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“The Spice of the Program” Educational Pictures and the Small-Town Audience
3 “The Spice of the Program” Educational Pictures and the Small-Town Audience “What the hell’s educational about a comedy?” asked slapstick producer Jack White in an interview toward the end of his life. “Something that was very offen- sive to me,” he continued, “was [the slogan] . ‘This is an Educational Comedy.’ There’s no such thing as educating yourself with a comedy. It’s a stupid name.”1 The object of White’s ire? The company for which he had produced and directed two- reel shorts for over a decade—the comedy distributor with the most unlikely of names: Educational Pictures. The company had been formed in 1915 as the Educational Films Corporation by real-estate man Earle W. Hammons, with the intent indicated by its name: to provide educational subjects for school, church, and other nontheatrical pur- poses. But by the late 1910s Hammons had realized little profit from this idea and began to target the commercial field, setting in motion a process of expan- sion that would see Educational become the dominant short-comedy distributor of the late silent era. “It did not take me long to find out that the demand [for educational films] did not exist and that we could not survive by doing that alone,” Hammons later recalled.2 As early as the 1918–1919 season, Educational had begun to diversify its product lines, adding Happy Hooligan and Silk Hat Harry cartoons to its weekly program of travelogues and informational sub- jects.3 In April 1920, Hammons signed director Jack White and comedian Lloyd Hamilton from Fox’s Sunshine Comedies to produce two-reel comedies under the brand name Mermaid Comedies, and began immediately taking further strides into the comedy market.4 The program for Educational’s 1920–1921 season, which represented the company’s first year of general commercial release, included four comedy series: the Mermaids, produced by White; C. -
Moma More Cruel and Unusual Comedy Social Commentary in The
MoMA Presents: More Cruel and Unusual Comedy: Social Commentary in the American Slapstick Film Part 2 October 6-14, 2010 Silent-era slapstick highlighted social, cultural, and aesthetic themes that continue to be central concerns around the world today; issues of race, gender, propriety, and economics have traditionally been among the most vital sources for rude comedy. Drawing on the Museum’s holdings of silent comedy, acquired largely in the 1970s and 1980s by former curator Eileen Bowser, Cruel and Unusual Comedy presents an otherwise little-seen body of work to contemporary audiences from an engaging perspective. The series, which first appeared in May 2009, continues with films that take aim at issues of sexual identity, substance abuse, health care, homelessness and economic disparity, and Surrealism. On October 8 at 8PM, Ms Bowser will address the connection between silent comedy and the international film archive movement, when she introduces a program of shorts that take physical comedy to extremes of dream-like invention and destruction. Audiences today will find the vulgar zest and anarchic spirit of silent slapstick has much in common with contemporary entertainment such as Cartoon Network's Adult Swim, MTV's Jackass and the current Jackass 3-D feature. A majority of the films in the series are archival rarities, often the only known surviving version, and feature lesser- remembered performers on the order of Al St. John, Lloyd Hamilton, Fay Tincher, Hank Mann, Lupino Lane, and even one, Diana Serra Cary (a.k.a. Baby Peggy), who, at 91, is the oldest living silent film star still active. -
Silent Comedies and Cartoons
Funny Business Silent Comedies and Cartoons Tuesday, May 14, 2013 Grand Illusion Cinema The Sprocket Society Seattle, WA Alice Comedies Alice Rattled by Rats Released November 15, 1925 M.J. Winkler Productions Directed and written by Walt Disney. Animated by Ub Iwerks, Rollin Ham Hamilton, Thurston Harper, Hugh Harman, & Rudolf Ising. Produced by Margaret J. Winkler With Margie Gay as Alice. Music and effects soundtrack added by Raytone Productions, 1930 Left to protect Alice’s house, Julius the cat soon falls into a vat of home-brew liquor in the basement and drinks himself into oblivion. The rats, free to play, entertain themselves by dancing, playing phonograph records, cavorting with the player piano, and using the bathtub for a swimming pool. Soon the party gets completely out of control. (Why Alice was brewing alcohol in her basement remains an open question.) “Speaking of his studio in later years, Disney was fond of saying that ‘it all started with a little mouse’ – but in fact the foundation was laid in 1924 by a little girl.” – Merritt & Kaufman, Walt in Wonderland Young Walt Disney broke into the movie business in Kansas City, as an illustrator for a company that produced glass slides and advertising shorts for theaters. Along with his buddy Fred Harman, he struck out on his own, hoping to jump-start their new company with a partly-animated comical short called Laugh-O-Grams, produced for the influential local theater owner, Frank L. Newman. This was successful enough that they were able to secure funding to hire additional animators, including now- legendary pioneers Ubbe “Ub” Iwerks, Hugh Harman, Rudolph Ising, and Friz Freleng. -
Nationalism, the History of Animation Movies, and World War II Propaganda in the United States of America
University of Akureyri Faculty of Humanities and Social Science Modern Studies 2011 Intersections of Modernity: Nationalism, The History of Animation Movies, and World War II propaganda in the United States of America Kristján Birnir Ívansson Final BA Thesis in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences University of Akureyri Faculty of Humanities and Social Science Modern studies 2011 Intersections of Modernity: Nationalism, The History of Animation Movies, and World War II propaganda in the United States of America Kristján Birnir Ívansson A final BA Thesis for 180 ECTS unit in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences Instructor: Dr. Giorgio Baruchello Statements I hereby declare that I am the only author of this project and that is the result of own research Ég lýsi hér með yfir að ég einn er höfundur þessa verkefnis og að það er ágóði eigin rannsókna ______________________________ Kristján Birnir Ívansson It is hereby confirmed that this thesis fulfil, according to my judgement, requirements for a BA -degree in the Faculty of Hummanities and Social Science Það staðfestist hér með að lokaverkefni þetta fullnægir að mínum dómi kröfum til BA prófs í Hug- og félagsvísindadeild. __________________________ Giorgio Baruchello Abstract Today, animations are generally considered to be a rather innocuous form of entertainment for children. However, this has not always been the case. For example, during World War II, animations were also produced as instruments for political propaganda as well as educational material for adult audiences. In this thesis, the history of the production of animations in the United States of America will be reviewed, especially as the years of World War II are concerned. -
A Film-Study Firm Indiana Univ., Bloomington. Audio-Visual Center. Audiovisual Ai
DOCUMENT RESUME ED 111 332 IR 002 321 TITLE From "A" to "Yellow Jack"; A Film-Study Firm ColleciiOn. INSTITUTION Indiana Univ., Bloomington. Audio-VisualCenter. PUB DATE 75 NOTE 88p. EDRS PRICE MF-$0.36 HC-$4.43 Plus Postage DESCRIPTORS Audiovisual Aids; *Catalogs; Film Libraries; Film Production; *Film Production Specialists; *Films; *Film Study; Glossaries; *InstructionalMaterials Cente'r-s; Video Tape Recorddn-gs IDENTIFIERS _ *Indiana University Audio Visual Center ABSTRACT Illustrative material in the area of filmstudy available from the Indiana University Audio-VisualCenter is listed and described. Over 250 selected filmsare included, representing experimental films, film classics, historicallyinteresting films, works of recognized directors, and films whichare models of film techniques. Recent film acquisitionsare also described, including featurefilm excerpts from the Teaching FilmCustodians collection .representing the work of recognized Hollywooddirectors. Each entry is summarized and its significance in filmstudy explained; length, color and rental price are given. Entriesare also indexed by subject and by director. A glossary of film terms isappended. (SK) *********************************************************************** Documents acquired by ERIC include many informal unpublished * materials not available from othersources. ERIC makes every effort * * to obtain the best copy available. nevertheless,items of marginal * * reproducibility are often encountered and thisaffects the quality * * of the microfiche and hardcopy reproductionsERIC makes available * * via the ERIC Document Reproduction Service (EDRS).EDRS is not * responsible for the quality of the original document.Reproductions * * supplied by EDRS are the best that can be madefrom the original. *****,o**************************************************************** lac "stbos or\ II 1 o Go\\eck\ \0 Genkei Ftoo" I\'A\0-Sod`iP,Nolo.\1\svet.\ \30ve(s\y ioac\a, 1 rOor ,ygg* ,oete II_ PP- .411111.- . -
Paramount Pictures
Before we start with the individual studios, let’s cover one additional situation. It didn’t really belong in the last chapter because it is more of a research problem. But it is one that should be addressed. Many of the major studios submitted their primary production code numbers to the Library of Congress. These records are a tremendous help with one caveat. Almost all of the production codes submitted DID NOT INCLUDE THE LETTER PREFIX THAT WAS ASSIGNED BY SOME OF THE INDIVIDUAL STUDIOS. So, while the production code number would be the same, only some have letter prefixes. In several instances, there are different letter prefixes. The bottom line is that numbers recorded at the Library of Congress may require additional research. Columbia Pictures Columbia’s production codes are by far the most confusing and most difficult to use for identification. This may be an indication that Columbia was not quite certain how to effectively number and utilize production codes. - - Columbia started production codes for their 1926- 1927 season. The first film to have codes was False Alarm, which was issued a “C-1” production code. They produced 24 films that season, marking them “C -1” through “C-24.” The Library of Congress records show only the numbers 1-24, but the stills reflect the letter “C,” a dash (-) and the number. The next season (1927-1928), they produced 30 films, with the first one being The Blood Ship. Instead of issuing new production codes, they simply started over with their numbering, marking them “C-1” through “C-30.” The next season (1928-1929), they produced 31 films, starting with Court Martial. -
Funny Stuff: Silent Comedies and Cartoons
Funny Stuff Silent Comedies and Cartoons Saturday, July 16, 2011 Grand Ilusion Cinema The Sprocket Society Seattle, WA About Two-Reeler Comedies In the 20 years before 1914, shorts were the show. And even decades after the feature film came along, shorts were a standard – and expected – part of every movie screening. At first movies were limited to the very short lengths of film that would fit in the camera, less than 1 or 2 minutes. Folks quickly figured out you could glue different shots together, and that you could then string those along to tell a longer story. But it would be some years before movies became more than a series of theatrically-staged tableaux and slice-of-life “actualities,” all filmed proscenium style. In the earliest days, exhibitors bought film prints outright and would craft programs from them. They’d often go on the road, touring their movie shows with accompanying lectures and music. There were even traveling tent shows. Soon the vaudeville houses also started showing shorts, which fit perfectly into their variety programming format. By 1905, the Nickelodeon era was in full swing in the US, made possible by moving to a rental distribution model instead of outright sales. Thousands of storefront screening rooms proliferated like mayflies all over the country, and in some cities they lined both sides of whole blocks. Your nickel got you about 30 minutes of mixed reels, with a new show usually every day. Folks would often go from one theater to another, right down the row. The profit was made in the high turnover, and audiences loved it. -
Movie Night #6
#6 Winter 2013 12222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222Za\ NEWS NEWS from SLAPSTICK BRISTOL’S ANNUAL FESTIVAL OF SILENT & VINTAGE COMEDYDad’s Army with Ian Lavender OMID DJALILI LEADS THE WAY AS SLAPSTICK MARKS 10th BIRTHDAY WITH CHARLIE CHAPLIN SALUTE Friday 24 – Sunday 26 January 2014 Britain’s biggest festival of silent and visual comedy returns to Bristol with a 10th birthday edition that will offer three laughter-filled days of films, music, archive discoveries, vintage television and celebrity guests. The programme opens with a gala, hosted by Omid Djalili, paying an extra-special tribute to Charlie Chaplin and the centenary of his most famous character, the Little Tramp. Comedian, film actor and Charlie Chaplin enthusiast Omid Djalili is to host the gala evening of film and music that will open Bristol’s tenth annual Slapstick festival of silent and visual comedy on Friday 24 January 2014. The gala event at Colston Hall will not only launch what is now acknowledged as the UK’s biggest celebration of screen comedy but will also be the first in a series of global events marking the centenary of Charlie Chaplin’s best-loved character, the Tramp. As a result, the Gala will have a special Chaplin focus, including a screening of the 1931 feature CITY LIGHTS, accompanied live by a 39-piece orchestra – the largest ever to appear at any Slapstick event. Festival organiser, Chris Daniels, says: “We’re absolutely thrilled that Omid Djalili is coming to Bristol to launch both our 10th birthday festival and the world’s centenary salute to one of cinema’s most iconic figures. -
The Warner Brothers Prove Their Patriotism
Voces Novae Volume 10 Article 2 2018 The aW rner Brothers Prove Their aP triotism Lara Jacobson Chapman University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.chapman.edu/vocesnovae Part of the American Popular Culture Commons, Other History Commons, and the United States History Commons Recommended Citation Jacobson, Lara. "The aW rner Brothers Prove Their aP triotism." Voces Novae: Chapman University Historical Review 10, no. 1 (2018). This Article is brought to you for free and open access by Chapman University Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Voces Novae by an authorized editor of Chapman University Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Jacobson: The Warner Brothers Prove Their Patriotism The Warner Brothers Prove Their Patriotism Lara Jacobson “You may correctly charge me with being anti-Nazi. But no one can charge me with being anti-American.”1 These were the words of Harry Warner, President of Warner Brothers Production Inc., who stood up in front of the Senate Committee on Interstate Commerce in September of 1941 challenging alleged accusations of propaganda in their films. The Warner Brothers’ studio, consisting of four siblings, Harry, Albert, Sam, and Jack, was simplistic in that way; they were anti-Nazi, American citizens, and proud of it. They hated the Nazis and they loved their adopted home country. Whether the world was at war or not, they believed in freedom of speech, social justice, promotion of the truth and their movies consistently reflected these ideals. Being second-generation immigrants from Poland who also were of the Jewish faith meant the rise of Hitler in the 1930’s was especially jarring to them. -
Untitled Review, New Yorker, September 19, 1938, N.P., and “Block-Heads,” Variety, August, 31, 1938, N.P., Block-Heads Clippings File, BRTC
Luminos is the open access monograph publishing program from UC Press. Luminos provides a framework for preserving and reinvigorating monograph publishing for the future and increases the reach and visibility of important scholarly work. Titles published in the UC Press Luminos model are published with the same high standards for selection, peer review, production, and marketing as those in our traditional program. www.luminosoa.org The publisher gratefully acknowledges the generous support of the Ahmanson Foundation Humanities Endowment Fund of the University of California Press Foundation. Hokum! Hokum! The Early Sound Slapstick Short and Depression-Era Mass Culture Rob King UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESS University of California Press, one of the most distinguished university presses in the United States, enriches lives around the world by advanc- ing scholarship in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. Its activities are supported by the UC Press Foundation and by philanthropic contributions from individuals and institutions. For more information, visit www.ucpress.edu. University of California Press Oakland, California © 2017 by Robert King This work is licensed under a Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND license. To view a copy of the license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses. Suggested citation: King, Rob. Hokum! The Early Sound Slapstick Short and Depression-Era Mass Culture. Oakland: University of California Press, 2017. doi: https://doi.org/10.1525/luminos.28 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data King, Rob, 1975– author. Hokum! : the early sound slapstick short and Depression-era mass culture / Rob King. Oakland, California : University of California Press, [2017] | Includes bibliographical references and index. -
UCLA FESTIVAL of PRESERVATION
UCLA FESTIVAL of PRESERVATION 2019 FROM THE DIRECTOR This year for the first time, we decided to organize our UCLA Festival of Preservation We begin Friday morning with a delightful early 1930s musical comedy, My Lips as a weekend event, instead of one spread out over a whole month, as in previous Betray (John G. Blystone, 1933), starring Germany’s most popular actress, Lilian iterations. We believe this will give the biennial event more of a festival character, but of Harvey, who was one of the few non-Jewish German actors to turn her back on course this is a grand experiment. We welcome your feedback on the new format. the Third Reich and immigrate to America. Harvey plays a commoner in a mythical As a result of this format change, our festival is slightly smaller than in past years, European kingdom who is in love with a prince; an old story, but Harvey is absolutely but still representative of the broad and deep efforts of UCLA Film & Television charming. Another comedy highlight will be Sunday's Laurel and Hardy program, Archive to preserve and restore our moving image heritage. We have tried to put featuring Perfect Day (1929), the restoration of which was funded by our incredibly together a mix of main stream classic Hollywood, independent features, successful UCLA Spark crowdfunding campaign last year. documentaries, and television work, reflecting the Archive’s many stellar collections of film and video material. Continuing our efforts, begun in 2017 to preserve classic Spanish-language films for our retrospective “Recuerdos de un cine en español: Latin American Cinema We officially open the UCLA Festival of Preservation 2019 on Friday evening in Los Angeles, 1930-1960,” we have finally finished the restoration of Enamorada with Frank Borzage’s The Mortal Storm (1940), one of the few Hollywood anti- (Emilio Fernández, 1946), a version of The Taming of the Shrew that may be the Nazi melodramas made before America’s entrance into World War II. -
UCC Library and UCC Researchers Have Made This Item Openly Available. Please Let Us Know How This Has Helped You. Thanks! Downlo
UCC Library and UCC researchers have made this item openly available. Please let us know how this has helped you. Thanks! Title Emotion capture: vocal performances by children in the computer- animated film Author(s) Holliday, Christopher Publication date 2012 Original citation Holliday, C. (2012) 'Emotion capture: vocal performances by children in the computer-animated film', Alphaville: Journal of Film and Screen Media, 3 (Summer 2012). doi: 10.33178/alpha.3.06 Type of publication Article (peer-reviewed) Link to publisher's http://www.alphavillejournal.com/Issue%203/HTML/ArticleHolliday.ht version ml http://dx.doi.org/10.33178/alpha.3.06 Access to the full text of the published version may require a subscription. Rights © 2012, the Author(s) http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/ie/ Item downloaded http://hdl.handle.net/10468/1452 from Downloaded on 2021-10-08T00:19:59Z 1 Emotion Capture: Vocal Performances by Children in the Computer-Animated Film Christopher Holliday, King’s College London Abstract: The customary practice across both feature-length cel-animated cartoons and television animation has been to cast adults in the vocal roles of children. While these concerns raise broader questions about the performance of children and childhood in animation, in this article I seek to examine the tendency within computer-animated films to cast children-as-children. These films, I argue, offer the pleasures of “captured” performance, and foreground what Roland Barthes terms the “grain” of the child’s voice. By examining the meaningless “babbling” and spontaneous vocalisations of the aptly-named child Boo from Pixar’s Monsters, Inc.