Michael Elliott
Senior HTF Member
Alibi Mark (1937) :star::star::star:1/2 Joseph Henabery
Part of Warner's "Your True Adventure" series, this short tells the story of a down on his luck man (Dennis Moore) who heads west hoping to find work during the Depression. Along his way he stops off in a small town where he finds a wallet and tries to exchange it for some food not knowing it belonged to a man murdered the previous night. This is the first short I've seen from the series so I can't say how good or bad it is overall but I really enjoyed this one here. The drama is pretty good as the innocent man gets picked up by a lynch mob and must try to get out alive. As with other Depression era shorts, this here gives a good detail of what it was like back then and how men did what they could to survive. Moore gives a very good performance in the lead and Floyd Gibbons narrates. The neat thing is that at the end of the film we get to see the real man that the story is based on.
Egghead Rides Again (1937) :star::star:1/2 Tex Avery
Merrie Melodies short has Egghead playing cowboy in his boarding house but getting kicked out for making too much noise. He then heads out west to get a job at the Bar None ranch but first he has to prove he's a real cowboy. This is a mildly entertaining short that is charming enough but never really gets any major laughs. Mel Blanc's work as the voice of Egghead is pretty good and you can hear bits and pieces of Daffy Duck in it. The animation is also quite nice with some great scenery and good visuals. The highlight of the film has to be towards the end when Egghead is trying to rope a baby cow but the cow has his own ideas.
I Wanna Be a Sailor (1937) :star::star:1/2 Tex Avery
Merrie Melodies short has a mother parrot trying to teach her three kids to say "Polly want a cracker" but her youngest refuses to say it because he wants to be a sailor. The little bird runs away from home, builds a ship and heads out on a lake with a baby duck but soon a storm rolls in. Here's another short that comes off a lot more cute than funny. I think the biggest problem I had with this one here is the simple fact that it didn't offer up too many laughs. The stuff on the sea with the parrot trying to be a sailor was mildly amusing but that's about as far as it went. The baby duck character was actually pretty good but sadly he didn't have too much to do.
Porky's Super Service (1937) :star::star::star: Ub Iwerks
Black and white Looney Tunes short has Porky running a gas station and doing a great job at taking care of everyone. This all changes when an obnoxious kid is left in a car and decides to drive Porky crazy. Director Iwerks, best known for his early Disney cartoons, does a great job keeping this film moving and gives it a certain attitude that only his films have. There are many jokes from start to finish but the highlight has to be the sequence where Porky knows the kid is up to no good and keeps trying to catch him but the kid is always one step ahead. The work by Bob Clampett and Chuck Jones is beautifully done as is the voice work by Mel Blanc.
Star in the Night (1945) :star::star::star::star: Don Siegel
Brilliant updating of The Nativity Story has a small diner owner (J. Carrol Naish), a bitter man, opening his doors to a wide range of people on Christmas Eve. Included in this group are a hitchhiker (Donald Woods), a couple expecting a baby and three cowboys. Even though this film only runs 21-minutes I still think it's one of the best of the decade. The film won an Oscar for Best Short but it also marks the directorial debut of Don Siegel who would go onto direct several Clint Eastwood films. The movie tells a story we're all familiar with but it takes it to the next level with its warm characters and strong message. There's a mysterious undertone to the hitchhiker character that really reminds me of something we'd see decades later in The Twilight Zone. The future TV shows had the same feelings that are present in this film, which of course was made years later. Another strong thing are the performances with Naish leading the way. Naish was always a fine character actor but his performance here is chilling and might be the best I've ever seen from him. The same with Woods who brings so much life to his character even though he says very little. This film is flawless from start to finish so it's a real shame more people don't know it but thankfully Turner Classic Movies show it each year around the holiday.
Part of Warner's "Your True Adventure" series, this short tells the story of a down on his luck man (Dennis Moore) who heads west hoping to find work during the Depression. Along his way he stops off in a small town where he finds a wallet and tries to exchange it for some food not knowing it belonged to a man murdered the previous night. This is the first short I've seen from the series so I can't say how good or bad it is overall but I really enjoyed this one here. The drama is pretty good as the innocent man gets picked up by a lynch mob and must try to get out alive. As with other Depression era shorts, this here gives a good detail of what it was like back then and how men did what they could to survive. Moore gives a very good performance in the lead and Floyd Gibbons narrates. The neat thing is that at the end of the film we get to see the real man that the story is based on.
Egghead Rides Again (1937) :star::star:1/2 Tex Avery
Merrie Melodies short has Egghead playing cowboy in his boarding house but getting kicked out for making too much noise. He then heads out west to get a job at the Bar None ranch but first he has to prove he's a real cowboy. This is a mildly entertaining short that is charming enough but never really gets any major laughs. Mel Blanc's work as the voice of Egghead is pretty good and you can hear bits and pieces of Daffy Duck in it. The animation is also quite nice with some great scenery and good visuals. The highlight of the film has to be towards the end when Egghead is trying to rope a baby cow but the cow has his own ideas.
I Wanna Be a Sailor (1937) :star::star:1/2 Tex Avery
Merrie Melodies short has a mother parrot trying to teach her three kids to say "Polly want a cracker" but her youngest refuses to say it because he wants to be a sailor. The little bird runs away from home, builds a ship and heads out on a lake with a baby duck but soon a storm rolls in. Here's another short that comes off a lot more cute than funny. I think the biggest problem I had with this one here is the simple fact that it didn't offer up too many laughs. The stuff on the sea with the parrot trying to be a sailor was mildly amusing but that's about as far as it went. The baby duck character was actually pretty good but sadly he didn't have too much to do.
Porky's Super Service (1937) :star::star::star: Ub Iwerks
Black and white Looney Tunes short has Porky running a gas station and doing a great job at taking care of everyone. This all changes when an obnoxious kid is left in a car and decides to drive Porky crazy. Director Iwerks, best known for his early Disney cartoons, does a great job keeping this film moving and gives it a certain attitude that only his films have. There are many jokes from start to finish but the highlight has to be the sequence where Porky knows the kid is up to no good and keeps trying to catch him but the kid is always one step ahead. The work by Bob Clampett and Chuck Jones is beautifully done as is the voice work by Mel Blanc.
Star in the Night (1945) :star::star::star::star: Don Siegel
Brilliant updating of The Nativity Story has a small diner owner (J. Carrol Naish), a bitter man, opening his doors to a wide range of people on Christmas Eve. Included in this group are a hitchhiker (Donald Woods), a couple expecting a baby and three cowboys. Even though this film only runs 21-minutes I still think it's one of the best of the decade. The film won an Oscar for Best Short but it also marks the directorial debut of Don Siegel who would go onto direct several Clint Eastwood films. The movie tells a story we're all familiar with but it takes it to the next level with its warm characters and strong message. There's a mysterious undertone to the hitchhiker character that really reminds me of something we'd see decades later in The Twilight Zone. The future TV shows had the same feelings that are present in this film, which of course was made years later. Another strong thing are the performances with Naish leading the way. Naish was always a fine character actor but his performance here is chilling and might be the best I've ever seen from him. The same with Woods who brings so much life to his character even though he says very little. This film is flawless from start to finish so it's a real shame more people don't know it but thankfully Turner Classic Movies show it each year around the holiday.