Cloud. Notes: Color, animated cartoon Starring: Casper the Friendly Ghost (Cecil Roy). Other voices: Mae Questel (Little Feather, mother); Jack Mercer (mountain lion, chief) Producers: Isadore Sparber, Seymour Kneitel Director: Seymour Kneitel Writer: I. [Isadore] Klein Studio: Famous Studios-Paramount Running time: 6:21

572 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Casper Genie (1954) Plot: Casper tries to please a poor little boy by pretending to be a magical genie and then regrets it because the kid asks for everything under the sun. When a burglar steals the boy’s lamp, Casper does his genie act again, luring the crook right to jail. Disappointingly mild Casper cartoon, hobbled by a bland child character and unfunny situations, for example, incorporeal Casper walks through a soda fountain’s locked door to fix the kid a seven-scoop ice cream cone and then wonders how he’ll get the treat out of the store. (He flies out the chimney.) Notes: Color, animated cartoon Starring: Casper the Friendly Ghost (Cecil Roy). Other voices: Mae Questel (little boy); Sid Raymond (burglar); Jack Mercer (Friendship Club speaker, desk sergeant) Producers: Isadore Sparber, Seymour Kneitel Director: Seymour Kneitel Writer: I. [Isadore] Klein Studio: Famous Studios-Paramount Running time: 6:44 Claws for Alarm (1954) Plot: Porky’s nighttime stop at the Dry Gulch Hotel scares the wits out of traveling companion Sylvester. Cheerful Porky is completely oblivious to the hotel’s potential dangers, despite the physical manifestations of Sylvester’s fright (bulging eyes and pathetic, uncontrollable shivering). Sylvester finally undertakes a violently bold move that removes himself from the danger. Notes: Color, animated cartoon Starring: Porky Pig, Sylvester Producer: Edward Selzer Director: Charles M. Jones (Chuck Jones) Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 6:46 Destination Magoo (1954) Magoo visits a professor who has a rocket ship he claims can go to the moon. Magoo gets in the ship and takes off, landing at Coney Island, where he has a series of adventures in the amusement center. After going on several rides, he floats back to earth on the parachute jump. EXCELLENT. (MPE, Feb. 23, 1955)

Plot: Mr. Magoo crashes a rocket at Luna Park in Coney Island and mistakenly believes he has landed on the moon. He enters an exhibit called “Creatures from Outer Space.”

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

573

Fig. 73  Destination Magoo (1954), in which nearsighted Magoo mistakes Coney Island for the moon. (Courtesy Heritage Auctions)

Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor Starring: Mr. Magoo Writer: Jim Backus Director: Pete Burness Studio: Columbia Running time: 6:02

574 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Dr. Jerkyl’s Hide (1954) When Sylvester, the cat, finds himself in Doctor Jerkyl’s laboratory, he drinks a potion that turns him into a vicious monster. [Alfie], the bulldog, goaded on by his little protégé, Chester, goes after the cat, but comes back defeated. This happens again and again until little Chester decides to take on that cat. The potion having worn off, Chester comes out victorious, with [Alfie] now in the reversed position as the protégé. FAIR. (MPE, June 16, 1954)

Plot: Cockney dogs Alf (the Warner bulldog usually called Spike) and pesky little Chester pursue Sylvester Pussy Cat, who discovers a Jekyll/Hyde-type potion that transforms him into an intimidating fiend. But the transformation comes and goes rather capriciously, so that little dog Chester—who sees only the normal-sized Sylvester—continually urges his barrel-chested companion to mop up the floor with the cat. Naturally, Sylvester is in fiend mode whenever Alf encounters him, which leads to bad times for Alf. In a prelude to an especially startling gag, Hyde-Sylvester uses one claw to carefully poke a pattern on Alf’s face. Shortly after, pieces of Alf’s face begin to fall to the ground: muzzle, ears, jowls, and finally his entire head and body. Alf pulls himself together and flees. Sylvester reverts to his normal self—which allows little Chester to flip and twirl him like pizza dough. In an odd turn, Sylvester drops out of the short here, allowing a transformed housefly to become hapless Alf’s new antagonist. Notes: Color, animated cartoon Starring: Sylvester Producer: Edward Selzer Director: I. Freleng (Isadore “Friz” Freleng) Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 6:40 Dragon Around (1954) Plot: When their home comes under siege by Donald Duck’s snorting, acetylene-breathing steam shovel (he’s clearing land for a highway), chipmunks Chip and Dale fight back in the manner of medieval knights vs. dragons. They finally strip the shovel of its nuts and bolts and then blow up Donald with dynamite. Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor Starring Donald Duck; Chip and Dale Writer: Nick George, Roy Williams Director: Jack Hannah Studio: Walt Disney-RKO Running time: 7:03

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

575

Farm of Tomorrow, The (1954) This demonstrates what could happen around a farm if modern methods of crossbreeding were employed. In order to save chickens the trouble of having to hunt for their food, corn is crossed with Mexican jumping beans so that it leaps into the chicken’s throat. A duck is crossed with a banana so that it is simple to peel off its feathers. A chicken is crossed with a centipede in order to obtain more drum sticks. There are a number of amusing and imaginative ideas here. GOOD. (MPE, Sept. 8, 1954)

Plot: This cartoon addresses selective breeding, for future farmers’ convenience: a duck crossed with a banana (“You don’t have to pick him, girls, just peel him”); a cat crossed with a ten-foot pole (“a ten-foot polecat”); a lamb crossed with a dachshund (“five yards more wool per sheep”); a racehorse crossed with a giraffe (“a cinch to win by a neck”)—but no indication as to how the last might relate to farming. Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor Writer: Heck Allen Director: Tex Avery Studio: MGM Running time: 6:14 Fright to the Finish (1954) As Olive Oyl reads a ghost story to both Bluto and Pope, Bluto gets an idea to use ghosts to scare Popeye away and Olive into his arms. Olive is scared and thinks Popeye is behind the business and sends him on his way. The latter discovers Bluto’s scheme and with the aid of vanishing cream succeeds in making Bluto think there are ghosts around and he takes off in fear. Olive takes refuge in Popeye’s arms. GOOD. (MPE, Aug. 25, 1954)

Plot: Olive reads a book about witches. Bluto tries to scare Olive Oyl by dressing as a man with a pumpkin head and by puppeteering a skeleton into motion. He also makes a ghost by placing a sheet over a balloon. Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor Starring: Popeye, Bluto, Olive Oyl Writer: Jack Mercer Director: Seymour Kneitel Studio: Paramount Running time: 6:22 Howdy Doody and His Magic Hat (1954) TV’s ‘Howdy Doody’ appears in this UPA cartoon in quest of a magic cowboy hat that will make him invincible. He journeys through some fantastic abstract color arrangements chasing the cap, finally capturing the elusive thing. With his

576 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

magical powers, he becomes a rodeo star. Predominently [sic] interactions of colors and designs, this is more suitable to the art houses. This is available in 16mm and 35mm. GOOD. (MPE, May 19, 1954)

Plot: Howdy pursues an airborne hat that abruptly flies from the heads of wearers who exhibit unwarranted pride. Howdy Doody and His Magic Hat was considered lost until a 35mm print was discovered in the Library of Congress in 2009. The cartoon was a pilot for an anticipated series of Howdy Doody animated shorts designed for theatrical and television play. But the extreme visual stylization of Howdy Doody and His Magic Hat did not please Howdy Doody Show producer-host Buffalo Bob Smith, who insisted that the cartoon should not be exhibited. It did, however, have limited theatrical play dates. Not a traditional theatrical distributor, the Kagran Corporation was a wholly owned subsidiary of RCA that functioned as a merchandising arm until 1956, when RCA folded its NBC Television Films division into Kagran. (Some modern sources incorrectly identify the company as “Kragan” and “Kargan” Corporation.) Notes: Color, animated cartoon Starring: Howdy Doody Director: Gene Deitch Studio: Kagran Running time: 6:55 Howling Success, A (1954) When it is reported that a dangerous killer is on the loose, the [Terry Bears] console their frightened father with the assurance that their dog would protect the house. The dog, however, is just a coward, scared of his own shadow. By a stroke of chance, though, the dog pounces upon the roving killer, and the cops take him away. Amid congratulations for his bravery, the dog becomes frightened by a toy duck. FAIR. (MPE, June 16, 1954)

Starring: The Terry Bears Writer: Tom Morrison Director: Connie Rasinski Studio: 20th Century Fox Running time: 6:10 Puss ’n Boos (1954) Plot: Casper rescues a pair of kittens from a man who wants to drown them. The cats are adorable—and a bit of a handful, so Casper leaves them on the doorstep of a kindly woman. But because the kittens want to be with Casper, they purposely wreck the woman’s house and get themselves tossed into the street, and back into Casper’s arms.

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

577

Notes: Color, animated cartoon. Casper’s invisibility, first revealed in 1953’s Do or Diet, plays a larger role in Puss ’n Boos: Casper realizes he’ll have trouble milking a cow if the animal gets a look at him, so he strips his sheetshroud over his head and accomplishes the milking. Starring: Casper the Friendly Ghost (Cecil Roy). Other voices: Mae Questel (woman); Sid Raymond (man on dock) Producers: Isadore Sparber, Seymour Kneitel Director: Seymour Kneitel Writer: Larz Bourne Studio: Famous Studios-Paramount Running time: 6:43 Satan’s Waitin’ (1954) Sylvester, the cat, is giving Tweety, the bird, the usual chase. When killed, he learns from Satan that although he has been a very naughty ‘putty tat’ he still has eight lives left before he becomes a permanent resident. Then, egged on by one of Satan’s demons, Sylvester continues with the chase, until he uses up all of his lives. GOOD. (MPE, Sept. 22, 1954)

Plot: Sylvester loses one of his lives when he falls from a skyscraper while pursuing Tweety. On the sidewalk below, a golden elevator goes up and a red one goes down. A little dazed from his experience, Sylvester steps onto the red one and literally goes to Hell. Hell’s gatekeeper (a crimson version of Spike the bulldog) is impatient for Sylvester’s other eight lives to show up. Back in the land of the living, then, the gatekeeper periodically pops up to encourage Sylvester to risk his remaining lives by recklessly chasing Tweety. Sylvester is squashed flat by a steam roller, scared to death in an amusement park, and even loses four lives in a shooting gallery. Notes: Color, animated cartoon Starring: Tweety, Sylvester Producer: Edward Selzer Director: I. Freleng (Isadore “Friz” Freleng) Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 7:01 Scotched in Scotland (1954) Plot: This is a remake of The Three Stooges’ 1948 short, The Hot Scots (see entry), composed almost entirely of stock footage from the earlier film. Starring: Moe Howard, Shemp Howard, Larry Fine (the Three Stooges) Producer: Jules White Director (source film): Edward Bernds; new footage: Jules White Writer (source film): Elwood Ullman; new material: Jack White Studio: Columbia Running time: 15:32

578 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Witch Doctor (1954) The voodoo rhythms of Haiti are heard here as the story of evil spirits and belief in witch doctor rituals is unfolded. Some of the native dances for the release of evil spirits with the haunting drum background are seen. GOOD. (MPE, Aug. 11, 1954)

Studio: Manor Running time: 9 minutes Zero the Hero (1954) Plot: Casper helps an inept suburban pooch named Zero prove his worth as a watchdog. After failing at being a bloodhound (golden rod makes Zero sneeze) and a retriever (Zero is beaten up by ducks), Zero surprises a burglar leaving his master’s house. Casper secretly frightens the burglar away and lets Zero reclaim his job as watchdog. Innocuous Casper entry is clever only during the throwaway opening sequence, when Casper and other ghosts ride into suburban “Scaresdale” on Eerie Railroad’s Fright Car No. 13, and the little ghost is put off on a mail hook and ordered to scare someone. Notes: Color, animated cartoon Starring: Casper the Friendly Ghost (Cecil Roy). Other voices: Sid Raymond (Zero the dog); Jack Mercer (ghost-conductor, baggage master, dog owner, burglar) Producers: Isadore Sparber, Seymour Kneitel Director: Seymour Kneitel Writer: Jack Mercer, Carl Meyer Studio: Famous Studios-Paramount Running time: 6:58

1955 Bedlam in Paradise (1955) Stooge Shemp dies and goes to heaven. At the Pearly Gates, the Devil appears and tries to entice Shemp to join him below. Shemp refuses, but is told that to stay in heaven, he must first go back to earth and reform Moe and Larry. Shemp finds the boys mixed up in a shady deal with the Devil and proceeds to save them from themselves. The episode turns out to be a dream, with Shemp waking up and finding his bed afire. FAIR. (MPE, May 4, 1955)

Starring: Moe Howard, Shemp Howard, Larry Fine (The Three Stooges) Studio: Columbia Running time: 16 minutes

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

579

Bedtime Bedlam (1955) Woody Woodpecker agrees to baby sit for $50. When he arrives at the home, he discovers the parents gone and that his charge is a baby gorilla. Woody now attempts to put the gorilla to sleep, and after numerous failures he succeeds by dropping a rock on his head. When he discovers that the parents have boarded a plane bound for Africa, Woody shoots it down, wakes up the gorilla, and leaves the premises. GOOD. (MPE, June 1, 1955)

Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor Starring: Woody Woodpecker Writer: Homer Brightman Director: Paul J. Smith Studio: Universal-International Running time: 6:07 Black Cats and Broomsticks (1955) The superstitions and supernatural beliefs of people are reviewed in this film. Amusing narration tells of black cats, palm reading, horoscopes, spells and hexes, and a variety of other ways human beings try to overcome fate. EXCELLENT. (MPE, Nov. 2, 1955)

Plot: A catalog of people’s affinities for astrology, fortune-telling, phrenology, quack medicine, dowsing, chain letters, and other superstitions. The short inadvertently manages real horror when a worker empties an enormous sack of rabbit’s feet, for transformation into good-luck charms. Starring: Peter Roberts (narrator) Director: Larry O’Reilly Studio: RKO Running time: 8:05 Boo Kind to Animals (1955) Plot: After rescuing tiny Spunky Mule from a cruel farmer, Casper incorporates his new friend into a circus act, only to have Spunky disrupt an impatient juggler and get himself and Casper tossed out. Then it’s off to the Army recruiting station, which is looking for mules. Spunky is devastated when told he’s too young and then proves his worth when he rescues a wounded artillery sergeant—while Casper secretly removes the land mines in Spunky’s path. Notes: Color, animated cartoon Starring: Casper the Friendly Ghost (Gwen Davies). Other voices: Jack Mercer (farmer, Spunky, little boy); Jackson Beck (ringmaster, juggler, Army recruiter, artillery sergeant); (Sid Raymond (photographer) Producers: Isadore Sparber, Seymour Kneitel

580 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Director: I. [Isadore] Sparber Writer: Carl Meyer Studio: Famous Studios-Paramount Running time: 5:58 Bull Fright (1955) Plot: Down Mexico way, Casper teaches little bull Pancho how to be a fighting bull, like Pancho’s papa. With Casper riding Pancho like a vengeful cowboy, the two pals charge the matador, who spies the little ghost and shrieks, “El espíritu!” and flees. Notes: Color, animated cartoon. “El espíritu” translates as “The spirit!” If the dialogue were to be true to the series’ familiar “A ghost!” reaction, the matador would exclaim, “Un fantasma!” Starring: Casper the Friendly Ghost (Gwen Davies). Other voices: Mae Questel (Pancho Bull); Jackson Beck (Papa Bull); Jack Mercer (skeleton cow, matador) Producers: Isadore Sparber, Seymour Kneitel Director: Seymour Kneitel Writer: Carl Meyer Studio: Famous Studios-Paramount Running time: 6:43 Crazy Mixed up Pup (1955) Plot: Milksop husband Sam and his dog Rover are flattened by a runaway car while out for a walk; after a cross-eyed ambulance attendant administers human plasma to the pup and dog plasma to Sam, things are intriguingly different: Sam stops to scratch his ear and bite at his hindquarters, while Rover patiently smokes a cigarette; at the butcher’s, Sam gobbles a raw steak and the dog (who now speaks, and like a laid-back hipster, at that) pays for it. Back home, Sam growls at wife Margaret and then buries the steak bone in the backyard. Rover strolls in, ruffs Margaret’s hair and tells her, “You’re a good kid.” Sam has bad interactions with the milkman, a bowl of dog food, and his wife’s arm. Meanwhile, Rover astounds Margaret by tap dancing. Later, he coolly asks for ham and eggs. Finally fed up, Margaret departs with Fifi—only to encounter a hit-and-run driver and that same cross-eyed ambulance attendant. Notes: Color, animated cartoon. Original title card shows “up” with lowercase “u,” and no hyphen immediately preceding. Nominated for an Academy Award. Starring: Maggie and Sam Writer and Director: Tex Avery Studio: Universal-International Running time: 6:08

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

581

First Bad Man, The (1955) Plot: Dinosaur Dan rides into town (on a dinosaur) to commit murder, steal cattle (more dinosaurs), run off homesteaders, and abduct the prettiest cave gal he can find. The townies finally chase Dan through the desert and into a towering stone hideout—which the townies swarm and whittle down to jail size. Narrator Tex Ritter informs us that the stone jail is still there today, right in the middle of Dallas. Notes: Color, animated cartoon Starring: Tex Ritter (narrator) Writer: Heck Allen Director: Tex Avery Studio: MGM Running time: 6:32 Hide and Shriek (1955) Plot: Casper has a play date with hyperactive cousin Spooky, who is all about mischief: He teases Casper and then torments a goat, a kitten, and a brood of hens. Casper finally dips inside a scarecrow and uses it to chase Spooky away. Notes: Color, animated cartoon. Hide and Shriek is the first animated-cartoon appearance of tough ghost Spooky, who made his print debut in Harvey Comics’ Casper the Friendly Ghost no. 10 (June 1953). As the comic books developed the character, Spooky acquired freckles, a black button nose, and a pugnacious derby, none of which are seen here. Although numerous Casper shorts to this point have established that the friendly ghost sometimes lives with adult ghosts, Hide and Shriek provides the first look at Casper’s mother. Starring: Casper the Friendly Ghost (Alan Shay). Other voices: Jack Mercer (woodpecker); Mae Questel (Spooky, Casper’s mom) Producers: Isadore Sparber, Seymour Kneitel Director: Seymour Kneitel Writer: Carl Meyer Studio: Famous Studios-Paramount Running time: 6:40 Hole Idea, The (1955) Plot: A scientist invents a type of “portable hole,” which causes various problems. His wife steps through one of them, and then the devil returns her to earth. Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor Director: Robert McKimson Writer: Sid Marcus Studio: Warner Bros. Running times: 6:51

582 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Hook a Crook (1955) Private detectives Joe Besser and Jim Hawthorne are hired to recover stolen jewels. Unknown to the two, the necklace was filched by a gorilla. A merry battle ensues when the animal is cornered in an antique shop. At first, Besser and Hawthorne receive the punishment, but finally they wind up victorious heroes. FAIR. (MPE, Dec. 14, 1955)

Notes: At one point, Jim believes that Joe has been decapitated in a guillotine. Starring: Joe Besser, hawthorne (Jim Hawthorne), Joe Palma (stock footage and new footage), Eddie Baker (stock footage and new footage), Lela Bliss (new footage), Barbara Bartay (new footage), Dan Blocker (new footage), Steve Calvert (the gorilla, in stock footage), Dan Blocker (the gorilla, in new footage). Producer: Jules White Director: Jules White Writer: Jack White Studio: Columbia Running time: 16:01 Hot Ice (1955) Plot: This is a remake, with extensive stock footage, of a Three Stooges’ short called Crime on Their Hands (1948; see entry). Starring: Moe Howard, Shemp Howard, Larry Fine (the Three Stooges). New cast: Barbara Bartay, Harry Wilson, Joe Palma. Returning cast (new scenes): Kenneth MacDonald, Christine McIntyre Producer (source film): Hugh McCollum; remake: Jules White Director (source film): Edward Bernds; new material: Jules White Writer (source film): Elwood Ullman; new material: Jack White Studio: Columbia Running time: 16:19 Hyde and Hare (1955) Bugs Bunny gets taken into the house of Dr. Jaekyl [sic]. Jaekyl turns into Mr. Hyde. The rabbit is alternately chased by Hyde and befriended by Jaekyl. Bugs finally escapes with his life, but he drinks the transforming potion and becomes a monster himself. GOOD. (MPE, Nov. 2, 1955)

Plot: A well-dressed, mild-mannered little man who feeds Bugs in the park adopts the fast-talking bunny. He is Dr. Jekyll, presented here as a man utterly ashamed of his inability to resist his transformational liquid; he’s like a guilt-ridden alcoholic. The cartoon’s central chase element is that Hyde comes and goes quite unexpectedly, so Bugs never knows whose hand he’s holding or who’s hiding with him in the closet.

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

583

Fig. 74  Mild little Dr. Jaekyl [sic] begins his transformation to Mr. Hyde in Hyde and Hare (1955). (Courtesy Heritage Auctions)

Notes: Color, animated cartoon. Starring: Bugs Bunny Producer: Edward Selzer Director: I. Freleng (Isadore “Friz” Freleng) Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 7:02 Jumpin’ Jupiter (1955) Porky Pig and Sylvester cat, out on a campaign trip, are visited by a flying saucer from Jupiter. The saucer’s inhabitants capture the pair without their knowledge and transport them to an alien planet. They drive off in their car through the strange surroundings, still ignorant of the fact that they are no longer on earth. GOOD. (MPE, Aug. 10, 1955)

Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor Starring: Porky Pig, Sylvester Writer: Michael Maltese Director: Charles M. Jones Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 7 minutes

584 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Keep Your Grin Up (1955) Plot: During a visit to the circus, Casper tries to coax a laugh from a disconsolate laughing hyena, who’s being abused by the ringmaster because he won’t even crack a smile. Casper’s best efforts to cheer the hyena fail: invisible juggling, fire-eating, Casper’s barking imitation of a seal, even a tickle of the hyena’s paw—nothing. When the ringmaster returns with a whip, he’s scared off by Casper, which causes the hyena to dissolve into guffaws. Notes: Color, animated cartoon Starring: Casper the Friendly Ghost (Alan Shay). Other voices: Gilbert Mack (ringmaster); Jack Mercer (man buying tickets, ticket seller, ticket taker, India rubber man) Producers: Isadore Sparber, Seymour Kneitel Director: I. [Isadore] Sparber Writer: Larz Bourne Running time: 6:21 Of Cash and Hash (1955) Plot: This is a remake, with extensive stock footage, of The Three Stooges’ 1948 short, Shivering Sherlocks (see entry). Starring: Moe Howard, Shemp Howard, Larry Fine (the Three Stooges). Returning cast (new scenes): Christine McIntyre, Kenneth MacDonald, Frank Lackteen, Stanley Blystone Producer (source film): Hugh McCollum; remake: Jules White Director (source film): Del Lord; new footage: Jules White Writers (source film): Del Lord, Elwood Ullman; new material: Jack White Studio: Columbia Running time: 15:50 One Spooky Night (1955) Andy Clyde’s fiancé reprimands him for his cowardice. He attempts to prove his bravery by visiting a haunted house. The occupants include a group of ghosts who turn on Clyde. When police bullets disrupt the hauntings, the ghosts turn out to be gimmicks used by counterfeiters to hide their activities. Clyde aids in the capture of the crooks and becomes a hero to his girl friend. FAIR. (MPE, Sept. 21, 1955)

Plot: Taken by his fiancée (Dorothy Granger) for a scaredy cat (he’s terrified of her minuscule Chihuahua), professional home demolisher Andy Clyde forces himself to go to work inside a creepy old house. Note: A remake, with stock footage and a new framing device, of a 1941 Andy Clyde short, Host to a Ghost (see entry).

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

585

Starring: Andy Clyde (stock footage and new footage), Dorothy Granger (new footage), Monty Collins (stock footage), Dudley Dickerson (stock footage and new footage): Barbara Bartay, Joe Palma, Harry Wilson Producer (source film): Hugh McCollum; remake: Jules White Director (source film): Del Lord; new footage: Jules White Writer (source film): Harry Edwards, Elwood Ullman; new material: Jack White Studio: Columbia Running time: 16:55 Rabbit Rampage (1955) Plot: This is Chuck Jones’s variation on his own 1953 classic, Duck Amuck (see entry), with Bugs Bunny, rather than Daffy, the victim of a malicious, unseen animator. Notes: Color, animated cartoon Starring: Bugs Bunny Producer: Edward Selzer Director: Charles M. Jones (Chuck Jones) Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 6:56 Red White and Boo (1955) Plot: Casper uses a professor’s time machine to randomly send himself to the Stone Age, 1807 (Robert Fulton), and 1775 (Paul Revere and George Washington). Bland, episodic Casper adventure has the gags one might expect: Casper innocently scares a caveman and cavewoman; Casper scares Robert Fulton and his steamboat; Casper scares Paul Revere and his horse. Notes: Color, animated cartoon. Its title has no commas. When referencing this cartoon, numerous modern sources say, “Special sound effects provided by the Sonovox system.” The wording of the claims is invariably the same, suggesting that the original assertion has simply been picked up and perpetuated without investigation. Sonovox (invented c. 1939) was an electronic device consisting of two amplifiers held to the sides of the throat while a pre-recorded sound effect was fed through the amps. When a person merely mouthed words, the words acquired the “sound” of the sound effect, for example, a train whistle. In Red White and Boo, the boiler of Fulton’s steamboat cries, “A ghost!” with mild distortion and a faint sound effect of crackling flame. Starring: Casper the Friendly Ghost (Gwen Davies). Other voices: Jackson Beck (professor); Jack Mercer (caveman, cavewoman, Paul Revere); Sid Raymond (Robert Fulton) Producers: Isadore Sparber, Seymour Kneitel Director: I. [Isadore] Sparber

586 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Writer: I. [Isadore] Klein Studio: Famous Studios-Paramount Running time: 6:45 Sh-h-h-h-h-h (1955) Plot: Stressed-out jazz bongo player Mr. Twiddle is desperate to find quiet; psychiatrist I. M. Jittery diagnoses “a serious case of trombonosis” and recommends the Hush Hush Lodge, a hotel sequestered high in the Swiss Alps. Everything there is calculated silence—even the desk bell announces itself with a noiseless flip-up sign that reads “DING!” Installed in his room and ready for sleep, Twiddle is shortly driven mad by noises from next door: a melancholy cornet, and increasingly loud male and female laughter. Twiddle’s entreaties through the shared wall and outside the other room’s door are met with violence (a dropped safe is hardly the least of it), and the cornet playing and the laughter go on. When the mystery room is finally breached, Twiddle discovers that the culprits are Dr. Jittery and Jittery’s wife, his office nurse. Dread and helplessness played for dark laughs. Notes: Color, animated cartoon Starring: Mr. Twiddle, Dr. Jittery Writer and Director: Tex Avery Studio: Universal-International Running time: 6:15 Spooking with a Brogue (1955) Plot: Casper travels to rural Ireland, where he discovers an impoverished young widow and her son, who—unbeknownst to Casper—are about to be put out of their cottage by greedy landlord Mr. McMiser. The little Irish boy reassures his mother that “I’ll go catch me a leprechaun and claim his pot ’o gold!” Casper plays along with the boy’s assumption that he can produce gold, but never inquires why the kid wants the stuff so badly. Casper tries to mollify the boy with fakery, trying (and failing) to pass off corn kernels, goldfish, and gold-painted eggs as the real thing. When McMiser overhears the boy refer to Casper as a leprechaun, the old man abducts Casper, only to dash away when he realizes his leprechaun is a ghost. Casper and the boy feloniously make off with McMiser’s wheelbarrow of gold, ready to pay the rent—failing to consider that McMiser will know he’s being paid with his own money! Notes: Color, animated cartoon. Spooking with a Brogue is the first Casper release to feature voice actress Gwen Davies as Casper. Starring: Casper the Friendly Ghost (Gwen Davies). Other voices: Mae Questel (little Irish boy, boy’s mother); Jack Mercer (sailor, Mr. McMiser) Producers: Isadore Sparber, Seymour Kneitel Director: Seymour Kneitel

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

587

Writer: I. [Isadore] Klein Studio: Famous Studios-Paramount Running time: 6:11 Stone Age Romeos (1955) Plot: The bearded Three Stooges are professors who allegedly discover cavemen (The Three Stooges without beards) in another part of the world. They “return” with footage of the cavemen but are exposed as frauds. Notes: The footage of the Three Stooges as prehistoric men was recycled from the short I’m a Monkey’s Uncle (1948). Starring: Moe Howard, Shemp Howard, Larry Fine (the Three Stooges), Emil Sitka, Virginia Hunter, Nancy Saunders, Dee Green Director: Jules White Studio: Columbia Running time: 15:40 Witch Crafty (1955) A witch breaks her broom handle and goes to a broom factory for a replacement. Woody Woodpecker, the watchman, makes a new handle for her, but she refuses to pay for it. A scuffle develops, Woody outwitting the witch at every turn. The witch consents to pay and while she is searching for her broom, Woody takes off and flies away. FAIR. (MPE, Feb. 23, 1955)

Plot: The witch possesses a photograph of Frankenstein’s Monster. Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor Starring: Woody Woodpecker Director: Paul J. Smith Studio: Universal-International Running time: 6:09

1956 Broom-Stick Bunny (1956) This has Bugs encountering the old witch on Hallowe’en. After the usual chase, haunted house, business, etc., Bugs mixes a potion which makes the witch beautiful, a thing she can’t stand, and he makes his escape riding her broom-stick. GOOD. (MPE, Mar. 7, 1956)

Plot: Bugs is making the rounds on Halloween because trick or treating “is a pretty good racket.” Unfortunately for him, the latest recipe devised by his next mark, Witch Hazel (voice by June Foray), requires a rabbit’s clavicle. The chase is on. Hazel is proud of being “the ugliest one of all” and is quite

588 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

undone when Bugs slips her a potion that turns her into a beautiful woman. To make things worse, her genie leaps from the Magic Mirror in lustful pursuit. Notes: Color, animated cartoon Starring: Bugs Bunny Producer: Edward Selzer Director: Chuck Jones Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 7:07 Cloak and Stagger (1956) Plot: A clever Boy Scout keeps returning live bombs to bearded anarchists who want to blow up the local water works. Essentially a Cold War artifact (with villains straight out of the 1920s), Cloak and Stagger’s mild terror element is sabotage sponsored by a Super Bomb Market that hides in plain sight behind a false Ye Old Gift Shoppe façade. Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor Starring Good Deed Daly Writer: Tom Morrison Director: Connie Rasinski Studio: 20th Century Fox Running time: 1 reel Creeps (1956) The Three Stooges have trouble getting their small sons, also played by The Three Stooges, to sleep, so they tell them a bedtime story of when they were sent to an old castle to move some of the furnishings including suits of armor. One of the latter talks back to them and from that point on all kinds of spooks and apparitions bedevil them until they get away. The youngsters are still awake, so they use other means to put them to sleep like clubs and baseball bats. (MPE, Apr. 18, 1956)

Notes: This is a remake, with extensive stock footage, of the Three Stooges’ short The Ghost Talks (1949; see entry). Starring: Moe Howard, Shemp Howard, Larry Fine (the Three Stooges). Returning cast: Phil Arnold (added voice work) Producer: Jules White Director: Jules White Writer (source film): Felix Adler; new material: Jack White Studio: Columbia Running time: 15:36

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

589

Deduce, You Say (1956) This is a cartoon burlesque of Sherlock Holmes and the drawings are in a decidedly different vein. Daffy Duck portrays Sherlock and Porky Pig is Watson. They are on a slasher case and almost bring in their man, but the huge tough has a change of heart about giving himself up and goes home to his old mother, instead. GOOD. (MPE, Oct. 31, 1956)

Plot: Derlock Homes (Daffy Duck) and Watkins (Porky Pig) are goaded into action by the braggadocious Shropshire Slasher. This cartoon explores American notions of Victorian-Edwardian London and the various idiosyncrasies of Doyle’s brilliant detective, Sherlock Holmes. (Watkins describes Homes as a master of “deducting,” but what Homes mostly deducts is items from his income tax.) Although a Jack the Ripper spoof, Deduce, You Say is more interested in deflating Homes’s self-image; throughout, it is the calm and intelligent Watkins who puts things in order. Homes’s best lines: “Egad! These look like a woman’s fingerprints!” (seconds after he’s taken a woman’s fingerprints); and (as Homes winds up to plaster the Slasher): “I’m brown as a nut and fit as a lass!” Notes: Color, animated cartoon Starring: Daffy Duck, Porky Pig Producer: Edward Selzer Director: Chuck Jones Story: Michael Maltese Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 7:04 Dutch Treat (1956) Plot: On a visit to Holland, Casper shows a little Dutch boy, Hans, how to have fun while doing chores, for example, picking apples while on pogo sticks. When the nearby dike springs a leak, Hans plugs it until Casper rigs a fix— and then the fix fails, flooding the town. Casper finally stops the waters by blocking the breach with a window, which he labels “Aquarium.” Notes: Color, animated cartoon. Handsome background plates of Holland and the village, introduced via multiplane camera, are by scenic artist Robert Little. Little’s opening background, a dark-blue study of a big-city library at night, is a small marvel of mood and architectural perspective. Starring: Casper the Friendly Ghost (Cecil Roy). Other voices: Mae Questel (Hans, the little Dutch boy); Jack Mercer (stone lions at library, librarian, Dutch fisherman, various villagers in crowd scene) Producers: Isadore Sparber, Seymour Kneitel Director: I. [Isadore] Sparber Writer: I. [Isadore] Klein Studio: Famous Studios-Paramount Running time: 6:12

590 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Flagpole Jitters (1956) Plot: The “Great Svengarlic,” a hypnotist and criminal, encounters the Three Stooges, who unintentionally help the police capture his two criminal companions. Notes: While it features some narrative changes, Flagpole Jitters is similar to Hokus Pokus (1949; see entry), from which it recycles some footage. Svengarlic is a parody of the character Svengali. Starring: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Shemp Howard (The Three Stooges), Mary Ainslee, Vernon Dent, Jimmy Lloyd Director: Jules White Writer: Jack White Studio: Columbia Running time: 15:56 Flying Sorceress, The (1956) Tom applies for a job as a traveling companion. He discovers that his employer is a witch. She forces the cat to take a ride on her broom. When the witch goes to sleep, Tom swipes the broom and uses it to scare Jerry. But the witch discovers the theft and punishes him by giving him a wild ride. The cat wakes up to find that he has been dreaming. He experiments with a real broom and it, too, takes off. GOOD. (MPE, Feb. 8, 1956)

Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor Starring: Tom and Jerry Director: Joseph Barbara, William Hanna Studio: MGM Running time: 6:18 For Crimin’ Out Loud (1956) Plot: This is a remake, with extensive stock footage, of a Three Stooges’ short titled Who Done It? (1949; see entry). Starring: Moe Howard, Shemp Howard, Larry Fine (the Three Stooges). Returning cast (new scenes): Emil Sitka Producer (source film): Hugh McCollum; remake: Jules White Director (source film): Edward Bernds; new material: Jules White Writer (source film): Edward Bernds; new material: Felix Adler Studio: Columbia Running time: 15:57 Fright from Wrong (1956) Plot: Fed up with Casper’s friendliness, three grown-up ghosts feed the little ghost “Mean Pills,” which endow Casper with an all-­around red color, horns

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

591

and tail, and an evil grin. The scheme backfires on the adult ghosts because devil-Casper torments them with shears, an iron, glue and feathers, a washing machine, a vacuum cleaner, a lawn mower, and hot-foot mischief. One ghost literally loses his head; another douses his hot foot in the sink, lifts his leg in relief and sees—no foot! At cartoon’s end Casper admits that he never took the Mean Pills at all and just wanted to teach the older ghosts a lesson. Notes: Color, animated cartoon. Casper’s “devilish” appearance anticipates comic-book star Hot Stuff the Little Devil, created by Harvey Comics artist Warren Kremer in 1957. Starring: Casper the Friendly Ghost (Cecil Roy). Other voices: Jackson Beck (boss ghost); Sid Raymond (sidekick ghosts). Producers: Isadore Sparber, Seymour Kneitel Director: Seymour Kneitel Writer: Larz Bourne Studio: Famous Studios-Paramount Running time: 6:04 Gerald McBoing! Boing! on Planet Moo (1956) Plot: A flyer saucer kidnaps Gerald McBoing! Boing!, a little boy who speaks with sound effects rather than words. The earth sends rockets to Planet Moo in an effort to save him, but they are repelled. The King of Planet Moo takes Gerald home in hopes of doing business with earthlings. The humor results from the King believing that all earthlings speak in sound effects. Notes: This was the fourth of UPA’s “Gerald McBoing! Boing!” Technicolor animated cartoons. It was nominated for an Academy Award. Director: Robert Cannon Studio: UPA Running time: 7:05 Ground Hog Play (1956) Plot: Hillary the ground hog can’t find her shadow, so a blacked-up Casper pretends to be one while Hillary swims, burrows, and shadow boxes. Pleasant fluff has a novel visual and metaphysical premise: Casper and Hillary are introduced as existing in their respective newspaper comic strips, which they step from in order to enter the “real world” of animated cartoons. Comic strips dominate the narrative again at the climax, when Hillary drops down a tier into the King of the Jungle strip, where she’s nearly eaten by a lion that Casper must frighten away. The big cat is scared so deeply, in fact, that it leaps right through the King of the Jungle newsprint and dashes off into a black void. Notes: Color, animated cartoon Starring: Casper the Friendly Ghost (Cecil Roy). Other voices: Mae Questel (Hillary ground hog); Jack Mercer (screaming kids)

592 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Producers: Isadore Sparber, Seymour Kneitel Director: Seymour Kneitel Writer: Larz Bourne Studio: Famous Studios-Paramount Running time: 6:07 Line of Screammage (1956) Plot: Casper tutors little neighborhood kid Billy in football, and when the local team needs help against a tough Bully Boys squad, Billy goes in to win the game—with a lot of invisible help from Casper. Peculiar and self-defeating underdog tale stresses grit and perseverance while reveling in numerous climactic cheats that disguise Billy’s lack of skill: Casper hides beneath the turf to tie the opposing team’s shoelaces together, invisibly elevates Billy above the Bully Boys’ defensive line, and secretly pushes Billy’s inept field goal kick over the crossbar for the winning score. As Billy is hoisted on the shoulders of his joyous teammates, Casper—very pleased with himself—grins and winks at the audience. Notes: Color, animated cartoon Starring: Casper the Friendly Ghost (Cecil Roy). Other voices: Cecil Roy (boy with comic book, Billy’s big brother); Mae Questel (Billy); Sid Raymond (Bully Boy player); Jack Mercer (hen, misc. Bully Boys players, misc. Neighborhood Kids players) Producers: Isadore Sparber, Seymour Kneitel Director: Seymour Kneitel Writer: Jack Mercer Studio: Famous Studios-Paramount Running time: 6:02 Man in Space (1956) [T]his educational subject traces, first, the history of rockets, and then explains the science of present day space ships, necessary wardrobe of space flyers, etc. It is very informative, albeit a trifle technical. GOOD. (MPE, July 25, 1956)

Notes: Technicolor and CinemaScope short that combines live action and cartoon animation. First seen on ABC-TV’s Disneyland program in 1955; theatrical release followed in 1956. Starring: Dick Tufeld (narrator), Walt Disney, Ward Kimball, Willy Ley, Heinz Haber, Wernher von Braun Writer: Ward Kimball, William Bosché Director: Ward Kimball Studio: Walt Disney Running time: 3 reels

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

593

Pardon My Nightshirt (1956) Plot: Professor Clyde pursues the sleepwalking Nightshirt Bandit, only to determine that he is the somnambulist. Notes: This short is a remake of Go Chase Yourself (1948), which was itself a remake of The Nightshirt Bandit (1938). Starring: Andy Clyde, Ferris Taylor, Florence Auer, Dudley Dickerson Director: Jules White Writer: Felix Adler Studio: Columbia Running time: 16 minutes Penguin for Your Thoughts (1956) Plot: When a tired stork misdelivers a baby penguin, Casper and the bird sneak onto a “South Bound Plane” to get to the South Pole. The little penguin has designs on a passenger’s fish dinner; when Casper appears, passengers and crew bail out. Casper lands in Argentina, and he and the penguin sail to the South Pole in an upside-down umbrella. Notes: Color, animated cartoon Starring: Casper the Friendly Ghost (Cecil Roy). Other voices: Mae Questel (baby penguin, mother penguin); Jack Mercer (stork, man on airplane, father penguin); Sid Raymond (police officer O’Reilly) Producers: Isadore Sparber, Seymour Klein Director: Seymour Kneitel Writer: Larz Bourne Studio: Famous Studios-Paramount Running time: 6:49 Rocket Squad (1956) This has Porky Pig and Daffy Duck as the prowl jet patrol of the interplanetary police solving the robbing of the Bank of Jupiter with Jack Webb style dialogue. After the crime lab of the future gets through with them, they are sentenced to 30 years. GOOD. (MPE, Mar. 7, 1956)

Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor Starring: Daffy Duck, Porky Pig Writer: Tedd Pierce Director: Chuck Jones Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 7 minutes

594 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Rocket-bye Baby (1956) Plot: A disturbance in “a cosmic force” causes two small rocket ships to strike each other a glancing blow in space—resulting in a Martian baby being delivered to a suburban Earth couple. Besides sporting a green complexion and twin antennae, the smiling baby has unusual intellectual gifts: he dashes off Mr. Wilbur’s tax returns, assembles a model of the illudium molecule, prepares blueprints for a better mousetrap (and a better mouse), signifies E = MC 2 with his blocks, predicts the weather into far-off 1985, and crafts a model of the solar system. The Wilburs unquestioningly accept the green baby as their own—until a Martian space drone delivers a message revealing that little Yob is on the wrong planet and that the Wilburs’ baby, Mot, has been mistakenly delivered to Mars. When Yob builds a flying saucer (taking quick measurements from the TV screen during an episode of Captain Schmideo), he takes off, with Mr. Wilbur falling from a window as he follows—thrust into the horror of not only the loss of his son, but of dying in the process. But the whole story has been Wilbur’s SF-magazine dream. Nevertheless, when he greets his real son at the hospital’s nursery window, he sees the tiny wrist bracelet reading: Mot.

Fig. 75  Martian baby Yob astounds his adoptive Earth parents—and then innocently sets off an existential family crisis in Rocket-bye Baby (1956). (Courtesy Heritage Auctions)

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

595

Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor. Original title card shows lower-case “b” in bye. Starring: Mr. Wilbur, Martha Wilbur, Captain Schmideo Writer: Michael Maltese Director: Chuck Jones Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 7:06 Woodpecker from Mars (1956) Woody Woodpecker is a guest on a kiddie video show and walks off with a space helmet and a space gun as souvenirs. He pretends to be from Mars and is actually believed. He is caught and sent to an atomic laboratory for tests which convince the scientists that he really belongs on Mars, so they put him in a rocket and send him there. The Martians believe he is a crazy earth being and start testing him in their labs. GOOD. (MPE, June 13, 1956)

Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor Starring: Woody Woodpecker Writer: Homer Brightman Director: Paul J. Smith Studio: Universal-International Running time: 6:16

1957 Ali Baba Bunny (1957) Plot: Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck tunnel into an Arabian cave where they discover treasure. A guard named Hassan tries to “chop” them up, and Daffy finds himself shrunken to miniature size. Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor Starring: Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Hassan Director: Chuck Jones Writer: Michael Maltese Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 7 minutes Boo Bop (1957) Plot: Inside the Museum of Music, Casper helps the ghost of Franz Schubert complete the composer’s Unfinished Symphony. But Schubert can’t create while distracted by outside noise, and naturally, there’s nothing but noise beyond the museum’s walls: a shooting gallery, clip-clops of a horse’s hooves,

596 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

ironworkers, honking horns, a police whistle; Casper works mightily to put a stop to the racket. Notes: Color, animated cartoon. The cartoon’s Schubert looks to be about sixty years old, but the real Franz Shubert died at thirty-one. Starring: Casper the Friendly Ghost (Cecil Roy). Other voice: Jack Mercer (Franz Schubert) Producers: Isadore Sparber, Seymour Kneitel Director: Seymour Kneitel Writer: Carl Meyer Studio: Paramount Pictures Cartoon Studios Running time: 6:55 Crystal Brawl, The (1957) Popeye and Olive have a date to visit the fair, but Bluto takes Olive instead. Popeye, with the aid of spinach, goes to the rescue in the nick of time. (MPE, July 24, 1957)

Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor. Olive Oyl’s mountain climbing adventure and the greater part of her carnival escapade are footage lifted from earlier Popeye cartoons: Alpine for You (1951) and Quick on the Vigor (1950). The opening shot, in which Popeye rings Olive’s doorbell with his foot, takes animation from a 1955 Popeye cartoon, Cops Is Tops. The Crystal Brawl’s fortune-teller framing device is the short’s only new footage. Starring: Popeye, Olive Oyl, Bluto Writer: Carl Meyer Director: Seymour Kneitel Studio: Paramount Running time: 7:48 Ghost of Honor (1957) Plot: During a red-carpet Hollywood premiere night, Casper relates the story of how he became a cartoon star. “Backstage” cartoon gives us a tour of what supposedly goes on at the Paramount cartoon unit, as Casper meets story men, an animator, a scenic artist, a colorist, and other department employees. Notes: Color, animated cartoon. Ghost of Honor features modernist backgrounds by Robert Owen (in mid-century shades of pink, aqua, and serene yellow); some clever gags (the animator, for instance, spies Casper and dives headfirst into his ink bottle and pulls the cap tight after him); and a visual explanation of how animation works. Although Ghost of Honor makes a point of identifying the Paramount cartoon unit as being in Hollywood, the actual studios were in a small space in New York City, off Times Square.

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

597

Starring: Casper the Friendly Ghost (Gwen Davies). Other voices: Jackson Beck (red carpet emcee, animator, first story-dept. man); Jack Mercer (second story-dept. man, scenic artist); Mae Questel (receptionist, colorist) Producers: Isadore Sparber, Seymour Kneitel Director: I. [Isadore] Sparber Writer: I. [Isadore] Klein Studio: Paramount Pictures Cartoon Studios Running time: 6:26 Hooky Spooky (1957) Plot: Casper’s tough little cousin Spooky (by now sporting the familiar black nose and derby) returns, ignoring Casper to skip school and scare animals at the zoo—particularly baby ones that dash into walls and knock themselves unconscious. Casper finally impersonates the “ghost” of a bear cub Spooky who erroneously believes he’s killed and chases his cousin right into the schoolhouse. Notes: Color, animated cartoon Starring: Casper the Friendly Ghost (Cecil Roy). Other voices: Jack Mercer (Spooky, Bobby Boo, Freddy Fright); Mae Questel (ghost-teacher) Producers: Isadore Sparber, Seymour Kneitel Director: I. [Isadore] Sparber Writer: Carl Meyer Studio: Paramount Pictures Cartoon Studios Running time: 5:38 I Don’t Scare (1957) Popeye and Bluto both try to date Olive Oyl, with Popeye winning out. Olive is superstitious, and Bluto plays on this until she cancels her date, thinking it’s the 13th of the onth [sic]. Later, Bluto convinces her everything is alright, as it’s only the 12th. Popeye fixes things in the end so Bluto gets his just desserts. FAIR. (MPE, Feb. 20, 1957)

Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor Starring: Popeye, Olive Oyl, Bluto Writer: Jack Mercer Director: I. (Isadore) Sparber Studio: Paramount Running time: 6:06 Ice Scream (1957) Plot: Little Billy longs to ice skate with his older brother; Casper impersonates a snowman and gives the kid some lessons—on skates Casper fashions from

598 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

two drawer handles and two pieces of string! After a mishap or two (Casper falls through the ice and freezes solid, Billy skates over a frozen waterfall), Billy decides he’s ready to jump into the big skate race. He’s not making much progress against the bigger boys until Casper grips his ankles from beneath the ice and pulls him to victory. Casper cheats to hand victory to a boy who hasn’t earned it. Notes: Color, animated cartoon Starring: Casper the Friendly Ghost (Cecil Roy). Other voices: Mae Questel (Billy), Jack Mercer (kids with giant snowball, Johnny, P.  A. announcer, starter, skate judge) Producers: Isadore Sparber, Seymour Kneitel Director: Seymour Kneitel Writer: Jack Mercer Studio: Paramount Pictures Cartoon Studios Running time: 6:15 Magic in the Sun (1957) This travel subject produced by Carl Dudley takes us to Haiti, Port au Prince, ruins of Jean Christoph’s famous Citadel, etc. Shown are modern hotels, public buildings, statues, churches, the natives, market place, agriculture, voodoo dancers, etc. EXCELLENT. (MPE, Jan. 23, 1957)

Notes: Filmed in color and Cinemascope Starring: Howard Culver (Narrator) Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 8 minutes Outer Space Jitters (1957) Plot: Moe, Larry, and Joe land on the planet Sunev (Venus spelled backward) in the company of Professor Jones. They are brought to the planet’s ruler the Great Zilch and his minister, the High Mucky Muck. While the Great Zilch shows Jones an elaborate machine in his laboratory, the Stooges flirt with some ladies. However, everyone on the planet has electricity in their veins so the boys are constantly getting shocked when they touch the women. The Zilch demonstrates the power of the machine which brings a Prehistoric Man to life. The man, who has a monstrous face, is then put back to sleep. The Zilch announces that they can produce millions of such zombies and intend to conquer the earth. The Professor is imprisoned. The Stooges escape from the High Mucky Muck by squirting water on him, causing the electricity in his veins to go haywire. Searching for the professor, the Stooges inadvertently revive the zombie who chases them around. They find the professor and escape. This all turns out to be a bedtime story read to the

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

599

Stooge kids. As the three adult Stooges prepare to go out, the babysitter arrives. She turns out to have the same hideous face as the zombie. Notes: Dan Blocker, who plays the zombie, is mistakenly credited onscreen as Don Blocker. Starring: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Joe Besser, Emil Sitka, Gene Roth Writer: Jack White Director: Jules White Studio: Columbia Running time: 16:19 Peekaboo (1957) Plot: After Casper rescues a little kitten from a dog, the kitten torments the dog behind Casper’s back, assured that Casper will always scare the dog away. The mischief is perpetrated during a prolonged game of hide and seek (hence the short’s title). Notes: Color, animated cartoon. Similar to 1956’s Fright from Wrong (see entry). Various modern sources erroneously give the title as Peek-a-Boo. Starring: Casper the Friendly Ghost (Gwen Davies). Other voices: Mae Questel (boy on skates, kitten); Jack Mercer (dog) Producers: Isadore Sparber, Seymour Kneitel Director: Seymour Kneitel Writer: Larz Bourne Studio: Paramount Pictures Cartoon Studios Running time: 6:27 Round Trip to Mars (1957) Woody Woodpecker is relaxing at a desert hotel outside of Las Vegas when he gets tangled up with a screwy professor working on a rocket intended to make a trip to Mars. GOOD. (MPE, Oct. 16, 1957)

Plot: Woody’s “Lost Wages,” Nevada, vacation is spoiled by Professor Dingledome, a German scientist who noisily hammers away at a rocket in the desert. After botching the professor’s takeoff (by tethering the rocket to the ground with an inner tube), Woody convinces Dingledome that the rocket has traveled to Mars and that Woody is a Martian. Woody feeds the professor a rocket fuel cocktail, covers his head in a bag and leads him off a cliff, smashes him with a log, electrocutes him, impales him on a bullseye, gives him an exploding cigar, and plugs him with a shotgun. Bored rather than remorseful, Woody finally offers to return the professor to Earth and does— via a kiddie rocket ride at nearby Dizzyland. Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor Starring: Woody Woodpecker, Professor Dingledome Writer: Dalton Sandifer

600 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Director: Paul J. Smith Studio: Universal-International Running time: 6:09 Space Ship Sappy (1957) Plot: Three unemployed knuckleheads sign on as crewmen for an ill-planned rocket trip to the planet Sunev. Once there, Moe, Larry, and Joe are tied to stakes and menaced by a trio of cannibalistic space amazons. Starring: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Joe Besser (the Three Stooges), Benny Rubin, Doreen Woodbury, Harriet Tarler, Marilyn Hanold, Lorraine Crawford, Emil Sitka Producer: Jules White Director: Jules White Writer: Jack White Studio: Columbia Running time: 16:16 Spooking About Africa (1957) Plot: While traipsing about Africa, Casper meets Wheezy, an elephant whose explosive sneezes annoy every other animal in jungle. Casper engineers a cure and then must encourage Wheezy to sneeze one more time, to put out a raging jungle fire. Notes: Color, animated cartoon. Spooking About Africa is the last Casper cartoon bearing the Famous Studios name and logo. Paramount reorganized the unit in October 1956, renamed it Paramount Pictures Cartoon Studios, and cut the production schedule. In January 1957, the month Spooking About Africa first played in theaters, Paramount ordered animation executive Seymour Kneitel to cut staff. Among the people let go was director and co-producer Isadore Sparber. Because numerous unreleased Casper (and other Paramount character) cartoons were complete, Sparber’s name appears on Casper theatrical shorts released from January 1957 to January 1958. Sparber died on August 28, 1958. Starring: Casper the Friendly Ghost (Cecil Roy). Other voices: Sid Raymond (Wheezy the elephant); Jack Mercer (peacock, monkey) Producers: Isadore Sparber and Seymour Kneitel Director: Seymour Kneitel Writer: Jack Mercer Studio: Famous Studios-Paramount Running time: 6:11

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

601

Spooky Swabs (1957) Popeye and Olive Oyl find themselves about The Sea Witch, a ship that has disappeared in 1694 and which is inhabited by the ghosts of the crew. Popeye and Olive want to take the boat back to civilization. This is something the ghosts do not want. After eating his spinach, however, Popeye finally wins the argument. FAIR. (MPE, Oct. 30, 1957)

Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor. This short was the final Paramount Popeye theatrical cartoon. Starring: Popeye, Olive Oyl Writer: Larz Bourne Director: I. (Isadore) Sparber Studio: Paramount Running time: 6:04

1958 Frighty Cat (1958) Plot: Illside Sanitorium [sic], Katnip parks himself outside of Herman’s mouse hole and reads a scary book to pass the time; Herman and his mouse pals correctly reason that Katnip will be susceptible to a good scare. The gags include walking skulls, manufactured footsteps, a haunted piano. Notes: Color, Animated cartoon Starring: Herman and Katnip Writer: Larz Bourne Director: I. (Isadore) Sparber Studio: Paramount Running time: 5:50 Ghost Writers (1958) Plot: A couple of Paramount cartoon-studio story men brainstorm ideas for the next Casper adventure and decide to send him to Mother Goose Land, a Halloween masquerade, and an underwater fun fair. Notes: Color, animated cartoon. Ghost Writers makes liberal use of clips from Casper’s Spree Under the Sea (1950), Once Upon a Rhyme (1950), and To Boo or Not to Boo (1951; see entries), as well as a Robert Owen background plate from Ghost of Honor (1957; see entry). Starring: Casper the Friendly Ghost (Cecil Roy, in stock and new footage). Other voices (new footage only): Jack Mercer (story man no. 1); Jackson Beck (story man no. 2) Producers: Seymour Kneitel, with Sam Buchwald (Casper’s Spree Under the Sea, Once Upon a Rhyme, To Boo or Not to Boo); Isadore Sparber (Casper’s Spree Under the Sea, Once Upon a Rhyme, To Boo or Not to Boo, Ghost of Honor)

602 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Directors: Seymour Kneitel, with Bill Tytla (Casper’s Spree Under the Sea); Isadore Sparber (Once Upon a Rhyme, To Boo or Not to Boo, Ghost of Honor) Writers: Jack Mercer, with Isadore Klein (Casper’s Spree Under the Sea, Once Upon a Rhyme, To Boo or Not to Boo, Ghost of Honor) Studios: Paramount Pictures Cartoon Studios, with Famous Studios (Casper’s Spree Under the Sea, Once Upon a Rhyme, To Boo or Not to Boo) Running time: 6:48 Good Scream Fun (1958) Plot: Casper takes charge of mischievous ostrich Ozzie and tries to deliver him to his new owner. Ozzie has a habit of swallowing nearly everything he sees, and so Good Scream Fun becomes a linear “list” comedy in which the ostrich gobbles something and then suffers a comic consequence. The list encompasses paper, an alarm clock, an umbrella (which comically opens inside Ozzie’s throat), a magnet (the one Casper used to remove the umbrella), fireworks, a burning cigar butt, a radio (broadcasting a noisy crime drama), and excelsior packing. Casper finally gets Ozzie to the proper address—a taxidermy shop! The taxidermist has nailed Ozzie to a board and is about to begin his work when Casper intervenes. Notes: Color, animated cartoon. Former Famous Studios/Paramount cartoon producer-director Isadore Sparber, who had been let go by Paramount in January 1957, died on August 28, 1958, about two weeks before the release of Good Scream Fun. Starring: Casper the Friendly Ghost (Cecil Roy). Other voices: Jack Mercer (truck driver, Ozzie ostrich, Angel bulldog, radio voices, dog catcher, taxidermist) Producer: Seymour Kneitel Director: Seymour Kneitel Writer: Jack Mercer Studio: Paramount Pictures Cartoon Studios Running time: 6:20 Hare-Way to the Stars (1958) Plot: Unaware that the government has rolled a rocket ship and gantry above his rabbit hole, sleepy Bugs Bunny climbs aboard moments before takeoff and then finds himself in deep space—and at odds with Marvin Martian, who plans to blow up Earth because it obstructs his view of Venus. Bugs saves billions of lives by swiping Marvin’s Illudium Q-36 Explosive Space Modulator. Marvin counters by adding water to teeny seeds that produce a horde of multi-colored, Seussian Martian drones. Bugs steals a saucer and escapes to Earth, but crashes into a sewer, where more seeds begin to germinate. Bugs (to the audience): “Run for the hills, folks, or you’ll be up to your armpits in Martians!”

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

603

Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor Starring: Bugs Bunny, Marvin the Martian Director: Chuck Jones Writer: Michael Maltese Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 6:58 Heir Restorer (1958) Plot: Casper travels to Devonshire, England, where he meets the ghost of Sir Montague, a country squire who must roam the halls of his castle until an heir can be found. After innocently scaring some pub-goers, a palace guard, and a Scotland Yard inspector, Casper discovers little Montgomery Montague in an orphanage. The toddler is installed in the castle, and Casper and a grateful Sir Montague invisibly bicycle off together. Notes: Color, animated cartoon. Heir Restorer is the last Casper cartoon (in release order) directed and co-produced by Isadore Sparber, who was let go by the Paramount animation unit during cost-cutting in January 1957. Starring: Casper the Friendly Ghost (Cecil Roy). Other voices: Gilbert Mack (Sir Montague, Scotland Yard inspector, palace guard, pub-goers); Jack Mercer (pub-goers); Mae Questel (babies in nursery) Producers: Isadore Sparber, Seymour Kneitel Director: I. [Isadore] Sparber Writer: Larz Bourne Studio: Paramount Pictures Cartoon Studios Running time: 6:42 Misguided Missile (1958) Plot: Woody goes to work for Flyby-Knight Insurance and runs into a resistant prospect. Brash spoof of salesmanship, and the insurance business is highlighted by Woody’s apparent clairvoyance: he promises the prospect coverage for falling safes, a printing press mishap, pile drivers, lightning strikes, mule kicks, dog bites, and crocodiles—each of which befalls the guy, who finally just swipes the unsigned policy and dashes off with it. But he hasn’t reckoned with the last of Woody’s quasi-supernatural hazards: a slow-moving, loudly ticking guided missile that follows the prospect everywhere he goes. Notes: Animated cartoon in Technicolor Starring: Woody Woodpecker Writer: Homer Brightman Director: Paul J. Smith Studio: Universal-International Running time: 6:05

604 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Pre-hysterical Hare (1958) Plot: After falling into a cave, Bugs finds a reel of film from 10,000 B.C. It depicts various dinosaurs and prehistoric versions of Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd. Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor Starring: Bugs Bunny, Elmer Fudd Writer: Tedd Pierce Director: Robert McKimson Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 7 minutes Spook and Span (1958) Plot: Casper visits a county fair and struggles to transform happy, filthy Squealy Pig into a spanking clean prize winner. Cleaned up at last, Squealy wins a blue ribbon, only to be carted off in a truck belonging to Acme Pork Products. Casper’s legerdemain liberates the keys from the driver, and Casper and Squealy soon celebrate with a mud bath. Innocuous short falls prey to repetition, as Casper bathes the pig and the pig leaps back into the mud, over and over. Notes: Color, animated cartoon Starring: Casper the Friendly Ghost (Cecil Roy). Other voices: Jack Mercer (sheep, livestock judge); Mae Questel (little girl with sheep) Producer: Seymour Kneitel Director: Seymour Kneitel Writer: Larz Bourne Studio: Paramount Pictures Cartoon Studios Running time: 7:36 Vanishing Duck, The (1958) Plot: A little duckling brought into Tom and Jerry’s household falls into a jar of vanishing cream and vanishes. He shares the stuff with Jerry, and the two of them bedevil an increasingly perplexed Tom. But when Tom discovers the jar, he turns the tables. Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor. Similar to a 1947 Tom and Jerry cartoon, The Invisible Mouse (see entry). The Vanishing Duck is the eighth and final appearance of Little Quacker. Starring: Tom and Jerry, Little Quacker Writer: William Hanna, Joseph Barbera, Michael Maltese Director: William Hanna, Joseph Barbera Studio: MGM Running time: 6:49

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

605

Which Is Witch (1958) Plot: Cousin Spooky is miffed when Casper goes to the beach with good witch Wendy instead of playing ball with him. Wendy suffers Spooky’s subsequent mischief (a tossed crab, a ruined lunch, her speedboat gone out of control, etc.) and blames Casper. Spooky gets his comeuppance when Wendy convinces witch friend Hazel to play baseball with Spooky, which doesn’t turn out as Spooky would have liked. Notes: Color, animated cartoon. First animated-cartoon appearances of cute witches Wendy and Hazel. Wendy first appeared in Harvey Comics’ Casper the Friendly Ghost no. 20, cover-dated May 1954. Wendy’s own comic book, Wendy the Good Little Witch, began its run in 1960. In July 1958, two months after the release of Which Is Witch, Harvey Comics purchased the TV rights to the post-1950 Paramount cartoons; theatrical-release rights remained with Paramount. Starring: Casper the Friendly Ghost (Cecil Roy). Other voices: Mae Questel (Wendy); Jack Mercer (Spooky); Cecil Roy (Hazel) Producer: Seymour Kneitel Director: Seymour Kneitel Writer: Carl Meyer Studio: Paramount Pictures Cartoon Studios Running time: 6:06

1959 Apes of Wrath (1959) A stork delivers Bugs to an expectant ma and pa gorilla, instead of the regular baby gorilla. Ma takes up for the devilish bunny, but Pa suspects all is not quite kosher. The stork finally shows up with the real baby gorilla, and Bugs is kicked out. Daffy Duck, however, makes a surprise entrance, chasing Bugs, and calling ‘Mommy’ after the dumfounded rabbit. GOOD. (MPE, May 6, 1959)

Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor Starring: Bugs Bunny Writer: Warren Foster Director: Friz Freleng Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 6:28 Casper’s Birthday Party (1959) Plot: Casper leaves home one night to gather friends to celebrate his birthday. But the search is discouraging because he scares every person and animal he comes across. When Casper returns home, family and friends greet him with a surprise birthday party. Notes: Color, animated cartoon. The final Casper theatrical release has just 49 seconds of new animation (plus a new, 10-second static insert of a letter); the

606 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

greater part comprises footage from earlier Casper shorts: Boo Hoo Baby (1951), Casper Comes to Clown (1951), Cage Fright (1952), Ghost of the Town (1952), and Little Boo Peep (1953). (See entries for all of these.) Starring: Casper the Friendly Ghost (Norma MacMillan [new footage and overdubbed on pickup footage]). Other voices: Jack Mercer, all archival (rabbit, owl, lion, zoo keeper, man at mailbox, taxi driver, Humpty Dumpty, Three Men in a Tub, pieman); Norma MacMillan (Casper’s mother) Producers: Seymour Kneitel, with Sam Buchwald (Boo Hoo Baby); Isadore Sparber (Boo Hoo Baby, Casper Comes to Clown, Cage Fright, Ghost of the Town, Little Boo Peep) Directors: Seymour Kneitel, with Isadore Sparber (Casper Comes to Clown, Ghost of the Town); Kneitel (Boo Hoo Baby, Cage Fright, Little Boo Peep) Writers: I. [Isadore] Klein, with Larz Bourne (Boo Hoo Baby, Little Boo Peep); Klein (Casper Comes to Clown, Cage Fright, Ghost of the Town) Studio: Paramount Pictures Cartoon Studios Running time: 5:44 Doing What’s Fright (1959) Plot: Spooky the ghost saunters around town on April Fools’ Day, perpetrating mischief that cousin Casper tries to set right. Finally exasperated, Casper gives Spooky a dose of his own medicine. Notes: Color, animated cartoon Starring: Casper the Friendly Ghost (Cecil Roy). Other voices: Jack Mercer (Spooky, billboard artist, cement spreader, motorcycle cop, fisherman, pancake cook) Producer: Seymour Kneitel Director: Seymour Kneitel Writer: Carl Meyer Studio: Paramount Pictures Cartoon Studios Running time: 6:07 Down to Mirth (1959) Plot: A rebuff at a professional conference causes Dr. Brainstorm to go off the rails and activate his new anti-gravity ray, which he uses to elevate the Hall of Science, a pair of houses, an elephant, two kangaroos, a car, bombs sent against him by the military, and—in the cartoon’s most ingenious visual gag—the water in a swimming pool (which elevates very tidily, like a blue brick). Finally faced down by Casper, the inventor accidentally destroys his own machine. Notes: Color, animated cartoon. The accent created by voice actor Jack Mercer for Dr. Brainstorm sounds vaguely Russian. The Spooknik Award given to Casper at the conclusion of Down to Mirth references Sputniks 1 through 3, Soviet satellites that unnerved many Americans during 1957–58. Starring: Casper the Friendly Ghost (Norma MacMillan). Other voices: Jack Mercer (lecturer, Dr. Brainstorm, various academics, mama kangaroo,

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

607

motorcycle cop, onlooker no. 1, mayor); Jackson Beck (tour guide, radio news announcer, onlooker no. 2); Norma MacMillan (onlooker no. 3) Producer: Seymour Kneitel Director: Seymour Kneitel Writer: Larz Bourne Studio: Paramount Pictures Cartoon Studios Running time: 6:58 Eyes in Outer Space: A Science-Factual Presentation (1959) Plot: Science-based look at weather management becomes fanciful in its second half, positing (via animation and fulsome matte paintings) a “worldwide weather center” managing rockets, unmanned saucers, robot planes,

Fig. 76  Poster art for Disney’s quasi-educational Eyes in Outer Space (1959) alludes to Russia’s Sputnik satellite launches of 1957–58. (Courtesy Heritage Auctions)

608 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

orbiting space wheels, and gigantic earthbound towers to observe weather patterns and seed clouds to stall hurricanes, or disperse damaging rain across broader geographical areas. Narration predicts vast, arid wastelands turned into farmland, and the poles made “productive.” Notes: Produced by Walt Disney and Ward Kimball, this short features live action and animation. Starring: Paul Frees (narrator), Jack Smith (weather controller) Writer: Ward Kimball, William Bosché, John Dunn Director: Ward Kimball Studio: Disney-Buena Vista Running time: 25:54 Hare-Abian Nights (1959) Plot: Bugs Bunny finds himself in the Sultan’s (Yosemite Sam’s) Arabian palace and tells him various stories. Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor Starring: Bugs Bunny, Yosemite Sam Director: Ken Harris Writer: Michael Maltese Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 7 minutes Mouse Trapped (1959) Plot: When the town decides to pursue civic safety by getting rid of all black cats on Friday the 13th, mischievous mice Hickory and Dickory “help” their feline antagonist, Doc, by directing him to hide in the neighborhood bulldog’s doghouse (bad) and then in the dishwasher (also bad). Doc finally catches on, but when he decides to go on the offensive, he suffers even more. Highlighted by a gag involving a cannon, a rope, a downspout, a fireplace, and a chimney, this cartoon is predicated on venerable, quasi-horror superstitions. Notes: Color, animated cartoon. A mild, and possibly unintended, joke here is that Doc is a tuxedo cat, and not completely black. Starring: Hickory, Dickory, and Doc. Producer: Walter Lantz Writer: Homer Brightman Director: Alex Lovy Studio: Universal-International Running time: 5:51

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

609

Not Ghoulty (1959) Plot: Because Casper prefers picking posies to scaring people, a ghostly court strips him of his ghost powers and banishes him. Although he has many friends among the living, Casper upsets them when he tries to lend a hand while forgetting his lack of ghostly abilities. Knowing he won’t be reinstated by the other ghosts unless he scares someone, Casper shows up at the haunted house and presents a card identifying him as a “GHOST EXTERMINATOR.” The other ghosts are scared silly and return Casper’s powers to him. Notes: Color, animated cartoon. Likely for reasons of time or budget, Not Ghoulty opens with about 20 seconds of footage from a 1951 Casper short, Casper Takes a Bow-Wow (see entry), with voice actor Jack Mercer re-recording the dialogue he played in 1951. The Bow-wow footage is interspersed with quick inserts created expressly for Not Ghoulty; the inserts give fresh views of Casper in the defendant’s chair and replace Cecil Roy’s Casper voice with Norma MacMillan’s. Following the clips from Casper Takes a Bow-­Wow, Not Ghoulty segues into forty-four seconds of footage from another Casper cartoon, Ghost of the Town (1952; see entry). Thirteen seconds of courtroom footage from Casper Takes a Bow-Wow come next, establishing Casper’s “guilt.” Taken in toto, the pastiche of recycled footage and new inserts sets up the central dilemma of Not Ghoulty. Starring: Casper the Friendly Ghost (Norma MacMillan). Other voices: Jack Mercer (ghost-prosecutor in 1951 footage [re-recorded by Mercer], Joe the ironworker, Officer Flanagan, salesman); Gilbert Mack (Mr. Galucci); Norma MacMillan (Mrs. Smith) Producers: Seymour Kneitel, with Isadore Sparber (Casper Takes a Bow-Wow, Ghost of the Town) Directors: Seymour Kneitel, with Isadore Sparber (Casper Takes a Bow-Wow and Ghost of the Town) Writers: Jack Mercer, Carl Meyer, with Larz Bourne (Casper Takes a Bow-Wow), Isadore Klein (Ghost of the Town) Studios: Paramount Pictures Cartoon Studios, with Famous Studios (Casper Takes a Bow-Wow and Ghost of the Town) Running time: 6:14 Outer Space Visitor (1959) Mighty Mouse comes to the rescue of some little farm mice, who are being menaced by a couple of characters including a giant from outer space. He manages to send them back to their planet, saving the frightened farm mice. (MPE, Oct. 21, 1959)

Plot: Simple farm mice assume that a friendly little alien will be their only unexpected visitor, but then a scientist translates the visitor’s unintelligible vocal-

610 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

izing as “Just wait till my father gets here.” Dad is a robotic behemoth who stomps and burns the mouse community until a good punching from Mighty Mouse encourages him to gather his kid and return home. Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor Starring: Mighty Mouse Writer: John Foster Director: Dave Tendlar Studio: 20th Century Fox Running time: 6 minutes Robinson Gruesome (1959) Plot: Chilly Willy rides a melting iceberg to a South Seas island occupied by Smedley Dog, who’s been marooned there and eating bananas for twentyeight years. Next on Smedley’s menu: Chilly. After Chilly substitutes a firecracker for himself in Smedley’s oven, the blast upsets a nearby gorilla, who puts the blame on Smedley. Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor Starring: Chilly Willy, Smedley Dog Writer: Homer Brightman Director: Alex Lovy Studio: Universal-International Running time: 6 minutes Space Mouse (1959) A cat is on the prowl for mice to take to a rocket base for missile experiments as he is paid a bounty for each one he turns in. Three mice and a bulldog foil his plans, disguise him as a mouse, turn him in, and he, the cat, goes into orbit instead. GOOD. (MPE, Nov. 4, 1959)

Plot: Scheming cat Doc reads that the local missile test center needs mice to send into space and offers a “huge cash bonus” for their delivery. Familiar mice-vs.-cat and cat-vs.-dog gags culminate in a science-fiction denouement that finds Doc orbiting Earth inside a Sputnik-­like satellite. Notes: Color, animated cartoon. Six seconds of its running time are live-action Western-movie stock footage (when Doc crashes through a TV picture tube and his eyes register the program). Starring: Hickory, Dickory, and Doc. Starring: Doc the Cat, Hickory Mouse, Dickory Mouse Writer: Homer Brightman Director: Alex Lovy Studio: Universal-International Running time: 6 minutes

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

611

Spooking of Ghosts (1959) A ghost is hired by a real estate agent in behalf of a Scots client to haunt that gentleman’s mansion while he’s away so he won’t have to pay for a caretaker. A weary hobo who doesn’t believe in ghosts tries to crash the invitingly empty domicile with hilarious results. FAIR. (MPE, Aug. 12, 1959)

Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor Director: Seymour Kneitel Studio: Paramount Running time: 6:28 Terror Faces Magoo (1959) A marauding gorilla gets into Magoo’s home and puts on Waldo’s hat. Cops come and get Waldo, thinking he is the gorilla. Magoo continues watching television with the gorilla, thinking he is Waldo. GOOD. (MPE, Aug. 12, 1959)

Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor Starring: Mr. Magoo Writer: Bill Scott, George Atkins Director: Chris Ishii, Jack Goodford Studio: Columbia Running time: 6:30 Universal Newsreel, Vol. 32, No. 24 (1959) Plot: In a story called Twenty-Five Years Ago, this newsreel features clips of Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff at a black cat parade held in 1934. It repurposes footage from Universal Newspaper Newsreel, Vol. VI, No. 233 (1934; see entry). Studio: Universal Running time: 1 reel Witch’s Tangled Hare, A (1959) Bugs gets tangled up with a witch in days of old. The witch wants to put him into a brew, but he escapes to a castle, where he has to use all his tricks to outwit her. Finally the witch finds her long, lost husband, goes off happy, leaving Bugs safe. GOOD. (MPE, Dec. 16, 1959)

Plot: Will Shakespeare treads the Scottish moors, soaking up atmosphere for his next play, Macbeth. He discovers Bugs, who’s soaking up hot water in Witch Hazel’s dinner cauldron. Bugs notices Hazel’s recipe book and escapes, and during the castle chase that follows, he and Hazel enact a scene that Shakespeare scribbles down for Romeo and Juliet. In a surprise,

612 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Shakespeare turns out to be Hazel’s old flame, Sam Groobish, who never showed up one night long ago, when the two were to elope. Hazel insists she told him “apartment 2-B.” Sam says it wasn’t 2-B. Notes: Color, animated cartoon Starring: Bugs Bunny Producer: John Burton Director: Abe Levitow Story: Michael Maltese Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 6:20 Woodpecker in the Moon (1959) A professor of the International Rocket Society hijacks Woody Woodpecker into a trip to the moon, where he is greeted by another professor, who has been stranded there for several years. This professor plans to dispose of Woody and return to earth in the woodpecker’s rocket. Failing in this, he forces Woody to fly him back to earth. They crash into the Society’s meeting room. The two professor’s fight, with the one long stranded sending off the other in a rocket in revenge, but Woody gets his revenge, too, by sending back the professor who threatened him. GOOD. (MPE, Nov. 4, 1959)

Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor Starring: Woody Woodpecker, Professor Dingledong Writer: Dalton Sandifer Director: Alex Lovy Studio: Universal-International Running time: 7 minutes

1960 Black Cat, The (1960) The famous Edgar Allen [sic] Poe story of a murderer who is brought to the gallows by his nemesis, a black cat, is graphically visualized through a series of paintings by John Fenton. … It is more suitable for the art and specialty spots than for regulation houses. For art spots, it is rated EXCELLENT. (MPE, Apr. 27, 1960)

Notes: Filmed in Eastman color, The Black Cat was in competition, Short Films category, at the 1961 Festival de Cannes. Starring: Basil Rathbone (narrator) Director: Frank Marvel Running time: 22 minutes

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

613

Counter Attack (1960) Plot: A persistent cat chases a mouse into a novelty store, where the cat suffers the indignities of snapping mechanical teeth, exploding golf balls, sneezing powder, and other gadgets. Mild horror element involves the mouse’s brainstorm to coat himself with invisible paint (all the better to torment the cat) and attach a skeleton to the semi-conscious cat—who’s convinced he’s been killed. Notes: Animated cartoon Director: Seymour Kneitel Studio: Paramount Running time: 6:10 Electronica (1960) Henpecked Henry buys a robot to take over his household chores, but as with most mechanical contrivances, things go wrong. FAIR. (MPE, Oct. 26, 1960)

Plot: Tired of housework, Henry buys brutally strong Electronica the robot (who looks like a mechanical maid) to do the chores for him. Trouble is, Electronica requires very explicit directions. Lacking those, a request for a cup of coffee becomes endless stacks of them, freshly cleaned dishes are tossed down the dumbwaiter shaft, the carpet is cleaned with a lawn mower, and laundry is done inside the console TV. Henry’s overbearing wife finally drives Electronica from the house (with a mechanical mouse), but Henry has the last laugh when he buys a surly “male” robot that forces the wife into involuntary servitude. Notes: Color, animated cartoon Starring: Henry Writer: Irving Dressler Director: Seymour Kneitel Studio: Paramount Running time: 6:22 Fiddle Faddle (1960) Plot: Convinced that music can “soothe the savage beast,” Prof. Schmaltz travels with his violin to “the tropics,” where he’s pursued by cannibalistic “African bushmen.” Trussed up and dumped in a pot for dinner, Schmaltz is delighted to discover that the bushmen’s chief is a former student—an African with spectacles and a British accent. Starring: Professor Schmaltz Director: Seymour Kneitel Studio: Paramount Running time: 6:56

614 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Galaxia (1960) A dishonest matchmaker has to produce a husband for one of his hatched-faced clients or return her money. He watched a mechanized man from outer space fall in love with vending machines, which he mistakes for women, and returns for various reasons. The matchmaker finally palms off his client on to the man from another planet. GOOD. (MPE, Dec. 21, 1960)

Notes: Color, animated cartoon Writer: Irving Spector Director: Seymour Kneitel Studio: Paramount Running time: 7 minutes House of Hashimoto (1960) Plot: “Japanese house mouse” Hashimoto is visited by old friend (and reporter) G. I. Joe Mouse, and shares the tale of a mouse born invisible, and thus well suited to defeat a noxious giant cat that threatens the mouse village. During sword practice later, a knock on the head turns the young mouse visible. Hashimoto tells Joe that the mouse nevertheless becomes invisible during full moons. G. I. Joe thanks his friend for the story but feels it’s too fantastic to be printed. After Joe leaves, Hashimoto slowly turns invisible. Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor Starring: Hashimoto Mouse, G. I. Joe Mouse Writer: Bob Kuwahara Director: Connie Rasinski Studio: 20th Century Fox Running time: 6:09 Hyde and Go Tweet (1960) Sylvester chases Tweety into the office of Dr. Jekyll, and Tweety, looking for a place to hide, jumps into a jug of ‘Hyde formula.’ He emerges a ferocious yellow monster and gives Sylvester a real bad time, until it all proves to be a dream. GOOD. (MPE, Oct. 26, 1960)

Plot: While napping on the window ledge outside the office of Dr. Jekyll, Sylvester spies Tweety and sets off in hungry pursuit. Tweety hides inside a bottle of Jekyll’s “Hyde formula,” immediately reversing the traditional cat vs. bird roles. As in many of the other Jekyll-Hyde cartoons from Warner, Hyde comes and goes, bringing great surprise to bird and cat alike. Sylvester fails to grasp that normal Tweety and Hyde Tweety are one and the same—a misapprehension that’s nearly fatal when Sylvester locks himself in the same room with normal Tweety and prepares to have a bird sandwich. Notes: Color, animated cartoon

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

615

Starring: Sylvester, Tweety Producer: John Burton Director: Friz Freleng Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 6:19 Lighter than Hare (1960) Plot: Yosemite Sam lands his flying saucer near Bugs Bunny’s home. He sends his robot ZX29B, a trio of robots called the Demolition Squad, and the Robot Ferret to capture Bugs, who outwits all of them. Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor Starring: Bugs Bunny, Yosemite Sam, ZX29B, the Demolition Squad, Robot Ferret Writer and Director: Friz Freleng Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 7 minutes Magoo Meets Frankenstein (1960) Plot: Tourist Magoo stumbles upon a creepy castle, where Dr. Sam Frankenstein is ready to transplant a human brain into the Monster. Magoo thinks the castle is a hotel and mistakes an alligator for a bellboy, flirts with a skeleton, and sits in an electric chair for a haircut. Notes: Color, animated cartoon Starring: Mr. Magoo, Dr. Frankenstein Writer: Al Bertino, Ron Carver, Dick Kinney Director: Gil Turner Studio: UPA Running time: 1 reel Minit Men (1960) Heckle and Jeckle are undercover agents testing a new robot-type machine installed in the mint. After many mishaps, the machine tosses the loot to a watchman who is immediately set upon by the robot. Finally, Heckle and Jeckle are involved are run for their lives. FAIR. (MPE, Nov. 9, 1960)

Notes: Color, animated cartoon Starring: Heckle and Jeckle Writer: George Atkins Director: Dave Tendlar Studio: 20th Century Fox Running time: 6 minutes

616 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Misunderstood Giant, The (1960) This is a satire on Jack and the Beanstalk. The giant is on trial, but his wife testifies that her husband is just an overgrown, likeable and misunderstood creature. On her testimony, everybody is acquitted and all live peacefully in the little village forever more. FAIR. (MPE, Mar. 2, 1960)

Notes: Color, animated color Writer: Larz Bourne Director: Connie Rasinski Studio: 20th Century Fox Running time: 6 minutes Mysterious Package, The (1960) Plot: From the “outer reaches of space,” glowing light reaches Mouseville, delivering mysterious packages. Inside them are space helmets that carry the wearers up into the “unknown limitless sky.” Mighty Mouse dons one of the helmets to find the “metal monster” robot that has kidnapped all of the other mice. Mighty Mouse also fights two space dragons in order to save the day. He even rescues the metal monster, who is an old man turned into a robot by a witch. Notes: Animated cartoon, filmed in De Luxe color Starring: Mighty Mouse Director: Mannie Davis Writer: Bob Kuwahara Studio: Terrytoons 20th Century Fox Running time: 6 minutes Planet Mouseola, The (1960) An ingenious mouse, stalked as usual by the cat, resorts to some outer space trickery to dispose of his enemy. Disguised, the mouse tells the cat he has just landed from Mouseola with instructions to find a cat leader to rule over thousands of mice, providing he will take some necessary ‘tests.’ The tests almost kill the cat to the good satisfaction of his tormentor. GOOD. (MPE, Dec. 21, 1960)

Notes: Color, animated cartoon Starring: Scat the Cat; Skit the Mouse Writer: Izzy (Isadore) Klein Director: Seymour Kneitel Studio: Paramount Running time: 7 minutes

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

617

Silly Science (1960) Plot: Episodic world-of-tomorrow spoof which includes the auto-vacuum hiding dirt under the rug; the auto-dishwasher carefully cleaning—and then smashings—each dish; and Talk-O-Vision (a proto-Skype) allowing a pokerplaying husband to use a false backdrop to deceive his wife. A final gag about endless highway tolls reflects one consequence of President Eisenhower’s drive to build an expensive, coast-to-coast highway system. Notes: Color, animated cartoon. Silly Science utilizes “cut-out animation,” by which certain elements are not inked onto cels but onto thin illustration board; the elements are physically cut from the boards and inserted by hand between cels, and moved between camera exposures. Writer: Carl Meyer, Jack Mercer Director: Seymour Kneitel Studio: Paramount Running time: 6:30 Space Varmint, The (1960) Plot: Deputy Dawg and Muskie Muskrat meet the Astronut, an uninvited extraterrestrial guest who is determined to steal a henhouse. Muskie distracts Astronut with one of Alligator’s eggs, which is too large and too sturdy for the visitor to eat. Astronut finally flees in his saucer after his nose is bitten by the newly hatched baby gator. Notes: Color, animated cartoon. First appearance of Deputy Dawg. Although Deputy Dawg was conceived as a TV product, The Space Varmint may have had limited theatrical release in 1960. Astronut went on to a brief series of his own; see entries for The Hungry Astronut (1963); Kisser Plant (1964), Outer Galaxy Gazette (1964), Molecular Mixup (1964), Robots in Toyland (1965), The Sky’s the Limit (1965), Twinkle, Twinkle Little Telestar (1965), and Weather Magic (1965). Starring: Deputy Dawg, Muskie Muskrat, Alligator, Astronut Writer: Connie Rasinski, Larz Bourne Director: Connie Rasinski Running time: 6 minutes

1961 Abominable Snow Rabbit, The (1961) Plot: Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck arrive in the Himalayan Mountains, though they intended to vacation in Palm Springs. There they encounter the Abominable Snowman, who makes Daffy and then Bugs into his pets. The trio ends up in Palm Springs, where the Abominable Snowman melts. Notes: Color, animated cartoon

618 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Starring: Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, the Abominable Snowman Director: Chuck Jones, Maurice Noble Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 6:05 Case of the Red-Eyed Ruby (1961) Plot: Inspector Willoughby travels to the Egyptian desert and the tomb of King Tut Tut, to replace a glowing red ruby in the forehead of a living, sixarmed stone idol. Crook Yeggs Benedict does his best (hand grenade, dancing girls) to distract Willoughby and grab the ruby for himself. Notes: Animated cartoon, filmed in Technicolor Starring: Inspector Willoughby (voice by Dal McKennon), Yeggs Benedict (McKennon) Producer: Walter Lantz Director: Paul J. Smith Story: Tedd Pierce, Bill Danch Studio: Universal-International Running time: 6:03 Franken-Stymied (1961) Plot: A storm drives Woody into an isolated castle, where a zany scientist has invented Frankie, “a mechanical chicken plucker.” Because Woody is the closest thing to a chicken the scientist has seen all day, Woody and Frankie fall into a slowly paced chase: wherever Woody hides, the robot manages to pluck a feather or two from Woody’s hind end before Woody dashes off again. He gets the upper hand when he covers the scientist with chicken feathers and gives Frankie someone else to chase. Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor Starring: Woody Woodpecker Writer: Homer Brightman Director: Jack Hannah Studio: Universal-International Running time: 6:09 Kid from Mars, The (1961) A cute little space boy, complete with plastic headgear and magic ray gun, lands on earth and looks around for some fun. He finds it at a circus, where he goes gun-happy, training it on a strongman, the fat lady, who becomes skinny, and the living skeleton, who becomes fat. The barker chases him, realizing he has a readymade ‘greatest show on earth’ attraction, but the kid zooms off to his home in the sky. GOOD. (MPE, May 17, 1961)

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

619

Notes: Color, animated cartoon Director: Seymour Kneitel, Nick Tafuri Writer: Jack Mercer, Carl Meyer Studio: Paramount Running time: 6 minutes Mysterious Package, The (1961) Plot: Mysterious boxes left on front stoops across Mouseville lead to the disappearance of the town’s little boys. Mighty Mouse is pulled to “an old castle on an unknown planet,” where he’s challenged by a belligerent robot, winged dragons, and even a room with crushing walls. The vanquished robot transforms into an old man, who explains that he had been turned into the robot by a witch; he abducted the boys to draw attention to his plight. In a peculiar moment of moral relativism, Mighty Mouse raises no objection to the mass kidnapping. Notes: Color, animated cartoon Starring Mighty Mouse Writer: Bob Kuwahara Director: Mannie Davis Studio: 20th Century Fox Running time: 6:09 Phantom Moustacher, The (1961) Plot: London is terrorized by the Phantom Moustacher, who scribbles lip hair on citizens, horses, billboards, fine art—anything. The culprit is distinguished old Sir Percival Prunepit, who’s helpless to resist the siren call of his crayon. Captured, he’s defended in court by his loyal butler, Smedley, and unwisely acquitted. Notes: Color, animated cartoon. When the Moustacher attacks a London art museum, he inexplicably finds the Mona Lisa (held by the Louvre) and Blue Boy (held by San Marino, CA’s Huntington Library). Writer: Isadore Klein Director: Seymour Kneitel Studio: Paramount Running time: 6:00 Phantom of the Horse Opera (1961) Plot: In the run-down western town of Spooksville, Woody runs into robber Dirty McNasty and McNasty’s frightened horse. McNasty dresses as a ghost to scare Woody. Notes: Not to be confused with a 1961 Beany and Cecil TV-cartoon short of the same name.

620 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Starring: Woody Woodpecker Writer: Dalton Sandifer Director: Paul J. Smith Studio: Universal-International Running time: 6:15 Strange Companion (1961) Plot: A boy’s pet dragon is banished after damaging the village but redeems itself by spraying water on an erupting volcano. Notes: Color, animated cartoon Starring: Hashimoto Mouse Writer: Al Bertino, Dick Kinney Director: Mannie Davis Studio: 20th Century Fox Running time: 6:30 Switchin’ Kitten (1961) Plot: On a dark and stormy night, Tom makes his way into an old castle. With the assistance of Jerry, a mad scientist uses his laboratory equipment to switch the brains of a cat and dog. Tom tries to eat Jerry and is puzzled when the cat (with the mind of a dog) repeatedly defends Jerry. It soon emerges that Jerry is a mouse with a lion’s brain. Notes: Color, animated cartoon Starring: Tom and Jerry Director: Gene Deitch Writers: Eli Bauer, Gene Deitch Studio: MGM Running time: 8:51

1962 Hyde and Sneak (1962) Plot: Inspector Willoughby chases a slinky jewel thief across London, unaware that she carries a Jekyll-like concoction to transform herself into an innocent-seeming old lady. Willoughby sets a trap of diamonds; the sexy thief swipes them and is arrested, and then transforms herself into the old lady when Willoughby isn’t looking. Apologetic, Willoughby escorts the lady to the local tea shop—over and over again. The payoff finally comes when Willoughby swallows the formula and flashes through transformations to the old lady, Frankenstein’s Monster, a Martian, a furry fiend, a gorilla—and finally to Woody Woodpecker.

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

621

Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in color. Terrytoons/20th Century Fox released a dozen Inspector Willoughby cartoons during 1960–65. Starring: Inspector Willoughby, Woody Woodpecker Writer: Bill Danch Director: Paul J. Smith Studio: Universal-International Running time: 5:59 Martian Through Georgia (1962) Plot: A bored Martian journeys to the earth and lands in Georgia. Earthlings regard him as a monster, so he returns to Mars. Director: Chuck Jones and Abe Levitow Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 7 minutes Mouse into Space (1962) Plot: Learning that there are no cats in outer space, Jerry—who is fed up with Tom—decides to leave planet earth. After enlisting as an “Astro-Mouse,” Jerry blasts off in a rocket. Tom unknowingly ends up in its fuel tank. After various troubles, the two return to earth. Notes: Color, animated cartoon Starring: Tom and Jerry Writer: Tod Dockstader Director: Gene Deitch Studio: MGM Running time: 6:48 Nobody’s Ghoul (1962) Plot: The bayou is haunted by a hipster ghost (“Boo-o, big daddy!”) who slips handcuffs and can’t be trapped by a vacuum cleaner. Using a little psychology, Dawg suggests, “Why don’t you go up north and spook those cottonpickin’ Yankees?” The spook agrees but leaves his obnoxious wife and kids behind. Starring: Deputy Dawg Writer: Larz Bourne Director: Dave Tendlar Studio: CBS Films Running time: 5:50

622 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Robot Ringer, The (1962) Plot: A handsome, well-dressed robot named Barnes Baisley escapes from the Modern Museum of Science and falls in with junior executives from a Madison Ave. ad agency. In a milieu of mediocre yes-men, he’s perfect because he’s been programmed to repeat whatever he hears. The robot is picked to spearhead the big Filter Toothpaste account and is named Creative Director. Meanwhile, the professor who created him can’t pick him out from the real agency men. Notes: Color, animated cartoon Starring: Barnes Baisley Writer: Irving Spector Director: Seymour Kneitel Studio: Paramount Running time: 6:22 Rocket Racket (1962) Plot: A hungry alligator discovers that Woody will board the “Atlas (But Not Least)” rocket and become the first Woodpecker in space. On Woody’s way to the launch, a switched sign directs him away from Cape Canaveral and to the Okeedokee Swamp, where the gator has disguised an oven as the rocket. Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor Starring: Woody Woodpecker; Gabby Gator Writer: Tedd Pierce, Bill Danch Director: Jack Hannah Studio: Universal-International Running time: 6:30 Tom and Jerry Cartoon Kit, The (1962) Plot: A series of unrelated physical gags (involving a hammer, judo moves, a cocktail shaker, watermelon seeds, boxing gloves, an enormous cube of concrete, and a steam shovel) are presented in the context of the title kit, a shortcut way to create a Tom and Jerry adventure lengthy enough for audiences “to be comfortably seated before the feature begins.” The boxed kit contains a miniature Tom and a miniature Jerry, plus “assorted deadly weapons,” and cigarettes and coffee (“for the cartoonist”). Tom and Jerry’s environment of blank backgrounds (colored in a variety of pastel shades) makes the cartoon even more unreal than most and determinedly breaks the fourth wall when the voice-over narrator explains how to “enter the lucrative field of animated cartoons” with “quiet, sophisticated humor.” Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor Starring: Tom and Jerry, Allen Swift (narrator) Writer: Chris Jenkyns

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

623

Director: Gene Deitch Studio: MGM Running time: 6:24 Tragic Magic (1962) Plot: Woody thoughtlessly disrupts the performance of a cranky magician. But the magician coaxes Woody on-stage and abuses him with a sword trick, levitation, and hypnotism. Woody’s quick work with a mirror causes the magician to hypnotize himself, and then the tables are turned. Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor Starring: Woody Woodpecker Writer: Dalton Sandifer Director: Paul J. Smith Studio: Universal-International Running time: 6:17 Voo-Doo Boo-Boo (1962) Plot: Woody mocks voodoo during a radio broadcast, so nemesis Gabby Gator fashions a voodoo doll and mesmerizes Woody, who marches to Gabby’s place but resists the gator’s efforts to lure him into a stew pot. After toying with Gabby, Woody shrinks the gator’s head and then his entire body. Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor. Some latter-day sources offer hyphenated and unhyphenated variations on the cartoon’s title; the one noted here appears on the original title card. Starring: Woody Woodpecker, Gabby Gator Director: Jack Hannah Writer: Tedd Pierce, Bill Danch Studio: Universal-International Running time: 6:30

1963 Case of the Cold Storage Yegg (1963) Plot: Inspector Willoughby pursues bank robber Yeggs Benedict to Tibet; in one gag, Yeggs covers himself with snow and claims to be the “Ababidominable” Snowman (who looks exactly like a snowman, complete with carrot nose). Willoughby uses an acetylene torch to put an end to the masquerade. Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor Starring: Inspector Willoughby aka Inspector 67/8 Writer: Tedd Pierce, Bill Danch

624 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Director: Paul J. Smith Studio: Universal-International Running time: 6:07 Devil’s Feud Cake (1963) Plot: Following an airplane dustup with Bugs and a parachute that turns out to be a knapsack, Sam plummets into Hell and meets the Devil. He’s promised his freedom if he returns to the world and brings back who the Devil describes as “a certain rabbit up there that I’ve been trying to get down here for a long time.” Following catastrophic chases through a den of lions and across what Americans used to call “the Arabian desert,” Sam decides the whole exercise is pointless and elects to remain in Hell. Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor. Footage is lifted from three earlier shorts: Hare Lift (1952; directed by Friz Freleng; redubbed and rescored); Roman Legion Hare (1955; Freleng), and Sahara Hare (1955; Freleng). New animated sequences total 2:43. Starring: Bugs Bunny, Yosemite Sam Writer and Director: Friz Freleng Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 7:41 Hungry Astronut, The (1963) Plot: The extraterrestrial Astronut returns, crashing Deputy Dawg’s picnic to gobble lunch, and then decimate the watermelon patch and empty Dawg’s refrigerator. Acting quickly (“I must resort to thinking!”), Dawg pretends to plead for “dee-licious, crunchy pine cones.” Astronut falls for the ruse, stuffing his face with cones and finally flying home with a king-size stomachache. Notes: Color, animated cartoon. Made for television; limited theatrical release during 1963. Starring: Deputy Dawg, Astronut Writer: Larz Bourne Director: Bob Kuwahara Studio: CBS Films Running time: 5:00 Jungle Jack (1963) Plot: Young Tim brings his toy winged horse Luno to life and flies to Gorilla Island to help famed explorer Jungle Jack safely deal with the great ape, Ding Dong. Notes: Color, animated cartoon. A few early installments of Terrytoons’ Luno the White Stallion series (1963–65) saw theatrical release; later installments went directly to television.

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

625

Starring: Luno, the White Stallion Writer: Bob Ogle, Glan Heisch Director: Connie Rasinski Studio: 20th Century Fox Running time: 5:43 King Rounder (1963) Plot: Magic flying horse Luno carries young Tim to see King Rounder of the Square Table, whose most valuable crowns have been stolen. Tim recovers the crowns and is knighted “Sir Tim.” Notes: Color, animated cartoon Starring: Luno, the White Stallion Writer: Larz Bourne Director: Connie Rasinski Studio: 20th Century Fox Running time: 6:09 Missing Genie, The (1963) Plot: Tim magically brings his toy winged horse, Luno, to life and flies “through time and space” to help Aladdin, whose genie has been kidnapped. The genie has been imprisoned in a bottle and lost in an enormous pile of them. As Tim peers into bottle after bottle, his daydream is interrupted by his mother; Tim breaks the fourth wall to address the audience: “Please, friends, check all the empties in your house. And if you find him, be sure and let us know, will you?” Notes: Color, animated cartoon. The Missing Genie is the first installment of Terrytoons’ 1963–65 Luno series, most of which played on television only. See entry for Jungle Jack (1963). Starring: Luno, the White Stallion Writer: Larz Bourne Director: Connie Rasinski Studio: 20th Century Fox Running time: 6:12 Mad as a Mars Hare (1963) Plot: A rocket departs Cape Canaveral and deposits Bugs Bunny on “some planet or other,” where he antagonizes the well-encamped Marvin Martian. Marvin tries to send Bugs into the future (and out of his hair) but accidentally regresses him into a hulking Neanderthal bunny instead. Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor Starring: Bugs Bunny, Marvin the Martian

626 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Director: Chuck Jones, Maurice Noble Writer: John Dunn Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 6:42 Now Hear This (1963) Plot: A red devil loses one of his two horns. A British man with hearing problems finds it and mistakes it for an ear trumpet. He sees and hears all manner of strange sounds and images. After he discards the horn, the fiery red devil returns to reclaim it. Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor Starring: Mel Blanc Director: Chuck Jones and Maurice Noble Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 6:36 Science Friction (1963) Plot: Door-to-door magazine salesman Woody happens upon the home of a crazy scientist who longs to electronically transfer a woodpecker brain into a gorilla. Woody resists but fails to notice when the gorilla connives for Woody to switch brains with the scientist. Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor. Not to be confused with a 1963 Terrytoons Deputy Dawg television cartoon of the same name. Starring: Woody Woodpecker Writer: Cal Howard Director: Sid Marcus Studio: Universal Running time: 5:58 Secret Weapon, The (1963) Plot: Fearing invasion by the cats of Planet Felinia, the king of Rodentia enlists saucer jockey Space Mouse to infiltrate the cats’ headquarters and foil the plan. Exposed while disguised as a Siamese cat, Space Mouse escapes by swallowing an invisibility pill. Notes: Color, animated cartoon. Although produced in 1960, The Secret Weapon did not receive theatrical release until 1963. The Walter Lantz studio conceived of space mice in an unrelated 1959 one-shot cartoon called Space Mouse (see entry), with Hickory and Dickory as rodents determined to avoid an unasked-for trip to Cape Canaveral. Space Mouse of The Secret Weapon was created by Western Publishing comic book editor Chase Craig, with writer Carl Fallberg and artist John Carey; Craig subsequently sold the

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

627

character to Lantz and then licensed it back for a short-lived comic book series under the Dell (later Gold Key) imprint. Producer: Walter Lantz Writer: Homer Brightman Director: Alex Lovy Studio: Universal-International Running time: 6:02 Spooki-Yaki (1963) Plot: Hashimoto explains to American pal Joey (formerly known in the Hashimoto Mouse series as G. I. Joe) that earthquakes are nothing to be afraid of, as they’re simply reminders of the thunderous defeat—by a helpful ghost named Spooki-yaki—of a bandit cat that once raided village rice paddies. Notes: Color, animated cartoon. Numerous latter-day sources give the title, incorrectly, as Spooky-Yaki. Starring: Hashimoto Mouse, G. I. Joe Writer: Larz Bourne Director: Bob Kuwahara Studio: 20th Century Fox Running time: 7 minutes Transylvania 6-5000 (1963) Plot: Bugs Bunny finds himself in a Transylvanian castle, where he meets Count Bloodcount, a vampire. Thanks to reading a book called Magic Words & Phrases, Bugs is able to defeat the villain. Notes: Color, animated cartoon. Transylvania 6-5000 is the final first-series Bug Bunny cartoon directed by Chuck Jones. Count Bloodcount is voiced by Ben Frommer, a longtime small-part actor probably best-recalled for his appearances in two films by Edward D. Wood Jr., Bride of the Monster (1956) and Plan 9 from Outer Space (1958). Transylvania 6-5000 is also the title of an unrelated live-action indie feature comedy distributed by New World in 1985. Starring: Bugs Bunny, Count Bloodcount, Witch Hazel Writer: John Dunn Director: Chuck Jones Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 6:58 Trouble in Baghdad (1963) Plot: Tim and magic horse Luno fly to Old Baghdad to help Ali Babi, wrongly accused of plundering a treasure cave. The real culprits, the Forty Thieves,

628 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

are subdued by Luno and Tim, and Ali Baba is freed. Back home, Tim adds a rare Iraqi coin to his collection. Notes: Color, animated cartoon. Ali Baba is jailed at the “54th Precint” [sic]. Starring: Luno, the White Stallion Writer: Larz Bourne Director: Connie Rasinski Studio: 20th Century Fox Running time: 5:57

1964 And So Tibet (1964) Plot: Natural history museum director J. Pinchpenny Grump sends Professors Drizzle and Fog to Tibet, with orders to bring back the “Abominable Schmoe Man.” The professors fulfill their mission but transport the creature inside a steam cabinet instead of a freezer, shrinking the Schmoe Man to miniature size. Notes: Color, animated cartoon Starring: Professor Drizzle, Professor Fog, J. Pinchpenny Grump, Schmoe Man Writer: Jack Mendelsohn Director: Seymour Kneitel Studio: Paramount Running time: 6:17 Brother from Outer Space (1964) Plot: Extraterrestrial traveler Astronut crashes his saucer into an office building and grows friendly with meek corporate drone Oscar Mild. Notes: Color, animated cartoon Starring: Astronut, Oscar Mild Writer: Larz Bourne Director: Connie Rasinski Studio: Terrytoons Running time: 6 minutes Dr. Devil and Mr. Hare (1964) Plot: The Tasmanian Devil bonks Bugs on the head while Bugs is bathing; Bugs takes umbrage and institutes a campaign of impersonation designed to punish and befuddle Taz. Bugs impersonates a maternity nurse, a psychiatrist, and a surgeon—whose off-camera folderol at an operating table inexplicably turns loose a blue-metal Frankenstein’s Monster. Notes: Color, animated cartoon Starring: Bugs Bunny, Tasmanian Devil Writer: John Dunn

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

629

Director: Robert McKimson Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 6:34 How to Plan a Movie Murder (1964) Plot: The director, writer, and star of the movie Strait-Jacket (1964) humorously discuss how best to commit murder in the cinema. Starring: William Castle, Joan Crawford, Robert Bloch Studio: Columbia Running time: 4:32 Is There a Doctor in the Mouse? (1964) Plot: Jerry mixes various chemicals and drinks the concoction, which gives him super speed. Tom considers the possibility that a ghost is bothering him, but eventually learns the truth. Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor Starring: Tom and Jerry Director: Chuck Jones Studio: MGM Running time: 7 minutes Kisser Plant, The (1964) Plot: Seeds brought to Earth by Astronut develop into a gigantic plant with amorous designs on Astronut’s human friend, Oscar. After kissing Oscar and mounting a romantic assault on the chief of police, the plant entwines Oscar’s house, swallows 500 gallons of DDT like soda pop, and then overruns the airport. Instead of being cowed by soldiers, the plant kisses them. Astronut leaves for outer space and returns with a Venusian root grubber, an oversized rodent that gobbles the kisser plant’s roots, killing it. Notes: Color, animated cartoon Starring: Astronut, Oscar Mild Writer: Larz Bourne Director: Connie Rasinski Studio: Terrytoons Running time: 5 minutes Laddy and His Lamp (1964) Plot: Laddy is a little young to be accepted by the boys who fly model planes; fortunate, then, that he keeps a magic lamp—containing a genie named Ali Presto—in his toy box. In this first entry of a projected “Laddy” series (only one other was produced), Ali Presto struggles to grant Laddy’s wish to be a

630 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

pilot, transforming him instead into a pie, a pirate, and then a bluebird. When the genie finally gets it right, Laddy utters words calculated to chill grownups to their souls: “Oh, boy, a real jet bomber, and it’s all mine!” Air Defense Command issues a shoot-down order, and Ali Presto rescues Laddy with moments to spare. Notes: Color, animated cartoon Starring: Laddy, Ali Presto Writer: Tony Peters Director: Seymour Kneitel Studio: Paramount Running time: 6:26 Molecular Mixup (1964) Plot: Eager to avoid unwanted attention, Astronut rearranges his molecules to look like a fluffy dog—but the transformation can’t be undone, and soon Astronut and his human friend Oscar are in the crosshairs of a dog-loving little boy and the kid’s belligerent father. Note: Color, animated cartoon Starring: Astronut, Oscar Mild Director: Dave Tendlar Writer: Larz Bourne Studio: Terrytoons Running time: 5:33 Outer Galaxy Gazette (1964) Plot: Astronut’s favorite extraterrestrial newspaper accurately predicts a meteor strike against Earth. When Oscar calls the police to report it, he’s blamed; to keep an eye on developments, Astronut morphs into a policeman (with blue skin). Another edition of the paper predicts terrible winds, and when Oscar notifies the police, he’s arrested again. Notes: Color, animated cartoon. When a subsequent edition of the Galaxy Gazette drops onto Oscar’s head, the masthead says Galaxy Gazeete [sic]. Starring: Astronut, Oscar Mild Writer: Eli Bauer Director: Connie Rasinski Studio: 20th Century Fox Running time: 5:29 Robot Rival (1964) Plot: In 2064, rocket-cab driver Zippy Zephyr loses his job to a robot driver. During a race to pick up a far-off fare, Zippy and the robot duel with electromagnets and alternately fly blind when they trade an enormous blob of

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

631

bubble gum back and forth. Zippy mistakes a fugitive gangster for his fare and bundles him into the rocket car. Officer O’Rion shows up to take the prisoner and hands Zippy a hefty reward. Notes: Color, animated cartoon Starring: Zippy Zephyr Writer: Jack Mendelsohn Director: Seymour Kneitel Studio: Paramount Running time: 6:29 Tiger’s Tail, A (1964) Plot: Laddy wants a fur rug for his room—“But where can I find a wild animal?” He enlists his genie pal Ali Presto to go on safari. Eager to provide Laddy with something to shoot, Ali Presto conjures a rabbit and a milk cow, but Laddy insists on a tiger. When the big cat becomes aggressive, the genie unhelpfully retreats into his lamp. Laddy ends up treed in a hollow trunk, where he makes noises like a ghost and frightens the tiger. In retreat, the cat’s tail rubs the lamp and frees Ali Presto. In a flash, the genie transforms the tiger into a tiger rug. Notes: Color, animated cartoon Starring: Laddy, Ali Presto Writer: Tony Peters Director: Seymour Kneitel Studio: Paramount Running time: 7 minutes

1965 Case of the Elephant’s Trunk, The (1965) Plot: Inspector Willoughby travels to India to thwart a fakir who has stolen a rajah’s bright blue elephant. The fakir’s levitated rope trick accounts for the short’s slight fantasy element. Notes: Color, animated cartoon. This was the final Inspector Willoughby release. Starring: Dal McKennon (Inspector Willoughby) Producer: Walter Lantz Writer Cal Howard Director: Paul J. Smith Story by Cal Howard Voice actor: Dal McKennon (as Inspector Willoughby) Studio: Universal Running time: 1 reel

632 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Don’t Spill the Beans (1965) Plot: Like a male Cinderella, Sad Cat labors at drudge work in his brothers’ household until an “apprentice good fairy” (a mouse) helps out with a sack of magic beans. But instead of undertaking an adventure of his own, Sad Cat sells the beans, and soon the local landscape is clogged with enormous beanstalks that tunnel into the ground and strike oil. What had been a quiet village is transformed into a gaudy, noisy boom town. Notes: Color, animated cartoon Starring: Sad Cat Writer: Eli Bauer, Tom Morrison Director: Ralph Bakshi Studio: 20th Century Fox Running time: 5:54 Getting Ahead (1965) Plot: Fast-talking Swifty and befuddled Shorty check out job openings posted by Dr. Screwloose, who needs subjects for his experiments in brain transplantation. Notes: Color, animated cartoon Starring: Swifty and Shorty Writer: Eli Bauer Director: Howard Post Studio: Paramount Running time: 6:25 Hair-Raising Tale, A (1965) Plot: When kid inventor Tinker creates a fabulous hair-growing formula, his geeky pal Sheldon convinces him to visit a patent attorney (who’s so obtuse he turns down the Wright Brothers). Trouble is, Tinker’s concoction works too well and causes hair to sprout from a billiard ball, a statue, and the sidewalk. Notes: Color, animated cartoon Starring: Sheldon and Tinker Writer: Jack Mendelsohn Director: Howard Post Studio: Paramount Running time: 6:16 Haunted Mouse (1965) Plot: When Tom mistakes a magician mouse for Jerry, he’s hypnotized and soon coughs up songbirds and a goldfish, levitates, and does battle with an inexhaustible supply of rabbits in a hat.

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

633

Notes: Color, animated cartoon. Not to be confused with a 1941 Warner Bros. cartoon, The Haunted Mouse (see entry). Starring: Tom and Jerry Writer: Jim Pabian, Chuck Jones Director: Chuck Jones Studio: MGM Running time: 6:14 Horning In (1965) Plot: Sir Cedric Sorehead, resident bad guy of Magicland, steals young King Artie’s horn of plenty, depriving Artie’s subjects of the treats the horn dispenses. With help from the local sorcerer, Artie rides a winged horse to Creepy Castle, where he defeats Sorehead’s dragon and regains the horn. Notes: Color, animated cartoon Starring: King Artie Writer and Director: Howard Post Studio: Paramount Running time: 6 minutes Itch, The (1965) Plot: Farley, a meek, middle-aged office worker in London, develops an itch between his shoulder blades that resolves itself as beautiful wings. Flying gives the anonymous little man a marvelous freedom, but his bullying, mastiff-like wife can’t be bothered to notice (she’s a television addict). When Farley loses his wings in an accident, he’s thoroughly downcast. But at home again later, Farley feels another itch. Notes: Color, animated cartoon Starring: Farley Writer: Tony Peters Director: Howard Post Studio: Paramount Running time: 6:06 Monsters Crash the Pajama Party (1965) Plot: As part of an initiation, a group of sorority teenagers stay the night in an old, dark house. The guys who drop them off return wearing masks in an effort to scare them. But unbeknownst to the entire group, a mad doctor and his gorilla are conducting experiments in the basement. They kidnap one of the girls and accidentally turn her into a gorilla. The mad doctor also relies on a hunchback and a werewolf to help him collect victims from the moviegoing audience.

634 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Notes: Screenings of the film were accompanied by live actors dressed as the monsters who wandered around the theater auditoria. Starring: Vic McGee (Mad Doctor/Lt. Hudson), James Reason (Professor Williams), Clara Nadel (Miss Petrie), Pauline Hillkurt (Draculina), Charles Hegen (Ygor) Director: David L. Hewitt Studio: David L. Hewitt and Associates Running time: 31 minutes Pink Panzer (1965) Plot: The Pink Panther’s disagreement with a neighbor over borrowed garden tools escalates into a heavy artillery shooting war. Satan makes a late, unexpected guest appearance to address the audience: “You know, it might be a good idea to return that lawn mower you borrowed, ha ha ha ha!” Notes: Color, animated cartoon. Its backyard warfare is intercut with liveaction US Army footage of tanks and field pieces. The Panther’s backyard cement-block wall, fortified on both sides, is inescapably reminiscent of the Berlin Wall, particularly as during the dangerous October 1961 face-off of American and Russian armor at Checkpoint Charlie. Starring: The Pink Panther Producer: David H. DePatie and Friz Freleng Writer: David Detiege Director: Hawley Pratt Studio: Mirisch-United Artists Running time: 5:48 Pink Plasma (1965) Plot: A day’s hike brings the Pink Panther to a vampire’s castle, where the Pink Panther runs into a stocky, bloodthirsty count, a shark that lives in the castle moat, a noisy invisible man, and other supernatural nuisances. Notes: Color, animated cartoon. A furry orange creature that confronts the Pink Panther near the climax looks very much like Warner Bros.’ Gossamer, an occasional antagonist of Bugs Bunny. Starring: The Pink Panther Producer: David H. DePatie and Friz Freleng Writer: John W. Dunn Director: Art Leonardi Studio: Mirisch-United Artists Running time: 6:23

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

635

Poor Little Witch Girl (1965) Plot: Honey Halfwitch wants to go on broom rides, but old Cousin Maggie says Honey must wait until she’s 500 years old. Honey’s pal Freddy Bat comes up with a Growing Potion, which makes Honey taller (giant-size) instead of older. Cousin Maggie brings Honey back to normal size, and Honey gets a broom ride back home, just as she’d wanted. Notes: Color, animated cartoon. Title card identifies the girl-witch character as simply “Halfwitch.” Starring: Honey Halfwitch, Freddy Bat Writer and Director: Howard Post Studio: Paramount Running time: 6:19 Robots in Toyland (1965) Plot: Astronut tries to help out during Oscar’s first day on the job at a department store by impersonating his human friend. Notes: Color, animated cartoon Starring: Astronut, Oscar Mild Writer: Eli Bauer Director: Connie Rasinski Studio: 20th Century Fox Running time: 5:22 Sherlock Pink (1965) Plot: Eager to nab the little man in black who stole his picnic lunch, the Pink Panther enters a mysterious house that defies the laws of physics: a door won’t stay put, a staircase leading nowhere has usable steps on the top and the bottom, and a floor mirror throws pies. In a gag that’s revealed with a camera pull-back, the Pink Panther discovers that the water that’s suddenly surrounded him is inside a giant fishbowl. Notes: Color, animated cartoon Starring: The Pink Panther Producer: David H. DePatie and Friz Freleng Writer: John W. Dunn Director: Robert McKimson Studio: Mirisch-United Artists Running time: 6:18

636 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Sky’s the Limit, The (1965) Plot: Astronut shares his powers of levitation with Oscar, who thoughtlessly elevates a bridge, skyscrapers, and even people. The army spies Oscar’s floating couch and begins firing; Oscar takes charge and lowers Oscar and couch into Oscar’s bathroom. Notes: Color, animated cartoon Starring: Astronut, Oscar Mild Writer: Bob Ogle, Glan Heisch Director: Dave Tendlar Studio: 20th Century Fox Running time: 5:28 Tom-ic Energy (1965) Plot: Tom decides to spend the afternoon pursuing Jerry up, down, and through a tenement building. Despite its title, this cartoon has nothing to do with atomic power—but does include a brief fantastic element: Tom pops from a window and shrieks so suddenly at little Jerry that Jerry’s transparent life force momentarily departs his body as Jerry faints dead away. But Jerry’s ghostly life force gives Tom the same scare right back, which turns the cat dead white and ages him into decrepitude. Notes: Color, animated cartoon Starring: Tom and Jerry Writer: Michael Maltese, Chuck Jones Director: Chuck Jones Studio: MGM Running time: 7 minutes Twinkle Twinkle Little Telestar [sic] (1965) Plot: Astronut innocently knocks communications satellite Telestar [sic] out of orbit and back to Earth, where it’s swiped by a pair of comic thieves. Disguised as a dog and with human friend Oscar in tow, Astronut sets out to retrieve the satellite. In the end, he takes Telestar back with his “nuclomagnetic coupler.” Notes: Color, animated cartoon. The first Telstar satellite was a joint effort of NASA and AT&T Bell Telephone Laboratories, launched into low Earth orbit from Cape Canaveral, atop a Thor-Delta rocket, on July 10, 1962. Starring: Astronut, Oscar Mild Writer: Larz Bourne Director: Art Bartsch Studio: 20th Century Fox Running time: 5:29

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

637

Fig. 77  Mid-sixties 20th Century Fox trade poster promoting Danish theatrical sales of Twinkle Twinkle Little Telestar [sic] (1965), and other cartoons featuring Astronut (top right) and his Fox/Terrytoons stablemates. (Courtesy Heritage Auctions)

Weather Magic (1965) Plot: Oscar uses Astronut’s “portable weather maker” to manufacture snow in July, and other weather on demand. When the machine is accidentally broken by a jealous TV weatherman, the local weather goes haywire. Notes: Color, animated cartoon Starring: Astronut, Oscar Mild

638 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Writer: Larz Bourne Director: Cosmo Anzilotti Studio: 20th Century Fox Running time: 5:34

1966 A-Haunting We Will Go (1966) Plot: Daffy Duck’s nephew goes trick-or-treating in a witch costume and meets Witch Hazel in an old house. Daffy Duck doesn’t believe him, and the two go in search of her home. In the meantime, Witch Hazel transforms Speedy Gonzales into a witch, so that she can take a vacation. Speedy later gives Daffy some of Witch Hazel’s tea, which transforms him into a flowerheaded creature. Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor Starring: Daffy Duck, Daffy Duck’s nephew, Witch Hazel, Speedy Gonzales Director: Robert McKimson Writer: Larz Bourne Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 6 minutes Ape Suzette (1966) Plot: The Inspector investigates a hijack of bananas perpetrated by a gorilla, whose boss is a larcenous sailor. Exploration of the ape-­ on-­ the-loose horror trope. Notes: Color, animated cartoon Starring: The Inspector, Sgt. Deux-Deux Producer: David H. DePatie and Friz Freleng Writer: John W. Dunn Director: Gerry Chiniquy Studio: Mirisch-United Artists Running time: 6:14 Astronut Woody (1966) Plot: Woody mistakes a moon rocket for a high-rise luxury apartment and moves in. He thinks an air force officer is the concierge and tears the ship’s control panel apart after finally realizing he’s on a rocket. Woody subsequently torments the officer (with no motivation whatever) and wrecks numerous iterations of the rocket. Notes: Color, animated cartoon. Some latter-day sources claim that Woody becomes a space traveler. However, the rocket never gets off the ground. Starring: Woody Woodpecker

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

639

Producer: Walter Lantz Writer: Cal Howard Director: Paul J. Smith Studio: Universal Running time: 1 reel A-Tom-inable Snowman, The (1966) Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor. The title is a parody of the “abominable snowman,” though that creature does not appear. Starring: Tom and Jerry Studio: MGM Running time: 6 minutes Astroduck, The (1966) Plot: Speedy Gonzales blows up Daffy Duck’s new house, which sends it to outer space. Speedy then calls Daffy a “new astroduck.” Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor Starring: Daffy Duck, Speedy Gonzales Director: Robert McKimson Writer: Michael Maltese Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 6 minutes Clippety Clobbered (1966) Plot: A portable laboratory dropped by helicopter conks Wile E. Coyote, who uses it to formulate invisible paint. In short order, Wile E. is knocked off a cliff by the Roadruner (who can’t see him), and he is victimized by an invisible boulder and an invisible brick wall. Notes: Color, animated cartoon Starring: The Roadrunner; Wile E. Coyote Producer: David H. DePatie and Friz Freleng Writer: Tom Dagenais Director: Rudy Larriva Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 5:56 Hassle in a Castle (1966) Plot: King Kooky offers his daughter’s hand in marriage to any man who brings him a singing bird. Following some false starts (including a skunk in a box), a hopeful woodsman presents Woody. The moment the woodsman slips the wedding ring on her finger, the blonde princess turns into an ugly hag.

640 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Woody cheers up the king: “You haven’t lost a daughter; you’ve gained a witch!” Notes: Color, animated cartoon Starring: Woody Woodpecker Producer: Walter Lantz Writer: Cal Howard Director: Paul J. Smith Studio: Universal Running time: 1 reel I Want My Mummy (1966) Plot: Slightly befuddled Mexican-American José Jiménez finds a job with an archaeological expedition in Egypt and stumbles onto the mummy of King Mazuma. Legend holds that whoever touches the mummy will end up with a shrunken head; José’s boss touches the mummy anyway and his body shrinks. Notes: Animated theatrical cartoon Director: Shamus Culhane, Chuck Harriton Studio: Paramount Running time: 7 minutes Monster of Ceremonies (1966) Plot: Demented scientist Dr. Grossenfibber has invented a ray machine that turns subjects into monsters. An early experiment creates a pink, insectoid horror, and when Woody shows up, he’s transformed into a woodpecker version of Frankenstein’s Monster. After Woody is returned to normal, a Morticia Addams type tries, unsuccessfully, to romance him. Grossenfibber finally flees for his life when Woody sends a jolt of electricity into a jar of insects, creating more giants. Notes: Color, animated cartoon Starring: Woody Woodpecker Producer: Walter Lantz Writer: Cal Howard Director: Paul J. Smith Studio: Universal Running time: 1 reel Pink Panic (1966) Plot: A storm forces the Pink Panther to hole up at the abandoned Dead Dog Hotel, where he innocently annoys the resident ghost and a lively skeleton. A ghost sheriff who’s been awakened by the ruckus arrests all three—but as the sun rises, the trio of spirits disappears.

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

641

Notes: Color, animated cartoon Starring: The Pink Panther Producer: David H. DePatie and Friz Freleng Writer: John W. Dunn Director: Hawley Pratt Studio: Mirisch-United Artists Running time: 6:00 Practical Yolk (1966) Plot: Inside an Egyptian tomb, Woody Woodpecker torments a woman archaeologist. Chase adventure involving giant eggs features comic horror when the archaeologist gets a good fright from the skeleton of an unraveled mummy. Notes: Color, animated cartoon Starring: Woody Woodpecker Producer: Walter Lantz Writer: Cal Howard Director: Paul J. Smith Studio: Universal Running time: 5:57 Sicque! Sicque! Sicque! (1966) Plot: Dispatched with the Inspector to the creepy mansion of a mad scientist, Sgt. Deux Deux drinks from a bubbling beaker and is transformed, Hydelike, into a fiend. Deux Deux subsequently shifts back and forth, helplessly, scaring himself and bedeviling his boss. Frankenstein’s Monster makes a cameo appearance. The whole mess starts when neighbors complain that the scientist’s experiments are ruining their TV reception. Notes: Color, animated cartoon. The title translates to You! You! You! Starring: The Inspector, Sgt. Deux Deux Producer: David H. DePatie and Friz Freleng Writer: John W. Dunn Director: George Singer Studio: Mirisch-United Artists Running time: 6:14 Solid Tin Coyote, The (1966) Plot: After falling into a dump, Wile E. Coyote cobbles together spare parts and makes a giant, remote-controlled coyote robot. But Wile E. is victimized by “Walk,” “Attack,” and other seemingly straightforward commands he directs to his creation. The robot nearly eats Wile E., and the two of them finally fall from a cliff and back into the dump.

642 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Notes: Color, animated cartoon Starring: The Roadrunner; Wile E. Coyote Producer: David H. DePatie and Friz Freleng Writer: Don Jurwich Director: Rudy Larriva Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 6:00 Universal Newsreel (1966) Plot: A 1966 Universal newsreel included the story Movie Munsters: New York Is a Summer Munsterville! The forty-seven-second-long story depicts Al Lewis and Fred Gwynne getting off a plane in order to attend a “Munster Festival” that promoted the premiere of the film Munster, Go Home! (1966). Studio: Universal Running time: 1 reel Vitamin Pink (1966) Plot: While peddling pills in a frontier town, the Pink Panther unintentionally bestows super strength on a bad-tempered serial bank robber. The Panther sets things right by feeding the robber “anti-vitamin de-energizer” pills. Notes: Color, animated cartoon Starring: The Pink Panther Producer: David H. DePatie and Friz Freleng Writer: Michael O’Connor Director: Hawley Pratt Studio: Mirisch-United Artists Running time: 6:22

1967 Advance and Be Mechanized (1967) Plot: Jerry uses a mechanized mouse to acquire cheese that robots are mining on the moon. In retaliation, Tom sends a mechanized cat to intercept him. Eventually the angry mechanized cat and mouse send Tom and Jerry out to fight each other. Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor. This is the third and final short in the series of space adventures that began in O-Solar-­Meow (1967) and continued in Guided Mouse-ille (1967). It features artwork seen in both prior films. Starring: Tom and Jerry Director: Ben Washam Studio: MGM Running time: 6 minutes

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

643

Bomb Voyage (1967) Plot: When the commissioner is kidnapped by Yornovan extraterrestrials whose saucers have been buzzing Paris, the Inspector and Deux Deux rocket to the moon and discover their boss in an interplanetary zoo. Notes: Color, animated cartoon Starring: The Inspector, Sgt. Deux Deux Producer: David H. DePatie and Friz Freleng Writer: Tony Benedict Director: Robert McKimson Studio: Mirisch-United Artists Running time: 5:53 Guided Mouse-ille (1967) Plot: It is 2565 AD. Jerry uses a robot mouse to procure cheese. Tom sends a robot cat to intercept it. When that doesn’t work, Tom uses a laboratory device to turn himself invisible. Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor, which uses some of the same artwork as O-Solar-Meow (1967). It features the subtitle “or…. Science on a Wet Afternoon,” a reference to the feature film Séance on a Wet Afternoon (1964). Starring: Tom and Jerry Director: Abe Levitow Studio: MGM Running time: 7 minutes Hand Is Pinker than the Eye, The (1967) Plot: The Pink Panther, who happens by as magician Zammo the Great leaves for a trip, decides to squat in Zammo’s mansion. Inside, the Pink Panther is victimized by Zammo’s top hat, a magic mirror, a peculiar television program, a door to nowhere, optical illusions, and Zammo’s malevolent bunny. Notes: Color, animated cartoon Starring: The Pink Panther Producer: David H. DePatie and Friz Freleng Writer: Jim Ryan Director: Hawley Pratt Studio: Mirisch-United Artists Running time: 6:14 Merlin the Magic Mouse (1967) Plot: Merlin the Magic Mouse and his assistant Second Banana present their act to an empty theater, save for Sam Cat. Sam becomes infuriated after serving as their volunteer.

644 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor. Merlin’s voice and demeanor parody W. C. Fields. Starring: Merlin, Second Banana, Sam Cat Director: Alex Lovy Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 6:19 O-Solar-Meow (1967) Plot: Tom and Jerry live on a space station. Despite the best efforts of Tom, his robot cat, and his laser gun, Jerry is able to escape with cheese and elude capture thanks to a jetpack. Tom nearly destroys the space station with his ray gun, while Jerry happily eats cheese on the moon. Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor Starring: Tom and Jerry Director: Abe Levitow Studio: MGM Running time: 7 minutes Secret Agent Woody Woodpecker (1967) Plot: Hot on the heels of green-skinned Louie the Litterbug, secret agent Woody revs up his gadget-filled Woodymobile and brings the culprit to justice. Chase adventure with minor science fiction elements. Notes: Color, animated cartoon. Some modern sources erroneously claim that Woody gains super strength in this adventure. Starring: Woody Woodpecker Producer: Walter Lantz Writer: Cal Howard Director: Paul J. Smith Studio: Universal Running time: 6:12

Speedy Ghost to Town (1967) Plot: Speedy Gonzales and his friend Miguel make themselves at home in a ghost town. Daffy steals Speedy’s map to what he believes is a nearby mine full of gold but which actually contains cheese. Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor Starring: Daffy Duck, Speedy Gonzales Director: Alex Lovy Writer: Cal Howard Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 6 minutes

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

645

Vicious Viking (1967) Plot: Sven, a Viking frozen 800 years ago, thaws and decides he wants to eat Chilly and Smedley. Chase comedy with minor science-­horror element. Notes: Color, animated cartoon Starring: Chilly Willy; Smedley Producer: Walter Lantz Writer: Cal Howard Director: Paul J. Smith Studio: Universal Running time: 1 reel

1968 Big Game Haunt (1968) Plot: When Cool Cat and Colonel Rimfire fight, they awaken a ghost named Spooky, who just wants to be friends with them. Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor Starring: Cool Cat, Colonel Rimfire, Spooky Director: Alex Lovy Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 6:13 Cherche le Phantom (1968) Plot: The commissioner offers the Inspector a choice of assignments: locate an escaped gorilla or nab the peculiar phantom that’s been haunting the Paris opera house. The Inspector elects to go after the phantom, even as the cartoon’s denouement is already apparent: the phantom and the escaped gorilla are one and the same. Notes: Color, animated cartoon. Its title translates to Look for the Phantom. Starring: The Inspector, Sergeant Deux Deux Producer: David H. DePatie and Friz Freleng Writer: Tony Benedict Director: Gerry Chiniquy Studio: Mirisch-United Artists Running time: 5:49 Hocus Pocus Pow Wow (1968) Plot: Merlin the Magic Mouse and his assistant Second Banana travel by train to a performance in the city Pow Wow. When they can’t find tickets to show to the conductor, they get thrown off the train. In the desert, the duo eats out of Merlin’s magic hat. They encounter trouble with a Native American

646 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

named Lo, but finally escape thanks to Merlin’s ability to conjure real magic. Though they reach their destination, their Native American audience isn’t pleased with them, and they chase the magic act out of town. Notes: Animated cartoon filmed in Technicolor Starring: Larry Storch (Merlin the Magic Mouse, Second Banana) Director: Alex Lovy Studio: Warner Bros. Running time: 6 minutes Hurts and Flowers (1968) Plot: Rattfink dedicates himself to ruining the day of gentle Roland, a flower child. Eventually, Rattfink breaks out the Hate Gas, which transforms Roland into a Mr. Hyde-type who beats the stuffing out of Rattfink. Notes: Color, animated cartoon. DePatie-Freleng’s Roland and Rattfink series amounted to seventeen cartoon shorts produced during 1968–71. Starring: Roland, Rattfink Producer: David H. DePatie and Friz Freleng Writer: John W. Dunn Director: Hawley Pratt Studio: Mirisch-United Artists Running time: 6:14 Les Miserobots (1968) Plot: The Inspector struggles to destroy a robot policeman that has taken his job. Notes: Color, animated cartoon Starring: The Inspector Producer: David H. DePatie and Friz Freleng Writer: Jim Ryan Director: Gerry Chiniquy Studio: Mirisch-United Artists Running time: 5:40 Pink Sphinx (1968) Plot: Somewhere in the Egyptian desert, the Pink Panther and his “economy model” camel discover a tomb guarded by a curse. The Pink Panther ignores a chiseled warning and steals an enormous gem from inside, only to be successively transformed into a rat, a lizard, a lion, and an unidentifiable blue thing. Notes: Color, animated cartoon. The tale’s minor horror element doesn’t occur until the cartoon’s final moments; most of the running time is devoted to Pink Panther’s trials at a used camel lot and his later attempts to manipulate a boulder to crack the tomb.

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

647

Starring: The Pink Panther Producer: David H. DePatie and Friz Freleng Writer: Jim Ryan Director: Hawley Pratt Studio: Mirisch-United Artists Running time: 6:19 Prehistoric Pink (1968) Plot: In prehistoric times, the Pink Panther and a caveman pal struggle to move a massive block of stone. In the end, they realize that in the far future their invention of the wheel will only lead to trouble—such as traffic jams. Notes: Color, animated cartoon Starring: The Pink Panther Producer: David H. DePatie and Friz Freleng Writer: John W. Dunn Director: Hawley Pratt Studio: Mirisch-United Artists Running time: 6:10 Transylvania Mania (1968) Plot: The Inspector is pursued by a vampire scientist in need of a brain for his monster. Notes: Color, animated cartoon Starring: The Inspector Producer: David H. DePatie and Friz Freleng Writer: John W. Dunn Director: Gerry Chiniquy Studio: Mirisch-United Artists Running time: 5:40

1969 Extinct Pink (1969) Plot: In prehistoric times, the hungry Pink Panther, a caveman, and two dinosaurs do violent battle for a bone. Notes: Color, animated cartoon Starring: The Pink Panther Producer: David H. DePatie and Friz Freleng Writer: John W. Dunn Director: Hawley Pratt Studio: Mirisch-United Artists Running time: 6:23

648 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

Prehistoric Super Salesman (1969) Plot: Mad scientist Dr. Grossenfibber gets rid of pesky salesman Woody Woodpecker by sending him back to prehistoric times. Making the best of a bad situation, Woody successfully sells to a caveman and a dinosaur. Notes: Color, animated cartoon Starring: Woody Woodpecker, Dr. Grossenfibber Producer: Walter Lantz Writer: Homer Brightman Director: Paul J. Smith Studio: Universal Running time: 1 reel

1970 Wild Bill Hiccup (1970) Plot: A terrified cowboy hands Woody the deed to a ramshackle house haunted by Wild Bill Hiccup. But Wild Bill is very much alive and impersonates his own ghost in order to steal the deed for himself. Hiccup shrouds a moving vacuum cleaner with a sheet, rides a helium-filled water toy, and outfits a wee cuckoo-clock ghost cuckoo with a mallet. Woody strikes back with violent practical jokes involving a bulldog, a player piano, and dynamite. Notes: Color, animated cartoon. Walter Greene’s score uses elements of Gounod’s Funeral March of a Marionette, which had become familiar to television viewers as the eerie musical theme of Alfred Hitchcock Presents. Starring: Woody Woodpecker, Dr. Grossenfibber Producer: Walter Lantz Writer: Doc Christensen Director: Paul J. Smith Studio: Universal Running time: 1 reel

1971 Croakus Pocus (1971) Plot: The Toads (Pancho and Toro) run into a lovelorn witch whose love potion needs just one more ingredient: “a pinch of frog’s hair.” When Pancho hands the witch a hair he’s sneaked from her own hairbrush, the witch is turned into a frog. The kiss of a nearsighted prince restores her to her familiar witch self. Notes: Color, animated cartoon. Neither the filmmakers nor the witch makes a distinction between toads and frogs. Starring: The Toads (Pancho and Toro)

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

649

Producer: Walter Lantz Writer: John W. Dunn Director: Art Davis Studio: Universal Running time: 6:26 Woody’s Magic Touch (1971) Plot: A king promises a trip to Acapulco to whoever can reverse a spell that turned his son into a droopy purple dragon. Woody swipes the witch’s magic wand and brings the young man back to his real self. But the king is dismayed to discover that the kid is a “hippie” who plays guitar, runs around barefoot, and doesn’t work. Obeying the king’s request, Woody turns the hippie back into a dragon. Notes: Color, animated cartoon. Some modern sources erroneously describe the setting of Woody’s Magic Touch as “medieval times.” Starring: Woody Woodpecker Producer: Walter Lantz Writer: Dale Hale Director: Paul J. Smith Studio: Universal Running time: 1 reel

19731 Wham and Eggs (1973) Plot: The Blue Racer, the world’s fastest snake, enters an egg hunt in Japan, where he hatches a fire-breathing dragon. To get rid of this new pest, Blue Racer urges the dragon to seek his fortune in show business. In Tokyo, the dragon becomes enormous and costars with Godzilla—but accidentally destroys Tokyo when he begins to sneeze. Notes: Color, animated cartoon Starring: The Blue Racer Producer: David H. DePatie and Friz Freleng Writer: John W. Dunn Director: Art Davis Studio: Mirisch-United Artists Running time: 6:25

1

 No horror or horror-adjacent shorts were theatrically released in 1972.

650 

G. D. RHODES AND D. J. HOGAN

1974 Deviled Yeggs (1974) Plot: Hired by the Dogfather to rub out a squealer, Croaker the cat botches the job and winds up in Hell. Croaker’s remaining eight lives try, and fail, to execute the contract, and because the Dogfather perishes with Croaker, both schemers go to Hell. Notes: Color, animated cartoon. DePatie-Freleng’s Dogfather series riffed on the 1972 gangster film epic The Godfather. Rather than imitate Godfather star Marlon Brando, voice actor Bob Holt patterned the Dogfather on character actor Peter Falk. Deviled Yeggs recycles plot points and gags from a 1954 Friz Freleng Warner Bros. cartoon featuring Sylvester, Satan’s Waitin’ (see entry). Starring: The Dogfather, Croaker Producer: David H. DePatie and Friz Freleng Writer: John W. Dunn Director: Gerry Chiniquy Studio: Mirisch-United Artists Running time: 6:35

1975 Haunting Dog (1975) Plot: The Dogfather inherits a fancy car left to him by vengeful mobster Machine Gun Kolly. The brakes go out, the car rams a police cruiser, uses its hood to flatten a traffic cop, and speeds uncontrollably. Despite its ghost premise, Haunting Dog focuses on other types of gags. Notes: Color, animated cartoon Starring: The Dogfather, Machine Gun Kolly Producer: David H. DePatie and Friz Freleng Writer: John W. Dunn Director: Gerry Chiniquy Studio: Mirisch-United Artists Running time: 6:35

1976 Mystic Pink (1976) Plot: The Pink Panther discovers a magician’s top hat and releases an oversized bunny rabbit that struggles to be helpful. Finally pursued by Mrs. Rabbit and a gaggle of kids, Mr. Rabbit leaps back into the hat, which is snapped up by the magician and driven away. Good-­looking mild fantasy. Notes: Color, animated cartoon

  ENTRIES 1915–76 

651

Starring: The Pink Panther Producer: David H. DePatie and Friz Freleng Writer: John W. Dunn Director: Robert McKimson Studio: Mirisch-United Artists Running time: 6:21 Pink of Arabee, The (1976) Plot: In an unnamed Middle Eastern nation, a fakir’s magic rope falls in love with the Pink Panther’s tail. The rope drags the Pink Panther into a harem, disrupts his spaghetti dinner, and unravels his flying carpet. The fed-up Panther visits a plastic surgeon and walks out with a fox tail—only to be chased into a swamp by dogs. But there, he finds the most appropriate tail of all: a cattail. Notes: Color, animated cartoon Starring: The Pink Panther Producer: David H. DePatie and Friz Freleng Writer: Bob Ogle Director: Gerry Chiniquy Studio: Mirisch-United Artists Running time: 6:14

Index1

A Abbott, Gregory, 453 Abduction, 85, 155, 298 Abominable Snowman, 617, 618, 639 Abominable Snow Rabbit, The (1961), 617–618 Abou Ben Boogie (1944), 485 Academy Award, 379, 462, 465, 489, 497, 580, 591 Ackroyd, Jack, 210 Adair, Olive, 107 Adams, Dorothy, 498 Adams, Hazel, 113 Adams, Jimmie, 117, 184, 223, 231, 326 Adamson, Ewart, 256, 318, 450 Adams, Samuel, 338 Adler, Felix, 202, 478, 506, 512, 533, 534, 548, 568, 588, 590, 593 Advance and Be Mechanized (1967), 642 Aesop’s Fables, 142, 150, 173, 176, 179, 237, 243, 255, 263, 265, 267, 276, 287, 315, 320, 326, 330, 346, 350 Africa, 31, 106, 230, 292, 294, 298, 306, 326, 331, 334, 342, 348, 355, 427, 444, 495, 579, 600 African, 21, 51, 146, 186, 261, 292, 300, 306, 327, 374, 378, 382, 429, 517, 536, 613

African Adventure, An (1927), 217 African-American, 18, 19, 44, 62, 95, 108, 118, 138, 151, 153, 159, 161, 176, 186, 188–190, 192, 193, 197, 199, 201, 211, 215, 221, 224, 230, 233, 242, 246, 256, 270, 280, 353, 400, 417, 428, 435, 439, 456, 471, 477 African Dodger, The (1931), 280 Africa Speaks–English (1933), 334 Africa Squeaks (1940), 444 Aitken, Spottiswoode, 37 Aladdin, 89, 120, 177, 183, 322, 419, 429, 520, 625 Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp (1939), 429 Aladdin, Jr. (1922), 143–144 Aladdin’s Lamp (1947), 511 Aladdin’s Lantern (1938), 419 Aladdin Up-To-Date (1917), 89 Alberni, Luis, 294 Albert, Elise, 96 Albertson, Arthur, 59 Albertson, Frank, 423 Alchemist, 389 Alchemist’s Hour-Glass (1936), 389 Alexander, Claire, 98 Alfalfa’s Aunt (1939), 429–430

 Note: Page numbers followed by ‘n’ refer to notes.

1

© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022 G. D. Rhodes, D. J. Hogan, The Palgrave Encyclopedia of American Horror Film Shorts, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-97564-7

653

654 

INDEX

Alias Aladdin (1920), 120 Ali Baba Bunny (1957), 595 Alice Doll, 132, 133 Alice’s Mysterious Mystery! (1926), 203 Alien, 522, 565, 583, 609 All Bound Round (1917), 113–114 Allen, Barbara Jo, 506, 535 Allen, Heck, 484, 516, 521, 568, 569, 575, 581 Allen, Robert, 470 All Gummed Up (1947), 511–512 Alligator, 337, 379, 497, 615, 617, 622 All Star Freaks (1926), 203 All Work and No Pay (1942), 463 Aloma of the South Seas (1926), 203 Alt, Al, 186, 187, 200 Altar, 19, 57, 59, 154, 370 The Amazon, 353 Ames, Elsie, 449, 450 Among the Cannibal Isles of the South Pacific (1918), 108 Ancient Egypt (1939), 430 Anderson, Augusta, 39 Anderson, Mary, 171 And so Tibet (1964), 628 Andy Panda, 445 Angel Puss (1944), 485–486 Animated cartoon, 3, 71 Animated film, 110, 123 Ankers, Evelyn, 569 Ankrum, Morris, 486, 498, 528, 529 Another Goldwyn-Bray Comic (1920), 120 Another Wild Idea (1934), 357 Anthony, William, 225 Antique Antics (1933), 334 Anzilotti, Cosmo, 638 Apartment Wanted (1922), 144 Ape, 2, 100, 134, 140, 196, 319, 323, 342, 343, 347, 381, 408, 451, 501, 545, 558, 624 Apes of Wrath (1959), 605 Ape Suzette (1966), 638 Aping Hollywood (1931), 280 Appleby, Dorothy, 450 Arabian, 105, 595, 608 Arabian Nightmare, An (1920), 121 Arabiantics (1928), 225

Arbuckle, Roscoe (Fatty) (aka William Goodrich), 296 Arctic Giant, The (1942), 463–464 Ardell, Alice, 206, 211 Ardell, Alyce, 211 Arlton, Frank, 154 Armetta, Henry, 257 Armstrong, Louis, 321 Arnold, Phil, 516, 532, 588 Aroma of the South Seas (1926), 203 Arrow Maiden, The (1915), 7 Arthur, Johnny, 223, 412 Asbury Park Murder Mystery (1931), 280 Asher, Max, 17, 31, 32 Ashe, Warren, 315 Ashley, Arthur S., 41 Astair, Marie, 184 Astroduck, The (1966), 639 Astrologer, 78, 209, 230, 251, 252, 253, 271, 272, 355, 377, 400 Astrology, 579 Astronomeows (1928), 225 Astronut, 617, 624, 628–630, 635–637 Astronut Woody (1966), 638–639 As You Like It (1925), 191 Ates, Roscoe, 328, 451 Atkins, George, 611, 615 A-Tom-inable Snowman, The (1966), 639 Attic of Terror, The (1937), 401–402 Attorney, 14, 94, 304, 325, 566, 632 Atwell, Roy, 145, 152 Atwill, Lionel, 249 Aubrey, Jimmy, 535 Auer, Florence, 273, 521, 593 Austin, Frank, 268, 291, 328, 357 Austin, Jere, 59 Austin, Lois, 535 Automaton, 31, 499 Avery, Fred (Tex), 389, 406, 414, 455, 465, 467, 484, 516, 521, 531, 534, 538, 543, 545, 552, 553, 568, 569, 575, 580, 581, 586 Axe, 47, 178, 507, 535, 559 Aylesworth, Arthur, 282 Ayres, Agnes, 115

 INDEX 

B Babbit and Costello (Cartoon Characters), 508 Babes in the Woods (1925), 192 Babes in the Woods (1932), 312 Bach, Alwyn, 405 Bachman, Charles, 220 Backus, Jim, 573 Badger, Clarence, 17 Badger, Clarence C., 52 Bad Luck Blackie (1949), 530–531 Bagdad/Baghdad, 74, 119, 121, 194, 216, 225, 520 Baggot, King, 70, 72, 73, 82, 498 Bailey, Andre, 202 Bailey, Harry, 245, 266, 287, 320 Bailey, Sherwood, 299 Bailey, William, 295 Bainbridge, Sherman, 19, 51 Baird, Leah, 42 Baisley, Barnes, 622 Baker, Edward (Eddie), 115, 150, 151, 170, 327, 328, 355, 546, 582 Bakshi, Ralph, 632 Baldwin, Earl, 539 Baldwin, Walter, 471 Ball, Lucille, 396 Balloon, 165, 181, 201, 225, 238, 352, 373, 375, 377, 378, 547, 575 Balloon Land (1935), 377–378 Bangsberg, Lester, 245 Banker’s Daughter, The (1933), 334 Banks, Monty, 174 Bara, Theda, 208 Barbera, Joseph, 469, 514, 516, 604 Bard, Ben, 250 Bare, Richard (aka Richard L. Bare), 528, 566 Barker, Bradley, 25 Barks, Carl, 476 Barnett, Vince, 382 Barnum Was Wrong (1930), 257 Barnyard Frolics (1917), 90 Baroemo, Chase, 244, 245 Barrington, Herbert, 61 Barry, Eddie, 108, 129, 247 Barrymore, Lionel, 435 Barry, Patricia, 521 Barry, Phyllis, 425 Bartay, Barbara, 582, 585

655

Barty, Billy, 250, 324 Barty, Jack, 370, 371 Baruch, Andrew, 534 Basil, Nick, 257 Basquette, Lina, 306 Bat, 211, 231, 239, 243, 263, 269, 277, 283, 291, 312, 313, 335, 340, 344, 364, 412, 416, 450, 452, 464, 469, 478, 482, 488, 497, 501, 546, 588 Bat, Freddy, 635 Baton, Stuart, 8, 331 Bats in the Belfry (1942), 464 Bauer, Eli, 620, 630, 632, 635 Bayne, Beverly, 35 Beal, Frank, 32 Beanstalk/bean stalk, 205, 292, 334, 341, 361, 489, 498, 500, 519, 616, 632 Bean Stalk Jack (1933), 334–335 Beanstalk Jack (1946), 500 Beans the Cat, 379, 397 Beard, Betty Jane, 251, 277 Beard, Matthew “Stymie,” 299, 322, 335, 342, 361, 368, 369, 373 Beast, 26, 49–51, 166, 213, 222, 258, 267, 357, 486, 613 Beast, The (1927), 217 Beauchamp, Clem, 191, 221, 222, 224, 233 Beaudine, Harold, 152, 184, 223, 231, 263, 273 Beaudine, William, 68, 82, 91, 101 Beauty and the Beast (1934), 357 Beckett, Scotty, 361, 369, 373, 384 Beck, Jackson, 542, 544, 548, 551, 556, 566, 571, 579, 580, 585, 591, 597, 601, 607 Beddoe, Don, 450 Bedford, Barbara, 425, 430, 485 Bedlam in Paradise (1955), 578 Bed Time (1923), 164 Bedtime Bedlam (1955), 579 Bedtime Worries (1933), 335 Beebe, Ford, 128 Beebe, Marjorie, 288, 289, 294 Beery, Wallace, 51, 92 Belasco, Jay, 184 Believe It or Not (1931), 281 Believe It or Not (1932), 312 Bella, Blanche, 100

656 

INDEX

Bell, Arthur, 154, 156, 157, 161 Bell, Emma, 30, 38 Bell, Rex, 340 Bell Smith, James, 199 Bell, Temple, 154 Belmore, Lionel, 243 Bemis, Jim, 180 Be My King (1928), 225–226 Benchley, Robert, 364, 393, 394, 431 Benedict, Kingsley, 35 Benedict, Tony, 643, 645 Benham, Harry, 25 Bennet, Spencer Gordon, 287, 295, 303, 328 Bennett, Alma, 290 Bennett, Bruce, 450 Benny, Jack, 431, 435 Benson, Clyde, 34 Benton, Curtis, 60, 331 Beresford of the Baboons (1919), 114 Berg, Bill, 495 Bergen, Edgar, 334 Bernard, Harry, 283, 299, 335, 342 Bernds, Edward, 501, 503, 509, 516, 521, 524, 535, 537, 538, 546, 577, 582, 590 Berner, Sara, 359, 489 Bernie, Ben, 435 Berthelet, Arthur, 89 Bertino, Al, 615, 620 Beryl Coronet, The (1922), 144 Besserer, Eugenie, 32 Betty Boop, 269, 281, 312, 313, 321, 324, 327, 335, 336, 340, 341, 347–349, 351, 371, 426, 439 Betty Boop, M.D. (1932), 312 Betty Boop’s Crazy Inventions (1933), 335 Betty Boop’s Hallowe’en Party (1933), 335–336 Betty Boop’s Museum (1932), 313 Betty Boop’s Penthouse (1933), 336 Betz, Matthew, 387, 388 Bevan, Billy, 199, 202, 213, 214, 238, 352 Beverley, Joan, 157 Beware (1925), 192 Bewitched Bunny (1954), 569 Beyers, Clara, 64 Bible, 30

Big Bad Wolf, 358, 359, 376, 542 Big Bad Wolf (1934), 358–359 Big Game Haunt (1968), 645 Big Top Murder (1932), 313 Billion Dollar Limited (1942), 464–465 Billy Boy (1954), 569 Billy the Kid, 558 Bilson, George, 515 Bimbo (cartoon character), 266, 269, 277, 281, 290, 291, 293, 312, 313, 321, 324, 327, 335, 336, 340, 341, 349, 351 Bimbo’s Initiation (1931), 281 Bing, Herman, 387 Binns, George, 97 Biograph, 8, 10, 28, 29, 39, 60, 61 Bird in the Head, A (1946), 500–501 Birth of a Notion (1947), 512 Bison (studio), 19, 36, 51, 67, 107 Black cat, 51, 58, 89, 142, 150, 225, 257, 268, 373, 375, 420, 440, 484, 485, 515, 519, 530, 534, 550, 560, 579, 608, 611, 612 The Black Cat, 375, 385, 612 Black Cats and Broomsticks (1955), 579 Black Cat, The (1960), 612 Black magic, 60, 279, 489 Black Magic (1924), 176 Black, Maurice, 343 Black, Preston, 381, 387, 395 Black Sherlock Holmes, A (1918), 108 Black Spider, The (1931), 281 Black Widow, The (1931), 281–282 Blake, Ben, 375 Blake, Marie, 429, 430 Blake, Pamela, 514, 515 Blanc, Mel, 430, 626 Blane, Sally, 315 Bletcher, Billy, 62, 230, 342, 359, 361, 369, 403, 422, 438, 460, 476 Blimp Mystery, The (1930), 257 Blind/blindness, 46, 58, 71, 630 Blind man, 46 Bliss, Lela, 582 Blitz Wolf (1942), 465 Bloch, Robert, 629 Blow Out, The (1936), 389 Bluebeard, 217, 376, 388, 506, 531 Bluebeard’s Brother (1932), 313 Blue, Ben, 356

 INDEX 

Blue Racer, The, 649 Bluto, 382, 397, 433, 434, 444, 501, 509, 510, 517, 519, 526, 575, 596, 597 Blystone, Stanley, 212, 483, 584 Blyth, Ann, 569 Bobby Bumps, 114 Bobby Bumps and the Hypnotic Eye (1919), 114 Bobby, The Magician (1917), 90 Bogard, Delia, 250, 324 Bogart, Humphrey, 455 Bogus Ghost, The (1916), 61 Bohnen, Roman, 462 Boland, Eddie, 46, 120, 138, 139, 150, 212, 318 Bolder, Robert, 51 Bold King Cole (1936), 390 Boley, May, 290 Bombay Buddha, The (1915), 7–8 Bomb Voyage (1967), 643 Bonavita, Jack, 41, 48 Bond, Ford, 419 Bond, Tommy, 335, 342, 361, 423 Bone Sweet Bone (1948), 520 Boniface, Symona, 483, 503, 516 Bonomo, Joe, 278 Boo (1932), 313–314 Boob and the Magician, The (1915), 8 Boo, Boo Theme Song! (1933), 336 Boo Bop (1957), 595–596 Boobs in the Night (1943), 476–477 Boogie Woogie Man Will Get You if You Don’t Watch Out (1943), 477 Boo Hoo Baby (1951), 544 Book Agent, The (1921), 134 Boo Kind to Animals (1955), 579–580 Book Shop, The (1937), 402 Bookworm, The (1939), 430 Bookworm Turns, The (1940), 444 Boo Moon (1954), 569–571 Boo Ribbon Winner (1954), 571 Boos and Arrows (1954), 571 Boos and Saddles (1953), 558 Boo Scout (1951), 544 Bootlegger, 166 Booze, 13, 138 Bosché, William, 592, 608 Bosko, 282, 336, 396, 402

657

Bosko and the Cannibals (1937), 402 Bosko Shipwrecked! (1931), 282 Bosko’s Mechanical Man (1933), 336 Bostock, Gordon, 246 Boteler, Wade, 320 Bottles (1936), 390 Bourne, Larz, 533, 544, 545, 550, 557—552, 563, 577, 584, 591—587, 599, 601, 603, 604, 607, 616, 617, 621, 624, 625, 627—624, 636, 638 Bowers, Charles, 216 Bowsky, Willard, 371 The Boy Friends, 283 Bracey, Sydney, 64 Bradbury, James, 77 Bradley, Estelle, 206, 211, 216 Brady, Ed, 183 Brain, 52, 56, 70, 390, 444, 462, 477, 500, 501, 506, 522, 538, 557, 615, 620, 626, 632, 647 Bram, Horace, 247 Brasno, George, 372, 373 Brasno, Olive, 373 Brasno, Richard, 373 Brasselle, Keefe, 569 Brave Little Bat, The (1941), 452 Brave Ones, The (1916), 62 Bray, J.R., 80 Bray Photograph, No. 433 (1920), 121 Bray Photograph, No. 442 (1920), 121–122 Brecher, Egon, 425 Breese, Edmund, 353 Brendel, El, 395, 457, 459, 461, 473, 476, 477, 499, 538 Brent, Lynton, 381, 450 Brian, David, 569 Brice, Monte, 185, 350 Bridal Night (1930), 257–258 Bride of Frankenstein, 381 Bride of the Monster, 627 Bring ’Em Back a Lie (1935), 378 Bring ’Em Back Half Shot (1932), 314 Broadhurst, Ethel, 139 Broadwell, Robert B., 71 Brock, Lou, 446 Broderick, Helen, 300, 301

658 

INDEX

Brodie, Buster, 231 Broncho (studio), 46 Brooke, Tyler, 208, 210 Brooks, Roy, 127 Broom-Stick Bunny (1956), 587–588 Brother from Outer Space (1964), 628 Brower, Richard, 16 Browne, Betty, 256 Brown, Joe E., 376 Brown, Phil, 388 Brunette, Fritzi, 37, 66 Bruno-Averardi, Franco, 458 Bubble Trouble (1953), 558–559 Buchwald, Sam, 497, 530, 533, 537, 542, 544, 548, 601, 606 Buck, Frank, 314, 378, 502 Buckham, Hazel, 57 Buckingham, Thomas, 209 Buck Rogers, 491 Buddha, 7, 33, 99, 276 Buddy, 136, 190, 210, 265, 359, 378 Buddy in Africa (1935), 378 Buddy’s Theatre (1935), 378 Buddy the Detective (1934), 359 Buddy the Gob (1934), 359 Bugs Bunny, 465–467, 469, 470, 478, 491, 504–506, 520–522, 536, 540, 547, 551, 552, 557, 560, 566, 569, 582, 583, 585, 588, 595, 602–605, 608, 612, 615, 617, 624, 625, 627, 628, 634 Bugs Bunny Gets the Boid (1942), 465 Bulleteers, The (1942), 465–466 Bull Fright (1955), 580 Bum Voyage (1934), 359 Burgess, Dorothy, 295, 296, 340 Burglar, 16, 31, 100, 159, 170, 277, 282, 335, 425, 521, 539, 546, 572, 578 Burglar to the Rescue, A (1931), 282 Burial, 428 Buried City, A (1915), 8 Buried treasure, 74, 251, 287 Burke, Franke, 47 Burke, Johnny, 252 Burke, Joseph, 114 Burke, Peggy, 65 Burkett, Bartine, 138

Burn/burned/burnt, 41, 44–46, 52, 59, 60, 245, 272, 278, 367, 533, 610 Burness, Pete, 573 Burnett, Jessie, 71 Burnford, Paul, 491 Burns, Neal, 119, 165 Burns, Robert, 223 Burns, William J., 278, 280–282, 286, 288, 293, 294, 297, 298, 301–304, 307 Burress, William, 343 Burroughs, Eric, 417 Burstein, Louis, 62 Burton, John, 425, 458, 469, 612, 615 Burt, Willard, 123 Busch, Mae, 368, 370, 371 Bushman, Francis X., 73 Buster Brown, 241, 249 Buster’s Nightmare (1925), 192–193 Buster’s Spooks (1929), 241 Butcher’s Nightmare, The (1917), 90 Bute, Mary Ellen, 450 Butler, 27, 35, 47, 48, 75, 76, 82, 113, 114, 135, 189, 190, 192, 215, 231, 247, 267, 268, 307, 326, 370, 410, 411, 498, 509, 619 Buzz Buzzard, 551, 561 Buzzell, Edward (Eddie), 259, 285, 286 Bye Bye Bluebeard (1949), 531 Byron, Walter, 343 By the Old Mill Scream (1953), 559 C The Cabin Kids, 399 Caesar’s Ghost (1922), 144–145 Cage Fright (1952), 549 Cagney, James, 385 Cairo, 8, 21, 134, 136, 273, 391 Calhoun, Patrick, 89 Calico Dragon, The (1935), 379 Call a Cop! (1931), 282–283 Callahan, Cordelia, 136 Call for Mr. Caveman (1919), 115 Call of the Sea, The (1927), 217–218 Calloway, Cab, 324, 348, 351, 366, 402 Call the Wagon (1923), 165 Calvert, E. H., 73 Calvert, Steve, 546, 567, 569, 582

 INDEX 

Cambodia, 304, 305 Came the Dawn (1928), 226 Campus Murder Mystery, The (1932), 314–315 Cannibal, 39, 45, 69, 80, 91, 97, 108, 139, 141, 210, 213, 225, 226, 241, 243, 258, 261, 267, 278, 282, 293, 306, 321, 322, 331, 334, 342, 348, 367, 382, 396, 402, 422, 426, 460, 467, 508, 512 Cannibal Capers (1930), 258 Cannibal Islands (1934), 360 Cannibal Isle, The (1929), 241 Cannibalism, 2, 299 Cannibal King, The (1915), 8–9 Cannibals and Carnivals (1918), 109 Cannibals Once (1931), 283 Canning the Cannibal King (1917), 91 Cannon, Raymond, 277, 591 Cannon, Robert, 591 Cantor, Eddie, 342, 385 Capps, Eddie, 401, 402 Capra, Frank, 202 Captain Schmideo, 594, 595 Caretaker, 27, 225, 314, 449, 450, 611 Carleton, Robert, 199 Carlisle, Mary, 286 Carl, Richard, 231 Carlson, Flo, 329 Carney, Robert, 270 Car of Tomorrow, The (1951), 544–545 Carrick, Allyn B., 319 Carroll, Terry, 313 Carrossella, George, 202 Carson, James B., 262 Carter, Richard, 206 Cartoonist’s Nightmare, A (1935), 379 Cartoon Travesty on the Raven, A (1942), 466 Cartwright, Peggy, 164 Carver, Louise, 178, 191 Carver, Lynne, 445 Carver, Ron, 615 Case of Identity, A (1922), 145 Case of the Cold Storage Yegg (1963), 623–624 Case of the Elephant’s Trunk, The (1965), 631 Case of the Missing Hare (1942), 466

659

Case of the Red-Eyed Ruby (1961), 618 Case of the Screaming Bishop, The (1944), 486 Case of the Stuttering Pig, The (1937), 403 Casey’s Ghost (1916), 62 Casket, 65, 76 Casper Comes to Clown (1951), 545 Casper Genie (1954), 572 Casper’s Birthday Party (1959), 605–606 Casper’s Spree Under the Sea (1950), 537 Casper Takes a Bow-Wow (1951), 545 Casper the Friendly Ghost, 435, 497, 530, 533, 537, 542, 544, 545, 548–551, 554, 556–559, 561, 563, 564, 566, 571, 572, 577–581, 584–586, 589, 591–593, 596–606, 609 Cass, Maurice, 423 Castle, 11, 211, 248, 281, 312, 334, 344, 357, 379, 390, 441, 469, 504, 522, 532, 549, 557, 588, 603, 611, 615, 618, 619, 627, 634 Castle, Joan, 356 Castles for Two (1917), 91 Castle, William, 629 Cat, 23 The Cat and the Canary, 246, 315 The Cat Creeps, 314 The Cat Creeps (1930 feature film), 314 Cat, Dog & Co. (1929), 242 Catlett, Walter, 35, 348, 349, 451 Cat’s Canary, The (1932), 315 Cat’s Nightmare, The (1931), 283 Cat that Hated People, The (1948), 520–521 Cavanaugh, Hobart, 310 Cavanaugh, W. E., 46 Cave, 92, 151, 159, 164, 185, 186, 211, 214, 256, 263, 301, 324, 351, 368, 504, 581, 595, 604, 627 Cave Club, The (1930), 258 Caveman, 115, 149, 159, 176, 185, 430, 431, 444, 448, 526, 585, 647, 648 Caveman, Charley, 256 Cave Man, The (1924), 176–177 Cave Man, The (1934), 360 Cavender, Glen, 256

660 

INDEX

CBS Films (studio), 621, 624 Cecil, Edward, 39 Cecil, Nora, 356 Ceder, Ralph, 256, 318 Celebrity (studio), 367, 392 Cemetery, 76, 167, 198, 218, 238, 250, 276, 277, 299, 304, 308, 313, 340, 345, 356, 359, 461, 499, 554 Centaur (studio), 41, 48, 71 Ceylon, 310 Chalmers, Thomas, 249 Champ Steps Out, The (1951), 546 Chandler, Raymond, 528 Chandu the Magician, 317, 328, 337, 340 Chaney, Lon, 157, 277 Chaney, Norman “Chubby,” 251, 277 Chaplin, Charlie, 159, 377 Charles Gounod (1928), 226 Charles Urban’s Movie Chat, No. 45 (1921), 134–135 Charley Caveman, 256 Chase, Budd, 67 Chase, Charley (Charles Parrott), 128, 159, 210, 325, 357, 385, 401, 425 Chatterton, Thomas, 43 Chaudet, L.W., 88 Chemistry Lesson (1922), 145 Chemist, The (1920), 122 Chemist, The (1936), 390–391 Cherche le Phantom (1968), 645 Chertok, Jack, 418, 430 Cheval Mystery, The (1915), 9 Chevret, Lita, 295 Childress, Alvin, 489 Chills and Fever (1930), 258–259 Chilly Willy, 610, 645 Chimp/chimpanzee, 69, 70, 84, 85, 143, 217, 280, 322, 324, 338, 437 China, 33, 359 Chinaman’s Chance (1933), 337 Chinatown, 115, 166, 177, 211, 394, 395 Chinese, 33, 115, 166, 210, 329, 372, 394, 419 Chiniquy, Gerry, 638, 645, 647, 650, 651 Chip and Dale, 574

Chiquita Banana and the Cannibals (1947), 512 Choke/choking, 26, 40, 305 Christensen, Doc, 648 Christie, Al, 26, 57, 58, 72, 108, 129, 132, 165, 184, 352, 365, 377, 380, 383, 391, 399, 454 Christy, Ann, 249, 264 Churchill, Winston, 454 Churchyards of Old America (1926), 203 Cimber, Alphonse, 558 The Circular Staircase (1908), 121 Circus, 69, 70 Circus (1932), 315 Circus Show Up, The (1932), 315 Clair, Ethylene, 221 Clairvoyance, 69, 70, 121, 233, 247, 280, 301, 313, 315, 327, 356, 381, 416, 467, 475, 545, 551, 579, 584, 618 Clampett, Robert (Bob), 414, 426, 436, 438, 444, 449, 453, 465, 467, 477, 478, 491, 493, 504, 532 Clark, Bobby, 243, 364 Clarke, Mae, 314 Clark, Frank, 66 Clark, Mary, 259 Claus, Santa, 335, 375, 484 Claws for Alarm (1954), 572 Clayton, Ethel, 39, 210 Clemens, James, 127 Cleopatra, 122, 144, 165, 295 Cleopatra (1920), 122 Cleopatra and Her Easy Mark (1923), 165 Clever Collie’s Comeback, A (1916), 62–63 Clever Dummy, A (1917), 92 Clifford, William, 51, 99 Clifton, Elmer, 295, 310 Clifton, Wallace C., 37 Cline, Edward F., 131, 206 Clippety Clobbered (1966), 639 Cloak and Stagger (1956), 588 Closed room, 44 Club Life in the Stone Age (1940), 444–445 Club Pest, The (1915), 10

 INDEX 

Clyde, Andy, 181, 182, 202, 252, 256, 288, 289, 294, 456, 463, 499, 515, 521, 584, 585, 593 Clyde Mystery, The (1931), 283–284 Clymer, John B., 33, 121 Coal Black and de Sebben Dwarfs (1943), 477 Cobb, Joe, 188, 201, 214, 220, 238, 242, 244, 253, 254 Cobean, Sam, 485 Cobweb Hotel, The (1936), 391 Cochrane, George, 282 Cockatoos for Two (1947), 512 Coffin, 54, 112–114, 134, 170, 344 Cold Shivers (1929), 242 Cole Case, The (1932), 316 Coleman, Frank, 178 Collins, Charles, 417 Collins, John H., 34 Collins, Monte (aka Monty Collins), 233, 298, 352, 364, 381, 387, 395, 397, 427, 451, 456, 461, 473, 477, 494, 538, 539, 585 Collins, Ray, 313, 317, 329 Colonel Heeza Liar, 10, 12, 176, 177 Colonel Heeza Liar and the Ghost (1923), 165–166 Colonel Heeza Liar, Ghost Breaker (Second Part) (1915), 11–12 Colonel Heeza Liar, Ghost Breaker (1915), 10–11 Colonel Heeza Liar in the African Jungles (1923), 165 Colonna, Jerry, 493 Colorful Cairo (1936), 391 Columbia (studio), 157, 247, 258–260, 275, 283, 285, 300, 303, 304, 317, 333, 334, 338, 346, 349, 364, 372, 376, 381, 383, 385, 387, 395, 401, 408, 415, 416, 419, 423–425, 427, 434, 437, 439, 442, 450, 452, 453, 456, 457, 459, 461, 463, 474, 477–480, 483, 485, 486, 488, 493, 494, 498–503, 506, 508, 509, 512, 516, 517, 521, 524, 528, 529, 533–535, 537–539, 542, 546, 548, 559, 568, 573, 577, 578, 582, 584, 585, 587, 588, 590, 593, 599, 600, 611, 629

661

Comedy, 1, 8 Comical, 17, 23, 133, 286, 344, 367, 382, 390, 408, 422 Comic Book Land (1950), 537–538 Compson, Betty, 72 Compton, Dorothy, 359 Compton, Joyce, 385 Conan, Zoila, 361 Condon, Jackie, 164, 188, 201, 214, 220, 238 Cones, Armand, 333 Congo (1945), 495 Conklin, Charles, 82, 86 Conklin, Chester, 14, 92 Conley, Lige, 159, 162, 186, 189, 191, 192, 215, 216 Connelly, Bobby, 90 Connelly, Marc, 310 Conried, Hans, 458 Conway, Jack, 37 Cook, Aileen, 394 Cook, Clyde, 198, 199, 213 Cooke, Al, 256 Cooke, Ray, 353 Coombs, Guy, 59 Cooper, Jack, 174, 201, 256 Copper Beeches, The (1922), 146 Corby, Francis, 207 Coroner, 71, 163, 404 Corpse, 15, 54, 63, 75, 198, 228, 291, 356, 395, 401, 402, 484, 498, 509, 528 Corrigan, Ray “Crash,” 427, 478, 521, 535 Cosgriff, Jack, 534 Cossar, John, 98, 136 Costello, Jack, 497, 508 Cottrell, Bill, 363, 388 Count Bloodcount, 627 Counter Attack (1960), 613 Counterfeiter, 34, 62, 104, 137, 499, 584 Courtot, Marguerite, 44 Coutts, John E., 156 Cowles, Jules, 202 Cox, Doran, 233 Cox, Edward, 78 Coxen, Edward, 80

662 

INDEX

Crain, Jeanne, 569 Crampton, Howard, 15, 27 Crandall, Roland, 351 Crandall, Suzi, 529 Crane Poison Case, The (1932), 316–317 Crawford, Joan, 629 Crawford, Lorraine, 600 Crawley, Constance, 89 Crazy Cruise (1942), 467 Crazy House (1931), 284 Crazy House (1940), 445 Crazy Mixed up Pup (1955), 580 Creation’s Morning (1920), 122–123 Creature, 54, 79, 103, 113, 116, 141, 265, 267, 279, 281, 298, 336, 352, 382, 395, 397, 432, 472, 493, 520, 531, 616, 628, 634, 638, 639 Creeps (1956), 588 Cremate/cremation, 25 Crime, 8, 9, 24, 32, 41, 70, 71, 94, 104, 135, 146, 163, 278, 280–282, 286, 287, 290, 307, 310, 314, 315, 325, 330, 337, 394, 411, 437, 479, 486, 521, 593, 602 Crime on Their Hands (1948), 521 Criminal, 28, 34, 40, 52, 53, 85, 135, 148, 205, 206, 231, 235, 239, 286, 288, 291, 303, 307, 348, 350, 364, 394, 421, 432, 451, 456, 504, 527, 528, 536, 539, 552, 590 Crittenden, T. D., 67, 107 Croaker, 650 Croakus Pocus (1971), 648–649 Crocodile, 105, 294, 353, 530, 603 Croker-King, C. H., 155 Crosby, Bing, 375, 435 Crowe, Lee, 315 Croy, Homer, 8 Cruze, James, 25 Crystal ball, 258, 262, 317, 341, 452, 515 Crystal Brawl, The (1957), 596 Crystal Gazabo, The (1932), 317 Crystal Gazer, The (1930), 259 Crystal Gazer, The (1931), 285 Crystal Gazer, The (1941), 452 Crystal’s Warning, The (1916), 63–64 Cubby Bear, 347, 348, 360, 373

Cubby’s Stratosphere Flight (1934), 360 Cuckoo Clock, The (1950), 538 Cuckoo Murder Case, The (1930), 259–260 Cuckoo the Magician (1933), 337 Culhane, Shamus, 477, 640 Cult, 22, 281 Culver, Howard, 598 Cunard, Grace, 77 Cuneo, Lester, 35 Curing the Cook (1915), 12 Curiosities (1930), 260 Curiosities (1931), 285 Curiosities (1932), 317 Curses! Curses! Curses! (1931), 285–286 Curtis, Allen, 17, 52, 86 Curtis, Billy, 467 Curtis, Dick, 442, 503 Curwood, James Oliver, 49, 55 Custer, Peggy, 107 D Daffy Duck, 426, 430, 431, 470, 504, 512, 554, 560, 585, 589, 593, 595, 605, 617, 618, 638, 639, 644 Daffy Duck and the Dinosaur (1939), 430–431 Dale, Frances, 310 Dalton, Cal, 436 Dalton, Irene, 141 Daly, William Robert, 37, 66 Dana, Viola, 48 The Dance of the Devil, 284 Danch, Bill, 618, 621–623 Dancing on the Moon (1935), 379–380 Dane, Karl, 284 Daniels, Bebe, 75, 117 Daniels, Mickey, 164, 188, 201, 283, 334 Daniels, Richard, 201 D’Arcy, Harry, 446 Darien, Frank, 325 Dark/darkness, 14, 22, 36, 56, 64, 78, 82, 178, 217, 225, 228, 231, 260, 263, 266, 275, 282, 289, 291, 301, 327, 334, 335, 339, 344, 347, 350, 351, 357, 359, 399, 416, 418, 424,

 INDEX 

429, 484, 487, 494, 517, 529, 534, 536, 538, 542, 549, 566, 568, 586, 620, 633 Darkest Hour, The (1923), 166 Dark Magic (1939), 431 Dark Shadows (1944), 486 Darling, Helen, 129 Darling, Jean, 220, 242, 244, 253 Darling, Scott, 129 Darmond, Grace, 77, 132 Darwin, Charles, 87, 114 Dassin, Jules, 462 Davenport, Harry, 34, 315 Davidson, Max, 226, 227, 239, 251, 275 Davis, George, 210, 211 Davis, James, 151, 234 Davis, Nancy, 569 Davis, Ulysses, 20 Dawley, Herbert, 116, 117 Day, Alice, 178, 181, 182, 206 Dayton, James, 99 Dean, Priscilla, 88 Death Attends a Party (1933), 337–338 Death Drums of New Guinea (1934), 360 Death House, The (1931), 286 Death ray, 352, 461, 483 Death Ship, The (1928), 227 Death Valley, 453 DeBorba, Dorothy, 299, 322, 342 Deduce, You Say (1956), 589 Deep Boo Sea, The (1952), 550 Dees, Buster, 243 Defective Detectives (1917), 92 De Forest, Lee, 183 DeForrest, Patsy, 65 de Haven, Carter (Carter DeHaven), 128 Deitch, Gene, 576, 620, 621, 623 Delaney, Leo, 42 Delevanti, Winifred, 100 Delf, Harry, 235 Delusion, 103, 109, 319, 426 Demarest, William, 273 DeMond, Albert, 318 Demons of the Deep (1938), 419 Dena Maison, 77 Denning, Richard, 569

663

Dent, Vernon, 214, 238, 252, 284, 343, 456, 461, 488, 499, 509, 516, 534, 542, 548, 590 Departed Spirits (1920), 123 DePatie, David H., 634, 635, 638, 639, 641–643, 645–647, 649–651 Deputy Dawg, 617, 621, 624, 626 Desert Demons (1933), 338 Destination Magoo (1954), 572–573 Destination Meatball (1951), 546 Destiné, Jéan Leon, 558 Destruction Inc. (1942), 467 Detective, 7, 35, 46, 49, 53, 62, 63, 73, 78, 82, 84, 85, 92, 110, 111, 125, 136, 144, 146, 148, 153–156, 158, 160, 163, 186, 190, 201, 206, 208, 211, 214, 221, 233, 239, 240, 246, 251, 267, 268, 270, 275, 278, 280–283, 286, 288–291, 293, 297, 298, 302, 306, 307, 310, 311, 316, 317, 326, 328–330, 332, 337, 348, 351, 381, 387, 394, 395, 421, 422, 432, 437, 441, 442, 451, 461, 483, 484, 509, 514, 515, 528, 536, 538, 539, 546, 552, 582, 589 Detectives Wanted (1929), 242–243 Detective, The (1930), 260 Detectress, The (1919), 115 Detektuvs (1932), 317 Detiege, David, 634 Devil, 2, 13, 14, 64, 72, 82, 90, 118, 134, 172, 200, 202, 216, 238, 239, 244, 246, 250, 261, 289, 301, 310, 360, 364, 371, 380, 411, 412, 422, 430, 483, 499, 529, 533, 542, 581, 591, 626 Deviled Ham (1938), 419–420 Deviled Yeggs (1974), 650 Devilish Business (1916), 64 Devilish Dream, A (1915), 12 Devil’s Cabaret, The (1930), 286 Devil’s Darling, The (1915), 13 Devil’s Feud Cake (1963), 624 Devil’s Foot, The (1922), 146–147 Devil’s Parade, The (1930), 261 Dexter, Elliott, 91 De Zemler, Charles (Charles De Zemler), 484

664 

INDEX

Diamond, 66, 67, 119, 162, 221, 230, 298, 301, 620 Dickerson, Dudley, 399, 400, 451, 456, 459, 473, 479, 499, 503, 509, 516, 517, 529, 535, 537, 542, 585, 593 Dillon, Eddie, 67 Dillon, John, 295 Dime, Jimmy, 458 Dingbat Land (1949), 531 Dinky Doodle, 177, 183, 192, 196, 197, 204, 205, 208, 209 Dinky Doodle in Egypt (1926), 204–205 Dinky Doogle and the Magic Lamp (1924), 177 Dinky Duck, 568 Dinosaur, 2, 116, 117, 276, 313, 330, 342, 352, 360, 448, 486, 514, 520, 526, 554, 581, 604, 647, 648 Dinosaur and the Baboon, The (1917), 92–93 Dintenfass, Mark, 62 Dirty Work (1933), 338–339 Disembodied, 312 Disney, Walt, 203, 223, 246, 258, 283, 286, 300, 344, 345, 358, 361, 363, 384, 388, 406, 413, 462, 475, 476, 592, 608 Distilled Spirits (1915), 13 Ditmars, Raymond L., 319, 321 Dizzy Detectives (1943), 478 Dockstader, Tod, 621 Doctor, 15, 22, 24, 30, 44, 48, 52, 53, 60, 64, 65, 75, 96, 99, 102, 103, 118, 119, 129, 133, 135, 137, 152, 156, 184, 191, 257, 261, 270, 284, 311, 316, 344, 403, 404, 425, 427, 444, 448, 470, 471, 479, 486, 490, 507, 522, 536, 578, 633 Do Detectives Think? (1927), 218–219 Dog, 29, 46, 62, 79, 99, 112, 114, 150, 168, 177, 183, 193, 194, 197, 203, 204, 208, 219, 225, 242, 255, 263, 283, 289, 326, 334, 344, 364, 379, 384, 385, 396, 415, 431, 432, 436, 439, 440, 508, 510, 512, 515, 516, 520, 525, 531, 533, 539, 543, 545, 551, 571, 574, 576, 578, 580, 599, 602, 603, 620, 630, 636, 651 Do Gentlemen Snore? (1928), 227

Dogfather, The, 650 Dog Gone Modern (1939), 431–432 Dogville, 306 Doing What’s Fright (1959), 606 Doll, 243, 248, 297, 479, 507, 623 Doll Shop, The (1929), 243 Domino (studio), 16, 43, 47 Donald Duck, 406, 407, 410, 411, 420, 476, 486, 487, 492, 493, 495, 496, 502, 556, 574 Donald Duck and the Gorilla (1944), 486–487 Donald’s Lucky Day (1938), 420 Don, Davy, 65 Donnelly, Eddie, 432, 472, 473, 500, 510, 511, 524, 525, 547, 550 Donnelly, Leo, 247 Don’t Lie (1942), 467 Don’t Spill the Beans (1965), 632 Do or Diet (1953), 559 Door Will Open, A (1940), 445 Dope (drugs), 51, 126, 191 Dopey Dicks (1950), 538 Dorety, Charles, 138, 221, 480 Dorian Gray, 40 Doro, Marie, 91 Do the Dead Talk? (1920), 123 Double Hold-Up, The (1919), 115 Dough for the Do-Do (1949), 532 Douglas, Gordon, 400, 412, 419, 422 Dowling, Sydell, 64 Down in Jungle Town (1924), 177 Downs, Johnny, 201 Down to Mirth (1959), 606–607 Doyle, Arthur Conan, 144, 146, 148, 155–157, 160 Do Your Stuff (1923), 166 Dracula, 292, 333, 346, 376, 385, 432, 433, 569 Dracula (1931 feature film), 340 Draculina, 634 Dragon, 13, 14, 74, 205, 265, 275, 279, 300, 351, 359, 379, 397, 574, 616, 619, 620, 633, 649 Dragon Around (1954), 574 Dragon’s Claw, The (1915), 13–14 Drayton, Alfred, 157 Dr. Devil and Mr. Hare (1964), 628–629

 INDEX 

Dream/dreams, 25, 26, 29, 32, 38, 40, 45, 46, 72, 85, 87, 96, 99, 104–107, 111, 113, 116, 117, 120–122, 129, 134, 136, 149, 151, 164, 170, 172, 173, 182, 187, 188, 204, 210, 214, 216, 228, 230, 242, 248, 262, 303, 326, 344, 352, 357, 371, 385, 389, 402, 408, 411, 413–415, 442, 445, 472, 479, 482, 498, 501, 504, 507, 514, 537, 549, 550, 578, 594, 614 Dreams (1940), 445 Dream Walking (1950), 538–539 Dream Walking, A (1934), 361 Drew, Sidney, 98 Drink/drinking, 9, 27, 28, 33, 46, 61, 84, 100, 113, 122, 127, 128, 145, 215, 312, 333, 355, 395, 451, 467, 513, 518, 529, 574, 582, 629, 641 Dr. Jekyll, 26, 130, 193, 364, 403, 582, 614 Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1920), 123–124 Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Mouse (1947), 512–513 Dr. Jekyll’s Hide (1932), 318 Dr. Jerkyl’s Hide (1954), 574 Dr. Jittery, 586 Droppington’s Devilish Deed (1915), 14 Dr. Pyckle and Mr. Pride (1925), 193 Drug/drugged/drugs, 78, 156, 288, 351, 558 Drums of Fear (1930), 261 Drunk, 18, 113, 250, 279, 319, 325, 388, 518 Duck Amuck (1953), 560 Duck Dodgers in the 24½th Century (1953), 560 Ducking a Discord (1916), 64 Duck Pimples (1945), 495 Dudley, Carl, 425, 458, 469, 598 Dudley, Charles, 87 Duel in the Dark, The (1915), 14 Duffy, J.A., 324 Duffy, Jack, 140, 243 Dugan, Tom, 298 Dukas, Paul, 387 Dumb Dicks (1932), 318 Dumbrille, Douglas, 331

665

Dummy, 79, 98, 148, 150, 169, 180, 215, 334, 459, 506 Duncan, Budd, 17, 23, 26, 29, 31, 33, 40, 48, 68, 69, 75, 94, 95, 132, 133 Dungeon, 105, 112, 134, 379, 569 Dunham, Phil, 92, 191, 211, 216 Dunn, Marie, 136 Durante, Jimmy, 351, 376, 435 Duran, Val, 395 Durkin, James, 291 Durvas, Charles, 239 Duryea, George, 305 Dutch Treat (1956), 589 DuWorld Pictures, Inc., 344 Dvorak, Ann, 286 Dwyer, Marlo, 539 Dying Detective, The (1921), 135 E Earle, Edward, 115 Earle, Jack, 168, 182 Earl, Erma, 43 Early, Babe, 96 Eason, B. Reeves, 461 Eastland Horror (1915), 14–15 Eastman, Frank, 288, 289 Eaton, Jay, 388 Eaton, Pearl, 364 Ebbinger, Charles, 65 Ebony Film Corporation (studio), 6n13, 95, 108, 111, 112, 123 Eclair (studio), 43, 56 Eddings, Ruth, 222 Edgar Allan Poe (1921), 135 Edgar’s Feast Day (1921), 136 Edgar the Detective (1921), 135–136 Edge, Bob, 458 Edison (studio), 12, 16, 28, 34, 38, 48, 72, 93, 113 Edmonson, Albert, 75 The Ed Sullivan Show, 551 Educational (studio), 113, 135, 144–149, 154–158, 161, 162, 164, 167, 200, 203, 205, 206, 212, 218, 219, 222, 224–226, 230, 231, 233–235, 240–242, 248, 252, 278, 280–282, 286, 288, 294, 296, 298, 301, 303, 304, 307, 313, 320, 321,

666 

INDEX

335, 338, 342, 343, 352, 353, 355, 363, 365, 368, 377, 380, 383, 391, 394, 395, 399, 417 Edward Peil Jr., 136 Edwards, Cliff, 284, 352, 448 Edwards, Harry, 168, 247, 322, 452, 456, 461, 473, 474, 499, 585 Edwards, Harry J., 298 Edwards, John, 23 Edwards, Mattie, 23, 54, 111 Edwards, Neely, 133, 153, 158, 170, 175, 176, 199, 200, 202, 211, 221, 315 Edwards, Thornton, 141 Edwards, Walter, 16 Efficiency Experts (1917), 93–94 Egan, George, 65 Egghead, 406 Egypt, 8, 21, 78, 87, 94, 104, 105, 122, 134, 136, 171, 204, 211, 263, 273, 296, 326, 370, 391, 430, 441, 442, 452, 482, 541, 640 Egypt (1917), 94 Egyptian, 33, 57, 64, 78, 87, 104, 111, 136, 165, 169, 170, 205, 211, 223, 224, 236, 286, 302, 312, 426, 442, 467, 482, 530, 618, 641, 646 Egyptian Melodies (1931), 286 Egyptian Museum in Cairo (1921), 136 Egypt, Land of Pyramids (1930), 262 Egypt Today (1926), 205 Electric chair, 101, 130, 615 Electric Earthquake, The (1942), 468 Electric/electricity, 42, 65, 94, 101, 130, 148, 166, 178, 237, 307, 315, 320, 372, 381, 468, 557, 598, 615, 640 Electric House, The (1922), 147–148 Electrocuted, 42, 494 Electronica (1960), 613 Electronic Mouse Trap, The (1947), 514 Eleventh Dimension, The (1915), 15 Eleventh House (1942), 468 Elf, 216 Elixir, 52, 57, 64, 165 Elixir of Life, The (1916), 64–65 Elliott, Grace, 292 Elliott, Lillian, 325 Ellis, Maurice, 417

Ellis, Robert, 20, 44 Elmer Fudd, 469, 470, 491, 506, 566, 604 Elmquist, Frank, 430 Elvey, Maurice, 144, 147, 148, 154, 158, 161, 164 Emerald, 99, 263 Emory, Gilbert, 201 Empty House, The (1922), 148 Enchanted City, The (1922), 149 Enchanted Flute, The (1929), 243 Enchanted Forest, The (1930), 261–262 Endfield, Cyril, 491 Engele, Moya, 419, 420 Engle, Billy, 194 English, Leslie, 155 Epitaph, 203, 281, 497 E. & R. Jungle Film Co. (studio), 70, 85 Errol, Leon, 396, 518, 519, 529, 539, 542 Essanay (studio), 35, 51, 54, 73, 89, 112 Eugene “Porky” Lee, 384, 400, 412, 419, 422, 430 Evans, Muriel, 224, 325 Evans, Owen, 26 Everything Happens to Me (1930), 262 Evil charm, 7 Evil Sag, The (1917), 94–95 Evolution, 87, 319, 451 Evolution (1932), 318–319 Ex-Cannibal Carnival, An (1918), 109 Experiment, The (1915), 16 Explode/explosion, 18, 31, 38, 61, 71, 95, 107, 174, 206, 208, 266, 340, 355, 364, 390, 397, 514, 527 Exploring Space (1941), 453 Extinct Pink (1969), 647 Extra! Extra! (1932), 319 Extraterrestrial, 564, 617, 624, 628, 630, 643 Eye/eyes, 17, 19, 24, 32, 59, 61, 63, 79, 83, 99, 113, 120, 165, 166, 173, 191, 199, 211, 224, 228, 229, 231, 276, 298, 299, 307, 327, 344, 396, 457, 495, 506, 509, 547, 552, 568, 571, 572, 610, 630 Eyes Have It, The (1945), 495–496

 INDEX 

Eyes in Outer Space: A Science-Factual Presentation (1959), 607–608 Eyton, Bessie, 20, 21, 53, 106 F Fable of Pharaoh’s Tomb (1923), 171 Facing the Gallows (1931), 287 Fahrney, Milton, 13, 98 Fahrney, W.J., 99 Fairbanks, Douglas, 78 Fairbanks, Jerry, 302 Fairy/fairies, 52, 54, 71, 91, 96, 107, 119, 142, 152, 168, 205, 212, 215, 255, 262, 340, 347 Fakir, 16, 117, 223, 273, 276, 631, 632 Fakir, The (1915), 16 Fallberg, Carl, 626 Falling Hare (1943), 478 Fall of the House of Usher, The (1928), 227–229 Falstaff (studio), 51, 63, 81 Fanny in the Lion’s Den (1933), 339 Fanny’s Wedding Day (1933), 339 Fanny Zilch, 334, 339, 340, 348, 380, 415, 417 Fantasia (1940 feature film), 363 Farley, Dot, 121, 480, 515, 525 Farmer Al Falfa, 145, 150, 173, 266, 307, 384, 398, 408, 409, 507 Farm of Tomorrow, The (1954), 575 Fast Freight (1929), 243–244 Fatal Note, The (1932), 319 Faucit, Ursula, 236 Faust, 64, 226, 244, 354 Faust (1929), 244–245 Faust (theme), 13, 64, 72, 226 Faye, Randall, 238 Fay, Hugh, 133 Fazenda, Louise, 292, 293 F.B.O. (studio), 211 Fear (1916), 65 Feet of Mud (1924), 177 Feist, Felix E., 364, 394, 418, 423, 434, 445 Feld, Fritz, 438, 439 Felix in the Bone Age (1922), 149

667

Felix the Cat, 140, 149, 167, 205, 219, 225, 230, 234, 235, 239, 275, 279, 390 Felix the Cat in Blunderland (1926), 205 Felix the Cat Switches Witches (1927), 219 Felix the Ghost Breaker (1923), 167 Fener, Walter, 395 Fenner, Walter, 352 Ferrell, Cullum Holmes, 169 Fiddle Faddle (1960), 613 Field, George, 78, 80 Fields, Joseph, 365 Fields, Stanley, 306 Fields, W.C., 644 Fife, Shannon, 20 Film Guild (studio), 229 Fine Arts (studio), 67 Fine, Larry, 427, 442, 478, 479, 483, 488, 489, 494, 498—495, 512, 521, 524, 528, 532, 534, 537, 538, 548, 559, 567, 577, 578, 582, 584, 587, 588, 590, 599, 600 Finlayson, James, 194, 208, 219, 244, 331, 401 Finlayson, Jimmie, 199, 208, 210, 230 Fire, 14, 23, 28, 30, 39, 45, 46, 50, 52, 73, 76, 83, 87, 99, 103, 107, 128, 132, 142, 144, 159, 171, 183, 186, 212, 213, 231, 242, 258, 270, 278, 279, 304, 320, 321, 361, 363, 371, 376, 385, 386, 429, 457, 471, 520, 540, 549, 568, 584, 600, 649 Fire Worshippers (1930), 262–263 First Bad Man, The (1955), 581 First Round-Up, The (1934), 361 First 100 Years, The (1924), 177–179 Fishback, Fred, 117 Fisher, Budd, 203, 214 Fisherman’s Nightmare (1947), 514 Fisherman, The (1931), 287 Fistic Mystic, The (1946), 501 Fitzgerald, James A., 62 FitzPatrick, James A., 226, 262, 271, 430, 454 FitzPatrick Pictures (studio), 226, 251–253, 262, 269, 271, 272 Flagg, Steven (aka Michael St. Angel), 529

668 

INDEX

Flagpole Jitters (1956), 590 Flames, 41, 60, 87, 99, 169, 216, 364, 568, 585, 612 Flavia Arcaro, 13 Fleischer, Dave, 122, 139, 164, 188, 190, 197, 266, 269, 277, 281, 293, 312, 313, 321, 324, 327, 335, 336, 349, 351, 355, 367, 371, 372, 380, 382, 391, 392, 397, 421, 426, 429, 432, 434, 439, 444, 450, 458, 459, 461, 463, 465, 466, 468, 473, 476 Fleischer, Max, 121, 164, 172, 188, 190, 192, 197, 266, 269, 293, 313, 324, 336, 351, 355, 397, 398 Flint, Helen, 284 Flip the Frog, 260, 301, 315, 337, 351, 352 Flirty Sleepwalker, The (1932), 320 Flop Secret (1952), 550 Flowers, Bess, 401 Flugrath, Edna, 145 Fly, 188, 240, 245, 265, 287, 300, 320, 335, 336, 350, 368, 478, 501, 503, 512, 612, 627, 629, 630 Fly Frolic (1932), 320 Fly Guy, The (1931), 287 Fly Hi (1931), 287 Flying carpet, 493, 530, 541, 651 Flying Cups and Saucers (1950), 539 Flying horse, 625 Flying saucer, 625 See also Flying-saucer; Saucer Flying Sorceress, The (1956), 590 Fly in the Ointment, The (1943), 478–479 Fly’s Bride, The (1929), 245 Foiled (1915), 17 Foiled (1931), 288 Foiled Again (1935), 380 Fold Up (1924), 179 Food and Magic (1943), 479 Foray, June, 587 Forbes, Harry, 230 For Crimin’ Out Loud (1956), 590 Ford, Charles E., 421 Forde, Victoria, 26, 57, 58 Ford, Francis, 77 Ford, Gene, 222 Foreman, Grant, 123

Forgotten Island, The (1932), 320–321 For Rent–Haunted (1922), 149 Forrest, Allan, 57, 315 For the Love of Tut (1923), 167 Fortune Hunters (1946), 501–502 Fortune teller/fortune-telling, 96, 185, 209, 318, 501, 596 Fortune Tellers, The (1915), 17 Foster, Douglas, 471 Foster, John, 245, 264–266, 276, 287, 315, 320, 326, 330, 437, 441, 444, 447, 448, 472, 473, 482, 491, 497, 498, 500, 501, 504, 507, 510, 511, 514, 524, 525, 530, 531, 538, 610 Foster, John (Mannie Davis), 264, 265, 276, 315, 326, 330 Foster, Phoebe, 263 Foster, Warren, `465, 508, 520–522, 540, 547, 566, 605 Fourth wall, 406, 560, 622, 625 Fowler, Lottye, 56 Fox (studio), 122, 123, 125, 134, 169–171, 179, 193, 196, 199, 203, 205, 209, 214, 222, 243, 254, 255, 466, 547, 637 Fox and Crow, 509 Fox, Jimmie, 394 Fox, Johnny, 151, 152 Fox News, No. 18 (1925), 193 Fox News, No. 60 (1924), 179 Fox, Virginia, 137, 148 Fox, Wallace, 270 Foxy Flatfoot (1946), 502 Foy, Bryan, 185, 217, 227, 237, 285, 315 Foy, Charles, 439 Fraidy Cat (1942), 468–469 ’Fraidy Cat (1951), 546 Fralick, Allan, 52 Fralick, Freddie, 61 Framed (1931), 288 France, Herminia, 123 Francis, Eugene, 459 Franey, William, 17, 65, 82, 86, 91, 101 Frank Duck Brings ’Em Back Alive (1946), 502 Frankenstein, 2, 333, 336, 346, 365, 375, 376, 381, 385, 388, 395, 396,

 INDEX 

432, 433, 438, 440, 455, 463, 501, 504, 541, 587, 620, 628, 631, 640 Frankenstein (1931 feature film), 313, 314, 327, 381, 388, 456 Frankenstein (novel by Mary Shelley), 421 Frankenstein’s Cat (1942), 469 Frankenstein’s Monster, 2, 336, 346, 375, 376, 381, 388, 395, 432, 433, 438, 440, 455, 501, 504, 541, 587, 620, 628, 640, 641 Franken-Stymied (1961), 618 Frantz, Dalies, 445 Franz, Joseph, 19, 23 Fraser, Phyllis, 378 Fraternity Mixup, A (1926), 205–206 Frazee, Edwin, 109 “Freak,” 17, 184, 260, 280, 329 Freaks (1915), 17 Freddy Bat, 635 Frees, Paul, 568, 608 Freleng, Friz (aka Isadore Freleng), 357, 359, 370, 400, 422, 430, 470, 532, 536, 547, 566, 574, 577, 583, 605, 615, 624, 634, 635, 638, 639, 641–643, 645–647, 649–651 French, George B., 214, 220 French, Lloyd, 338, 370, 435 Fresh Lobster, The (ca. 1928), 230 Fresh Vegetable Mystery, The (1939), 432 Friday the 13th (1921), 137 Friday, the Thirteenth (1922), 150–151 Friday the 13th/thirteenth, 128, 150, 197, 359, 420, 440, 484, 534, 560, 608 Friendly Ghost, The (1945), 496–497 Friendly Ghost, The (1946), 502 Friendly Spirits (1935), 380 Fries, Otto, 185, 189, 191, 216, 342 Frightday the 13th (1953), 560–561 Fright from Wrong (1956), 590–591 Fright to the Finish (1954), 575 Frighty Cat (1958), 601 Frilby Frilled (1916), 65 Frogland (1924), 179 Frohman Amusement Corporation (studio), 120 Frozen Bride, The (1946), 503

669

Fuerberg, Hans, 239 Fuller, Dale, 97 Fuller, Mary, 60 Full O’ Spirits (1920), 124 Fulton, Helen, 40 Fulton, Jack, 350, 352 Fu Manchu, 388, 421 Funeral, 27, 41, 46, 128, 272 Funeral March of a Marionette (Alfred Hitchcock Presents), 648 Further Prophecies of Nostradamus (1942), 469 Futrella, Jacques, 70 Futter, Walter, 260, 285, 333 Futuritzy (1928), 230 G Gabby Gator, 622, 623 Gable, Clark, 455 Gaddis, Pearl, 19 Galaxia (1960), 614 Gallagher, Toy, 235 Gallop, Frank, 497, 530, 533 Galloping Ghosts (1928), 230 Galvez, Fernandez, 29 Gamble, Fred, 88 Gandy Goose, 432, 433, 448, 472, 482, 487, 488, 498, 501, 504, 507, 531, 538, 539, 541 Gang/gangster, 13, 24, 64, 137, 161, 187, 188, 199, 215, 222, 236, 238, 242, 258, 259, 288, 294, 297, 298, 302, 304, 306, 317, 319, 322–324, 328, 332, 346, 348, 384, 399, 429, 430, 460, 478, 479, 482, 494, 499, 526, 527, 536, 631, 650 Gannon, Raymond, 378 Gardner, Helen, 33 Gar, Ed, 237 Gargan, Edward, 542 Garvin, Anita, 212 Gas, 35, 37, 94, 95, 161, 202, 208, 257, 329, 352, 363, 384, 393, 478, 490, 522 Gaston, Mae, 71 Gaumont American (studio), 80, 115 Gayety (studio), 127 Gaylen, Diana, 363

670 

INDEX

Gear, Luella, 25 Gebhart, George, 81 Gee, Ernest, 438 Gem of a Jam, A (1943), 479 Gemora, Charles, 289, 298, 327, 328, 359, 381 General Film Company (studio), 503, 507 Genie/genii, 143, 322, 334, 411, 500, 520, 572, 588, 625, 629–631 Genocide, 473 George, Henry W., 226, 248 George, Nick, 574 Geraghty, Carmelita, 199 Gerald McBoing! Boing!, 591 Gerald McBoing! Boing! on Planet Moo (1956), 591 Gerald, Pete, 77 Germ of Mystery, The (1916), 66 Geronimi, Clyde, 474 Get Along, Little Zombie (1946), 503 Getchel, Sumner, 235, 249 Getting Ahead (1965), 632 Ghosks Is the Bunk (1939), 433–434 Ghost, 2, 11, 18–20, 23, 24, 31, 44, 47, 51, 61, 62, 82, 86, 88, 90, 94, 95, 98, 111, 115, 121, 125, 126, 128, 133, 137, 138, 144, 153, 154, 158, 159, 167, 174, 192–194, 197, 199, 203, 207, 211, 212, 214, 223, 231, 232, 239, 242, 245, 258, 263, 264, 266, 267, 270, 273, 275, 277, 286–290, 298, 308, 309, 312, 322, 324, 333, 335, 336, 340, 341, 346, 347, 353, 356, 363, 368, 371, 372, 380, 385, 390, 396, 403, 406, 407, 417, 420, 423, 424, 432–436, 446, 447, 450, 454, 456, 469, 471, 472, 477, 484–488, 499, 501, 502, 515, 517, 527, 529, 533, 537, 539, 540, 542, 544–546, 548, 549, 551, 554, 556, 557, 559, 561, 563, 564, 566, 570, 575, 578, 580, 581, 584, 586, 590, 591, 595, 597, 601, 603, 606, 609, 611, 619, 621, 627, 629, 631, 640, 644, 645, 648, 650 Ghost Buster (1952), 550 Ghost Fakirs, The (1915), 18 Ghost Hounds (1917), 95

Ghost of a Chance, The (1919), 115 Ghost of Bingville Inn, The (1915), 18 Ghost of Folly, The (1926), 206 Ghost of Honor (1957), 596–597 Ghost of Slumber Mountain, The (1919), 116–117 Ghost of the Jungle, The (1916), 66–67 Ghost of the Town (1952), 551 Ghost of the Twisted Oaks, The (1915), 18–19 Ghost Parade (1931), 288–289 Ghosts (1917), 95 Ghosts (1929), 245 Ghosts and Flypaper (1915), 19–20 Ghost ship, 368, 371, 372, 485 Ghost story, 154, 212, 214, 385, 396, 575 Ghost Talks, The (1949), 532–533 Ghost to Ghost Hookup (1937), 403 Ghost town, 289, 363, 454, 477, 487, 488, 644 Ghost Town (1944), 487–488 Ghost Town Frolics (1938), 420 Ghost Towns (1931), 289 Ghost Treasures (1941), 453 Ghost Wagon, The (1915), 19 Ghost Wanted (1940), 446 Ghost Writers (1958), 601–602 Ghoul, 621 Giant, 163, 164, 207, 212, 242, 292, 322, 323, 327, 329, 334, 338, 342, 347, 348, 361, 368, 369, 386, 402, 405, 419, 458, 481, 489, 500, 514, 519, 527, 530, 537, 598, 609, 614, 616, 635, 640, 641 Giantland (1934), 361 Gibbons, Floyd, 401–404, 434, 435, 441 Gibbs, Paton (aka Robert Paton Gibbs), 44 Gibson, Hoot, 115, 128 Gibson, Jim, 163 Gibson, Tom, 101 Giebler, Al, 425, 461 Gift of the Fairies, The (1917), 96 Gilbert, Billy, 298, 299, 328, 356, 382 Gilbert, C. Allan, 72 Gilbert, Dick, 349 Gilbert, Earl, 394 Gilbert, Earle, 391

 INDEX 

Gilbert, Lewis, 161 Gillett, Burt, 258, 346, 390, 396, 406, 435 Gillmer, Reuben, 100 Gillstrom, Arvid E., 105, 257, 343 Gilman, Fred, 219, 223 Gilmore, Art, 524, 528 Gilmore, Helen, 98, 170, 194 Gilstrom, Arvid, 105, 257, 343 Girl and the Mummy, The (1916), 67–68 Glendening, Ernest, 389 Glendinning, Ernest, 263 Glenn, Roy, 489 Globe (studio), 100 G-Man Jitters (1939), 432–433 Go and Get It (1920), 132 Go Chase Yourself (1948), 521 Goddess of Spring, The (1934), 362–363 Godsoe, Harold, 494 Godzilla, 649 Goethe, 279, 354, 387 Going Great (1925), 193 Golden Hen, The (1946), 503–504 Golden Pagoda, The (1930), 263 Gold Ghost, The (1934), 363 Goldin, Sidney M., 28 Gold Seal (studio), 64 Goldstone, Duke, 507 Goldwyn (studio), 112, 121, 136 Goldwyn, Samuel, 342 Goodford, Jack, 611 Good Little Monkeys (1935), 380 Goodman, Daniel Carson, 39 Goodness! A Ghost (1940), 446–447 Good Scream Fun (1958), 602 Good Spirits (1925), 194 Goodwin, Harold, 209 Goodwins, Leslie, 396, 397 Goofy, 213, 256, 270, 289, 406, 502, 552 Goofy Birds (1928), 230–231 Goofy Ghosts (1928), 231 Goofy Groceries (1941), 453 Goonland (1938), 421 Goons from the Moon (1951), 546 Goose Flesh (1926), 206 Gorcey, David, 317 Gordon, Bruce, 139 Gordon, Dan, 468, 473, 476, 481

671

Gordon, Harris, 40 Gordon, Richard, 350 Gore, Rosa, 373 The Gorgon, 414 Gorilla, 100, 113, 149, 202, 205, 211, 213, 227, 239, 247, 257, 263, 267, 270, 279, 289, 290, 294, 298, 304, 306, 324, 327, 331, 333, 335, 343, 349, 355, 356, 359, 378, 381, 386, 427, 434, 438, 439, 444, 451, 453, 463, 475, 476, 478, 486, 487, 501, 517, 521, 525, 529, 534, 535, 539, 540, 545, 546, 558, 567, 569, 579, 582, 605, 610, 611, 620, 626, 633, 638, 645 Gorilla Hunt, The (1939), 434 Gorilla My Dreams (1948), 521 Gorilla Mystery, The (1930), 263 Gossamer (Cartoon Character), 505, 557, 634 Gouch, John, 83 Goulding, Alf, 115, 126, 144, 152, 168, 318, 329, 356, 378 Gould, Manny, 303, 334, 343, 376, 385, 408 Governess, 146, 158 Grab the Ghost (1920), 125 Graham, Walter, 184 Grainger, Mabel, 278 Granby, Joseph, 64 Granger, Dorothy, 268, 296, 320, 328, 331, 519, 529, 539, 542, 584, 585 Grant, Cary, 455 Grant, Helene (aka Helena Grant), 355 Grant, Joe, 388 Grant, Lawrence, 314 Grant, Valentine, 19 Grave, 7, 11, 34, 51, 61, 128, 136, 148, 167, 238, 255, 299, 313, 340, 345, 416, 461, 491, 497, 529, 540 Grave Laughter (1945), 497 Graves, Robert, 223, 396 Graveyard, 2, 11, 86, 203, 210, 231, 238, 250, 255, 277, 291, 305, 392, 416, 485, 529 Graveyard of Ships (1936), 392 Gray, Bob, 104, 105 Gray, George, 256, 290 Gray, Gilda, 203, 256, 290

672 

INDEX

Gray Horror, The (1915), 20 Gray, Robert, 45 Great Experiment, The (1915), 20–21 Great Experiment, The (1934), 363–364 Great Hokum Mystery, The (1932), 321 Great Mystery, The (1920), 125 Great Pie Mystery, The (1931), 289–290 Great Piggy Bank Robbery (1946), 504 Great Poochini, The, 552, 553 Great Ruby Mystery, The (1915), 21–22 Great Who-Soo-It, The (1952), 551 Greedy Humpty Dumpty (1936), 392 Green, Dee, 587 Green Idol, The (1915), 22 Green Line, The (1944), 488 Greenwood, Winifred, 78 Gremlin, 478, 493 Grey, John, 365, 372 Grey Rider, The (1923), 167 Gribbon, Eddie, 318, 480, 494 Gribbon, Harry, 288–290, 370 Grief in Bagdad (1925), 194 Griffith, Beverly Howard, 87 Grindé, Nick (aka Nick Grinde), 286, 359 Ground Hog Play (1956), 591–592 Grounds for Murder (1930), 263 Grover Jones, 132 Guard, Kit, 233, 298 Gubitosi, Mickey, 460, 467 Guided Mouse-ille (1967), 643 Guilfoyle, Paul, 330, 471, 486 Guillotine, 343, 423, 476, 531, 582 Guiol, Fred, 194, 219 Gulliver’s Travels (novel by Jonathan Swift), 569 Gum Shoes (1935), 381 Gun, 50, 87, 118, 163, 237, 282, 284, 294, 464, 469, 484, 501, 504, 515, 528, 529, 556, 595, 618, 644 Guy Blaché, Alice, 61 Gypped in Egypt (1930), 263–264 Gypsy, 65, 216, 230, 264, 488 Gypsy Life (1944), 488 Gypsy Life (1945), 497 H Habeas Corpus (1928), 231–232 Haber, Heinz, 592

Hackett, Charles, 244, 245 Hackett, Raymond, 314 Hades, 64, 132, 286, 364, 400 Hagney, Frank, 499 Hahn, Manny Nathan, 302 Hair-Raising Hare (1946), 504–505 Hair-Raising Tale, A (1965), 632 Haiti, 285, 299, 333, 354, 417, 454, 578, 598 Haiti, Land of Dark Majesty (1941), 454 Hale, Dale, 649 Hale, Edward, 94, 95 Haley, Jack, 328, 329, 356 Halfwitch, Honey, 635 Hall, Ben, 232, 240 Hall, Charlie, 328, 368, 401 Hall, Eddie, 394, 395, 417 Hall, Emmett Campbell, 38 Hall, Frederick, 399 Hall, George, 78 Hall, Harold R., 218 Hall, Helen, 399 Halligan, William, 315 Halloway, Carol, 83 Hallowe’en (1930), 264 Halloween (1931), 290 Halloween/Hallow’een/Hallowe’en, 189, 219, 239, 264, 290, 335, 530, 548, 551, 556, 587, 601 Hall, Walter R., 156 Halton, Charles, 302 Ham and Preparedness (1916), 68 Ham and the Experiment (1915), 22–23 Hamilton, Jack, 46 Hamilton, John, 284, 310, 311, 315–317, 329–332 Hamilton, Lloyd V., 23, 29, 31, 40, 48, 68, 69, 75, 94, 95, 141, 206, 211, 212, 247 Hamilton, Shorty, 104, 105 Hammons, Earle W., 296 Hampden, Walter, 14 Hampton, Grace, 331 Hampton, Hope, 217, 218 Ham the Explorer (1916), 69 Hand, David, 345, 384, 388, 408 Hand Is Pinker than the Eye, The (1967), 643 Hands of Destiny (1941), 454

 INDEX 

Hannah, Jack, 493, 495, 502, 556, 574, 618, 622, 623 Hanna, William, 469, 514, 516, 533, 555, 563, 590, 604 Hanold, Marilyn, 600 Hansel and Gretel, 312, 340, 551, 569 Hansel and Gretel (1923), 168 Hansel and Gretel (1933), 340 Hansel and Gretel (1952), 551 Hansen, Juanita, 92 Happily Buried (1939), 434 Happy Haunting Grounds (1940), 447 Happy Hooligan, 96, 112 Happy Hooligan in a Trip to the Moon (1917), 96 Hardaway, Ben, 378, 436, 477 Hardeen, 394 Hardy, Oliver, 23, 62, 105, 208, 218, 219, 230, 231, 267, 268, 338, 367, 368, 370, 371, 401 Hare-Abian Nights (1959), 608 Hare Brained Hypnotist, The (1942), 469–470 Haredevil Hare (1948), 522 Harem, 105, 120, 121, 180, 194, 211, 216, 482, 511, 541, 651 Harem Follies (1924), 180 Harem-Scarem (1922), 151 Hare Remover (1946), 506 Hare-Way to the Stars (1958), 602–603 Harlan, Otis, 76, 77 Harlem, 353, 417, 429, 477 Harman, Hugh, 336, 380, 390, 444, 470 Harolde, Rolf, 516 Harringdine, Chase, 215 Harrington, George, 161 Harris, James, 28 Harris, Ken, 608 Harris, Nick, 295 Harrison, Ben, 303, 334, 343, 376, 383, 385, 408 Harrison, Saul, 16, 28 Harriton, Chuck, 640 Hart, Sunshine, 189 Hart, Walter, 486 Harvey Films (studio), 561 Harvey, Harry, 480, 519, 529 Harvey, John Joseph, 169

673

Hash House Mystery, A (1917), 96 Hashimoto Mouse, 614, 620, 627 Hassell, George, 278 Hassle in a Castle (1966), 639–640 Hasty Hare (1952), 551–552 Hat Box Mystery, The (1947), 514–515 Haunted (1915), 23 Haunted (1916), 69–70 Haunted Attic, The (1915), 23 Haunted Bell, The (1916), 70 Haunted Cat, The (1951), 547 Haunted Hat, The (1915), 23 Haunted Heiress, A (1926), 206–207 Haunted Hills (1924), 180 Haunted Homestead, The (1927), 219 Haunted Honeymoon, The (1925), 194–195 Haunted house, 10, 18, 19, 23, 35, 36, 62, 95, 121, 153, 157, 171, 176, 187, 191, 194, 197, 199, 207, 212, 214, 224, 226, 232, 237, 242, 245, 246, 249, 251, 256, 257, 270, 273, 289, 293, 296, 298, 348, 396, 403, 421, 423, 434, 436, 447, 456, 467, 471, 472, 484, 499, 527, 534, 535, 584, 587, 609 Haunted House (1925), 195 Haunted House (1939), 434–435 Haunted House of Wild Isle, The (1915), 23–24 Haunted House, The (1918), 109 Haunted House, The (1922), 151 Haunted House, The (1929), 246 Haunted House, The (1930), 264–265 Haunted Mouse (1965), 632–633 Haunted Mouse, The (1941), 454–455 Haunted; or, Who Killed the Cat? (September 1, 1929), 246 Haunted Ship, The (1930), 265 Haunted Spooks (1920), 125–126 Haunted Symphony The (1916), 70–71 Haunt/haunted, 10, 11, 18–20, 23, 35, 36, 42, 53, 62, 65, 69, 71, 72, 89, 95, 102, 104, 120, 121, 132, 149, 153, 157, 171, 176, 180, 187, 191, 194, 197, 199, 206, 207, 212, 217, 219, 224, 226, 229, 232, 237, 242, 245, 246, 249, 251, 256, 259, 264,

674 

INDEX

267, 270, 273, 275, 288, 289, 291–293, 296, 298, 309, 332, 348, 392, 396, 403, 420, 421, 423, 424, 433–436, 446, 447, 456, 467, 471, 472, 484, 485, 499, 502, 503, 515, 527, 529, 534, 535, 539, 584, 587, 601, 609, 611, 621, 648 Haunting Dog (1975), 650 Haunting Eye, The (1915), 24 A-Haunting We Will Go (1966), 638 Haunting We Will Go, A (1939), 435 Haunting We Will Go, A (1949), 533 Haunts for Rent (1916), 71–72 Have You Got Any Castles (1938), 421 Havrilla, Alois, 392, 400 Hawkins, Erskine, 419, 420 Hay, Betty, 201 Hayes, Billy, 317 Hayes, Frank, 388 Hayes, Max, 375 Hayes, Sidney, 45 Hays, Jack, 342 Hayward, Lillian, 30, 66 Head Hunters and Baby Dolls (1938), 421 Head-hunters/head hunters, 278, 421 Headless Horseman, The, 143, 392–393 Headless Horseman, The (1936), 392–393 Headline Hunter, The (1937), 403–404 Healy, Peggy, 350 Hearn, Edward, 142 Hearse, 76 Heart of Princess Marsari, The (1915), 24–25 Hearts and Flowers (1930), 265 Heath, Arch B., 226, 259 Heatherley, Clifford, 164 Heavenly Puss (1949), 533 Heckle and Jeckle, 482, 515, 525, 528, 541, 615 Heebee Jeebees (1927), 219–220 Heffron, T. N., 77 Hegen, Charles, 634 Heir/heiress, 27, 42, 96, 114, 158, 170, 180, 273, 494, 497, 509, 550, 603 Heir Restorer (1958), 603 Heisch, Glan, 625, 636

Hell, 13, 134, 216, 246–247, 362, 364, 371, 420, 465, 533, 577, 624, 650 Hello Mars (1922), 151–152 Hell’s Bells (1929), 246–247 Hell’s Fire (1934), 364 Hells Heels (1930), 266 Heming, Violet, 249 Henabery, Joseph, 22, 37, 313, 315–317, 325, 329–332, 402–404, 435, 441 Henderson, Dell, 268 Henderson, L. J., 60 Henley, Hobart, 27, 64 Henley, Jack, 356 Henry, Gale, 17, 65, 82, 86, 115, 132, 206 Henry, William, 418 Herbert, Hugh, 250, 328, 438, 503, 517, 529, 538, 542 Herford, William, 239 Her Haunted Heritage (1928), 232–233 Herman, 561, 601 Herman, Al, 190, 201, 250 Herman, Albert, 250 Herman the Catoonist (1953), 561 Herring Murder Case, The (1931), 290–291 Hershey, Burnet, 284, 332 Her Wedding Night-Mare (1931), 290 Herzig, Sig, 231, 365 He’s a Devil (1916), 72 Hevener, Jerold T., 26 Hewitt, Violet, 158 Hicks in Nightmareland (1916), 72 Hidden room, 387 Hide and Shriek (1938), 421–422 Hide and Shriek (1955), 581 Hiers, Walter, 81, 194 Higgins, Robert, 223 High and Dizzy (1920), 127 High and Dizzy (1950), 539 Highlowbrow (1929), 247 High Sign, The (1921), 137–138 High Spirits (1927), 220–221 High Strung (1928), 233 Hillebrand, Fred, 352

 INDEX 

Hilliard, Harriet, 315, 333 Hill, Josephine, 115, 119, 152 Hill, Josephine, 115, 119, 152 Hillkurt, Pauline, 629 Hill, Robert F., 64 Hill, Thelma, 252, 256 Hillyer, Lambert, 515 Himber, Richard, 383 Hindoo Creation, A (1915), 25 Hindoo [sic], 7, 8, 22, 25, 39, 44, 46, 63, 209, 223 Hindu, 16, 24, 49, 58, 59, 70, 99, 106, 162, 163, 273, 434 Hindu Hoodoo, A (1917), 97 Hines, Johnny, 161 Hip Hip Hypnotism (1920), 127 His Baby Daze (1929), 247 His Bachelor Dinner (1915), 25 His Cannibal Wife (1917), 97 His Egyptian Affinity (1915), 25–26 His Hare Raising Tale (1951), 547 His Little Spirit Girl (1917), 97–98 His Marriage Wow (1925), 195–196 His New Mamma (1924), 181–182 His Phantom Sweetheart (1915), 26 His Prehistoric Blunder (1922), 152 Hiss and Yell (1946), 506 History Repeats Itself (1939), 435 Hitch Hikers, The (1947), 515 Hite, Les, 411 Hit Him Hard (1924), 182 Hitler, Adolf, 493 Hitler, Adolph, 454 Hittin’ the Trail to Hallelujah Land (1931), 291 Hoadley, C. B., 91 Hoag, Doan, 462 Hoax, 81, 125, 437 Hoax House, The (1916), 72–73 Hobgoblin, 138–139 Hobgoblins (1921), 138–139 Hocus Pocus Pow Wow (1968), 645–646 Hodgeson, Leland, 291 Hodges, Ralph, 542 Hodkinson, W.W. (studio), 135, 143 Hoffberg-Telenews (studio), 548 Hoffman, Jerry, 463 Hokus Pokus (1922), 152 Hokus Pokus (1927), 221

675

Hokus Pokus (1949), 533–534 Hold that Monkey (1928), 233 Hold that Monkey (1950), 539–540 Hole Idea, The (1955), 581 Holloway, Sterling, 378 Holly, Ruth, 174 Hollywood Capers (1935), 381 Hollywood Magic (1937), 404 Hollywood Parade, No. A-8 (1933), 340 Hollywood Steps Out (1941), 455 Holmes, Ben, 249, 331, 364 Holmes, Burton, 94 Holmes, Fred, 422 Holmes, Gerda, 73 Holmes, Rapley, 73 Holt, Jack, 77 Holton, Lloyd, 71 Holubar, Allen, 15, 27 Holy Terror, The (1929), 247 Honey Halfwitch, 635 Hood, Darla, 384, 412, 419, 422, 460 Hoodoo, 534 Hoodoo (1949), 534 Hoodooed (1920), 128 Hoodoo’s Busy Day, The (1915), 26 Hook a Crook (1955), 582 Hooky Spooky (1957), 597 Hop Off (1928), 233–234 Hopper, DeWolf, 67 Hopper, Hedda, 242 Hopton, Russell, 315 Horne, James W., 56, 213, 277, 401 Horning In (1965), 633 Horoscope, 251–253, 269, 271, 272, 400, 579 Horrible Hyde (1915), 26 Horsley, David, 98, 118 Hoskins, Allen “Farina,” 188, 201, 214, 220, 238, 242, 244, 251, 253, 277 Host to a Ghost (1941), 456 Host to a Ghost (1947), 515 Hot Cross Bunny (1948), 522 Hotel, 23, 92, 151, 152, 168, 233, 270, 292, 308, 309, 381, 382, 391, 433, 434, 488, 539, 572, 586, 598, 599, 615 Hot Ice (1955), 582 Hot Scots, The (1948), 522–524 Houdini, Harry, 156

676 

INDEX

Housekeeper, 75, 246, 268, 326, 498 Houseman, Arthur, 368 The House of a Thousand Candles (1905), 153 House of a Thousand Trembles, The (1922), 153 House of Fear, The (1915), 27 House of Hashimoto (1960), 614 House of Horror, The (1915), 27–28 House of Magic (1937), 404 House of Mystery (1931), 291 House of Mystery, The (1917), 98 House of Skulls (1946), 507 House of Tomorrow, The (1949), 534 House of Wax, 566, 568 House of Wax (1953 feature film), 566, 568 Howard, Cal, 406, 508, 626, 631, 639–641, 644, 645 Howard, Curly, 427, 442, 478, 479, 483, 488, 489, 494, 498–501, 509 Howard, Esther, 277 Howard, Moe, 427, 442, 478, 479, 483, 488, 489, 494, 498–501, 512, 521, 524, 528, 532, 534, 537, 538, 548, 559, 567, 577, 578, 582, 584, 587, 588, 590, 599, 600 Howard, Shemp, 370, 512, 521, 524, 527, 528, 532, 534, 537, 538, 548, 559, 567, 577, 578, 582, 584, 587, 588, 590 Howard, Tom, 38, 280, 308, 309, 383 Howdy Doody, 575–576 Howdy Doody and His Magic Hat (1954), 575–576 Howe, J.A., 166 Howell, Yvonne, 180 Howerton, Clarence “Major Mite,” 328 Howe, Wallace, 126, 127 Howland, Olin, 114 Howling Success, A (1923), 168 Howling Success, A (1954), 576 How to Be a Detective (1934), 364 How to Be a Detective (1936), 393–394 How to Be a Detective (1952), 552 How to Plan a Movie Murder (1964), 629 Hoyt, Leo, 262 Hubbard, John, 434

Hubbard, Margaret Carson, 311 Hubbard, Wynant D., 292, 300, 311 Hudson, Rochelle, 328, 544, 634 Huey, Dewey, and Louie, 486, 487, 556 Huff, Louise, 38 Hughes, Anthony, 329 Hugo, Victor, 168 Humphrey, Orral, 81 Humphrey, William, 42 Humpty Dumpty, 392, 563, 606 Hunchback, 28, 527, 633 The Hunchback of Notre Dame, 376 Hunchback of Notre Dame, The (1923), 168 Hunchback’s Romance, The (1915), 28 Hungry Astronut, The (1963), 624 Hungry Wolf, The (1942), 470 Hunter, Edna, 70, 72, 73 Hunt, Irene, 82 Hunt, Jay, 67 Hupp, George, 119 Hurd, Earl, 114, 200 Hurdy-Gurdy Hare (1950), 540 Hurley, Arthur, 262, 301, 310, 311 Hurlock, Madeline, 178, 181, 182, 214 Hurst, Paul, 56, 183, 202 Hurts and Flowers (1968), 646 Hutchins, Bobby “Wheezer,” 220, 238, 242, 244, 251, 253, 277, 299, 322 Hutchinson, Craig, 150, 152 Hutton, Lucille, 92, 222, 236, 242 Hyde and Go Tweet (1960), 614–615 Hyde and Hare (1955), 582–583 Hyde and Sneak (1962), 620–621 Hyde & Seek, Detectives (1918), 110 Hypno and Trance–Subjects (1915), 28 Hypnotic Eyes (1933), 340 Hypnotic Hick (1953), 561 Hypnotic Monkey, The (1915), 29 Hypnotism, 2, 17, 28, 30, 57, 81, 127, 185, 221, 319, 356, 495, 496, 552, 623 Hypnotist, 2, 9, 14, 16, 28, 29, 70, 81, 114, 140, 170, 185, 219, 221, 233, 240, 257, 329, 356, 381, 459, 508, 510, 590 Hypnotized (1952), 552 Hyp-Nut-Tist, The (1935), 381–382

 INDEX 

Hypo-Chondri-Cat, The (1950), 540–541 Hytten, Olaf, 343 I Ice Scream (1957), 597–598 Ichabod Crane, 143, 392 Ideal (studio), 319 Idle Roomers (1944), 488–489 Idol, 7, 22, 48, 99, 106, 162, 618 I Don’t Scare (1957), 597 If a Body Meets a Body (1945), 497–498 If Matches Struck (1924), 182 I Heard (1933), 340 I Like Mountain Music (1933), 341 I’ll Be Glad When You’re Dead You Rascal You (1932), 321 I’m Afraid to Go Home in the Dark (1930), 266 Imagination (1943), 479–480 I’m a Monkey’s Uncle (1948), 524 Imp (studio), 8, 15, 28, 70 Impatient Patient, The (1942), 470 Imperial Pictures (studio), 283 In Africa (1930), 266 In a Pig’s Eye (1934), 364–365 Inbad the Sailor (1916), 73–74 Inbad the Sailor (1925), 196 Ince, John, 26, 319, 428 Ince, Ralph, 26, 319 Incredible Stranger, The (1942), 471 India, 21, 46, 55, 58, 59, 63, 99, 155, 251, 267, 272, 276, 470, 524, 584, 631 Indian (Native American), 480 Indian Signs (1943), 480 Information Please, No. 8 (1941), 456 Information Please, No. 12 (1941), 457 Ingraham, Lloyd, 363 Inheritance, 273, 332, 527 In Pyramid Land (1919), 117 Insane/insanity, 15, 37, 71, 83, 119, 365 Inslee, Charles, 26, 33, 92 Inspector, The, 638, 641, 643, 645–647 Inspector Willoughby, 618, 620, 621, 623, 631 In the Moon’s Rays (1916), 73 Intimate Interviews (1931), 292 Into the Unknown (1931), 292

677

Invention/inventor, 30, 35, 79, 130, 161, 180, 201, 215, 346, 364, 365, 385, 390, 394, 397, 410, 416, 457, 458, 468, 483, 534, 556, 606, 632, 647 Inventors, The (1934), 365 Inventor, The (1937), 405 Invisible ink, 139, 546 Invisible Ink (1921), 139 Invisible/invisibility, 123, 139, 368, 370, 423, 434, 437, 446, 460, 476, 516, 546, 559, 577, 584, 592, 613, 614, 626, 634, 639, 643 The Invisible Man, 376, 421, 438 Invisible Mouse, The (1947), 516 In Wonderland (1931), 292 Ireland, 549, 586 Iron maiden, 281 Iron Man, The (1930), 266 Irving, Washington, 143 Irving, William, 92 Is Conan Doyle Right? (1923), 168–169 Ishii, Chris, 611 Ising, Rudolf, 291, 297, 299, 341, 379, 380, 402 Island, 24, 34, 45, 46, 69, 74, 91, 97, 104, 108, 109, 119, 141, 210, 213, 225, 282, 299, 320, 333, 354, 355, 360, 396, 397, 421, 428, 437, 454, 460, 566, 610 Is My Palm Red (1933), 341 Is There a Doctor in the Mouse? (1964), 629 Itching Hour, The (1931), 292–293 Itch, The (1965), 633 It’s a Living (1937), 405 It’s All in the Stars (1946), 507 It’s an Ill Wind (1939), 436 Ivan the Terrible, 319 Ives, Frederick Eugene, 183 I Want My Mummy (1966), 640 Iwerks, Ub, 203, 246, 258, 260, 301, 315, 337, 341, 351, 352, 360, 364, 367, 378, 386, 392, 416, 424, 434 J Jaccard, Jacques, 57 Jack and the Beanstalk (1933), 341 Jack Frost, 365–367

678 

INDEX

Jack Frost (1934), 365–367 Jack o’lantern, 290 Jackson, Harry, 104 Jackson, Wilfred, 283, 300, 347, 349, 363, 412, 413 Jacobs, Harrison, 296 Jacquet, Frank, 394 Jail, 28, 30, 101, 114, 144, 152, 153, 162, 306, 434, 572, 581 James “Darling” Hall, 399 Jamieson, William E., 209 Jamison, Budd, 364, 442, 456, 459, 461, 478, 479 Jane Eyre (1915), 29 Jane’s Sleuth (1927), 221 Jans, Harry, 355 Japoteurs, The (1942), 471 Jarrett, Arthur, 395 Jason, Will, 453 Jasper, 19, 20, 44, 471, 472, 480, 489, 507 Jasper and the Beanstalk (1944), 489–490 Jasper and the Haunted House (1942), 471–472 Jasper and the Watermelons (1942), 472 Jasper in a Jam (1946), 507–508 Jasper’s Music Lesson (1943), 480 Jeepers Creepers (1939), 436 Jefferson, L. V., 66 Jefferson, Thomas, 76 J. Effingwell Strongheart, 334, 339, 340, 348, 380, 415, 417 Jeffrey, George S., 165 Jenkins, Allen, 514, 515 Jenkyns, Chris, 622 Jennings, DeWitt, 306 Jerry’s Big Mystery (1917), 98 Jerry’s Brilliant Scheme (1917), 98 Jeske, George, 170 Jewel/jewelry/jewels, 31, 37, 55, 74, 85, 93, 114, 119, 152, 162, 219, 225, 226, 230, 233, 235, 240, 304, 329, 332, 362, 381, 389, 457, 521, 582, 620 Jewel of Death, The (1917), 99 Jim Hood’s Ghost (1926), 207 Jingle Jangle Jungle (1950), 541 Jitterbug Knights (1939), 436–437

Johnson, Edith, 34, 38 Johnson, John Lester, 341, 342, 427 Johnson, Martin, 108 Johnson, Osa, 108 Johnston, Dolores, 194 John Sutherland Productions (studio), 512 John T. Murray and Vivien Oakland in Satires (1929), 248 Joker (studio), 17, 25, 32, 52, 82, 91, 101 Jolson, Al, 264, 375 Jonasson, Frank, 56 Jones, Charles M. (Chuck Jones), 431, 432, 438, 440, 446, 449, 452, 466, 486, 497, 505, 522, 527, 541, 549, 552, 558, 560, 569, 572, 583, 585, 588, 589, 593, 595, 603, 618, 621, 626, 627, 629, 633, 636 Jones, Edgar, 133 Jones’ Hypnotic Eye (1915), 29–30 Jones, Johnny, 136, 149 José Jiménez, 640 Joslin, Margaret, 54, 112 Joyce, Alice, 59 Joy, Charlie, 133 Joyland (1929), 248 Joy, Leatrice, 105 Joyner, Frances, 39 Joyner, Joyzelle, 355 Jumpin’ Jupiter (1955), 583 Jungle, 21, 30, 48, 51, 66, 67, 87, 91, 99, 114, 117, 139, 166, 202, 207, 217, 222, 234, 248, 258, 267, 321, 331, 353, 355, 382, 427, 502, 517, 600 Jungle Antics (1935), 382 Jungle Bungles (1928), 234 Jungle Drums (1943), 480–481 Jungle Gentleman, A (1919), 117 Jungle Heat (1927), 221–222 Jungle Jack (1963), 624–625 Jungle Jam (1931), 293 Jungle Jazz (1930), 267 Jungle Jitters (1934), 367 Jungle Jitters (1938), 422 Jungle Man Killers (1948), 524 Jungle Round-Up, A (1926), 207–208 Jungle Stockade, The (1915), 30

 INDEX 

Jungle Terror (1930), 267 Jurwich, Don, 642 Just a Cute Kid (1940), 448 Just Another Murder (1935), 382 Just Monkeys (1929), 248 Just Spooks (1925), 196–197 K Kahn, Ci, 243 Kalem (studio), 17, 23, 24, 26, 29, 31, 33, 40, 43, 44, 48, 56, 59, 61, 68, 69, 75, 81, 94, 95 Kane, Katherine, 438, 439 Kane, Raymond, 395, 417 Kannibal Kapers (1935), 382–383 Karloff, Boris, 2, 314, 375, 385, 414, 451, 456, 457 Karr, Hilliard, 186 Kartman, Bob, 212 Katnip, 561, 601 Katzenjammer Kids, 112, 113 Kaufman, Joseph, 39, 247 Kaufman, S. Jay, 39, 247 Kay-Bee (studio), 47 Kaye, Waldo, 419 Keaton, Buster, 131, 137, 138, 147, 148, 351, 363, 390, 391, 395, 449, 450, 455, 519 Keep Your Grin Up (1955), 584 Kelk, Jackie, 317 Kellino, W.P., 100 Kelly, Anthony P., 56 Kelly, Jim, 168 Kelly, Lew, 456, 461 Kelly, Patsy, 359, 387, 388 Kelsey, Fred, 268, 479, 498, 506, 516 Kemper, Charles, 246, 417 Kennedy, Edgar, 251, 277, 328, 456, 480, 515, 525 Kennedy, Tom, 110, 111, 381, 387, 395, 438, 459, 461, 473, 499, 539, 546, 567 Kenton, Erle C., 151 Kessner, Rose, 394, 417 Keyes, Frances, 63, 81 Keystone (studio), 14, 78, 97 Kibrick, Leonard, 373, 384

679

Kickaroo (1920), 128 Kidd, Captain, 209, 388 Kid from Borneo, The (1933), 341–342 Kid from Mars, The (1961), 618–619 Kid “in” Africa (1933), 342 Kidnap, 98, 130, 134, 213, 245, 260, 276, 320, 321, 323, 344, 351, 355, 397, 432, 591, 633 Kilian, Victor, 329, 356 Kilian, Victor, 329, 356 Killing the Killer (1932), 321–322 Kimball, Ward, 592, 608 Kimmich, Max, 240 Kineto Co. of America (studio), 135, 136 King, Carleton, 33, 34 King, Charles, 225 King, Emmett, 287 King, Jack, 379, 381, 397, 411, 420, 476, 487, 493 King Klunk (1933), 342 King Kong, 342, 349 King Kong (1933 feature film), 342, 349 King Rounder (1963), 625 Kingsford, Walter, 332 King-Size Canary (1947), 516 Kingston, Natalie, 177, 196 King Tut’s Tomb (1950), 541 King, Zola, 417 Kinney, Dick, 502, 552, 615, 620 Kinney, Jack, 495, 552 Kinney, Martin, 48 Kirby, Madge, 8, 64 Kirtley, Virginia, 88 Kisser Plant, The (1964), 629 Klauber, Marcy, 383, 395 Klein, Charles F., 239 Klein, Robert, 78, 80 Kline, Eddie, 110, 137 Knapp, Evalyn, 246, 259 Kneitel, Seymour, 471, 482, 483, 497, 501, 519, 526, 530, 533, 537, 541, 542, 544, 545, 548–551, 554, 556–559, 561, 563–566, 571, 572, 575, 577–81, 584–86, 589, 591–93, 596–105, 606, 607, 609, 611, 613, 614, 616, 617, 619, 622, 628, 630, 631 Knickerbocker Star Feature (studio), 14, 87, 88

680 

INDEX

Knife/knives, 16, 40, 47, 63, 106, 114, 119, 225, 298, 300, 301, 329, 349, 502, 531 Knife, The (1929), 249 Knight, 174, 248, 537, 574 Knight, Lillian, 202 Knocking on Wood (1934), 367 Kofoed, Jack, 419 Ko-Ko/Koko, 197, 313, 321, 335, 336, 340, 341, 351 Ko-Ko Sees Spooks (1925), 197 Kongo-Roo (1946), 508 Koo Koo Knights (1928), 234–235 Kornman, Mary, 188, 201, 214, 283 Korn Plastered in Africa (1932), 322 Kramer, Searle, 427, 442 Krazi-Inventions (1936), 394 Krazy Kat, 275, 303, 304, 317, 334, 343, 349, 376, 382, 383, 408, 423 Krazy Magic (1938), 423 Krazy Spooks (1933), 343 Kunkel, George, 20 Kuwahara, Bob, 614, 616, 619, 624, 627 L Lab/laboratory, 15, 52, 65, 66, 71, 320, 329, 336, 344, 363, 365, 381, 390, 391, 451, 458, 468, 476, 504, 506, 550, 563, 574, 593, 595, 598, 620, 639, 643 La Cava, Gregory, 112, 171 Lackteen, Frank, 461, 463, 477, 501, 521, 528, 584 Lad an’ a Lamp, A (1932), 322 Laddy and His Lamp (1964), 629–630 A-Lad in His Lamp (1948), 520 Lady Godiva, 532 Lahr, Bert, 556 Lake, Arthur, 270 Lambert, Glen, 356 Lamont, Charles, 200, 224, 352, 363 Lamont, Harry, 174 Lamothe, Julian Louis, 44, 45 Lancaster, George J., 289 Landis, Cullen, 129 Land of the Wends, The (1937), 405 Land of Tut-Ankh-Amen, The (1923), 169

Lane, Lupino, 100, 225, 226, 248 Langan, John B., 95 Langdon, Harry, 177, 178, 181, 182, 196, 202, 274, 275, 343, 372, 446, 447, 494 Lan,Rita, 331 Lansing, Joi, 534 Lantz, Walter, 96, 165, 166, 183, 192, 196, 197, 204, 205, 208, 209, 212, 276, 297, 301, 342, 350, 373, 376, 404, 409, 410, 412, 439, 440, 519, 546, 551, 608, 618, 626, 627, 631, 639–641, 644, 645, 648, 649 La Plante, Laura, 158, 219 La Plante, Violet, 219 Larkin, George, 37, 55 Larrimore, Francine, 13 Larriva, Rudy, 639, 642 LaRue of Phantom Valley (1921), 139 Lathrop, William Addison, 42 Laughton, Charles, 435, 439 Laughton, Eddie, 488 Laurel-Hardy Murder Case, The (1930), 267–269 Laurel, Stan, 193, 199, 218, 231, 267, 268, 338, 367, 368, 370, 371, 401 Law, Harold, 385 Lawyer, 18, 20, 21, 27, 34, 82, 207, 210, 259, 267, 304, 328, 401, 403 Leach, Marjorie, 258 Learn, Bessie, 16 Leavitt, Douglas, 356 Lederer, Otto, 20 Lederman, Ross, 194 Lee, Duke R., 163 Lee, Peggy, 489, 507 Lee, Raymond, 119 The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, 143 Lehr, Lew, 321, 437, 514, 517 Leighton, Lillian Brown, 70 Leonardi, Art, 634 Leonard, Jack, 324 Leonard, Marion, 14 Leonard, Sheldon, 370 Lerner, Murray Leon, 558 Le Saint, Edwin J., 49 Leslie, Helen, 57 Les Miserobots (1968), 646 Lester, Louise, 81

 INDEX 

Lester, William, 207 Let’s Ask Nostradamus (1953), 562–563 Levanthal, Jacob F., 183 Levant, Oscar, 457 Levee, Sidney, 279 Levering, James, 56 Levitow, Abe, 612, 621, 643, 644 Lewis, Mitchell, 227, 529 Lewis, Mort, 394 Lewis, Sheldon, 199 Leyssacc, Paul, 389 Ley, Willy, 592 Lieb, Herman, 391 Lighter than Hare (1960), 615 Lightfoot, Morey, 327, 328 Lightning, 58, 179, 199, 212, 238, 264, 267, 360, 361, 390, 423, 603 Lights Out (1942), 472 Lilly, Lou, 486 Lincoln, Elmo, 37 Lindsay, Hazel, 172 Line of Screammage (1956), 592 Lingham, Thomas, 56 Lingham, Tom, 142 Link Missing, A (1925), 197 Lion/lioness, 41, 49–51, 79, 87, 106, 121, 134, 139, 146, 151, 177, 258, 266, 292, 339, 408, 440, 475, 495, 502, 507, 566, 571, 589, 591, 606, 620, 624, 646 Lipp, Leo, 389 Lipson, Jack “Tiny,” 395 Liquor, 50, 76, 98, 128 Liszt, Margie, 539 Litson, Mason N., 136, 149 Little, Anna, 22 Little Boo Peep (1953), 563 Little Dutch Mill (1934), 367 Little Eight Ball aka Lil’ Eight Ball, 435 Littlefield, Lucien, 338, 339 Little Red Riding Hood, 358, 359, 542 Little Red Walking Hood (1937), 405–406 Little, Robert, 481 Little Roquefort, 547, 550, 552 Live Ghosts (1929), 249 Live Ghost, The (1934), 367–368 Lloyd, Charles, 357 Lloyd, Harold, 75, 117, 125–127, 161

681

Lloyd, Jack, 189, 191, 211, 216, 222 Loback, Marvin, 132, 133 Locked door, 146, 572 Locked room, 37, 89 Logan, Elizabeth, 115 Lois Lane, 457, 461, 463–465, 467, 468, 471, 473–476, 481–483 London, 40, 99, 157, 332, 619, 620, 633 London After Midnight (1927), 277 London, Babe, 165, 223, 548 Lonergan, Lloyd, 65 Lonergan, Philip, 14 Lonesome Ghosts (1937), 406–407 Lorch, Ted, 442, 483, 498, 524 Lord, Del, 110, 202, 214, 238, 256, 290, 320, 349, 356, 381, 395, 442, 452, 456, 459, 461, 463, 473, 477, 479, 483, 488, 499, 517, 528, 529, 542, 584, 585 Lorraine, Harriet, 326 Lorre, Peter, 438, 504, 512 Lortel, Lucille, 262 Lost in Limehouse or Lady Esmerelda’s Predicament (1933), 343 Lost Secret, The (1915), 30 Lot in Sodom (1933), 343–344 Lotta Coin’s Ghost (1915), 31 Louis, Will, 54, 62 Love at First Fright (July 25, 1941), 457 Love, Bessie, 78, 142 Love/lover, 7, 9, 15, 17–19, 21–24, 27, 28, 32, 33, 35, 41–44, 47, 49, 50, 52, 54, 57–61, 63–65, 71–73, 77, 78, 80, 82–86, 88, 90, 91, 93, 94, 98, 100, 102, 103, 107, 109, 111, 113–116, 119, 123, 127, 129, 139, 145, 146, 148, 149, 155, 158, 163, 164, 167, 172, 176, 180, 185, 201, 204, 213–215, 218, 221, 230, 237, 253, 260, 262, 264, 276, 282, 284, 289, 306, 307, 323, 330, 337, 391, 419, 434, 448, 479, 486, 521, 526, 544, 614, 648, 651 Lovy, Alex, 445, 608, 610, 612, 627, 644–646 Lowell, Juliet, 394 Lubin (studio), 9, 19, 20, 23, 26, 38, 39, 45, 54, 84, 87

682 

INDEX

Lucas, Wilfred, 291, 373, 395 Luddy, Edward, 180, 191 Lugosi, Bela, 2, 292, 340, 375, 385, 451, 493, 568, 569, 611 Luke, Crystal Gazer (1916), 75 Luna-Cy (1924), 182–183 Luno the White Stallion, 624, 625, 628 Lupino, Wallace, 225, 226 Lynn, Charles (Charles “Heinie” Conklin), 86, 110, 111, 499, 529 Lynne, Ethel, 108 Lynn, Eleanor, 423 Lyons, Eddie, 26, 57, 72, 88, 104, 107, 114, 118, 140, 167 M Macbeth, 417, 611 Macbeth (1937 stage production), 417 MacBride, Donald, 329 MacCullough, Jack, 123 Machette, Paul, 99 Mack, Betty, 357 Mack, Bobbie, 91 Mack, Brice, 552 Mack, Gilbert, 584, 603, 609 Mackie, Hughie, 121 Mack, Roy, 302, 334, 353 MacLeod, Elsie, 62 MacMackin, Archer, 46 MacMillan, Norma, 606, 607, 609 MacQuarrie, Frank, 35 MacQuarrie, Murdock, 35 MacRae, Henry, 51 Madame Mystery (1926), 208 Mad as a Mars Hare (1963), 625–626 Mad doctor/mad scientist, 344, 352, 368, 388, 403, 413, 451, 461, 465, 500, 504, 567, 620, 633, 641, 648 Mad Doctor, The (1933), 344–345 Madhouse, 38 Mad House, A (1934), 368 Madison, Cleo, 36 Magic (1929), 249 Magical Maestro (1952), 552–553 Magic Art (1932), 322 Magic carpet, 121, 208, 216, 337, 349, 404, 419, 520 Magic Carpet, The (1926), 208

Magic for Home Use (1918), 110 Magician Mickey (1937), 407–408 Magician’s Daughter, The (1938), 423 Magician, The (1926), 208–209 Magician, The (1927), 222 Magician, The (1929), 249 Magic in the Sun (1957), 598 Magic lamp, 183, 322, 372, 419, 511, 629 Magic Lamp, The (1924), 183 Magic/magician, 2, 11, 36, 60, 74, 83, 90, 96, 109, 121, 152, 176, 183, 185, 208, 216, 222, 225, 227, 228, 233, 249, 257, 276, 279, 292, 322, 328, 334, 337, 345, 349, 351, 372, 383, 387, 394, 395, 404, 407, 408, 411, 419, 423, 431, 438, 448, 449, 458, 466, 479, 481, 489, 493, 500, 506, 509, 511, 519, 520, 524, 525, 531, 551, 552, 556, 575, 618, 623, 627, 629, 632, 643, 645, 646, 649–651 Magic Mummy (1933), 345–346 Magic of Music, The (1935), 383 Magic Pencil, The (1940), 448 Magic rug, 74, 225 Magic Word, The (1935), 383 Magnetic Telescope, The (1942), 472–473 Magoo Meets Frankenstein (1960), 615 Maid, 17, 42, 60, 77, 100, 114, 120, 132, 396, 429, 550, 613 Mailes, Charles H., 61 Maison, Elsie, 77 Majestic (studio), 37, 360 Malaby, Richard, 296 Malchin, Leo, 441 Male Man, The (1931), 293 Maltese, Michael, 467, 470, 522, 552, 560, 583, 589, 595, 603, 604, 608, 612, 636, 639 Mama’s Little Pirate (1934), 368–369 Man About Town, A (1927), 222 Mandy, Jerry, 210 Man-Eating Sharks (1932), 323 Maniac, 166, 218 Man in Space (1956), 592 Man in the Moon, 96, 265 The Man in the Moon, 96, 265

 INDEX 

Mannequin, 356, 388, 459, 479, 499 Mann, Harry, 101, 124, 130 Manning, Knox, 458 Manor (studio), 578 Mansion, 45, 95, 126, 228, 268, 288, 403, 406, 451, 484, 490, 494, 497, 501, 509, 515, 527, 536, 611, 641, 643 Man Who Would Not Die, The (1924), 183 Man with the Twisted Lip, The (1922), 153–154 March, Fredric, 331 Marcus, Lee, 396 Marcus, Sid, 415, 437, 452, 509, 581, 626 Marian, Edna, 206, 207 Mario, George, 63 Markey, Enid, 47 Marlowe, June, 298, 299 Marriage, 20, 32, 36, 43, 74, 84, 94, 118, 123, 134, 151, 158, 164, 194, 207, 306, 339, 529, 639 Marry Month of May, The (1926), 209 Mars, 151, 190, 225, 277, 284, 293, 297, 373, 415, 440, 472, 509, 510, 551, 556, 560, 568, 594, 595, 599, 621 Mars (1931), 293 Marshall, George, 222 Martel, Doris, 287 Martell, Martin, 247 Martian Through Georgia (1962), 621 Martin, Joe, 87, 117, 134, 139, 140, 177 Martin, Owen, 329 Marvel, Frank, 612 Marvin the Martian aka Marvin Martian, 602, 625 Marx Brothers, 351 Marx, Harpo, 455, 541 Mary Celeste (Ship), 426 Mary’s Nightmare (1920), 129 Mask/masked, 35, 118, 164, 172, 276, 464, 517, 522, 535, 542, 633 Masque Raid, The (1937), 408 Matieson, Otto, 239 Matson, Russell, 282, 298, 303, 304 Maude, Arthur, 89

683

Maurice, Mary, 42 Maxwell, Edwin, 385 Mayall, Herschel, 329 May Horoscope (1930), 269 Mayo, Archie L., 187, 194 Mayo, Melvin, 45 McBride, Don, 391 McCarey, Leo, 232 McCarey, Ray, 352, 355 McCarthy, Charlie, 334 McComas, Kendall, 250, 324 McConnell, Gladys, 209 McConnell, Mollie, 87, 209 McCoy, Harry, 182, 289, 395 McCrory (studio), 322 McCrory, John R., 322 McCullough, Paul, 243, 364 McDaniel, Sam, 388 McDermott, Jack, 33 McDonald, Jack, 49 McFarland, George “Spanky,” 322, 335, 342, 361, 368, 369, 373, 384, 400, 412, 419, 430, 460, 467 McGee, Vic, 634 McGowan, Robert, 164, 188, 201, 214, 220, 238, 242, 244, 251, 253, 299, 322, 335, 342, 430, 460, 467 McGowan, Robert F., 164, 188, 201, 214, 220, 238, 242, 244, 251, 253, 299, 322, 335, 342, 430, 460, 467 McGrail, Walter, 326 McHugh, Frank, 319 McKee, Lafayette, 30, 55 McKee, Raymond, 171, 242 McKennon, Dal, 618, 631 McKenzie, Ella, 206 McKenzie, Eva, 425 McKim, Edwin, 65 McKimson, Robert, 508, 512, 520–522, 540, 554, 581, 604, 629, 635, 638, 639, 643, 651 McKinnon, Al, 110 McLaren, Norman, 450 McLeish, John, 476, 486 McLeod, Victor, 420, 429 McMackin, Archer, 83 McMahon, Doris, 372, 373 McNamara, Tom, 164

684 

INDEX

McNamee, Graham, 375, 451 McNaughton, Charles, 343 McNaughton, Harry, 311 McVey, Lucille, 98 Mead Trial, The (1931), 293–294 Mechanical Cow, The (1927), 222–223 Mechanical Cow, The (1937), 408–409 Mechanical man, 79, 92, 336, 387, 460 Mechanical Man, The (1915), 31–32 Mechanical Man, The (1932), 323 Mechanical Monsters, The (1941), 457–458 Medbury, John P., 285, 333 Medium (spiritualist), 48, 86, 97, 168, 300, 301, 319 Medium, The (1923), 169–170 Medium Well Done (1936), 394 Meek, Donald, 284, 310, 311, 316, 317, 325, 329–332 Meet Mr. Mischief (1947), 516 Mehaffey, Blanche, 194 Meins, Gus, 193, 361, 369, 373, 384 Melody of Doom, The (1915), 32 Melville, Rose, 81 Mendel, Jules, 194 Mendelsohn, Jack, 628, 631, 632 Mental institute, 351 Menzies, William Cameron, 279 Mephistopheles, 44, 226, 354 Mercer, Jack, 526, 537, 544, 545, 548–551, 554, 556–559, 561, 563, 564, 571, 572, 575, 578–581, 584–586, 589, 591–593, 596–606, 609, 617, 619 Mercy, the Mummy Mumbled (1918), 111 Merkel, Una, 494 Merlin the Magic Mouse, 501, 643, 645, 646 Merlin the Magic Mouse (1967), 643–644 Mermaid, 68, 189, 218, 327, 386 Merman, Ethel, 258 Merriam, Charlotte, 165, 258 Merry Widower, The (1926), 209–210 Messinger, Buddy, 136, 168, 190, 191, 210, 224 Messinger, Gertrude, 149, 283

Messmer, Otto, 140, 149, 167, 205, 219, 225, 239, 275, 279, 510 Mestayer, Harry, 330 Metro (studio), 131, 137, 138, 402 Meyer, Carl, 519, 520, 526, 559, 561, 578, 580, 581, 596, 597, 605, 606, 609, 617, 619 Meyers, Harry, 318 Meyers, Zion, 524 MGM (studio), 217, 243, 260, 284, 286, 298, 306, 315, 337, 351, 352, 355, 364, 367, 379, 380, 388, 390, 394, 396, 416, 418, 419, 422, 423, 425, 427, 428, 430, 431, 434, 444, 445, 453, 454, 458, 460, 462–465, 467, 469–472, 481, 484–486, 491, 498, 514, 516, 521, 529, 531, 533, 534, 538, 543, 545, 553, 555, 563, 564, 568, 569, 575, 581, 590, 604, 620, 621, 623, 629, 633, 636, 639, 642–644 Mickey McGuire, 250, 323, 324 Mickey Mouse, 1, 243, 246, 255, 263, 264, 344, 346, 347, 361, 384, 438, 462 Mickey’s Ape Man (1932), 323–324 Mickey’s Covered Wagon (1933), 346 Mickey’s Gala Premiere (1933), 346 Mickey’s Golden Rule (1932), 324 Mickey’s Mechanical Man (1933), 347 Mickey’s Midnite Follies (1929), 250 Microspook (1949), 534–535 Middlemass, Robert, 330 Middleton, Charles, 286, 477, 483 Midget, 247, 323, 327, 329 Midnight, 11, 16, 31, 35, 232, 249, 255, 424, 450, 484, 549 Midnight at the Old Mill (1916), 75 Midnight Blunders (1936), 394–395 Midnight Frolics (1938), 423–424 Midnight Mystery, A (1916), 75–76 Mighty Mouse, 469, 473, 482, 488, 490, 491, 493, 494, 497, 510, 511, 514, 524, 530, 536, 538, 541, 546, 551, 554, 609, 610, 616, 619 Mighty Mouse and the Magician (1948), 524

 INDEX 

Mighty Mouse Meets Jekyll and Hyde Cat (1944), 490–491 Miles. Art, 501 Milk White Flag, A (1916), 76–77 Mill, 75, 334, 367, 412, 415, 435, 502 Millarde, Harry, 24, 61 Millar, Melvin, 403 Miller, David, 425, 458, 469 Miller, Jack, 480 Miller, John, 23, 295 Miller, Rube, 64 Miller’s Daughter, The (1934), 369–370 Miller, Walter, 326, 328 Milliken, Bob, 246 Milton Mouse, 243, 276 MinA (studio), 13 Mind reader, 72 Mind Your Business (1929), 250 Mineau, Charlotte, 51 Minister, 13, 48, 52, 53, 80, 88, 104, 171, 176, 213, 598 Minit Men (1960), 615 Minnie Mouse, 263 Minnie the Moocher (1932), 324 Mintz, Charles, 223, 269, 343, 364, 383, 416 Misguided Missile (1958), 603 Miss in a Mess (1949), 535 Missing Genie, The (1963), 625 Missing link, 87, 197, 526 Missing Link, The (1917), 100 Missing Mouse, The (1953), 563 Missing Mummy, The (1915), 33 Mission of Mr. Foo, The (1915), 33–34 Miss Jekyll and Madame Hyde (1915), 32–33 Misunderstood Giant, The (1960), 616 Mitchell, Bruce, 12 Mitchell, Geneva, 291 Mitchell, Howard, 94, 95 Mitchell, M. M., 65 Mitchell, Rhea, 16 Mixed Magic (1936), 395 Moan & Groan, Inc. (1929), 251 Moan and Groan, Inc. (1930), 269 Moans and Groans (1935), 384 Moder, Mary, 359 Modern Inventions (1937), 410–411 Modern Sphinx, A (1916), 78

685

Moffitt, Jefferson, 202 Mohan, Earl, 194 Molecular Mixup (1964), 630 Molly Moo-Cow, 396 Molly Moo-Cow and Robinson Crusoe (1936), 396 Monahan, Dave, 446, 497 Monkey, 29, 69, 107, 129, 139, 143, 168, 177, 186, 196, 197, 210, 219, 224, 233, 248, 257, 285, 295, 322, 346, 378, 380, 382, 384, 404, 420, 437, 467, 507, 517, 533, 540, 545, 566, 600 Monkey Business in Africa (1931), 294 Monkey glands, 129 Monkey Hula (1926), 210 Monkey, Maid, Man (1917), 100 Monkey Schoolmaster, A (1921), 139 Monkey Shines (1920), 129 Monkey Shines (1932), 324–325 Monkeys Is the Cwaziest People (1939), 437 Monkey-Tone News (1947), 517 Monogram (studio), 104, 105 Monster, 2, 145, 213, 263, 293, 318, 336, 342, 355, 365, 376, 379, 381, 395, 419, 422, 432, 433, 438, 440, 448, 455, 457, 463, 485, 501, 504, 505, 527, 541, 542, 557, 574, 582, 587, 614–616, 620, 621, 628, 634, 640, 641, 647 Monster of Ceremonies (1966), 640 Monsters Crash the Pajama Party (1965), 633–634 Monsters of the Deep (1941), 458 Montague, Frederick, 71, 103 Montgomery, Frank, 41 Moon, 13, 73, 96, 106, 107, 212, 290, 327, 334, 350, 352, 361, 379, 384, 426, 437, 440, 498, 517, 520, 522, 526, 539, 547, 551, 569, 571–573, 612, 614, 638, 642–644 Moon, Arthur, 64 Moonlight and Noses (1925), 198–199 Moon Rockets (1947), 517 Moore, Dickie, 322, 342 Moore, Eugene, 40 Moore, Mildred, 114, 118 Moore, Tom, 44

686 

INDEX

Moore, Victor, 103 Moore, Vin, 216 Moran, Lee, 26, 57, 58, 72, 88, 104, 107, 114, 118, 144 Moran, Polly, 226, 239, 284 Moranti, Milburn (aka Milburn Morante), 17, 65, 82, 85, 86, 91, 115, 132 More About Nostradamus (1941), 458 Moreley, Jim, 163 Morgan, Gene, 226 Morgan, George, 163 Morgue, 15, 76, 356, 404, 459 Morrison, Ernest, 115, 125, 126 Morrison, Pete, 185 Morrison, Tom, 510, 539, 541, 547, 550, 552, 554, 576, 588, 632 Morris Schlanck (studio), 124 Morris, Tom, 491 Mortenson, Claude, 71 Morton, James C., 322, 356, 381, 425, 427 Morton, Jay, 476, 481 Moser, Frank, 281, 307, 313, 335, 355, 368 Mosquini, Marie, 125, 159, 170 Moss, Howard, 265 Mother Goose, 347, 481, 541, 542 Mother Goose Land (1933), 347 Mother Goose Nightmare (1945), 498 Mother Goose’s Birthday Party (1950), 541 Mouse into Space (1962), 621 Mouse Menace (1946), 508 Mousemerized Cat (1946), 508 Mouse of Tomorrow, The (1942), 473 Mouse Trapped (1959), 608 Movie Horoscopes (1929), 251 Movie Magic (1941), 458–459 Movietone News, No. 15 (1951), 547 Mowbray, Alan, 493 Mr. Hyde, 130, 312, 331, 333, 347, 351, 364, 376, 403, 582, 583 Mr. Hyppo (1923), 170 Mr. Jarr Takes a Night Off (1915), 34 Mr. Magoo, 572, 573, 611, 615 Mr. Moto, 437, 438 Mr. Twiddle, 586 Mr. Vampire (1916), 77

Much Mystery (1926), 210–211 Muller, H.L., 231, 234, 240, 241 Mullins, Henry (aka Henry Hite), 329 Mummy, 8, 33, 43, 52, 57, 64, 67, 76, 87, 94, 101, 104, 105, 111, 113, 114, 122, 134, 167, 170, 175, 204, 211, 240, 273, 286, 313, 326, 337, 345, 370, 376, 441, 442, 481, 482, 485, 530, 541, 640, 641 Mummy Love (1926), 211 Mummy o’ Mine (1926) Mummy Strikes, The (1943), 481 Mummy, The (1917), 101 Mummy, The (1923), 170–171 Munster, Go Home!, 642 Munster, Go Home! (1966 feature film), 642 Murder at the Bridge Table (1933), 347 Murder in Swingtime (1937), 411 Murder in the Pullman (1932), 325 Murder/murderer, 9, 13, 22, 28, 32, 35, 38, 56, 63, 71, 94, 102, 103, 146, 148, 155, 163, 195, 251, 252, 260, 263, 267, 278, 281, 283, 286, 288, 291, 302, 304–307, 310, 313, 316, 319, 325, 326, 328–332, 337, 347, 350, 382, 401, 411, 418, 429, 456, 457, 462, 481, 483, 484, 486, 491, 506, 509, 514, 515, 528, 535, 536, 581, 612, 629 Murdoch, Henry, 95 Murdock, Henry, 81, 152 Murphy, Dudley, 215 Murray, Charles, 171 Murray, Charlie, 110, 340 Murray, James, 306 Murray, John T., 230, 248, 352, 451 Museum, 64, 65, 75, 76, 86, 101, 113, 136, 159, 171, 175, 269, 313, 343, 345, 375, 376, 473, 481, 510, 595, 619, 628 Museum, The (1930), 269 Musical Mystery (1931), 294 Muskie Muskrat, 617 Mussolini, Benito, 454 Mutt and Jeff, 122, 123, 125, 197, 203, 211, 214, 216, 245 Mutual (studio), 15, 55, 81, 83 Myers, Harry, 9, 96, 289, 290, 373

 INDEX 

My Mummy’s Arms (1934), 370 Mysterious Jug, The (1937), 411–412 Mysterious Mose (1930), 269 Mysterious Package, The (1960), 616 Mysterious Package, The (1961), 619 Mysterious Stranger, The (1925), 199 Mystery, 2, 9, 20, 32, 35, 38, 44, 56, 58, 62, 63, 70, 71, 76, 78, 82, 84, 94, 105, 121, 125, 130, 135, 144–146, 148, 154–157, 160, 161, 163, 164, 196, 206, 208, 210, 213, 223, 239, 240, 246, 249, 251, 259, 260, 265, 267, 280–282, 284–286, 288, 289, 291, 293, 297, 301, 302, 304, 306, 310, 313, 316, 317, 321, 329–331, 350, 351, 403–405, 418, 426, 427, 429, 439, 476, 484, 486, 504, 514, 547, 586 Mystery in the Moonlight (1948), 525 Mystery Mansion (1928), 235 Mystery of Compartment C, The (1931), 295 Mystery of Dead Man’s Isle, The (1915), 34 Mystery of the Flying Saucers (1951), 547–548 Mystery of the Leaping Fish, The (1916), 78 Mystery of the Silent Death, The (1915), 34–35 Mystery of the Tapestry Room, The (1915), 35 Mystery Ship, The (1917), 101 Mystery Woman, The (1915), 35–36 Mystic Ball, The (1915), 36–37 Mystic Jewel, The (1915), 37 Mystic Mush (1920), 130 Mystic/mysticism, 19, 36, 49, 78, 117, 253, 259, 279, 285, 452, 480, 501 Mystic Pink (1976), 650–651 Mysto Fox (1946), 509 Mysto the Magician, 479, 552, 553 N Nadel, Clara, 634 Nameless Fear, The (1915), 37–38 Napoleon, 70, 359, 364, 380 Narcotic, 22

687

Nathan, Al, 224 Navajo Witch (1931), 295 Nazarro, Ray, 367, 374 Neal, Tom, 514, 515 Neanderthal, 625 Necromancer/necromancy, 122 Neilan, Marshall, 86, 106, 132 Nelson, Eddie, 193 Nelson, Frances, 15, 27 Nelson, Gay, 521 Nelson, Jack, 47, 199 Nemeth, Ted, 450 Nerburn, E. J., 48 Nerve Tonic (1924), 184 Nervous Shakedown (1947), 517 Nesbitt, John, 427, 445, 471, 481, 484, 485, 529 Neumann, Kurt, 291, 306, 326 Newberg, Frank, 35 Newcombe, Warren A., 149, 172 Newell, William, 430 Newfield, Sam, 241, 270 Newlyweds, 69, 70, 157, 216, 217, 257, 449, 450 Newmeyer, Fred, 120 Newsreel, 1, 3, 15, 171, 172, 179, 184, 321, 373, 385, 427, 437, 451, 547–549, 554, 557, 568, 611, 642 Nichols, Marguerite, 88 Nichols, Norman, 68 Nicholson, Paul, 315 Night, 10, 15, 18, 20, 22, 23, 25, 27, 30–32, 35–37, 40, 43, 45, 47, 49, 50, 52–56, 58, 62, 63, 71, 72, 82, 87, 88, 94–97, 103, 106, 115, 140, 144, 146, 148, 158, 159, 163, 165–167, 178, 188, 198, 199, 202, 205, 219, 226, 232, 239, 243, 246, 247, 250, 255, 257, 258, 260, 264–266, 275, 277, 282, 283, 289, 291, 292, 294, 298, 300, 301, 308, 312–314, 334, 335, 339, 343, 344, 346, 347, 353, 359, 361, 371–373, 376, 382, 385, 399, 401, 411, 412, 415, 416, 418, 420, 429, 434, 435, 438, 450, 453, 456, 459, 462, 478, 484, 487, 494, 507, 517, 526, 529, 538, 542, 546, 548–551, 566, 568, 589, 596, 605, 612, 620, 633

688 

INDEX

Nightmare, 2, 23, 41, 43, 45, 121, 136, 187, 230, 283, 303, 313, 314, 334, 344, 357, 376, 384, 390, 402, 442, 443, 472, 540, 566 Night ’n’ Gales (1937), 412 Night of Many Shadows (1922), 154 Nightshirt Bandit, The (1938), 425 Nilsson, Anna, 24 Nix on Hypnotricks (1941), 459 Noble Bachelor, The (1922), 154 Noble, Maurice, 618, 626 Nobody’s Ghoul (1962), 621 Nolan, Bill, 276, 297 Nolan, William C., 112 No Monkey Business (1921), 140 No More Relatives (1948), 525 North Pal (1953), 563–564 Norton, Barry, 222 Norton Company (studio), 389 Norton, Jack, 459 Norwood, Eille, 135, 144–148, 153–158, 160, 161, 164 Nosferatu, 314 Nosferatu (1922 feature film), 314 Nostradamus, 425–426, 458, 469, 491, 562–564 Nostradamus (1938), 425 Nostradamus and the Queen (1953), 564 Nostradamus IV (1944), 491 Nostradamus Says So! (1953), 564 Not Ghoulty (1959), 609 Nothing Matters (1926), 211–212 Nova, Hedda, 183, 202 Now Hear This (1963), 626 Nowland, Eugene, 55 Now We’ll Tell One (1932), 325 Nuisance, The (1923), 171 Nursery rhyme, 498 Nursery Rhyme Mysteries (1943), 481 Nut Factory, The (1933), 347–348 Nutty Network, The (1939), 437 O Oaker, John, 71 Oakland, Vivien, 248 Oakley, Laura, 22 O’Brien, Dave, 568

O’Brien, John, 207 O’Brien, John B., 207 O’Brien, Willis H., 92, 93 O’Byrne, Patsy, 214 Occult, 24, 46, 169 O’Connor, Frank, 480 Octopus, 265, 379, 458, 550 O’Dea, June, 329 O’Dell, Garry, 174 Oehman, Rita, 434 Of Cash and Hash (1955), 584 Ogle, Bob, 625, 636, 651 O’Hanlon, George, 528, 566 Oh, Mummy! (1927), 223 Oh! Oh! Cleopatra (1931), 295–296 Oil Can Harry, 334, 339, 340, 348, 380, 415, 417, 536, 554 Oil Can Mystery, The (1933), 348 Oily Bird, The (1928), 235–236 Oily Bird, The (1928), 235 Olcott, Sidney, 19 Old Barn, The (1929), 251–252 Old Grey Hare, The (1944), 491–492 Old house, 28, 37, 132, 197, 219, 246, 257, 267, 288, 301, 347, 372, 424, 432, 479, 525–528, 584, 638 Old House, The (1936), 396 Old King Cole, 205, 390, 541 Old Man of the Mountain, The (1933), 348 Old Mill, The (1937), 412–413 Old Mother Hubbard, 334, 335 Old Nick, 12 Old Seal Film Corporation (studio), 133 O’Leary, Patsy, 320 Olive in the Madhouse (1915), 38 Olive Oyl, 355, 361, 371, 372, 381, 382, 397, 429, 434, 444, 501, 510, 517, 519, 526, 530, 575, 596, 597, 601 Oliver, Guy, 49, 50, 66 Oliver the Eighth (1934), 370–371 Ollestad, Norman, 512 Olmstead, Gertrud, 150 Olsen, Moroni, 428 Omen, 13, 51, 58, 262, 295, 519 Once Upon a Rhyme (1950), 542 O’Neal, Anne, 459 O’Neal, Peg, 189

 INDEX 

One Awful Night (1933), 348–349 O’Neill, Henry, 486 One Live Ghost (1936), 396–397 One Nutty Night (1930), 270 One Quiet Night (1931), 296 One Shivery Night (1950), 542 One Spooky Night (1925), 199 One Spooky Night (1955), 584–585 One Wild Night (1925), 199–200 On the Pan (1933), 348 Opium, 78, 153, 212, 337 Orang-outang, 38, 87 Orang-Outang, The (1915), 38 Orchestra, Creatore, 263 Orchestra, His, 263, 321, 340, 348, 411 O’Reilly, Larry, 534, 579, 593 Orgy, The (1915), 38–39 Oriental Ruby, The (1915), 39 Orient/Oriental, 22, 25, 34, 37, 44, 49, 63, 120, 211, 216, 251, 259, 501 Orr, William T., 569 Orth, Frank, 277 Oscar®, 221 Oscar Mild, 628–630, 635–637 O-Solar-Meow (1967), 644 O’Sullivan, Maureen, 385 Oswald in Mars (1931), 297 Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, 276, 287, 292, 323, 333, 376 Otto, Henry, 70 Otto, Jean, 97 Ouija board, 120, 121, 123, 133 Our Gang, 164, 187, 188, 201, 214, 219, 220, 238, 242–244, 247, 251, 253, 254, 277, 283, 299, 322, 335, 342, 361, 369, 373, 384, 399, 400, 412, 416, 419, 421, 422, 430, 460, 467 Our Gang Follies of 1936 (1935), 384 Out Again, In Again (1917), 101 Outcault, R. F., 241 Outer Galaxy Gazette (1964), 630 Outer space, 384, 547, 609, 614, 616, 621, 629, 639 Outer Space Jitters (1957), 598–599 Outer Space Visitor (1959), 609–610 Out of the Ether (1933), 349 Out of the Inkwell (1938), 426 Overtones (1928), 236 Ovey, George, 98, 127

689

Owl, 199, 242, 245, 255, 295, 388, 399, 545, 568, 606 P Pabian, Jim, 633 Pagano, Ernest, 296, 363 Page, Elizabeth, 227, 236 Painlevé, Jean, 441 Painting (artwork), 74, 149, 388, 392, 484, 485, 522, 550, 560, 607, 612 Pal, George, 472, 480, 489 Pallette, Eugene, 348, 349 Palma, Joe, 498, 546, 582, 585 Palmer, Harry, 80 Palmistry/palm reading, 454, 579 Pancho and Toro, 648 Pandora’s Box (1943), 482 Parade of the Women Soldiers (1933), 349 Paramount (studio), 72, 94, 110, 114, 128, 223, 247, 257, 266, 280, 293, 310, 336, 340, 349, 355, 367, 374, 382, 383, 397, 405, 454, 463, 466, 468, 471, 472, 474, 480–483, 497, 501, 502, 508, 510, 517, 519, 520, 526, 530, 533, 537, 541, 542, 544, 545, 548–551, 554, 556–559, 561, 563–566, 570–572, 575, 577, 578, 580, 581, 586, 587, 589, 591–593, 596–607, 611, 613, 614, 616, 617, 619, 622, 628, 630–633, 635, 640 Paramount News, No. 52 (1951), 548 Paramount News, No. 100 (1952), 554 Paramount Screen Magazine (1921), 140 Parcel Post Pete’s Nightmare (1916), 79 Pardon My Nightshirt (1956), 593 Pardon My Terror (1946), 509 Parker, Ben, 526 Parrott, James, 151, 230, 269, 388 Parrott, Paul, 150, 151, 157, 158, 166, 170 Parr, Thelma, 238 Parsons, Harriet, 439 Pathé (studio), 10, 11, 96, 112, 115, 126, 127, 130, 139, 142, 149, 150, 169, 171, 172, 176, 183, 184, 194, 195, 213, 214, 222, 236, 237, 246, 259, 261, 270, 279 Pathe News, No. 3 (1923), 171

690 

INDEX

Pathe News, No. 20 (1924), 184 Pathe News, No. 24 (1923), 172 Pathe News, No. 34 (1924), 184 Pathe Review No. 5 (1928), 236 Pathe Review, No. 13 (1923), 171 Pathé Review, No. 82 (1920), 130 Pat O’Brien, 385 Paton, Stuart, 27 Pat Rooney, Jr., 417 Pat Sullivan, 140, 149, 167, 225, 230, 234, 235, 239, 275, 279 Patterson, Don, 556, 561 Payson, Blanche, 168, 256 Peace and Quiet (1921), 140 Peacock, Lillian, 17, 65, 82, 86, 91 Peek a Boo (1930), 270 Peekaboo (1957), 599 Peggy, Baby (Peggy-Jean Montgomery/ Diana Sera Cary), 168 Pemberton, H. W., 13 Pemberton, John, 13, 38, 39 Pembroke, William, 225 Penguin for Your Thoughts (1956), 593 People Born in April (1930), 271 People Born in August (1930), 271 People Born in December (1929), 252 People Born in February (1930), 271 People Born in January (1929), 252 People Born in July (1930), 271 People Born in June (1930), 272 People Born in March (1930), 272 People Born in May (1930), 272 People Born in November (1929), 252 People Born in October (1929), 253 People Born in September (1929), 253 Percival, Cyril, 154 Percy, Eileen, 213 Percy the Cat, 547, 550, 552 Percy the Mechanical Man (1916), 79–80 Perez, Marcel, 211 Perez, Paul, 256 Perils of Pearl Pureheart, The (1949), 536 Perley, Charles, 39 Pet cemetery, 499 Peter Pan Film Company (studio), 107 Peterson, G.C., 12 Peters, Tony, 630, 631, 633

Pete’s Haunted House (1926), 212 Petrie, Walter, 311 Pet Store, The (1933), 349 Phantom, 276, 345, 387, 437, 438, 446, 645 Phantom Butler, The (1920), 130 Phantom Moustacher, The (1961), 619 Phantom of the Horse Opera (1961), 619–620 The Phantom of the Opera (novel by Gaston Leroux), 421 Phantom Outlaw, The (1927), 223 Phantom Rocket, The (1933), 350 Phantom Ship, The (1936), 397 Phantoms, Inc. (1945), 498 Phillips, Eddie, 291 Phoney Cronies (1942), 473–474 Phoney [sic] Cannibal, The (1915), 39–40 Pickaninny Blues (1932), 326 Pickett, Ingram B., 138 Pickford, Jack, 106 Picture of Dorian Gray, The (1915), 40 Pierce, Betty, 332 Pierce, Tedd, 463, 466, 536, 593, 604, 618, 622, 623 Pierson, Leo, 55 Pig-A-Boo (1952), 554 Pigs Is Pigs (1937), 413 Pink of Arabee, The (1976), 651 Pink Panic (1966), 640–641 The Pink Panther, 634, 635, 640–643, 646, 647, 650, 651 Pink Panzer (1965), 634 Pink Plasma (1965), 634 Pink Sphinx (1968), 646–647 Piping Hot (1925), 200 Pirate/pirates, 45, 46, 209, 213, 287, 299, 368, 397, 550, 630 Pirates Bold (1926), 213 Pistol, 24, 39, 152, 408, 528 Pitt-Chatham, C., 156 Pitts, ZaSu, 91, 328 Planetarium, 453 Planet Mouseola, The (1960), 616 Plan 9 from Outer Space, 627 Plastics Inventor, The (1944), 492–493 Platt, George W., 46

 INDEX 

Pluto (cartoon character), 344, 346, 362, 363, 384, 474, 475, 495, 496 Pluto’s Judgment Day (1935), 384 Plympton, George H., 233 Poe, Bonnie, 340 Poe, Edgar Allan, 2, 35, 65, 66, 130, 135, 227–229, 239, 462, 466, 538, 612 Poison, 33, 37, 61, 66, 78, 95, 146, 281, 448, 481, 509 Police, 8, 9, 12, 15, 16, 22, 23, 27, 28, 34, 35, 37, 40, 49, 51, 53, 56, 68, 73, 76, 78, 90, 100, 102, 103, 118, 141, 146, 166, 167, 173, 209, 219, 237, 239, 241, 243, 244, 266, 268, 282, 286, 288, 294, 295, 306, 307, 311, 316, 323, 328–330, 337, 345, 350, 417, 432, 434, 447, 456, 484, 499, 506, 517, 535, 544, 552, 584, 590, 593, 596, 629, 630, 650 Politics/politician, 32, 391 Pollard, Daphne, 252, 325, 401 Pollard, Luther J., 112, 123 Pollard, Snub, 75, 115, 117, 125, 159, 234, 235 Polo, Eddie, 163 Poor Little Witch Girl (1965), 635 Popeye, 355, 361, 371, 372, 381, 382, 397, 414, 421, 429, 433, 434, 442–444, 459, 501, 509, 510, 517, 519, 526, 530, 564, 565, 570, 575, 596, 597, 601 Popeye, the Ace of Space (1953), 564–565 Popeye the Sailor Meets Sinbad the Sailor (1936), 397–398 Popular Science (1942), 474 Porky in Egypt (1938), 426 Porky in Wackyland (1938), 426 Porky Pig, 389, 403, 414, 415, 426, 436, 438, 444, 448, 460, 508, 526, 527, 531, 532, 549, 554, 560, 572, 583, 589, 593 Porky’s Garden (1937), 414 Porky’s Hero Agency (1937), 414 Porky’s Movie Mystery (1939), 437–438 Porky’s Road Race (1937), 414–415 Porter, Zona, 97

691

Portrait, 40, 42, 50, 201, 244, 359, 505, 522 Possessed/possession, 7, 8, 11, 13, 29, 35, 37, 47, 53, 70, 71, 74, 85, 95, 104, 105, 157, 170, 201, 210, 227, 230, 310 Post, Howard, 632, 633, 635 Post War Inventions (1945), 498–499 Potel, Victor, 87, 112 Powerful Eye, The (1924), 185 Power of Thought, The (1948), 525 Powers, P.A. (studio), 341 Practical Yolk (1966), 641 Pratt, Gil, 247, 328 Pratt, Hawley, 634, 641–643, 646, 647 Prehistoric, 92, 176, 182, 276, 307, 318, 319, 342, 448, 463, 524, 526, 554, 587, 604, 647, 648 Prehistoric Man (1924), 185 Prehistoric Perils (1952), 554 Prehistoric Pink (1968), 647 Prehistoric Porky (1940), 448–449 Prehistoric Super Salesman (1969), 648 Pre-hysterical Hare (1958), 604 Pre-hysterical Man (1948), 526 President Roosevelt, 454 Prest-O Change-O (1939), 438 Pretender, The (1916), 80 Prevost, Marie, 110, 111, 340 Price, Kate, 100 Price, Stanley, 538 Priest, 18, 19, 41, 46, 59, 99, 105 Principal (studio), 322, 354 Priory School, The (1922), 155 Prison, 101, 210, 337, 421, 442 Prize Pest, The (1952), 554 Professor, 8, 15, 29, 33, 40, 41, 43, 52, 57, 58, 79–81, 87, 88, 100, 101, 104, 111, 168, 169, 195, 197, 198, 200, 219, 220, 240, 295, 338, 395, 405, 423, 441, 442, 451, 461, 476, 514, 520, 546, 572, 585, 587, 598, 599, 612, 622, 628 Professor Bonehead Is Shipwrecked (1916), 80 Professor Drizzle, 628 Professor Jeremy’s Experiment (1916), 80–81 Professor Schmaltz, 613

692 

INDEX

Professor’s Nightmare, The (1915), 40–41 Props and the Spirits (1925), 200 Psychiatrist, 586, 628 Psychic Phenomenon, The (1916), 81 Psychic research, 11 Public Ghost #1 (1935), 385 Puddy Pup and the Gypsies (1936), 398 Puddy the Pup, 398, 402, 415 Puffy, Charles, 215–217 Pullman Mystery, The (1917), 102 Puppetoon, 480, 489, 507 Push-Button Kitty (1952), 555 Puss ’n Boos (1954), 576–577 Pyramid, 94, 117, 205, 211, 262, 286, 312, 317, 350, 391 Pyre, 41, 46, 272 Q Questel, Mae, 497, 537, 544, 548—544, 554, 556—553, 561, 563, 571, 572, 577, 580, 581, 586, 589—585, 593, 597—593, 603—599 Quest, The (1922), 155 Quiet Please (1939), 438–439 Quiribet, Gaston, 182 R Rabbit Rampage (1955), 585 Raby, J.B., 11, 12 Radio Murder Mystery, The (1933), 350 Raft, George, 455 Rajah’s Sacrifice, The (1915), 41 Rajah, The (1919), 117 Ralston, Jobyna, 150, 151, 157, 158 Ranald, Josef, 454 Rankin, Gilman, 545 Ranson, Charles, 12, 48 Rape, 305 Rasch, Albertina, 284, 294 Rasinski, Connie, 441, 497, 498, 502, 507, 531, 539, 541, 546, 551, 554, 576, 588, 614, 616, 617, 625, 628–630, 635 Rasputin, 364 Rathbone, Basil, 612

Rathburn, Janet, 317 Rattfink, 646 The Raven, 430, 444, 466 Raven, The, 466 Rawlinson, Herbert, 22, 130, 132 Ray, Al, 179, 387 Ray, Charles, 47 Ray, Emma, 62 Ray, Johnny, 62 Raymaker, Herman C., 92, 97 Raymond, Sid, 537, 549, 554, 556, 558, 559, 563, 571, 572, 577–579, 585, 591–593, 600 Razeto, Stella, 49 Ready, Willing, but Unable (1941), 459 Reagan, Ronald, 569 Reanimation, 111, 461 Reason, James, 634 Red Headed Baby (1931), 297 Red Headed League, The (1922), 155 Red Hot Mamma (1934), 371 Redman, Don, 340 Red Seal (studio), 182, 203, 215 Red Shadow, The (1932), 326 Red White and Boo (1955), 585–586 Reed, Emma, 253 Reed, Katherine, 90 Reed, Leslie, 89 Reelcraft (studio), 132 Reicher, Frank, 91 Reid, George Clifford, 278, 280, 282, 288, 298, 303, 304, 307 Reid, Marguerite, 20 Reincarnation, 87, 89, 144, 145, 228 Reincarnation (1915), 41–42 Reinhard, John, 13 Reisman, Phil, Jr., 534 Reliance (studio), 7, 22, 25 Republic (studio), 130 Reserve Photoplays (studio), 62 Resident Patient, The (1922), 156 Return of Maurice Donnelly, The (1915), 42 Reunited (1915), 42–43 Revenge, 45, 65, 85, 119, 123, 142, 148, 165, 209, 214, 485, 512, 612 Revolver, 9, 24, 39, 45, 47, 84, 102, 183, 311, 525 Rex (studio), 77, 96

 INDEX 

R. G. Phillips, 108, 111 R. Henry Grey, 87 Rhodes, Billie, 129 Rice, Jack, 480, 515 Richardson, Jack, 201 Richardson, John J., 202 Richard, Viola, 226 Rich, Vivian, 81 Ridges, Stanley, 451 Ridgwell, George, 90 Riesenfeld, Hugo, 279 Rifenborich Jr., R. P., 84 Rinehart, Mary Roberts, 121 Ring Leader, The (1931), 297–298 Ripley, Robert L., 280, 312 Rip Van Winkle, 143, 294 Ritchie, Ethel, 152 Ritchie, Franklin, 29, 61 Ritter, Lloyd Martin, 558 Ritter, Tex, 581 River Styx, 273 RKO (studio), 257, 267, 269, 287, 290, 293, 303, 305, 310, 312, 314, 315, 324, 328, 331, 343, 347, 365, 392, 397, 420, 446, 476, 480, 493, 495, 502, 515, 519, 525, 529, 534, 539, 543, 550, 552, 574, 579 Roach, Bert, 173, 175, 176, 180, 188, 189, 202 Roach, Hal, 75, 115, 126, 127, 139, 150, 159, 188, 194, 201, 208, 210, 214, 231, 238, 242, 251, 253, 268, 277, 283, 299, 322, 325, 327, 335, 338, 342, 357, 361, 368–370, 373, 384, 400, 401, 412, 422 Roadrunner, 639, 642 Robards, Jason, 227, 306 Roberts, Charles E., 480, 515 Roberts, Joe, 131, 137, 148 Robertson-Cole Pictures Corporation (studio), 108 Roberts, Peter, 579 Roberts, Stephen, 192, 211, 216, 222, 224, 242, 535 Robinson, Bill, 402 Robinson Crusoe, 45, 46, 294, 396 Robinson Crusoe Jr. (1941), 460 Robinson Crusoe Limited (1921), 141 Robinson, Edward G., 435

693

Robinson Gruesome (1959), 610 Robinson, Jimmy, 250, 324 Robinson, Sam, 108, 112 Robot, 2, 92, 266, 323, 327, 336, 347, 352, 381, 387, 388, 431, 457, 460, 476, 498, 514, 538, 555, 557, 566, 607, 613, 615, 616, 618, 619, 622, 630, 641–644, 646 Robot Rabbit (1953), 566 Robot Ringer, The (1962), 622 Robot Rival (1964), 630–631 Robots in Toyland (1965), 635 Robot, The (1932), 327 Robot Wrecks (1941), 460 Rob/robbery, 16, 46, 95, 107, 139, 158, 170, 199, 250, 277, 343, 381, 402, 474 Rocket, 96, 277, 327, 337, 350, 379, 415, 437, 453, 498, 509, 510, 517, 520, 522, 526, 569, 572, 591, 592, 594, 595, 599, 600, 602, 607, 610, 612, 621, 622, 625, 631, 636, 638, 643 Rocket-bye Baby (1956), 594–595 Rocketeers (1932) Rocket of the Future (1948), 526 Rocket Racket (1962), 622 Rocket Squad (1956), 593 Rocket to Mars (1946), 509–510 Rodney, Earl, 129 Rodney, Earle, 141, 289 Roessing, Laura, 166 Rogers, Charles, 368 Rogers, Charlie, 231, 275, 368 Roman, 41 Rome, 295, 296 Romeo and Juliet, 611 Rooke, Irene, 155 Rooney, Mickey, 250, 324, 346 Roper, Jack, 503 Roscoe, Albert, 35 Rose, Allen, 414 Roselli, Rex de, 19, 51, 67 Rose, Louis B., 20 Rosenbloom, Maxie, 460, 461, 546 Rose, Wally, 499 Rosley, Adrian, 359 Ross, Budd, 105 Ross, Joanna, 330

694 

INDEX

Ross, Milton, 46 Rosson, Dick, 83 Ross, Shirley, 388 Ross, Tad, 201 Roth, Gene, 599 Roth, Murray, 237 Rottman, Victor, 61 Rough and Ready (1924), 186 Round Trip to Mars (1957), 599–600 Routh, George, 45 Rowe, George, 194 Royal Pair, A (1924), 186 Roy, Cecil, 497, 537, 542, 544, 545, 548, 549, 551, 554, 556–559, 563, 564, 566, 571, 572, 577, 578, 589, 591–593, 596–606, 609 Roy, Helen, 329 Rubens, Alma, 78 Rubin, Benny, 284, 318, 600 Rucker, John, 246 Ruge, Billy, 62, 100 Running Ragged (1928), 236 Russian Rhapsody (1944), 493 Russia/Russian, 21, 22, 28, 107, 179, 510, 606, 607, 634 Ruth, Roy Del, 182 Ryan, Irene, 480 Ryan, Jim, 643, 646, 647 S Sackville, Gordon, 88 Sacred Fires (1930), 272–273 Sacrifice, 19, 32, 46, 101, 106, 260, 262, 329, 354, 526 Safari So Good (1947), 517 Sais, Marin, 56 Sambo, 485, 486 Sammy’s Semi-suicide (1916), 81 Sandifer, Dalton, 599, 612, 620, 623 Sandrich, Mark, 233, 257, 331 Sands of Egypt, The (1930), 273 Sanitarium, 70, 71, 103, 224, 240, 278, 284, 517 Santell, Al, 94, 134 Santley, Joseph, 295 Santschi, Thomas, 20, 21, 30, 53, 55, 139 Sarcophagus, 25, 263, 541

Sargent, Epes W., 26 Sargent, Jean, 352 Sargent, Lewis, 143, 144, 236 Sasanoff, Michael, 491 Satan, 32, 33, 41, 132, 253, 254, 286, 362, 363, 577, 634 Satan’s Waitin’ (1954), 577 Saturday’s Lesson (1929), 253–254 Saturn, 352, 440, 551 Savages, 108, 141, 234, 360, 421, 422 Sawing a Lady in Half (1922), 156 Sawmill, 373, 380 Saw Mill Mystery, The (1937), 415 Sax, Sam, 258, 294, 302, 317, 318, 329 Sax, Sam, 258, 294, 302, 317, 318, 329 Saylor, Sid, 240 Sayre, George, 427 Scandal in Bohemia, A (1922), 157 Scardon, Paul, 33 Scarecrow, 90, 283, 366, 439, 471, 480, 568, 581 Scarecrow, The (1920), 131 Scared Crows, The (1939), 439 Scared Silly (1927), 223–224 Scared Stiff (1919), 118 Scared Stiff (1924), 186–187 Scared Stiff (1926), 213 Scared Stiff (1928), 237 Scared Stiff (1931), 298 Scaredy Cat (1948), 526–527 Scary Crows (1937), 415 Scat the Cat, 616 Schade, Betty, 76 Schaffer, Milt, 477 Schenck, Joseph M., 137, 138 Schildkraut, Joseph, 462 Schilkret, Nat, 411 Schindell, Cy, 512 Schlesinger, Leon, 357, 379, 381, 397, 403, 414, 415, 421, 422, 426, 430, 432, 434, 436, 438, 440, 444, 446, 449, 454, 470, 477, 478, 532 Schreck, Max, 314 Schrock, Raymond L., 72, 73 Schubert, Franz, 595, 596 Schwalb, Ben, 419 Science Friction (1963), 626 Scientist, 42, 66, 80, 96, 115, 135, 175, 189, 197, 213, 231, 233, 274, 352,

 INDEX 

357, 363, 364, 368, 388, 395, 413, 451, 461, 465, 468, 469, 481, 500, 501, 504, 512, 522, 538, 567, 581, 595, 599, 609, 618, 620, 626, 640, 641, 647, 648 Scotched in Scotland (1954), 577 Scotland, 46 Scotto, Aubrey, 310 Scott, William, 520 Scrambled Brains (1951), 548 Scrappy, 363, 364, 385, 415 Scrappy’s Ghost Story (1935), 385 Scrappy’s Trip to Mars (1937), 415 Screen Snapshots, No. 1 (1939), 439 Screen Snapshots, No. 4 (1944), 493 Screen Snapshots, No. 9 (1920), 132 Screen Snapshots, No. 10 (1922), 157 Screen Snapshots, No. 11 (1935), 385 Seabrook, Gay, 335 Sea Dog’s Tale, A (1926), 213–214 Sealskins (1932), 327–328 Séance on a Wet Afternoon, 643 Seance/séance, 48, 61, 86, 88, 97, 169, 194, 214, 220, 223, 300, 301, 394, 396, 480 Sea of Dreams, The (1923), 172 Sears, A. D., 78 Secret agent, 60, 644 Secret Agent (1943), 482 Secret Agent Woody Woodpecker (1967), 644 Secret formula, 115 Secret of the Dead, The (1915), 43 Secret panel, 115, 177, 197, 201, 214, 242, 281, 337, 451, 528 Secret passage, 59 Secret room, 76 Secret Room, The (1915), 43–45 The Secret Weapon, 626 Secret Weapon, The (1963), 626–627 Sedgwick, Eileen, 107 Sedgwick, Josie, 207 Seeing Ghosts (1948), 527 Seeing Things (1917), 103, 104 Seeing Things (1919), 118–119 Seeing Things (1930), 273 Seein’ Things (1924), 187–188 Seer, 209, 272, 458, 469 Self-Condemned (1932), 328

695

Selig (studio), 30, 32, 37, 38, 49, 50, 53, 55, 65, 66, 77, 86, 95, 106, 202 Selig Polyscope, 20, 21, 34, 49 Selzer, Edward, 504–506, 512, 522, 527, 531, 532, 541, 554, 558, 560, 569, 572, 574, 577, 583, 585, 588, 589 Sennett, Mack, 110, 178, 179, 202, 238, 251, 252, 256, 288, 289, 294, 320, 323, 332, 382 Sergeant Deux Deux, 645 Serial killer, 370 Serpent, 19 Sessions, Almira, 331 Shadow(s), 11, 80, 172, 197, 221, 225, 228, 229, 236, 237, 239, 247, 281, 282, 289, 291, 296, 306, 315, 326, 335, 341, 361, 527, 547, 576, 591 Shadowed by the Devil (1916), 82 Shadowed Shadow, A (1916), 82 Shadows (1923), 172 Shadows (1928), 237 Shaefer, Anne, 20 Shakespeare, William, 611 Sham Poo, The Magician (1932), 328 Shannon, Effie, 247 Shannon, Frank, 282 Shannon, Harry, 356 Shark, 323, 419, 458, 634 Sharks and Swordfish (1931), 298 Sharpe, David, 283 Sharples, Winston, 405 Shattuck, Ross, 305 Shaw, Dick, 493 Shay, Alan, 530, 533, 550, 571, 581, 584 Shean, Al, 259 Sheehan, John, 83, 343 Sheik, 180, 209–211, 325, 350, 530 Shelton, George, 309, 383, 417 Shepard, Elaine, 412 Sheridan, Ann, 455 Sherlock Holmes, 108, 135, 144–148, 153–158, 160, 161, 163, 164, 190, 203, 235, 239, 254, 257, 290, 337, 341, 343, 347, 359, 432, 486, 589 Sherlock Pink (1965), 635 Sherlock’s Home (1932), 328–329

696 

INDEX

Sherwood, Yorke, 194 Sh-h-h-h-h-h (1955), 586 Shields, Arthur, 498 Shields, Ernest, 46 Shields, Frederick, 354 Ship (vessel), 45, 46, 59, 265, 392 Ship that Died, The (1938), 426–427 Shiver and Shake (1922), 157–158 Shivering Sherlocks (1948), 527–528 Shivering Spooks (1926), 214 Shiver Me Timbers! (1934), 371–372 Shiver My Timbers (1931), 298–299 Shivers (1934), 372 Shootin’ Injuns (1925), 201 Shores, Lynn, 338 Short Circuit, A (1928), 237 Shorty Among the Cannibals (1915), 45–46 Shorty Lays a Jungle Ghost (1917), 104 Shorty Unearths a Tartar (1917), 104–105 Should Sleep Walkers Marry? (1927), 238 Should Watchmen Sleep? (1922), 158 Showdown (1942), 474 Shriek, The (1933), 350 Shrimps for a Day (1934), 372–373 Shrimp, The (1930), 274–275 Shrunken head, 281, 640 Shumway, L. C., 45, 84 Sicque! Sicque! Sicque! (1966), 641 Sideshow, 17, 34, 315, 329, 341, 342, 414 Side Show Mystery, The (1932), 329 Sidney, George, 340, 430, 463 Sidney, Scott, 165 Siegel, Bernard, 39, 65 Siegel, Louis, 344 Silent Man, The (1916), 82 Silly Science (1960), 617 Silly Superstition (1939), 439–440 Silvery Moon (1933), 350–351 Simp and Satan, A (1920), 132 Simpson, Mickey, 519, 529 Sinbad the Sailor, 386 Sinbad, the Sailor (1919), 119 Sinbad the Sailor (1935), 386 Singer, George, 641 Singleton, John, 15, 201

Sinister Stuff (1934), 373 Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1929), 254–255 Siren (female temptress), 32, 214, 619 Sissle, Noble, 353 Sitka, Emil, 506, 512, 516, 535, 537, 546, 548, 559, 587, 590, 599, 600 Skeleton, 2, 11, 12, 17, 18, 82, 83, 112, 113, 140, 173, 174, 188, 192, 193, 197, 200–202, 205, 212, 214, 226, 227, 234, 243, 246, 255, 263–266, 269, 276, 277, 281, 282, 287, 290, 291, 299, 301, 303, 304, 308, 312, 313, 315, 318, 323, 324, 327, 333, 334, 336, 343–345, 347, 350, 352, 355, 359, 361, 368, 369, 372, 384, 388, 390, 395, 396, 399, 416, 422, 450, 451, 482–484, 486, 499, 520, 522, 523, 527, 529, 532, 541, 542, 550, 551, 566, 567, 575, 580, 613, 615, 618, 640, 641 Skeleton Dance, The (1929), 255 Skeleton Frolic (1937), 416 Skeletons (1923), 173 Skelly’s Skeleton (1916), 82–83 Skit the Mouse, 616 Skull, 27, 112, 188, 189, 231, 255, 261, 266, 267, 276, 278, 289, 293, 320, 322, 329, 336, 367, 385, 386, 396, 414, 463, 498, 507, 601 Skull Murder Mystery, The (1932), 329–330 Skulls and Sculls (1930), 275 Sky Larks (1934), 373 Sky’s the Limit, The (1965), 636 Slave, 13, 18, 105, 180, 434 Slave, The (1917), 105 Sleeman, Phillip, 223 Sleep, 11, 22, 37, 45, 51, 54, 58, 78, 96, 99, 104, 163, 164, 167, 168, 181, 185, 200, 299, 331, 357, 371, 375, 401, 414, 482, 579, 586, 588, 590, 598 Sleeper, Martha, 190 Sleepless Night, A (1948), 528 Sleep Walker, The (1942), 474–475 Sleepwalk/sleepwalking, see Somnambulism/somnambulist Sleuths (1918), 111

 INDEX 

Slick Sleuths (1926), 214 Sliding panel, 138, 171, 184, 186, 372, 509 Slippery Slim and His Tombstone (1918), 111–112 Sloman, Edward, 84 Smedley, 610, 619, 645 Smile, Darn Ya, Smile! (1931), 299 Smiley, Joseph W., 20 Smith, Alfred Edgar, 417 Smith, Billy Ray “Boxcar,” 460 Smith, Cliff, 120 Smith, David, 30 Smith, Frank, 70, 82 Smith, Gerald Oliver, 302 Smith, Hamilton, 56 Smith, Noel Mason, 186 Smith, Paul J., 579, 587, 595, 600, 603, 618, 620, 621, 623, 624, 631, 639–641, 644, 645, 648, 649 Smith, Pete, 298, 463 Smith, Richard, 202, 217, 220, 221 Smith, Sid, 137, 236 Smuggler, 78 Snake, 18, 140, 207, 260, 279, 316, 338, 397, 404, 649 Snap, the Gingerbread Man, 241, 257 Sniffles and the Bookworm (1939), 440 Sniffles Mouse, 440, 449 Sniffles Takes a Trip (1940), 449 Sniffles the Mouse, 440, 449 Snooks, Baby, 435 Snowman, 449, 597, 623 Snow Man, The (1940), 449 Snow, Marguerite, 25 Snow White, 477 Snow-White (1933), 351 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, 363 Sobol, Louis, 350 Sockeroo (1941), 460–461 Soda Squirt (1933), 351 Soldier, 33, 47, 55, 99, 134, 215, 248, 277, 297, 357, 374, 482, 528, 629 Sold to Satan (1916), 83–84 Solid Tin Coyote, The (1966), 641–642 Solitary Cyclist, The (1922), 158 Some Detective (1916), 84–85 Some Kind of Vampire (1916), 85–86

697

Some Nightmare (1915), 46 Somewhere in Egypt (1943), 482 Sommer, Paul, 479 Somnambulism/somnambulist, 2, 22, 127, 200, 238, 320, 425, 474, 521, 527, 538, 593 Song of the Voodoo (1931), 299–300 The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, 279 Sorcerer’s Apprentice, The (1935), 387 So’s Your Monk (1927), 224 Soul, 13, 32, 44, 46, 47, 72, 80, 83, 84, 87, 124, 215, 244, 265, 283, 630 Soul of Phyra, The (1915), 46–47 Soul of the Cypress (1926), 214–215 Sourpuss, 448, 472, 488, 504, 507, 511, 531, 537, 538 The South, 19, 46, 108 South America, 262 South Sea/South Seas, 46, 217, 218, 360, 428, 610 Souvenirs of Death (1948), 528–529 So White, 477 So You Want to Be a Detective (1948), 528 So You Want to Be an Heir (1953), 566 Space, Arthur, 486 Space Mouse (1959), 610 Space Ship Sappy (1957), 600 Space Varmint, The (1960), 617 Spanish, 43, 134, 268, 274, 458 Sparber, I. (aka Isadore Sparber), 467, 474, 481, 497, 517, 520, 530, 533, 537, 542, 544, 545, 548–551, 554, 556–559, 561, 563, 564, 566, 571, 572, 577–581, 584–586, 589, 591–593, 596–603, 606, 609 Sparkle (studio), 100 Sparks, Ned, 435 Spaulding, Russell, 405 Spear, Harry, 220, 238, 244 Spears of Death (1931), 300 Spector, Irving, 614, 622 Speedy Ghost to Town (1967), 644 Speedy Gonzales, 638, 639, 644 Spencer, Fred, 206

698 

INDEX

Sphinx, The, 63, 94, 134, 167, 205, 262, 263, 286, 317, 391, 467, 482, 530, 541 Spider, 66, 73, 112, 141, 163, 211, 239, 245, 246, 251, 267, 276, 281, 283, 286, 287, 297, 300, 312, 320, 336, 338, 347, 357, 391, 463, 478, 479, 542 Spider and the Fly, The (1918), 112 Spider and the Fly, The (1931), 300 Spiders and Their Victims (1921), 141 Spiking the Spooks (1921), 141 Spirit, 19, 20, 28, 42, 48, 49, 58, 61, 64, 67, 71, 86, 88, 89, 97, 123, 124, 133, 161, 168–170, 173, 188, 189, 200, 209, 213, 446, 447, 471, 477, 488, 511, 518, 532, 578, 640 Spirit of Cabin Mine, The (1919), 120 Spirit of the Bell, The (1915), 47 Spirit of the Lake, The (1921), 142 Spirit of 76th Street, The (1931), 300–301 Spirit photography, 188 Spirits (1918), 112 Spiritual Elopement, A (1915), 47–48 Spiritualist, 48, 58, 75, 86, 168, 214, 223, 301, 319, 418, 449, 450 Sponsler, Juanita, 68 Spook(s), 11, 19, 23, 86, 90, 115, 125, 126, 132, 141, 149, 151, 158, 159, 174, 176, 188, 189, 198, 201, 207, 211, 212, 214, 223, 238, 239, 245, 257, 259, 275, 289, 290, 308, 323, 348, 353, 372, 396, 416, 422, 429, 436, 450, 468, 472, 478, 488, 509, 523, 527, 588, 621 Spook and Span (1958), 604 Spookeasy (1930), 275 Spooking About Africa (1957), 600 Spooking of Ghosts (1959), 611 Spooking with a Brogue (1955), 586–587 Spooki-Yaki (1963), 627 Spook Louder (1943), 483 Spook No Evil (1953), 566 Spook Raisers, The (1915), 48 Spooks (1916), 86 Spooks (1922), 159 Spooks (1923), 173

Spooks (1930), 276 Spooks (1931), 301 Spooks (1936), 399 Spooks! (1953), 567–568 Spook Speaks, The (1940), 449–450 Spook Speaks, The (1947), 518–519 Spook Speaks, The (1948), 529 Spook-Spoofing (1928), 238 Spook Sport (1940), 450 Spooks & Spirits (1923), 174 Spook to Me (1945), 499 Spooky Hooky (1936), 399–400 Spooky Hooky (1937), 416 Spooky Romance, A (1923), 174 Spooky Spooks (1920), 132–133 Spooky Spooks (1925), 201 Spooky Swabs (1957), 601 Spooky Wooky (1950), 542–543 Sprotte, Bert, 328 Spunky Skunky (1952), 556 Spying the Spy (1918), 112 Spy/spies, 22, 30, 33, 50, 112, 471, 483, 491, 510, 526, 533, 580, 596, 614, 636 Stab/stabbed, 24, 40, 57, 107, 119, 276, 329, 512 Stafford, Babe, 332 Stafford, H.G., 35 Stage Frights (1935), 387 Stairs, 35, 71, 125, 148, 166, 228, 275, 406, 432 Stake, 41, 60, 480, 600 Stalling, Carl, 392, 440 Stallings, Vernon, 165, 166 Standard Cinema Corporation (studio), 206 Stanley Among the Voo Doo Worshippers (1915), 48 Stanley, Dick, 95 Stanley, Helen, 56, 95 Stanley, James, 94 Starbrite Diamond, The (1931), 301 Starlight (studio), 17, 18 Starr, Sally, 417 Stars Can’t Be Wrong, The (1936), 400 Staub, Ralph, 370, 439 Steeman, Philip, 322 Stensvold, Alan, 511 Steppling, John, 83

 INDEX 

Sterling, Edyth, 19 Sterling, Edythe, 67 Sterling, Merta, 92 Sterling, Myria, 61 Sterling, Myrtle, 48 Stern, Herbert, 229 Stevens, Charlie, 78 Stevens, George, 283 Stevenson, Robert Louis, 53, 123, 133, 193 Stewart, Anita, 26 Stewart, Dick, 290 Stitch in Time, A (1924), 188 St. John, Al, 138, 221, 222 Stoll Picture Productions (studio), 135, 144, 146–148, 154–158, 161, 164 Stoloff, Ben, 250 Stone Age, 276, 301, 307, 360, 444, 450, 585 Stone Age Error, The (1932), 330 Stone Age Romance, A (1929), 255–256 Stone Age Romeos (1955), 587 Stone Age Stunts (1930), 276 Stone Age, The (1922), 159 Stone Age, The (1931), 301–302 Stone, Arthur, 320 Stone, Bernard, 291 Stonehouse, Ruth, 142 Storch, Larry, 646 Storm, 119, 139, 157, 189, 194, 199, 227, 251, 264, 265, 282, 300, 333, 346, 403, 404, 412, 423, 429, 434, 436, 445, 469, 470, 474, 504, 568, 618, 640 Storyart (studio), 123 Strait-Jacket, 629 Strange Adventure, A (1917), 105–106 Strange as It Seems (1931), 302 Strange Case of Hennessy, The (1933), 351–352 Strange Case of Princess Khan, The (1915), 49 Strange Case of Talmai Lind, The (1915), 49–50 Strange Case, The (1931), 302 Strange Companion (1961), 620 Strange, Robert, 317 Stranger than Fiction, No. 19 (1936), 400

699

Strangler, 302, 536 Strangler, The (1931), 302–303 Strangle/strangulation, 57, 99, 462, 486 Stratos Fear (1933), 352 Stratton, Chester, 401, 402 Streets of Mystery (1930), 276 Stuart, Marlyn, 391, 395 Stuart, Norman, 326 Studio Murder Mystery (1932), 330 Stupidstitious Cat, The (1947), 519 Suicide, 10, 23, 44, 51, 84, 125, 247, 284, 330, 332, 337, 396, 428, 486 Suits of armor, 343, 390, 588 Sullivan, Brick, 529 Sullivan, Ed, 551 Sullivan, Frederick, 129, 141 Sultan, 74, 105, 216, 303, 337, 493, 608 Sultan’s Birthday, The (1944), 493–494 Sultan’s Cat, The (1931), 303 Sumner, Fred, 43 Sunday Go to Meetin’ Time (1936), 400 Super-Hooper-Dyne Lizzies (1925), 202 Superman, 453, 457, 461, 463–465, 467, 468, 471–476, 480–483, 490 Superman (1941), 461 Super Mouse, see Mighty Mouse Supernatural, 36, 86, 445, 473, 480, 499, 519, 579, 603, 634 Superstition (1921), 142 Superstition of the Black Cat, The (1934), 373–374 Superstition of the Rabbit’s Foot, The (1934), 374 Superstition of Three on a Match, The (1934), 374 Superstition of Walking Under a Ladder (1934), 374 Superstition/superstitious, 2, 25, 113, 128, 142, 367, 374, 439, 484, 485, 519, 534, 579, 608 Superstitious Girl, The (1918), 113 Superstitious Sammy (1915), 51 Sure Cure (1927), 224 Sure-Locked Homes (1928), 239 Surgeon, 52, 53, 55, 56, 249, 349, 628, 651 Sutton, Grady, 283, 334

700 

INDEX

Svengali, 9, 221, 287, 303, 510, 533, 590 Svengali’s Cat (1946), 510 Svengarlic (1931), 303 Swami, 250, 516 Swamp, 217, 651 Sweedie’s Suicide (1915), 51 Sweet, Harry, 142, 151, 152, 179, 328 Sweet Spirits of Nighter (1941), 461 Swickard, Charles, 47 Swickard, Joseph, 47, 199 Swift, Allen, 622 Swift Justice (1931), 303 Swing You Sinners! (1930), 277 Switchin’ Kitten (1961), 620 Switzer, Carl “Alfalfa,” 384, 399, 400, 412, 419, 422, 430 Sword, 166, 180, 194, 229, 298, 389, 476, 614, 623 Sylvester, 526, 572, 574, 577, 583, 614, 615, 650 Sylvester, R. D., 158, 526, 527, 572, 574, 577, 583, 614, 615, 650 Symphony Murder Mystery, The (1932), 330–331 T Tafuri, Nick, 619 Taken for a Ride (1931), 304 Talbot, Lyle, 284 Talking Pictures Epics (studio), 289, 295 Tall, Dark and Gruesome (1948), 529 Talmadge, Richard, 199 Tannura, Philip, 246 Tapley, Rose, 34 Tarantula, 163, 338 Tarkington, Booth, 135, 136, 317 Tarron, Elsie, 215, 217 Tarzan, 114, 331, 342, 375, 437, 502 Tashlin, Frank, 403, 415, 421 Tasmanian Devil, 628 Tatum, Rudolph, 108 Taurog, Norman, 171, 186, 190, 191, 193, 206, 212, 243 Taxi Spooks (1929), 256 Taylor, Ferris, 521, 593 Taylor, Forrest, 425 Taylor, Jacqueline, 361

Taylor, Mae “Buckwheat,” 361 Taylor, Ray, 264 Teare, Ethel, 17, 26, 29, 33, 48, 61, 95 Techno-Cracked (1933), 352 Techno-Crazy (1933), 352 Tedford, Charles, 524 Television, 188, 201, 357, 460, 498, 525, 534, 551, 568, 576, 611, 624–626, 633, 643, 648 Tell-Tale Heart, The (1928), 239 Tell-Tale Heart, The (1941), 462 Tell Us, Ouija (1920), 133 Telstar, 636 Temple, 41, 55, 59, 99, 101, 102, 106, 149, 205, 263, 273, 304 Temple of Terror, The (1917), 106–107 Temple, Shirley, 342 Tendlar, Dave, 371, 610, 615, 621, 630, 636 Tennant, Barbara, 238 Tense Moments from Famous Plays and Great Artists (1923), 174–175 Termites from Mars (1952), 556 Terrible Tragedy, A (1916), 86–87 Terriss, Tom, 261, 263, 267, 273, 276, 278, 279, 304, 305, 503, 507 Terror Faces Magoo (1959), 611 Terror on the Midway (1942), 475–476 Terrors of the Amazon (1933), 353 Terrors of the Jungle, The (1915), 51 The Terry Bears, 576 Terry, Frank, 127 Terry, Paul, 142, 145, 150, 173, 195, 256, 281, 307, 308, 313, 335, 355, 368, 503 Terrytoons (studio), 334, 339, 340, 348, 355, 380, 384, 398, 402, 408, 415, 417, 449, 499, 515, 528, 536, 539, 568, 628–630 Texas Guinan, J. Montgomery Carlyle (aka Jack Carlyle), 120 Thanhouser (studio), 14, 25, 40, 42, 65 Thatcher, Eleanor, 355 Thatcher, Eva, 223 That Night (1928), 239 That’s My Mummy (1927), 224 That’s No Excuse (1927), 224–225 That’s the Spirit (1924), 188–189 That’s the Spirit (1933), 353

 INDEX 

That’s the Spirit (1937), 417 Thayer, Floyd B., 458 Thayer,Otis B., 95 Thayer Trial, The (1931), 304 Theby, Rosemary, 9, 96, 318 Their Bewitched Elopement (1915), 52 Then Came the Yawn (1934), 374–375 There He Goes (1924), 189–190 There It Is (1928), 240 There’s Good Boos To-Night (1948), 529–530 They Shall Not Pass Out (1929), 256 Thicker than Water (1935), 401 Third Dimensional Murder (1941), 463 Third-Dimension/3-D, 183, 463, 561, 565, 567, 570 Thirteen, 25, 128, 150, 196, 197, 215, 224, 414, 609 Thirteenth Man, The (1926), 215 Thomas, Billie “Buckwheat,” 361, 369, 373, 384, 400, 412, 419, 422, 430, 460, 467 Thomas, Danny, 569 Thomas, Lowell, 421 Thompson, Al, 191, 206, 381 Thompson, Duane, 194, 199 Thom, the Unknown (1931), 304–305 Thorne, Lizette, 80 Thorpe, Morgan, 28 Three Little Pigs, The, 358, 465, 498 Three Missing Links (1938), 427 Three Pests in a Mess (1945), 499–500 Three’s a Crowd (1932), 331 The Three Stooges, 332, 369, 426, 427, 441, 442, 455, 459, 477–479, 483, 488, 494, 497–501, 503, 509, 511, 512, 521, 522, 524, 527, 528, 532–534, 537, 538, 546, 548, 558, 559, 567, 577, 578, 582, 584, 587, 588, 590, 600 Thru Thin and Thicket or Who’s Zoo in Africa (1932), 331 Thunder, 368 Thunderstrom, 201, 268, 361, 390, 416 Tiffany (studio), 257, 262, 263, 280 Tiger, 160, 161, 192, 202, 430, 448, 450, 475, 524, 631 Tiger of San Pedro, The (1922), 160–161

701

Tiger’s Tail, A (1964), 631 Timberg, Herman, Jr., 417 Time machine, 435, 554, 585 Timid Ghost, The (1937), 417 Timid Scarecrow, The (1953), 568 Tin Ghost, The (1926), 215–216 Tin Man, The (1935), 387–388 Tiomkin, Dimitri, 284, 286 Tipson, Thelma, 330 Tipton Steck, H., 89 The Toads, 648 Toast of the Town, 551 Tobin, Genevieve, 385 To Boo or Not to Boo (1951), 548–549 Toby the Pup, 269, 290 Toccata and Fugue (1946), 511 Todd, Harry, 54, 112 Todd, Thelma, 274, 275, 328, 359, 387, 388 To Heir Is Human (1944), 494 Tom and Jerry (cat and mouse), 293, 312, 345, 350, 513, 604, 622, 642, 644 Tom and Jerry (human characters), 293, 312, 327, 346, 350, 469, 516, 555, 563, 590, 604, 620–622, 629, 633, 636, 639, 642–644 Tom and Jerry Cartoon Kit, The (1962), 622–623 Tomb, 8, 94, 104, 165, 169, 171, 205, 211, 224, 228, 229, 255, 263, 273, 326, 430, 442, 452, 456, 458, 481, 482, 530, 618, 641, 646 Tombstone, 51, 111, 147, 203, 277, 281, 304, 305, 527 Tombstones (1931), 305 Tom-ic Energy (1965), 636 Tong War, 177 To Oblige a Vampire (1917), 107 Too Much Elixir of Life (1915), 52 Torchy’s Ghost (1922), 161 Torchy’s Loud Spooker (1933), 353 Tourneur, Jacques, 418, 427, 428, 471 Townley, Jack, 296 Toyland Premiere (1934), 375 Tozere, Fred, 439 Trader Hound (1931), 306 Tragic Magic (1962), 623

702 

INDEX

Trailing Trouble (1924), 190 Trance, 28, 216, 240, 451, 459, 508 Transatlantic Mystery, The (1932), 332 Transylvania, 627 Transylvania 6-5000 (1963), 627 Transylvania Mania (1968), 647 Trapdoor/trap-door/trap door, 76, 105, 137, 184, 186, 192, 206, 209–211, 228, 242, 248, 267, 422, 441, 474 Trapped (1931), 306 Travers, Victor, 499 Treacy, Emerson, 335 Treasure, 43, 55, 74, 94, 155, 161, 169, 171, 172, 240, 251, 287, 304, 368, 369, 397, 453, 550, 595, 627 Treasure Bound (1922), 161–162 Tremaine, Beatrice, 114 Triangle (studio), 92 Triangle Murder, The (1931), 307 Trickery (1922), 162–163 Trick or Treat (1952), 556 Trickster, The (1928), 240 Trilby, 303 Trilby (novel by George Du Maurier), 65, 510, 536 Trimble, Arthur, 193, 241, 249 Trip to Mars (1924), 190 Trip to the Moon, A (1917), 107 Trip to the Sky (1939), 440–441 Trouble in Baghdad (1963), 627–628 True Boo (1952), 557 Truex, Ernest, 380 Tryon, Glenn, 194, 305 Tucker, Jerry, 299, 335, 369, 373, 384 Tucker, Richard, 16 Tufeld, Dick, 592 Turner, Bill, 463, 497, 510, 530 Turner, Doreen, 241, 249 Turner, Gil, 615 Turner, Lloyd, 520 Turner, Otis, 22 Turpin, Ben, 51, 54, 90, 92, 110, 111, 378 Tut, King, 167, 169, 172, 175, 205, 541, 618 Tut! Tut! King (1923), 175–176 T.V. of Tomorrow (1953), 568 Tweety Bird, 531 Twelvetrees, Helen, 314

Twinkle Twinkle Little Telestar [sic] (1965), 636–637 Twin Souls (1916), 87 Twins, The (1918), 113 2000 B.C. (1931), 307–308 Two Curious Dogs, 431, 432 Two Headed Giant, The (1939), 441 Two Hearts in Wax Time (1935), 388 Two Natures Within Him, The (1915), 52–53 Tyer, James, 319 Tyrrell, John, 450, 478 Tytla, Vladimir “Bill,” 510, 537, 602 U Ufa (studio), 207, 208, 217, 322 Ugly Dino, The (1940), 450 Ullman, Elwood, 425, 442, 452, 456, 459, 477, 488, 494, 521, 528, 546, 577, 582, 584, 585 Uncle, 18, 24, 27, 42, 47, 54, 75, 76, 82, 89, 113, 136, 158, 163, 246, 258, 259, 267, 278, 403, 550 Under a Spell (1925), 202 Underground, 24, 33, 238, 304, 345, 351, 451, 483 Underground World, The (1943), 483 Undertaker, 54, 75, 76, 404 Undertaker’s Daughter, The (1915), 54 Undertaker’s Uncle, The (1915), 54 Under the White Robe (1923), 176 Unemployed Ghost, The (1931), 308–310 Unique Film Co. (studio), 82 United Artists (studio), 279, 344, 349, 408, 511 Universal (studio), 35, 46, 65, 73, 76, 82, 86, 92, 98, 101, 114, 117, 119, 128, 134, 140, 144, 145, 152, 158, 163, 189, 193, 200, 207, 215–217, 221, 223, 225, 233, 237, 240, 241, 248, 249, 260, 264, 266, 270, 276, 282, 287, 291, 292, 297, 298, 301, 302, 306, 314, 315, 318, 323, 325, 326, 333, 342, 350, 373, 375, 376, 378, 400, 410, 412, 420, 421, 428, 429, 435, 438, 440, 451, 484, 485,

 INDEX 

497, 611, 626, 631, 639–642, 644, 645, 648, 649 Universal Newspaper Newsreel, Vol. VI, No. 233 (1934), 375 Universal Newsreel (1940), 451 Universal Newsreel (1966), 642 Universal Newsreel, No. 715, Vol. 10 (1938), 427–428 Universal Newsreel, Vol. 32, No. 24 (1959), 611 Up Popped the Ghost (1932), 332 Up to Mars (1930), 277 Urban, Charles, 135, 143 Utmost Isle, The (1931), 310 V Vale, Louise, 29, 60, 61 Vale, Travers, 29 Valkyrien, Valda, 55 Valkyrie, The (1915), 54–55 Valley of Beautiful Things, The (1917), 107 Vampire, 3, 63, 77, 85, 105, 132, 277, 469, 493, 627, 634, 647 Van, Beatrice, 89 Van Der Veer, Willard, 459 Vane, Denton, 42 Van, Gus, 419, 420 Vanishing Duck, The (1958), 604 Vanishing Private, The (1942), 476 Van Sloan, Edward, 314 Van Zandt, Philip, 509, 538, 542, 567 Vaughan, Dorothy, 471 Vaughn, Alberta, 151, 152, 256 Vengeance, 18, 55, 59, 347 Vengeance of Rannah, The (1915), 55 Ventriloquist Cat, The (1950), 543 Ventriloquist/ventriloquism, 543 Venus and the Cat (1921), 142 Vera Vague, 506, 535 Verdict, The (1922), 163 Vernon, Bobby, 152, 220, 257 Vernon, Dorothy, 220, 306 Vicious Viking (1967), 645 Victim, The (1930), 277 Victor (studio), 9 Victor (studio), 57, 60, 87, 96

703

Villain Still Pursued Her, The (1937), 417 Vim Comedy Film Company (studio), 62 Vitagraph (studio), 20, 26, 30, 33, 34, 41, 42, 79, 90, 98, 115, 394 Vitamin Pink (1966), 642 Vitaphone (studio), 236, 237, 245, 258, 261–263, 273, 277, 292, 293, 300–302, 310, 315–318, 325, 329–34, 336, 353, 356, 360, 400, 402, 404 Vivisection, 55 Vivisectionist, The (1915), 55–56 Vogan, Emmett, 460, 467, 485 Vogue (studio), 64 Voice in the Night, A (1915), 56 Voice of Experience, No. 10 (1936), 401 Volcano, 101, 107, 364, 476, 620 Volcano (1942), 476 von Braun, Wernher, 592 Von Zell, Harry, 516, 534, 535 Voodoo, 18, 19, 260, 285, 299, 333, 354, 417, 454, 495, 558, 578, 598, 623 Voodoo (1933), 354 Voo-Doo Boo-Boo (1962), 623 Voodoo Fires (1939), 441 Voodoo in Harlem (1938), 428–429 Voodooland (1932), 333 Vosburgh, Alfred, 20, 81 Vulture, 397, 571 W Waffles Kat, 265 Walburn, Fred, 460 Walcamp, Marie, 51 Waldron, John A., 252, 289 Walker, Bob, 65 Walker, H. M., 188, 201, 220, 232, 242, 251, 253, 268, 277, 299, 328 Wallace, May, 342 Wallace, Richard, 200, 208, 210 Waller, Fats, 402 Waller, Fred, 383, 453 Wallington, James, 350 Wall Street Mystery, The (1931), 310 Walpurgis Night (1933), 354

704 

INDEX

War, 12, 30, 88, 108, 373, 390, 458, 465, 469, 479, 503, 507, 528, 529, 552, 634 Ward, Chance, 29, 40, 48 Ward, Dean, 343 Ward, Hap H., 115 Warner Bros. (studio), 2, 227, 282, 284, 331, 341, 359, 370, 378, 403, 413, 426, 431, 435, 436, 438–441, 446, 448, 449, 452, 453, 455, 458, 460, 461, 465–467, 470, 477–479, 486, 491–493, 495, 497, 501, 504–506, 508, 512, 520–522, 524, 527, 528, 531, 532, 536, 540, 541, 547, 549, 552, 554, 557, 558, 560, 566, 568, 569, 572, 574, 577, 585, 588, 593, 595, 598, 604, 605, 608, 612, 615 Warner, Jack, 569 Warner, Marion, 30, 55 Warner Pathé News, (1953), 568–569 Warner Pathe News, No. 102 (1951), 549 Warner Pathe News, No. 102 (1952), 557 The War of the Worlds, 428 War of the Worlds, The, 428, 437 Warren, Giles, 34 Warrenton, Gilbert, 566 Warrenton, Lule, 51, 107 Was Darwin Right? (1921), 143 Washburn, Bryant, 73, 89 Washington Irving (1921), 143 Watch George (1928), 240 Water, Water Every Hare (1952), 557–558 Watson, Delmar, 396 Watson, Fanny, 290 Watson, Hildegarde, 229 Watson, James S. Jr., 227 Watson, Lucille, 317 Watson, Roy, 41 Watson, William, 158, 176, 343, 355, 365, 394, 399, 417 Watson, William H., 153, 173, 189 Watt, Allen, 67 Watt, Nate, 221 Wax figures, 159, 340, 343, 376, 408 Wax museum, 159, 376 Wax Works (1934), 375–376

Wayne, Maude, 97 Wearing of the Grin, The (1951), 549 Weather Magic (1965), 637–638 Webber, George, 395 Webber, Melville, 229 Webb, Jack, 593 Webb, Miles M., 82 Webster, Harry McRae, 73 Weekend Mystery, The (1931), 310–311 Weems, Walter, 237, 331, 343 Weird Nemesis, The (1915), 57 Weiss Brothers Clarion Photoplays (studio), 156 Welles, Orson, 417, 427, 437 Welsh, William E., 15 Were Tiger, The (1925), 202 West, Billie, 7 West, Charles, 37 West, Dorothy, 292 West, Ford, 235 West, Lillian, 87 West, Mae, 351, 376, 382 West, Roland, 231 West/Western, 14, 19, 43, 115, 128, 139, 146, 147, 163, 185, 202, 223, 255, 295, 363, 421, 471, 477, 570, 610, 619 West, William H., 56 Wet Knight, A (1932), 333 We Want Our Mummy (1939), 441–442 We Work Again (1937), 417 Whacks Museum (1934), 376 Whalen, Harold, 355 Whalley, Norma, 164 Wham and Eggs (1973), 649 What an Eye (1924), 191 What an Idea (1932), 333 What a Night (1924), 190–191 What Darwin Missed (1916), 87 What Does 1934 Hold? (1933), 355 What Do You Think? (1937), 418 What Do You Think?, No. 2 (1937), 418 What Do You Think?, No. 3 (1938), 428 What Do You Think?, No. 4 (1938), 428 Wheeler, Bert, 295, 296 When East Meets West (1926), 216 When Hell Froze Over (1926), 216 When Quackle Did Hide (1920), 133

 INDEX 

When the Mummy Cried for Help (1915), 57 When the Spirit Moved (1915), 58 When the Wind Blows (1930), 277 Where There’s a Will (1930), 278 Which Is Witch (1949), 536 Which Is Witch (1958), 605 White Goddess, The (1915), 58–59 White, Jack, 141, 161, 162, 179, 186, 189, 191, 192, 216, 381, 395, 498, 539, 577, 582, 584, 585, 588, 590, 599, 600 White, Jules, 236, 372, 395, 425, 427, 442, 450, 478, 494, 498, 506, 512, 521, 524, 532–535, 539, 546, 548, 559, 568, 571, 577, 582, 584, 585, 587, 588, 590, 593, 599, 600 White, Leo, 51, 130 White man, 30, 109, 183, 199, 311 White, Sam, 347 White, Thelma, 290 Whitman, Gayne, 289, 302, 338, 340, 353, 405, 474 Whitman, Velma, 45 Who Done It? (1949), 536–537 Who Killed Cock-Robbin? (1933), 355 Who Killed Cock Robin? (1935), 388 Who Killed Who? (1943), 483–484 Who’s Next? (1943), 484 Who’s Superstitious? (1943), 484–485 Why Gorillas Leave Home (1929), 257 Wickersham, Bob, 480, 485, 502, 509, 512 Wilbur, Crane, 71, 439 Wild animal, 21, 30, 50, 51, 234, 294, 353, 444, 631 Wild Babies (1932), 334 Wild Bill Hiccup (1970), 648 Wild Elephinks (1933), 355 Wilde, Ted, 194 Wild man, 51, 66, 327, 342, 502 Wild Night, A (1920), 134 Wild People (1933), 355 Wile E. Coyote, 639, 641, 642 Wilkins Murder Mystery, The (1930), 278 Willes, Jean, 564, 571 Williams, Buddy, 168 Williams, Charlie, 383

705

Williams, C. Jay, 41 Williams, Clara, 43 Williams, Earle W., 26 Williams, Josephine, 417 Williams, Kathlyn, 49, 50 Williams, Larry, 439 Williams, Roy, 545, 574 Williams, Tudor, 363 Williams, Wilhelmina, 417 Williams, Zack, 331 Willie Whopper, 352, 360, 364, 367 Willis, Hubert, 144, 147, 148, 153–158, 161, 164 Willis, Leo, 363, 368 Willoughby’s Magic Hat (1943), 485 Wills, Si, 270 Wilson, Ben, 174 Wilson, Ben F., 174 Wilson, Carey, 418, 425, 428, 445, 453, 458, 469, 491, 562–564 Wilson, Clarence, 372, 373, 385, 388 Wilson, Roberta, 77 Wiltermood, Frank, 87 Wimpy, 355, 371, 372, 397 Winchester House, 317, 400 Winged horse, 624, 625, 633 Winifred “Sugar” Hall, 399 Winkler, George, 223 Winters, Shelley, 569 Winton, Jane, 311, 317 Wirkus, Faustin, 354 Wise or Otherwise (1926), 216–217 Witch, 2, 3, 30, 48, 60, 64, 107, 192, 219, 227, 238, 246, 257, 261, 290, 292, 311, 312, 315, 324, 335, 340, 341, 347, 373, 392, 408, 417, 427, 430, 463, 482, 504, 507, 530, 536, 551, 556, 566, 569, 575, 578, 587, 590, 605, 611, 616, 619, 638, 640, 648, 649 Witch Crafty (1955), 587 Witch doctor, 30, 48, 261, 311, 427, 507, 536, 578 Witch Doctor (1952), 558 Witch Doctor (1954), 578 Witch Doctor’s Magic, The (1931), 311 Witch Hazel, 556, 569, 587, 611, 627, 638

706 

INDEX

Witch of Salem Town, A (1915), 60 Witch of the Mountains (1916), 88 Witch’s Cat, The (1929), 257 Witch’s Cat, The (1948), 530 Witch’s Tangled Hare, A (1959), 611–612 With the Mummies’ Help (1917), 108 With the Spirit’s Help (1916), 88 Wizard, 279, 383 Wizardland (1930), 278–279 Wizard’s Apprentice, The (1930), 279 Wolbert, Dorothea, 140 Wolf, 359, 376, 405, 406, 470, 488, 531, 541, 542, 554, 556, 559, 569 Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing, A (1948), 530 Wolf! Wolf! (1934), 376 Woman of Mystery, The (1915), 60–61 Woodard, Julian, 519 Wood, Dorothy, 163 Woodpecker from Mars (1956), 595 Woodpecker in the Moon (1959), 612 Woody’s Magic Touch (1971), 649 Woody the Giant Killer (1947), 519 Woody Woodpecker, 519, 546, 551, 556, 561, 579, 587, 595, 599, 603, 612, 618, 620–623, 626, 638, 640, 641, 644, 648, 649 Woolsey, Robert, 295, 296 Woos Whoopee (1930), 279 World Cinema Distributing Corporation (studio), 117 Worthington, William, 22, 363 Wot a Night (1931), 312 Wotta Knight (1947), 519–520 Wotta Nitemare (1939), 442–444 Wraith of Haddon Towers, The (1916), 88–89 Wray, Fay, 199 Wreckety Wrecks (1933), 356 Wren, Jenny, 388 Wright, Ralph, 495, 556

Wrongorilla (1933), 356 Wulze, Harry, 65 Wyler, William, 219, 223 Wynters, Charlotte, 282 Y Yach, Elizabeth, 123 Yarborough, Barton, 506 Yates, Hal, 515, 519, 525, 529, 539, 542, 550 Yellow Face, The (1922), 163–164 Ygor, 634 Yogi, 17, 80, 394 Yoke’s on Me, The (1944), 494 Yosemite Sam, 608, 615, 624 You’ll Be Sorry (1928), 241 Young, Bert, 191 Young, Clifton, 214 Younge, Lucille, 37 Young, Harold, 498 Young, Joe, 238, 363, 372 Young, Joe (aka Roger Moore), 369, 373 Young, Joseph, 206 Young, Noah, 209, 218, 219, 359 Young, Polly Ann, 315 Young, Robert Milton, 558 Young Sherlocks (1922), 164 You’re Next! (1940), 451–452 Your Stars for 1935 (1934), 377 Yvonne Junior, 108, 112 Z Zamora, Rudy, 429 Zanzimar, 252, 253, 269, 271, 272 Zero the Hero (1954), 578 Zippy Zephyr, 630, 631 Zombie, 3, 285, 421, 461, 526, 598, 599