Pete Smith (film producer)
| Pete Smith | |
|---|---|
| Born | Peter Schmidt September 4, 1892 New York, New York, USA |
| Died | January 12, 1979 (aged 86) Santa Monica, California, USA |
| Occupation | Publicist, short subject producer and narrator |
| Employer | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| Known for | Pete Smith Specialties (1930s-1950s), a series of MGM short subjects |
| Awards | Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film (1938, 1941) |
Pete Smith (September 4, 1892 - January 12, 1979[1]) was an Academy Award-winning publicist and short subject producer and narrator.
Smith was born Peter Schmidt in New York City.[2] In the 1920s, Smith was a publicist at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), recruited to overdub the actions of trained dogs in the studio's "Dogville" comedies.[citation needed] Smith's would go on to narrate the studio's sports newsreels; he would embellish the action by running certain scenes in reverse, or adding his own commentary.[citation needed] Both the studio and the movie-going public picked up on Smith's flair for comedy, and he was given his own series, Pete Smith Specialties; between 1931 and 1955, he produced and narrated 150 short subjects for MGM.
Many of the laughs generated by the highly ironic voice-over narration were delivered by Smith himself. His somewhat nasal, matter-of-fact vocal style was imitated and parodied by many.
At the 26th Academy Awards, Smith was awarded an Academy Honorary Award "for his witty and pungent observations on the American scene in his series of "Pete Smith Specialties." In February 1960, Smith received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, at 1621 Vine Street.[1]
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[edit] Films
Smith's short subjects were nominated for Academy Awards 16 times:[2]
- 6th: Menu (written by novelist Thorne Smith)
- 7th: Strikes and Spares
- 8th: Audioscopiks
- 9th: Wanted – A Master, La Fiesta de Santa Barbara
- 10th: Penny Wisdom (won) and Romance of Radium
- 13th: Quicker'n a Wink (won)
- 14th: Army Champions
- 16th: Seeing Hands
- 17th: Movie Pests
- 19th: Sure Cures
- 20th: Now You See It
- 21st: You Can't Win
- 22nd: Water Trix
- 23rd: Wrong Way Butch
Smith won Academy Awards twice, in 1938 for Penny Wisdom and in 1941 for Quicker'n a Wink. The latter used then-recent cinematic techniques to show events which normally occur too rapidly for the human eye to witness, such as the shattering of a bottle of milk.
A partial list of Smith's other short subjects includes:
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This film-related list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
- Swing High, 1932 (as narrator only)
- Inflation, 1933 (uncredited)[3]
- Radio Hams, 1939
- Third Dimensional Murder, 1941
- The Tree in a Test Tube, 1942
- Water Wisdom, 1943
- A Wife's Life, 1950
Most of his films were comedy documentaries, typically one reel (9 to 11 minutes long).[citation needed] Short subjects in this era were part of the studios' exhibition packages, along with serials, animated cartoons, newsreels, travel documentaries, etc.
[edit] Topics
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Among the diverse topics Smith cast his affectionate but jaundiced eye upon were: Emily Post-style household hints, insect life seen through a microscope, military training and hardware (during World War II), and dancing lessons. There were even several "series-within-the-series", such as lighthearted general-knowledge quizzes, professional football highlights (in the days before widespread television), quirky looks at many different kinds of animals (for example, Donkey Baseball and Social Sea Lions), and "Goofy Movies" (playing antique silent dramas for laughs). Smith narrated a patriotic short for the U.S. Government, The Tree In a Test Tube (1943), filmed in color, featuring Laurel and Hardy in a demonstration of household wood products, with Smith explaining the various exhibits for the viewer.
In the 1940s movie stuntman and actor Dave O'Brien became the primary focus of Pete Smith Specialties. The hapless O'Brien would personify everyday nuisances: dealing with pests at the movies, demonstrating pet peeves, tackling hazardous home-improvement projects, and other problems with which the audience could identify. O'Brien's scenes were shot silent, compelling O'Brien to express his satisfaction or frustration entirely in visual terms as narrator Smith offered get-a-load-of-this commentary. O'Brien knew the format so well that he also directed many of the shorts, under the name "David Barclay." He staged many of the sight gags himself, taking stupendous pratfalls for the camera.
These shorts are nowadays rarely seen, being almost completely unavailable on video or DVD. They occasionally appear between feature films on Turner Classic Movies.
[edit] Later years
Smith spent his later years in poor health at a convalescent home in Santa Monica, California,[2] where he committed suicide on January 12, 1979 by leaping off its roof.[4]
[edit] References
- ^ a b "Pete Smith". Hollywood Walk of Fame. http://www.walkoffame.com/pete-smith. Retrieved 2012-01-30.
- ^ a b c "Pete Smith". Los Angeles Times. http://projects.latimes.com/hollywood/star-walk/pete-smith/. Retrieved 2012-01-30.
- ^ Inflation from popmodal.com
- ^ "Pete Smith". Associated Press (Toledo Blade via Google). January 14, 1979. http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1350&dat=19790114&id=JkAxAAAAIBAJ&sjid=hwIEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5150,6364726. Retrieved 2012-01-30.
