Technicolor Specials (Warner Bros. series)
Technicolor Special was a common term used for Hollywood studio produced color film shorts of the 1930s and 1940s that did not belong to a specified series (as marketed in the trade periodicals).
With the Warner Brothers studio, the key word “special” was applied to those color live-action shorts that ran two reels or roughly 20 minutes in length. Those running longer were dubbed Warner Featurettes. Other series names used occasionally were “Technicolor Broadway Brevities” (briefly in the ‘30s [1]) and “Technicolor Miniatures” (for a pair of ballet performances filmed in 1941 [2]).
Overview
Warner Brothers distinguished their two-reel Technicolor Specials from their many shorter color films, running under ten minutes (or one reel) in length. These included the animated Merrie Melodies and later Looney Tunes, Vitaphone Varieties (in color from 1929–30), E. M. Newman “Colortours”, Vitaphone Color Parade, Sports Parade, Technicolor Adventures and Scope Gems, the last series occasionally running longer but distinguished by its use of CinemaScope.
Combined, the studio was able to supply theater owners with enough color short subjects practically on a weekly or bi-weekly basis by the end of the thirties. In fact, only one or two feature films needed to be shot annually in color during the years 1940-47 since there was more than enough presented as “extras” before the main feature attraction.[3] At a time when the studio stopped making features in color, four back-to-back two-reel musicals (over 70 minutes worth) were made in Burbank, California in the autumn of 1933, with Eddie Cline supervising almost as if he was making a feature film.[4]
1934’s Service with a Smile was the first shot in the full Technicolor. Previously a more primitive 2-strip system was used. Two decades later, these were processed under the studio’s own Warnercolor system and occasionally dubbed “Warnercolor Specials”.
The studio was particularly successful with some recreations of American history during the years 1936-1940, the first being Song of a Nation with Donald Woods playing Francis Scott Key. These kept the costume and set design departments busy and provided major stars like Claude Rains alternative projects to exercise, develop or diversify their acting skills between features. Another sub-series dramatized young men and women (again played by actors on the studio payroll) involved in the different military branches. Such titles as Service with the Colors helped prepare movie-goers for the inevitable conflict overseas and encouraged enlistment. Both series provided enough stock footage for later history lessons like March on America! (stretching from the pilgrim landing on Plymouth Rock through the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor) and My Country ‘Tis of Thee (reusing much of the same footage, but continuing through the war years thanks to recent additions like Beachhead to Berlin).
Likewise, the ambitious mini-musicals of the thirties allowed similar recycling for a trio of forties titles: Musical Movieland, Movieland Magic and Hollywood Wonderland. These only required a “framing scene” with a tour guide showing Hollywood visitors films in production. The production numbers shown were lifted from earlier shorts like Swingtime in the Movies.[5]
By 1942, an increasing number of these were documentary and travelogue subjects. Among the most notable from the post-war crop were a pair of prestigious India travelogues, Soap Box Derby (the first of many trips to the mini-car races in Ohio), Down the Nile (showcasing Egypt post-war), Jungle Terror (covering Hassoldt Davis and his wife’s Amazon adventure), The Seeing Eye (covering the Morristown, New Jersey training of dogs for the handicapped), Winter Paradise (John Jay’s ski adventure down the Austrian slopes), Thar She Blows! (aboard a whaling ship) and some well-liked scenic tours of Europe filmed by André de la Varre. Edgar Bergen appeared in a comic-travelogue Charlie McCarthy and Mortimer Snerd in Sweden; its director Larry Lansburgh supplied a number of outdoor and animal interest documentary shorts for both Warner Bros. and Walt Disney in the fifties including some Oscar winners.
The later documentaries also benefited greatly from energetic narration (i.e. Marvin Miller also voiced popular radio shows and animated cartoons of the period) and orchestra scores that only a major film studio could provide. Not surprisingly, they continued to do well annually at awards time, with Warner Brothers eventually surpassing Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in the number of short subject Academy Awards and nominations. Making the Motion Picture Herald lists of top ten money making shorts in 1944-45,[6] the best titles enjoyed a second life as reissues in theaters along with Warner’s newer features and shorts, from the mid-‘40s through 1967.
List of titles
A full list is provided below, arranged by the year of release (but not necessarily the year filmed). Sometimes a date reviewed by Film Daily or a copyright date is listed.[7] All run 16-22 minutes unless otherwise noted. Since Howard Jackson handled the majority of music scores after 1934, only the William Lava solo efforts are indicated.[8] Gordon Hollingshead produced many titles from Moroccan Nights through Thar She Blows. Cedric Francis took over a key producer in charge after Hollingshead’s passing in 1952.
1932-1934 (2-strip system)
| Title | Major credits | Release, copyright or review date |
|---|---|---|
| C'est Paree | Roy Mack (director) | July 23, 1932 (Film Daily review) |
| Pickin' a Winner (Pick a Winner) | Roy Mack (director) | August 23, 1932 (preview) |
| Northern Exposure | Roy Mack (director); Snub Pollard & Sheila Terry | August 23, 1932 (preview) |
| Hey! Hey! Westerner | Roy Mack (director); Eddie Nugent | August 23, 1932 (preview) |
| Tee for Two | Roy Mack (director); Franklin Pangborn, Esther Howard, Helen Lynd & Eddie Kane | August 31, 1932 (Film Daily review) |
| Pleasure Island | Roy Mack (director); Tom Dugan, Richard Powell, Neely Edwards, Hank Mann, Winona Love & Maxine Lewis | October 3, 1932 (Film Daily review) |
| 'Tis Spring | John Francis Dillon (director); Hugh Herbert | © October 28, 1933 |
| Morocco Nights | Eddie Cline (director); Fuzzy Knight, Shirley Ross, Teddy Wolf Orchestra & others | January 6, 1934 |
| Girl Trouble | Eddie Cline (director); Mitchell & Durant | © March 1, 1934 |
| Not Tonight, Josephine | Eddie Cline (director); Frank McHugh, Kitty Kelly & others | © March 2, 1934 |
| Business Is a Pleasure | Eddie Cline (director); Teddy Joyce, Betty Grable, Hobart Cavanaugh & Robert Agnew | © March 17, 1934 |
1930s (full color)
| Title | Major credits | Release, copyright or review date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service with a Smile | Roy Mack (director); Leon Errol, Maxine Doyle, Herbert Evans, Marie Wells & Billy Bletcher | July 25, 1934 (preview) | Vitaphone Cavalcade of Musical Comedy Shorts (Warner Archive) DVD |
| Good Morning, Eve | Roy Mack (director); Leon Errol, June MacCloy, Vernon Dent, Maxine Doyle | August 5, 1934 | Dames & Vitaphone Cavalcade of Musical Comedy Shorts (Warner Archive) DVD |
| What, No Men! | (Ralph Staub (director); El Brendel, Phil Regan & Winifred Shaw | August 22, 1934 (preview) | Nominee for Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film. Vitaphone Cavalcade of Musical Comedy Shorts (Warner Archive) DVD |
| Show Kids | Ralph Staub (director); Arthur Aylesworth, Florence Fair & the Meglin Kiddies | January 5, 1935 | The Gay Divorcee (Greatest Classic Films Astaire & Rogers 1) DVD |
| Gypsy Sweetheart | Ralph Staub (director); Margaret Dumont, Winifred Shaw, Phillip Reed & Eddie Shubert | March 30, 1935 | Vitaphone Cavalcade of Musical Comedy Shorts (Warner Archive) DVD |
| Springtime in Holland | Ralph Staub (director); Hobart Cavanaugh, Dorothy Dare, Al Shean & Felix Knight | June 22, 1935 | |
| Romance of the West | Ralph Staub (director); Phil Regan, Bob Nolan, Henry Armetta & Mary Treen | August 3, 1935 | |
| Reg'lar Kids | Ralph Staub (director); Famous Meglin Kiddies | October 19, 1935 | |
| Okay, José | Ralph Staub (director); El Brendel, Julian Riviero, Alberto Sergio & Joan Woodbury | December 7, 1935 | Vitaphone Cavalcade of Musical Comedy Shorts (Warner Archive) DVD |
| Carnival Day | Ralph Staub (director); Henry Armetta, Felix Knight & Joan Barclay | January 11, 1936 | Vitaphone Cavalcade of Musical Comedy Shorts (Warner Archive) DVD |
| King of the Islands | Ralph Staub (director); Winifred Shaw, Warren Hymer & Edward McWade | February 22, 1936 | Vitaphone Cavalcade of Musical Comedy Shorts (Warner Archive) DVD |
| Changing of the Guard | Crane Wilbur (director); Sybil Jason | May 13, 1936 (preview) | Vitaphone Cavalcade of Musical Comedy Shorts (Warner Archive) DVD |
| Song of a Nation | Frank MacDonald (director); Donald Woods, Clare Dodd & Carlyle Moore, Jr. | June 12, 1936 (BoxOffice review date) | |
| The Sunday Roundup | William Clemens (film director); Dick Foran, Jane Wyman, Linda Perry & others | July 10, 1936 | Vitaphone Cavalcade of Musical Comedy Shorts (Warner Archive) DVD |
| Echo Mountain | Ralph Staub (director); Fred Laurence & Rosalind Marquis | October 30, 1936 | Vitaphone Cavalcade of Musical Comedy Shorts (Warner Archive) DVD |
| Give Me Liberty | B. Reeves Eason (director); story: Forrest Barnes; John Litel, Robert Warwick, Nedda Harrington & others | December 3, 1936 (preview) | Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film. The Charge of the Light Brigade (1936 film) DVD |
| Under Southern Stars | Nick Grinde (director); Fred Laurence, Jane Bryan, Fritz Leiber, Sr. & others | February 20, 1937 | Black Legion (film) DVD |
| The Romance of Robert Burns | Crane Wilbur (director); Owen King, Linda Mason & Marcia Ralston | April 10, 1937 | Hollywood Hotel (film) DVD |
| A Day at Santa Anita | Crane Wilbur (director); Sybil Jason, Marcia Ralston, Matthew Beard, Bette Davis, Ruby Keeler, Al Jolson, Edward G. Robinson, Olivia de Havilland & others | May 22, 1937 | The Jazz Singer & Each Dawn I Die (Greatest Gangster Films James Cagney) DVD |
| Romance of Louisiana | Crane Wilbur (director); Erville Anderson, Addison Richards & Suzanne Kaaren | July 8, 1937 | Gold Diggers of 1937 DVD |
| Little Pioneer | Bobby Connolly (director); Sybil Jason, Jane Wyman, Carlyle Moore Jr. & others | July 31, 1937 | |
| The Littlest Diplomat | Bobby Connolly (director); Sybil Jason & Lumsden Hare | September 18, 1937 | The Life of Emile Zola DVD |
| The Man Without a Country | Crane Wilbur (director); John Litel, Ted Osborne, Gloria Holden & Holmes Herbert | November 27, 1937 | Nominee for Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film. San Quentin (1937 film) DVD |
| Romance Road | Bobby Connolly (director); Walter Cassell, Anne Nagel & others | January 26, 1938 | The Dawn Patrol (1938 film) & Vitaphone Cavalcade of Musical Comedy Shorts (Warner Archive) DVD |
| Out Where the Stars Begin | Bobby Connolly (director); Fritz Field, Evelyn Thaw, Armida (actress), Jeffrey Lynn, Pat O'Brien, Ann Sheridan & others | May 14, 1938 | Angels with Dirty Faces & Vitaphone Cavalcade of Musical Comedy Shorts (Warner Archive) DVD |
| Sons of the Plains | Crane Wilbur (director); Billy and Bobby Mauch | July 30, 1938 | |
| Campus Cinderella | Noel M. Smith (director); Penny Singleton, Johnnie Davis, Anthony Averill & Oscar O'Shea | September 17, 1938 | Bringing Up Baby (2-disc) DVD |
| Declaration of Independence | Crane Wilbur (director); Charles Tedford (story); (Ted Osborne), John Litel, Walter Walker, Rosella Towne, Owen King & Richard Bond | November 26, 1938 | Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film, A Slight Case of Murder DVD |
| Swingtime in the Movies | Crane Wilbur (director); Fritz Feld, Katherine Kane, Jerry Colonna, Humphrey Bogart, George Brent, the Dead End Boys, John Garfield, Priscilla Lane & others | December 26, 1938 | Nominee for Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film, They Drive by Night (Classic Legends Humphrey Bogart) DVD |
| Lincoln in the White House | William McGann (director); Frank McGlynn, Sr., Dickie Moore, John Harron & others | January 13, 1939 (preview) | The Old Maid (1939 film) DVD |
| Sons of Liberty | Michael Curtiz & Crane Wilbur (directors); Claude Rains, Gale Sondergaard, Donald Crisp & Montagu Love | May 20, 1939 | Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film, Dodge City (1939 film) DVD |
| The Right Way | Crane Wilbur (director); Gabriel Dell | June 26, 1939 | |
| Quiet, Please | Crane Wilbur (director); Fritz Feld, Charles Foy, Larry Williams, Tom Kennedy & Katherine Kane | July 1, 1939 | Invisible Stripes DVD |
| The Bill of Rights | Crane Wilbur (director); Ted Osborne, Vernon Steele, Moroni Olsen & Leonard Mudie | August 19, 1939 | |
| Ride, Cowboy, Ride | George Amy (director); Dennis Morgan, Cliff Edwards, Maris Wrixon & George Reeves | September 9, 1939 | |
| The Monroe Doctrine | Crane Wilbur (director); Grant Mitchell, Charles Waldron, Sidney Blackmer, Nanette Fabray, George Reeves & James Stephenson | October 21, 1939 | Invisible Stripes DVD |
| The Royal Rodeo | George Amy (director); story: Owen Crump; Cliff Edwards, Scotty Beckett & John Payne | November 25, 1939 | The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex DVD |
| Old Hickory | Crane Wilbur (director); story: Owen Crump; Hugh Sothern, Nana Bryant & Victor Kilian | December 23, 1939 |
1940s
| Title | Major credits | Release or copyright date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Teddy, the Rough Rider | Ray Enright (director); Sidney Blackmer, Pierre Watkin & Theodore von Eltz | February 24, 1940 | Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film, Knute Rockne, All American DVD |
| The Singing Dude | William C. McGann (director); Dennis Morgan, Lucile Fairbanks & Fuzzy Knight | April 5, 1940 | |
| Cinderella's Feller | William McGann (director); Juanita Quigley, Scotty Beckett & Maris Wrixon | June 8, 1940 | Virginia City (film) DVD |
| Pony Express Days (Wild West Days) | B. Reeves Eason (director); George Reeves, David Bruce, Frank Wilcox & J. Farrell McDonald | July 6, 1940 | Torrid Zone DVD |
| Service with the Colors | B. Reeves Eason (director); Owen Crump (writer); Robert Armstrong, William Lundigan, William T. Orr, Herbert Anderson & George Hayward | August 31, 1940 | Nominee for Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film, City for Conquest (Greatest Gangster Films James Cagney) DVD |
| The Flag of Humanity | Jean Negulesco (director); Nana Bryant, Fay Helm, John Hamilton, Ted Osborne & others | October 19, 1940 | Virginia City (film) DVD |
| March On, Marines | B. Reeves Eason (director); Dennis Morgan, John Litel & David Bruce | December 14, 1940 | |
| Meet the Fleet | B. Reeves Eason (director); story: Owen Crump; Robert Armstrong, William T. Orr & Herbert Anderson | December 21, 1940 | |
| Wings of Steel | B. Reeves Eason (director); story: Owen Crump; Douglas Kennedy, Herbert Anderson, Tom Neal & Ralph Byrd | April 5, 1941 | |
| Here Comes the Cavalry | D. Ross Lederman (director); story: Owen Crump (writer); William Justice & Gary Owen | June 28, 1941 | |
| Carnival in Rhythm | Stanley Martin (director); narrator: Knox Manning; Katherine Dunham & her dance troupe | August 23, 1941 | Available on The Bride Came C.O.D. DVD |
| The Tanks Are Coming | B. Reeves Eason (director); George Tobias, William Justice, Frank Wilcock & Byron Barr | October 4, 1941 | Nominee for Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film, Desperate Journey & Objective, Burma! DVD |
| The Gay Parisian | Jean Negulesco (director); Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo | December 26, 1941 | "Technicolor Miniature"; Nominee for Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film, The Maltese Falcon (1941 film) DVD |
| Soldiers in White | B. Reeves Eason (director); Owen Crump (writer); William T. Orr, John Litel & Eleanor Parker | February 7, 1942 | They Died with Their Boots On DVD |
| Spanish Fiesta | Jean Negulesco (director); Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo | May 16, 1942 | "Technicolor Miniature" (filmed 1941); In This Our Life DVD |
| March on America! | Owen Crump (writer); narrator: Richard Whorf | May 16, 1942 | In This Our Life DVD |
| The Pacific Frontier | Frederick Richards (editor); narrator: Raine Bennett | May 23, 1942 | documentary on Hawaii |
| The Daughter of Rosie O'Grady | Jean Negulesco (director); Patty Hale, Al Shean & Peter Caldwell | July 11, 1942 | |
| Men of the Sky (Under Those Wings) | B. Reeves Eason (director); Owen Crump (writer); Eleanor Parker, Tod Andrews, Don DeFore & Ray Montgomery | July 25, 1942 | Across the Pacific DVD |
| A Ship Is Born | First Motion Picture Unit; Jean Negulesco (director); Owen Crump (writer); music: William Lava; narrator: Knox Manning | October 10, 1942 | |
| The Fighting Engineers | B. Reeves Eason (director); narrator: Knox Manning; Richard Travis | January 2, 1943 | |
| Young and Beautiful | Will Jason (director); music: William Lava; William Haines & Elizabeth Arden (art directors); Gracie Fields, Frieda Inescort & Jinx Falkenburg | March 13, 1943 | |
| Eagles of the Navy | Joe Gosling | April 24, 1943 | filmed at Pensacola, Florida training facility |
| Champions Training Champions | James Bloodworth (director); music: William Lava; narrator: Lou Marcelle | June 26, 1943 | for U.S. Navy |
| Mountain Fighters | B. Reeves Eason (director); narrator: Lou Marcelle | August 7, 1943 | filmed at Camp Hale, Colorado |
| Women at War | Jean Negulesco (director);; music: William Lava; Virginia Christine | October 2, 1943 | Nominee for Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film, Air Force (film) DVD |
| Behind the Big Top | A. Pam Blumenthal & Van Campen Heilner (producers); André de la Varre (director); narrator: Art Gilmore | November 27, 1943 | shot in Sarasota, Florida |
| Task Force | narrator: Jackson Beck | December 11, 1943 | made for the U.S. Coast Guard |
| Roaring Guns | Jean Negulesco (director); Robert Shayne | February 19, 1944 | "Santa Fe Trail" series; Rocky Mountain (film) DVD |
| A Night in Mexico City | Augustin Delgado (director); James A. Fitzpatrick (narrator) | March 25, 1944 | |
| Wells Fargo Days | Mack V. Wright (director); Dennis Moore (actor) | May 1, 1944 | "Santa Fe Trail" series; Rocky Mountain (film) DVD |
| Winner's Circle | A. Pam Blumenthal & Van Campen Heilner (prodfucers); André de la Varre (director); narrator: Roger Q. Denny | May 6, 1944 | profiles Kentucky thoroughbreds |
| Trial By Trigger | William C. McGann (director); Robert Shayne, Cheryl Walker, Warner Anderson, Ralph Dunn & Henry Sharp | May 27, 1944 | "Santa Fe Trail" series; Rocky Mountain (film) DVD |
| Devil Boats | A. Pam Blumenthal & André de la Varre (producers); Arnold Albert (director); music: William Lava; Warren Douglas | July 22, 1944 | demonstrates the production of PT boats. |
| Musical Movieland | LeRoy Prinz | September 9, 1944 | Night and Day (1946 film) DVD |
| Trailin' West | George Templeton (director); John Spelvin, Elaine Riley & Chill Wills | October 1, 1944 | "Santa Fe Trail" series |
| Let's Go Fishing | André de la Varre (director) | October 21, 1944 | |
| Beachhead to Berlin | Charles Tedford (director); music: William Lava | December 16, 1944 | color footage of D-Day |
| Coney Island Honeymoon | Arnold Albert (director); Warren Douglas & Angela Greene | June 16, 1945 | (© December 19, 1944) |
| America the Beautiful | André de la Varre (director); story: Saul Elkins & Owen Crump (writer); music: William Lava; narrator: Truman Bradley | August 4, 1945 | |
| Orders from Tokyo | narrator: David Griffin | August 18, 1945 | filmed in the Philippines |
| Frontier Days | Jack Scholl (director); Robert Shayne, Dorothy Malone & Rory Mallnson | October 20, 1945 | San Antonio (film) DVD |
| Hawaiian Memories | John D. Craig (director) | © December 27, 1945 | |
| The Forest Commandos | Van Campen Heilner (producer); André de la Varre (director); music: Rex Dunn | January 19, 1946 | filmed in Ontario |
| Movieland Magic | James Kern & Jack Scholl (directors); Mel Torme | March 9, 1946 | |
| Gem of the Ocean | music: William Lava; narrator: Truman Bradley | April 13, 1946 | visits wartime Guam |
| South of Monterrey | Sullivan C. Richardson (director); music: Rex Dunn; narrator: Truman Bradley | © June 30, 1946 | Mexico travelogue. |
| Down Singapore Way | Deane H. Dickason; music: Rex Dunn | July 20, 1946 | tour of East Indies (Indonesia) |
| Men of Tomorrow | Saul Elkins (director); music: William Lava; narrator: Knox Manning | August 24, 1946 | (© December 31, 1945); about the Boy Scouts |
| Sunset in the Pacific | music: William Lava | © December 20, 1946 | wartime camermen are profiled |
| A Boy and His Dog | LeRoy Prinz & Saul Elkins (directors); music: William Lava; Harry Davenport, Billy Shefield, Russell Simpson & Dorothy Adams | December 24, 1946 (preview) | Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film |
| Saddle Up! | Luis Osorno Barona (director) | March 1, 1947 | covers horse sports in Mexico |
| Hollywood Wonderland | Jack Scholl (director) | August 9, 1947 | (filmed April 1946); Tycoon (1947 film) DVD |
| A Day at the Fair | Saul Elkins (director); narrator: Art Gilmore | August 30, 1947 | Covers the 1946 centennial state fair of Des Moines, Iowa where the film premiered [9] |
| Romance and Dance | Luis Osorno Barona (director); narrator: Truman Bradley | August 30, 1947 | features various dances of Mexico |
| King of the Carnival | Saul Elkins (director); narrator: Knox Manning | September 11, 1947 | covers a carnival in Topeka, Kansas including Carl J. Sedlmayr's Royal American Show. |
| Power Behind the Nation | Crane Wilbur (director); story: Saul Elkins; music: William Lava; narrator: Art Gilmore | October 11, 1947 | History of American industry |
| Soap Box Derby | Saul Elkins (director); music: William Lava; narrator: Knox Manning | October 18, 1947 | Akron, Ohio mini car races. |
| Celebration Days | Saul Elkins (director); narrator: Art Gilmore | © December 29, 1947 | covers Minneapolis Aquatennial |
| Calgary Stampede | Saul Elkins & Herman Boxer (directors); music: William Lava; narrator: Art Gilmore | May 29, 1948 | covers Stampede Week in Calgary, Alberta. Nominee for Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film, The Adventures of Don Juan DVD |
| The Man from New Orleans | Luis Osorno Barona (director); music: William Lava; narrator: Art Gilmore | September 4, 1948 | profiles artist William Spratling |
| My Own United States | DeLeon Anthony (director); music: William Lava; narrator: Truman Bradley | October 16, 1948 | |
| Cradle of the Republic | Carl Dudley (producer/director); music: William Lava; narrator: Art Gilmore | © December 20, 1948 | Overview of the New England states |
| Princely India | Owen Crump (director/writer); music: William Lava; narrator: Lou Marcelle | December 25, 1948 | India travelogue |
| Heart of Paris | Owen Crump (writer); music: William Lava; narrator: Art Gilmore | March 12, 1949 | |
| Drums of India | Owen Crump (writer); music: William Lava; narrator: Truman Bradley | April 15, 1949 | |
| Down the Nile | Owen Crump (writer); music: William Lava; narrator: Art Gilmore | July 30, 1949 | Egyptian travelogue |
| Jungle Terror | Hassoldt Davis & Ruth Staudinger; Owen Crump (writer); music: William Lava; narrator: Martin Gabel | November 5, 1949 | covers a 1947-48 trip through French Guiana, additional unused footage can be found in the Smithsonian Archives. |
| Snow Carnival | André de la Varre & Dick Durrance (directors); story: Owen Crump (writer); narrator: Gary Cooper | December 17, 1949 | covers skiing in Aspen, Colorado. Nominee for Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film |
1950s
| Title | Major credits | Release or copyright date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Women of Tomorrow | George George, Francis Thompson & John Flory (director/writers); narrator: Art Gilmore | March 15, 1950 | (© December 31, 1949); covers Girl Scouts of the USA |
| Danger Is My Business | Ross Allen (herpetologist); music: William Lava; narrator: Marvin Miller | April 8, 1950 | visiting the Everglades with a professional reptile handler |
| Wish You Were Here | music: William Lava; narrator: Art Gilmore | July 29, 1950 | tour of Florida |
| Charlie McCarthy and Mortimer Snerd in Sweden | Larry Lansburgh (director); Edgar Bergen | September 27, 1950 | |
| My Country 'Tis of Thee | Owen Crump (writer); music: William Lava; narrator: Marvin Miller | December 26, 1950 | Nominee for Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film. Captain Horatio Hornblower R.N. DVD |
| The Wanderer's Return | André de la Varre (director); story: Owen Crump (writer); narrator: Marvin Miller | December 23, 1950 | Tour of the new Israel |
| The Neighbor Next Door | Owen Crump (writer); music: William Lava; narrator: Marvin Miller | March 17, 1951 | Tour of Canada |
| Stranger in the Lighthouse | Larry Lansburgh (director); narrator: Art Gilmore | May 5, 1951 | Tale of a girl and a seal |
| Enchanted Islands | Owen Crump & Edwin E. Olsen (directors); narrator: Art Gilmore | August 4, 1951 | Hawaii |
| Winter Sports (Winter Wonders) | John Jay; narrator: Art Gilmore | September 8, 1951 | Ski reel |
| The Seeing Eye | Owen Crump (directors); André de la Varre (camera); music: William Lava; narrator: Marvin Miller | December 14, 1951 | Nominee for Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film. A canine view of the New Jersey seeing eye dog institute |
| Land of the Trembling Earth | Ted & Vincent Saizis (directors); music: William Lava; narrator: Marvin Miller | January 26, 1952 | covers Georgia's Okefenokee Swamp |
| Land of Everyday Miracles | Richard L. Bare & Paul Thoma (directors); narrator: Marvin Miller | March 8, 1952 | American inventions and institutions |
| No Pets Allowed | Crane Wilbur (director); Warren Douglas, Fay Bainter & others | May 31, 1952 | |
| Open Up That Golden Gate | Owen Crump (writer); music: William Lava; narrator: Lou Marcelle | July 19, 1952 | San Francisco travelogue |
| Killers of the Swamp | André de la Varre (director); narrator: Marvin Miller | September 6, 1952 | Everglades alligator, rattlesnake and bobcat |
| Cruise of the Zaca | Errol Flynn & Owen Crump (writer), Howard Hill | December 6, 1952 | Travels with the Zaca along Pacific and in Jamaica in 1946-47. The Adventures of Robin Hood (film) (2-disc) DVD |
| Thar She Blows! | D. Richard Statile (director); story: Owen Crump; music: William Lava; narrator: Art Gilmore | December 25, 1952 (preview) | Five months on a whaling vessel traveling Antarctic waters. Nominee for Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film |
| Under the Little Big Top | André de la Varre (director); narrator: Art Gilmore | April 25, 1953 | filmed in Sarasota, Florida |
| America for Me | Albert Kelly (director); Ellen Drew, Meg Randall & John Archer | May 30, 1953 | |
| Where the Trade Winds Play | William Whiteman (director); Owen Crump (writer); music: William Lava | July 4, 1953 | Tour of Polynesia, Tahiti |
| Gone Fishin' | Charles Tedford (director); narrator: Art Gilmore | September 12, 1953 | |
| North of the Sahara | André de la Varre (director); script: Owen Crump; narrator: Marvin Miller | November 7, 1953 | Tour of Tunisia & Morocco |
| Don't Forget to Write | André de la Varre (director); story: Owen Crump; music: William Lava; narrator: Art Gilmore | December 5, 1953 | Tour of England |
| Winter Paradise (Alpine Safari) | John Jay (director); story: Owen Crump (writer); music: William Lava; narrator: Art Gilmore | December 26, 1953 | skiing in Oberstdorf (Germany) and the Austrian Alps (filmed '51).[10] Nominee for Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film |
| Hold Your Horses | André de la Varre (director); story: Owen Crump (writer); narrator: Art Gilmore | March 13, 1954 | horse breeding in Argentina |
| Continental Holiday | André de la Varre (director); story: Owen Crump (writer); music: William Lava; narrator: Marvin Miller | April 9, 1954 | European tour utilizing clips from past shorts |
| Silver Lightning | Edgar Queeny (director); narrator: Paul Prentiss | July 17, 1954 | fishing reel |
| Who's Who in the Zoo | André de la Varre (director) | August 21, 1954 | US and European zoos |
| Mariners Ahoy! | Ray Jewell (director); Owen Crump (writer) | September 6, 1954 | girls sail the Yankee with Commander Irving M. Johnson. |
| In Fourteen Hundred and Ninety-two | André de la Varre (director); story: Owen Crump; music: William Lava; narrator: Marvin Miller | October 9, 1954 | covers Puerto Rico, Haiti, Jamaica & the Dominican Republic |
| Where Winter Is King | André de la Varre (director); narrator: Marvin Miller | December 4, 1954 | Austria winter sports |
| Beauty and the Bull | Larry Lansburgh (director); narrator: Marvin Miller | December 20, 1954 | features bullfighter Bette Ford in Mexico. Nominee for Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film |
| The Mississippi Traveler | Carl Dudley (producer); Richard Goldstone (director); | March 5, 1955 | journey along the river |
| Wave of the Flag | Carl Dudley (producer); Richard Goldstone (director) | May 14, 1955 | touring national monuments to American wars |
| The Adventures of Alexander Selkirk | Jackson Winter (director); | June 18, 1955 | story of a real life Robinson Crusoe |
| Uranium Fever | Tom McGowan (director); narrator: Vic Perrin | July 16, 1955 | |
| Festival Days | André de la Varre (director); story: Owen Crump; narrator: Marvin Miller | August 13, 1955 | shots of Germany, Austria and Italy |
| The Golden Tomorrow | André de la Varre (director); story: Owen Crump; narrator: Marvin Miller | November 5, 1955 | Venezuela |
| Out of the Desert | Jackson Winter (director); narrator: Marvin Miller | February 4, 1956 | covers Egypt |
| Copters and Cows | Tom McGowan (director); narrator: Marvin Miller | March 2, 1956 | cattle ranching by helicopter in Vernon, Texas |
| The Wonders of Araby | André de la Varre (director); story: Owen Crump; narrator: Marvin Miller | June 2, 1956 | Tour of the Middle East. |
| Miracle in the Caribbean | Hamilton Wright (producer); narrator: Marvin Miller | August 25, 1956 | Puerto Rico |
| Playtime Pals | André de la Varre (director); narrator: Johnny Jacobs | October 27, 1956 | (9 minutes) Children and sports worldwide |
| Howdy, Partner! | Tom McGowan (director); Owen Crump (writer); narrator: Johnny Jacobs | November 1956 | Las Vegas |
| Pearls of the Pacific | André de la Varre (director); narrator: Marvin Miller | © March 2, 1957 | Philippines |
| I'll Be Doggone! | André de la Varre (director); narrator: Johnny Jacobs | March 16, 1957 | (9 minutes) Covers European dog shows |
See also
Links
- Film Daily links (specific dates listed above in List of Titles)
- UCLA Film Archives Search (holds copies of many pre-1948 titles)
- Library of Congress search site (holds copies of ‘50s titles)
- DVD Talk review of ‘30s shorts in review of Vitaphone Cavalcade of Musical Comedy Shorts
References
- 1965 International Motion Picture Almanac 1964 Quigley Publishing Company
- McCarty, Clifford (2000). 'Film Composers in America: A Filmography, 1911-1970. Oxford University Press.
- Finler, Joel W. (2003). The Hollywood Story. Wallflower Press.(pages 294-296, brief coverage of shorts production and number of color features; page 369, color feature figures)
- Liebman, Roy (2003). Vitaphone Films – A Catalogue of the Features and Shorts. McFarland & Company. ISBN 9780786412792.
- Maltin, Leonard (1972). The Great Movie Shorts. Bonanza Books.
- Motion Pictures 1912-1939 Catalog of Copyright Entries 1951 Library of Congress [1]
- Motion Pictures 1940-1949 Catalog of Copyright Entries 1953 Library of Congress [2]
- Motion Pictures 1950-1959 Catalog of Copyright Entries 1960 Library of Congress [3]
- BoxOffice back issue scans available (release date information in multiple issue “Shorts Charts”)
Notes
- ^ BoxOffice. August 25, 1936 (p.46), April 17, 1937 (p. 42) use “Broadway Brevities”, January 8, 1938 (p 71) use “Technicolor Special”
- ^ BoxOffice. March 14, 1942 (p. 103) also uses “Technicolor Special”
- ^ Finler, Joel W. The Hollywood Story. 2003. Wallflower Press. p. 294-296, 369
- ^ Liebman, Roy. Vitaphone Films – A Catalogue of the Features and Shorts. 2003. McFarland & Company, p. 104
- ^ Maltin, Leonard. The Great Movie Shorts. 1972. Bonanza Books, p. 26
- ^ 1965 International Motion Picture Almanac. 1964. Quigley Publishing Company. pp. 86-88A
- ^ Motion Pictures 1912-1939 Catalog of Copyright Entries. 1951. Library of Congress
- ^ McCarty, Clifford. Film Composers in America: A Filmography, 1911-1970. 2000. Oxford University Press
- ^ Billboard magazine, September 6, 1947, p. 68
- ^ Ski Heritage Journal, Vol. 8, No. 2, Spring/Summer 1996, p. 19