Broadway Brevities
Broadway Brevities are two-reel (17–21 minutes long) musical and dramatic film shorts produced by Warner Bros. between 1931 and 1943. The series continued as Warner Specials in later years.
Overview
Other titles used for these black and white two-reel films included “Vitaphone Musicals”, “Broadway Headliners”, “Presentation Revue” (for a couple 1938 releases[2]) and “Blue Ribbon Comedy” for a trio featuring Elsa Maxwell.[3] Usually the trade periodicals grouped them as “Broadway Brevities” for easier marketing purposes.
Many of these glossy productions, a few winning Academy Awards, featured dance spectaculars and mini-dramas with top Broadway theatre or Warner studio stars; famous names included Russ Columbo, Ruth Etting, Hal Le Roy, Bob Hope and Red Skelton. They were filmed at the Vitaphone studio in Brooklyn, New York until 1939, with Samuel Sax as a key producer. Production then moved to Burbank, California.
By the forties, an increasing number were of the documentary genre and the title “Broadway Brevity” was officially dropped in mid-1943 in favor of “Warner Special”. In 1948-1956, many were re-released to theaters under the heading “Classics of the Screen”.[4][5]
List of titles
A full list is provided below by year of release (but not necessarily the same year filmed). Title is listed first, followed by the major credits and a release date. Sometimes a date reviewed by Film Daily or a copyright date [6] is listed instead.
1931
| Title | Director & performers | Review date (Film Daily) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Old Lace | Roy Mack (director); Ruth Etting | September 20 | |
| The Musical Mystery | Janet Reade, Al Shayne & the Albertina Rasch Girls | November 1 | |
| Words & Music | Roy Mack (director); Ruth Etting & Dan Tompkins | November 8 |
1932
| Title | Director & performers | Release, copyright or review date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Footlights | Barbara Newberry, Russ Brown, the Giersdorf Sisters, the Buccaneers & the Albertina Rasch Girls | January 2 (Film Daily review) | |
| Hello, Good Times! (Cheer Up) | Roy Mack (director); Al Wohlman, Johnny Boyle, Sharp & Minor, the Albertina Rasch Girls | January 17 | |
| Washington, the Man and the Capitol | Clarence Whitehill, A. J. Herbert & others | February 14 (Film Daily review) | "Novelty" (part documentary) |
| The Imperfect Lover | Jack Haley | February 14 (Film Daily review) | |
| The Subway Symphony | Frances Langford, Charles Bennington, Joan Abbott & the Dave Gould Girls | March 6 (Film Daily review) | |
| Sea Legs | Alice Graham, Dorothea James, May Wynne, the David Gould Dancers & King, King & King | March 27 (Film Daily review) | |
| Artistic Temperament (Artistic Temper) | Roy Mack (director); Ruth Etting, Victor Kilian, Wilfred Lytell, Frank McNellis & Frances McHugh | April | |
| Absent Minded Abner | Alfred J. Goulding (director); Jack Haley, Olive Shea & Hugh Cameron | May 15 (Film Daily review) | |
| A Mail Bride | Roy Mack (director); Ruth Etting, Gregory Gaye, Elvira Trabert & Max Stamm | May 29 (Film Daily review) | |
| What an Idea | Roy Mack (director); Armand Cortes, Harriet Hilliard, the Danny Dare Sisters & Three Harmony Misses | June 11 (Film Daily review) | |
| A Regular Trouper | Roy Mack (director); Ruth Etting, Wanda Perry, Edward Leiter & Jack Wolfe | June 25 (Film Daily review) | |
| Passing the Buck | Roy Mack (director); Alexander Gray, Nina Mae McKinney, Dorothy Dell, Victor Kilian, Ed Jerome, Will Vedery Girls & Four Blazers | September 24 | |
| Tip, Tap, Toe | Alfred J. Goulding (director); Hal Le Roy, Mitzi Mayfair, Grace Bradley, Frank McNellis & Helen Goodhue | October 22 | |
| A Modern Cinderella | Roy Mack (director) Ruth Etting, Brian Donlevy, Adrian Rosley and Barbara Child | November 5 | Love Me or Leave Me (film) (Greatest Classic Legends Doris Day) DVD |
| The Red Shadow | Roy Mack (director); Alexander Gray, Bernice Claire, Reg Carrington, Lester Cole Ensemble & Max Stamm | December 3 | |
| Poor Little Rich Boy | Joseph Henabery (director); Mary Lange, Charles Eaton, Harry McNaughton & Gale Sisters | © December 24 |
1933
| Title | Director & performers | Release, copyright or review date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bye-Gones | Alfred J. Goulding (director); Ruth Etting, Frank McNellis, David Burns, Eddie Ryan, Ruth Pine's Tiny Tots & Embassy Boys | © January 14 | |
| Yours Sincerely | Roy Mack (director); Lanny Ross, Nancy Welford, Richard Keene & others | January 28 (Film Daily review) | Billy Rose's Jumbo (film) DVD |
| Speaking of Operations | Roy Mack (director) Richard Lane, Al Bernard, Gracie Barrie, Three X Sisters, Four Rollickers & Dave Gould Boys & Girls | © February 16 | |
| World's Champ | Joseph Henabery (director); Jack Dempsey, June Gale, Oscar Polk & David Burns | © February 24 | |
| Fifi | Roy Mack (director); Vivienne Segal, Albert Dekker, William Ingersoll, Flavia Arcaro & Charles Judels | March 24 (Film Daily review) | |
| The Way of All Freshmen | Joseph Henabery (director); Hal Le Roy & Mitzi Mayfair, Cora Witherspoon, Ben Dova & the Admirals | © April 18 | |
| Along Came Ruth | Joseph Henabery (director); Ruth Etting, Chester Chute, Charles Althoff & Sam Wren | May 3 | |
| Sky Symphony | Roy Mack (director); Stoopnagle and Budd, Lanny Ross, the Loomis Twins & the Abbott Girls | May 19 (Film Daily review) | |
| Pie a la Mode | Roy Mack (director) Herbert Warren, Russ Brown, With the Loomis Sisters, Bernard Gorcey, Polly Walters & the Doree Singers | May 29 (Film Daily review) | |
| Double Crossing of Columbus | Joseph Henabery (director); Charles Judels, Leona Maricle, Frank McNellis. Jack North, the Rollickers & Mazellos | June 10 (Film Daily review) | |
| That Goes Double | Joseph Henabery (director); Russ Columbo, Charlotte Wynters, David Burns, Bernice & Emily | June 24 (Film Daily review) | |
| Crashing the Gate | Joseph Henabery (director); Ruth Etting; John Hamilton, Roy Atwell & the Tony Sarg Marionettes | © July 1 | |
| 20,000 Cheers for the Chain Gang | Roy Mack (director); Jerry Bergen, Harry Shannon, James Baskett, Novia & The Pickens Sisters | August 12 | I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang DVD |
| The No Man | Roy Mack (director); Hugh O’Connell, Johnny Downs, Gene Lockhart & Kathleen Lockhart | © August 14 | |
| Use Your Imagination | Roy Mack (director); Hal Le Roy, Mitzi Mayfair, the Eton Boys & others | © September 2 | The Little Giant (Greatest Gangster Films Edward G. Robinson) DVD |
| Rufus Jones for President | Roy Mack (director); Ethel Waters, Sammy Davis, Jr. | © September 9 | Billed as a “Vitaphone Musical”; available on Warner Bros. Big Band, Jazz & Swing Shorts (Warner Archive) DVD & The Green Pastures (film) DVD |
| Seasoned Greetings | Roy Mack (director); Lita Grey Chaplin, Sammy Davis, Jr., Carleton Macy, the Village Barn Hill Billys and the Sizzlers | September 23 | The Gold Diggers of 1933 DVD |
| Paul Revere, Jr. | Roy Mack (director); Gus Shy, Janet Reade, Kathleen Lockhart, Gene Lockhart, Bobby Watson, Almira Sessions & Shemp Howard | © October 21 | Vitaphone Comedy Collection Vol. 1 (Warner Archive) DVD |
| The Operator's Opera | Roy Mack (director); Donald Novis, The Eton Boys, Bobby Watson, Chester Chute, Grandon Rhodes & Dawn O’Day | © October 22 | |
| Yeast Is Yeast | Roy Mack (director); Tom Patricola, Charlie Melson, Peggy Singleton (billed as Dorothy McNully) & the Royal Samoans | © November 15 | |
| The Mild West | Joseph Henabery (director); Janet Reade, Olive Borden, Paul Keast | November 18 | Vitaphone Cavalcade of Musical Comedy Shorts (Warner Archive) DVD |
| Let's Play Post Office | Roy Mack (director); Jean Sargent, Eleanor Whitney, Josh Medders & 3 Roberts Brothers | December | |
| Kissing Time | Roy Mack (director); Jane Froman, George Metaxa, Ralph Sanford, Novia & Philip Ryder | December 16 | Lady Killer (1933 film) DVD |
| Plane Crazy | Roy Mack (director); Dorothy Lee, Art & Morton Havel & others | © December 23 | Picture Snatcher DVD |
1934
| Title | Director & performers | Release, copyright or review date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| A Little Girl with Big Ideas | Joseph Henabery (director); Molly Picon, Jay Velie, Donald McBride, Joan Stevens & Toney Hughes | © January 20 | |
| Picture Palace | Roy Mack (director); Hal Le Roy, Dawn O’Day, William Morrow & Toney Hughes | February 10 | |
| Around the Clock | Roy Mack (director); Norma Terris, Walter Winchell, Lynne Overman, the Four Eton Boys & Jay Brennan | © February 14 | |
| Story Conference | Roy Mack (director); Lillian Roth, Bert Matthews, William Halligan, Vicki Cummings, Grona & Bouvier, the Three Minutes & the Sizzlers | April 7 | I'll Cry Tomorrow DVD |
| Look for the Silver Lining | Roy Mack (director); Dorothy Stone, Stanley Smith, Gus Shy, Olin Howland & Gertrude Niesen | © April 23 | |
| Come to Dinner | Roy Mack (director); Flavia Arcaro, Hershel Magall, Margot Stevenson & Clinton Sundberg | © April 24 | Dinner at Eight (film) (Greatest Classic Legends Jean Harlow) DVD |
| Private Lessons | Roy Mack (director); Hal Le Roy, Dawn O’Day, Dorothy Dare, Dollie Arden & Marie Fay | May 5 | |
| Masks and Memories | Roy Mack (director); Lillian Roth, Queenie Smith, George Huston & Weldon Heyburn | May 12 | |
| Murder in Your Eyes | Roy Mack (director); Ann English, Inez Courtney, Lilyan Gordon & others | © June 27 | |
| Darling Enemy | Roy Mack (director); Gertrude Niesen, Weldon Heyburn, Earle Hampton, Ralph Sanford, Dudley Clements & Roscoe Ates | © June 28 | |
| King for a Day | Roy Mack (director); Bill Robinson, Ernest Whitman, Dewey Brown, Hattie Noel, Muriel Rahn & Dusty Fletcher | June 30 | Warner Bros. Big Band, Jazz & Swing Shorts (Warner Archive) DVD |
| Who Is That Girl? | Joseph Henabery (director); Bernice Claire, J. Harold Murray, the Morelli Singers, Pietro Gentili & Jack Good | © July 6 | |
| The Song of the Flame | Joseph Henabery (director); Ruth Etting, the Canova Family, Eddie Bruce, Gerald Kent and Arthur Donaldson | July 7 | |
| The Winnah! | Roy Mack (director) Arthur Lake, Florence Lake, Dorothy Dare | July 21 | |
| The Policy Girl | Roy Mack (director); Mitzi Mayfair, Donald Novis & Roscoe Ates | August 11 | |
| No Contest! | Joseph Henabery (director); Ruth Etting, George Lessey & Elmer Brown | August 22 (preview) | |
| Syncopated City | Roy Mack (director); Hal Le Roy, Dorothy Dare, Philip Loeb & the O'Connor Sisters | September 1 | |
| Paree, Paree | Roy Mack (director); Bob Hope & Dorothy Stone | September 8 | Silk Stockings (film) DVD |
| The Mysterious Kiss | Roy Mack (director); Jeanne Aubert, Alfred Hesse, Ray Middleton, Weldon Heyburn & the Sizzlers | September 26 (Film Daily review) | |
| The Flame Song | Joseph Henabery (director); Bernice Claire & J. Harold Murray | October 27 | |
| Soft Drinks and Sweet Music | Roy Mack (director); Georgie Price, Sylvia Froos, Billie Leonard, George Watts & others | November 30 (Film Daily review) | |
| The Gem of the Ocean | Roy Mack (director); Jeanne Aubert, Ralph Riggs, Sheldon Leonard & Four Eton Boys | © December 4 | Destination Tokyo DVD |
| Off the Beat | Joseph Henabery (director); Morton Downey, Donald MacBride, Niella Goodelle & the Tune Twisters | © December 15 | |
| What This Country Needs | Roy Mack (director); Nick Lucas, Dorothy Nelson, June & Cherry Preisser, Janet Reade & David Burns | © December 24 |
1935
| Title | Director & performers | Release or copyright date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| See See Senorita (Spain in the Neck) | Joseph Henabery (director); Tito Guízar, Armida, Roscoe Ails, Virginia Sale & the Cansinos | © February 9 | |
| Mr. and Mrs. Melody | Roy Mack (director); Ilomay Bailey, Lee Sims, Jerry Lester, June Martel & Rita Johnson | © March 12 | |
| In the Spotlight | Joseph Henabery (director); Hal Le Roy, Dorothy Lee, Herb Warren and Bob Simmons | March 30 | |
| Hear Ye! Hear Ye! | Roy Mack (director) The Yacht Club Boys, Vera Van & Marie Nordstrom | © April 1 | |
| Cherchez La Femme | Joseph Henabery (director); Jeanne Aubert, Stanley Smith & DeEspeys Troupe | © April 1 | |
| Radio Silly | Roy Mack (director); Alan Cross, Henry Dunn, Lilyan Gordon, Billie Leonard & Dudley Clements | © April 8 | |
| Shoestring Follies | Roy Mack (director); Val & Ernie Anderson, Eddie Peabody, Peggy Flynn & Sam Hearn | © April 8 | |
| In This Corner | Roy Mack (director); Roscoe Ails, Budd Williamson, David Burns, Alice Dwan & Mark Plant | April 27 | |
| Main Street Follies | Joseph Henabery (director); Hal Le Roy, Mary Joan Martin, Billy Vine & the Cavaliers | May 11 | |
| The Love Department | Roy Mack (director); Bernice Claire, Billie Leonard & Donald Douglas | May 18 | |
| Better than Gold | Joseph Henabery (director); Fifi D'Orsay, George Watts, Herb Warren & the Troubadors | June 8 | |
| The Film Follies | Roy Mack (director) | June 29 | |
| Singing Silhouette | Joseph Henabery (director); Olga Baclanova, Herb Warren, Charles Lawrence, the Mainstreamers, Lee Twins, Rio & Elliott | © July 6 | |
| Cure It with Music | Joseph Henabery (director); Fifi D'Orsay, Eddie Ryan, the Chevaliers, Moore & Revel | © July 15 | |
| The Castle of Dreams | Roy Mack (director); Morton Downey, Arlene Dinitz, Eddie Ryan & Toto | © July 15 | |
| Fifty Dollar Bill | Roy Mack (director); George Watts, Eleanor Whitney & Jack Powell | © July 26 | |
| Surprise! | Roy Mack (director); the Duncan Sisters, Jay Seiler & Wen Talbert Singers | July 27 | Vitaphone Cavalcade of Musical Comedy Shorts (Warner Archive) DVD |
| Vitaphone Music Hall | Roy Mack (director); Seven Honey Boys, Four Mullen Sisters, the Radio Rubes, Ray Huling & his pet seal | August 7 (preview) | |
| The Lady in Black | Joseph Henabery (director); Countess Olga Albani, Mortimer Welson, Albert Dekker & Margaret Irving | August 17 | |
| Dublin in Brass | Joseph Henabery (director); Morton Downey, Andea Marsh & Hugh Cameron | September 7 | |
| Oh, Evaline! | Roy Mack (director); Hal Le Roy, Eleanor Whitney, Allen Goode & Ralph Blane | September 14 | |
| The Doorman's Opera | Roy Mack (director); Charlotte Arren, Johnny Broderick, Thelma Leeds & Ray Heatherton | September 28 | |
| Tickets, Please | Roy Mack (director); Georgie Price, Evelyn Dall, Thee Sizzlers, Byrnes & Farney | October 12 | |
| Check Your Sombrero | Roy Mack (director), Armida, Tito Coral & others | November 2 | |
| Rooftops of Manhattan | Joseph Henabery (director); Gil Lamb, Bob Burns, Deane Janis & Beverly Phalon | November 16 | Vitaphone Cavalcade of Musical Comedy Shorts (Warner Archive) DVD |
| Katz Pajamas | Joseph Henabery (director); Fifi D'Orsay, the Meadowbrook Boys & Georgie Tapps | December 4 | |
| Broadway Ballyhoo | Roy Mack (director); Owen, Hunt & Parco, the Eight Ambassadors, Art Frank | December 28 |
1936
| Title | Director & performers | Release, copyright or review date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Double or Nothing | Joseph Henabery (director); Phil Harris, Leah Ray, Vickie Joyce & Harry Tyler | January 18 | Nominee for Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film |
| Trouble in Toyland | Joseph Henabery; Gus Edwards & Troop | © January 27 | |
| They're Off | Lloyd French (director); Yacht Club Boys, Richard Lane & Gerald Oliver Smith | © February 3 | |
| Between the Lines | Roy Mack (director); Bernice Claire, Rodney McLennan, Arline & Ed Kinlay, George Dobbs & the Commanders | February 8 | |
| Study and Understudy | Roy Mack (director); Ruth & Jane Frazee, Virginia Verrill, Danzi Goodelle & June Carr | © February 17 | |
| Wash Your Step | Joseph Henabery (director); Hal Le Roy, June and Cherry Preisser, the Eton Boys, Nanette Flack & Harry Lang | March 7 | |
| Paris in New York | Roy Mack (director); Irène Bordoni, Pansy Sanborn, Ames & Arms, Will Aubrey & Frank Mazzone | March 21 | |
| The Black Network | Roy Mack (director); Nina Mae McKinney & Nicholas Brothers | April 1 (preview) | Warner Bros. Big Band, Jazz & Swing Shorts (Warner Archive) & Hallelujah! (film) DVD |
| College Dads | Roy Mack (director); Leon Janney, Edith Mann, Bobby Lane, Dudley Clements & the Columbia Glee Club. | April 11 | |
| The Double Crossky | Joseph Henabery (director); Olga Baclanova, Wilbur Hall, Gretchen Kimmel & Ray Lee | April 18 | |
| The Stars Can't Be Wrong | Roy Mack (director); O'Connell & Blair, Emerson's Mountaineers, Dorothy Lamour & others | © April 20 | |
| I'm Much Obliged | Roy Mack (director); George Dobbs, Irene MacLaren, Vera Van; the Heat Waves & others | May 2 | |
| Romance in the Air | Murray Roth (director); music: Howard Jackson; Wini Shaw & Phil Regan | May 16 | |
| The City's Slicker | Rufe Davis, Radio Rubes, Dawn O’Day & Jay Seiler | May 20 | |
| Maid for a Day | Joseph Henabery (director); Grace & Peter Hayes, the Ritz Quartette, Marvin Jensen, Don Lee & Louise | May 23 | |
| When You're Single | Roy Mack (director); Alan Cross, Henry Dunn, Melissa Mason, Rosalind Marquis & Bonnie Clare | May 27 (Film Daily review) | |
| Rhythmitis | Roy Mack (director); Hal Le Roy, Toby Wing, Barry McKinley, Gail Reese, Frances Hunt, Rollo Pickets & Hugh Cameron | June 13 | The Petrified Forest DVD |
| That's Pictures | Roy Mack (director); Jay C. Flippen, Elizabeth Houston, Dan Harden, Adrienne Andre, Mildred Law, the Clark Sisters & Nick Sett | August 14 (Film Daily review) | |
| The Backyard Broadcast | Joseph Henabery; Major Edward Bowes | August 14 (preview) | |
| Shake, Mr. Shakespeare | Roy Mack (director); Carolyn Hash, the Harris Twins | August 22 | A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935 film) DVD |
| Rush Hour Rhapsody | Joseph Henabery (director); Johnny Hale, Jean Sargent, Billy Reed & others | September 16 (Film Daily review) | |
| Here Comes the Circus | Roy Mack (director); Carlo's Ponies, Randow Clowns, Poodles Hanneford & Co., Captain Proske's Lions & Tigers | October 3 | |
| Say It with Candy | Virginia Verrill, Muriel Martin, John Fogarty, the Buccaneers & the Robins | October 3 | |
| Sheik to Sheik | Roy Mack (director); George Metaxa & Ann Barrie | October 10 | Shall We Dance (1937 film) (Greatest Classic Films Astaire & Rogers 1) DVD |
| Can't Think of It | Lloyd French (director); Ken Murray & Oswald, Elaine Arden, Ralph Sanford & Curtis Karpe | October 30 (Film Daily review) | |
| Sweethearts and Flowers | Roy Mack (director); Cherry & June Preisser, Regis Toomey & others | © December 9 |
1937
| Title | Director & performers | Release or copyright date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| A Horse's Tale | Lloyd French (director); Joe & Asbestos, Harry Gribbon, Hamtree Harrington, Eddie White, Donald MacBride & June Nash | January 9 | |
| The Pretty Pretender | Joseph Henabery (director); Bernice Claire, Adrina Otero, Nina Olivette, Stanley Smith & Byrne Sisters | January 23 | |
| Captain Blue Blood | Roy Mack (director); Georgie Price, Nell O’Day, Ruth & Jane Frazee | February 13 | |
| It's All Over Now | Roy Mack (director); Dan Healy, Brooks Benedict, Vera Niva & Evelyn Poe | © February 18 | |
| Swing for Sale | Joseph Henabery (director); Hal Le Roy, June Allyson & Kay Hamilton | February 27 | |
| Hotel a la Swing | Roy Mack (director); Eddie Foy, Jr. & The Mullen Sisters | March 13 | Swing Time (1936 film) (Greatest Classic Films Astaire & Rogers 1) DVD |
| Play Street | Joseph Henabery (director); Cherry & June Preisser, Duke McHale, Walter Cassel, Verdi & See | April 3 | |
| Cut Out for Love | Joseph Henabery (director); Dorothy Dare, Donald Novis, June Taylor, Jack Seymour & Don Gautier | April 3 | |
| Mail and Female | Ken Murray & Oswald, Beverly Phaln, Elaine Arden & Florence Auer | © May 3 | |
| Movie-Mania | Joseph Henabery (director); Dave Apollon, Yvonne Moray & the Savoy Dancers | May 8 | |
| Sound Defects | Roy Mack (director); Rufe Davis, Irene Delroy, Rodney McLennan, Ruth & Jane Frazee | June 5 | |
| The Rhythm Roundup | Joseph Henabery (director); Estelle Taylor | June 19 | |
| Newsboys Nocturne | Roy Mack (director); Evelyn Poe, Tommy Rafferty, Billy & Beverly Bemis, Maurice & Cordoba | July 10 | |
| Flowers from The Sky | Roy Mack (director); Josephine Houston, the Debonaires, Charles King, Harland Dixon & Morgan Conway | July 24 | |
| Du Barry Did All Right | Joseph Henabery (director); Irène Bordoni, Eddie Noll, Marian Nolan & Charles Carrer | August 7 | |
| Ups and Downs | Roy Mack (director); Hal Le Roy, Phil Silvers & June Allyson | October 18 | “Broadway Headliners”; available on Stage Door (Greatest Classic Legends Katharine Hepburn) DVD |
| Starlets | Joseph Henabery; | October 23 | “Presentation Revue” |
| Postal Union | Roy Mack (director); Georgie Price, Eddie Bruce & others | December 4 | “Broadway Headliners”; available on Kid Galahad (1937 film) (Greatest Gangster Films Edward G. Robinson) DVD |
| Here's Your Hat | Roy Mack (director); Phil Silvers, Cookie Bowers & Ted Adair | December 11 | “Presentation Revue” |
1938
| Title | Director & performers | Release or copyright date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Script Girl | Roy Mack (director); Alan Cross, Henry Dunn, Joan Abbott, Claire Carleton & the Gae Foster Girls | January 15 | “Broadway Headliners” |
| The Candid Kid | Roy Mack (director); Phil Silvers, Josephine Houston & The Gae Foster Girls | February 12 | “Presentation Revue”; available on Gold Diggers in Paris DVD |
| Little Me | Roy Mack (director); Wini Shaw & Janet Dempey | March 5 | “Broadway Headliners” |
| Got a Match? | Joseph Henabery (director); George Dobbs, Joan Abbott & others | April 2 | “Presentation Revue” (filmed August 1936) |
| Forget Me Knots | Roy Mack (director); Bernice Claire & Eugene Sigaloff | May 7 | “Broadway Headliners” |
| The Prisoner of Swing | Roy Mack (director), Eddie Forman & Cyrus Wood (writers); Hal Le Roy & June Allyson, Al Fields & Eddie Foy, Jr. | June 11 | “Broadway Headliners”; available on The Dawn Patrol (1938 film) (Greatest Classic Films War) DVD |
| Rainbow's End | Roy Mack (director); Gus Van, Eddie Leonard, Bert Swor, Lou Lubin | July 2 | “Presentation Revue” |
| Up in Lights | Roy Mack (director); Ruth & Jane Frazee, Pat Rooney, Gae Foster Sisters, George Griffen & Rose Moran | August 13 | “Presentation Revue” |
| Zero Girl | Lloyd French (director); Eric Wait, Bruce Mapres, Four Eton Boys, The Nu Yorkers, Evelyn Chandler, Francis Lemaire, Maude Rynolds & Bonnie Roberts | September 3 | |
| Murder with Reservations | Roy Mack (director); George Campo, Nola Day, Florence & Alvarez and Garner, Wolfe & Hakins | September 24 | |
| Toyland Casino | Joseph Henabery; Francine Lassman (aka Abbe Lane), the Michael Bell Ensemble, Albert Adams, Barbara Dennison, Kathleen Sullivan & Richard Monahan | October 8 | The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse (Greatest Gangster Films Humphrey Bogart) DVD |
| Two Shadows | Lloyd French (director); Ken & Roy Paige, Billy & Beverly Bemis, Irene Basley, Sharkey Bonano's Swing Band, Jean & Her Big Apple Dancers | October 22 | |
| The Knight Is Young | Roy Mack (director); Hal Le Roy, June Allyson, Earlene Schools & Norman MacKay | October 29 | Best Foot Forward (film) DVD |
| Cleaning Up | Roy Mack (director); Alan Cross, Henry Dunn, Ray & Grace MacDonald, George Campo | November 12 | |
| Stardust | Roy Mack (director); Benny Davis, Bobby Joyce, Jackie Strong, the Dorn Brothers with Mary, Frankie Lanno & Jolly Gillette | December 10 | |
| Boarder Trouble | Lloyd French (director); Harry Gribbon, Eddie Green & others | December 17 | “Broadway Headliners” |
| Hats and Dogs | Lloyd French (director); Wini Shaw, Rags Ragland, Robert Shafer, Lois & Jean Sterner, Joey Faye | December 31 |
1939
| Title | Director & performers | Release or copyright date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sophomore Swing | Roy Mack (director); the Merry Macs, Harvest Moon Dancers, Florence Wyman, Ballin & McEvoy, Ted Gary & Mitzi Dahl | January 28 | |
| A Small Town Idol | Mack Sennett | February 11 | Edited down (to two reels) feature film from 1921. |
| Sundae Serenade | Roy Mack (director); Rosie Moran, Melton Moore, Lola King, Al Verdi & Miriam Graham | February 25 | |
| Projection Room | Roy Mack (director); Gower Champion & Jeanne Tyler, Jack Arthur, Evelyn Case & Eddie Foy, Jr. | March 4 | |
| Home Cheap Home | Lloyd French (director); Henry Armetta, Ann Brody, Roy Roberts & Anita Simpson | March 18 | |
| A Fat Chance | Lloyd French (director); Johnny Perkins, the Sisters Virginia, Gae Foster Girls, Arren & Broderick | March 25 | |
| Public Jitterbug No. 1 | Joseph Henabery (director); Hal Le Roy, Betty Hutton, Chaz Chase & Tom Emerson's Hillbilly Sextette | April 5 | Carefree (film) DVD |
| Rollin' in Rhythm | Roy Mack (director); the Top Hatters, Ruth & Jane Frazee, Tito & His Swingtette, the Olympic Trio, the Six Marvels | April 15 | |
| Seeing Spots | Lloyd French (director); Duke McHale; Jack Gray & His Debutantes, Jack Starnes & Ann Anavan, Herman Hyde & Sally Burrill, Irving Kaufman & Roy Roberts | April 29 | |
| You're Next - To Closing | Roy Mack (director); Alan Cross, Henry Dunn, Leota Lane, Jones & Rooney, Gloria Day | May 13 | |
| Wardrobe Girl | Roy Mack (director); Ginna Manners, Gae Foster Girls, Lester Allen & others | June 17 | |
| The Broadway Buckaroo | Lloyd French (director); Red Skelton, the Condos Brothers, Maidie & Ray, Edna Stillwell, Hank Lawson & his Texans | June 21 | |
| A Swing Opera | Roy Mack (director); Smalle Singers, John Elliott & others | July 22 | |
| Seein' Red | Roy Mack (director); Red Skelton, A. Robbins (banana act), the Merry Macs, Harris & Shore, Louis Da Pron | August 26 | |
| Remember When | Lloyd French (director); Willie Solar, Joe Sodja, Wiles Brothers, Four Eton Boys, Iris Adrian & Rags Ragland | August 1939 | |
| Slapsie Maxie's | Gordon Hollingshead (producer); Noel M. Smith (writer); music: Howard Jackson; Slapsie Maxie Rosenbloom, Johnnie Davis & others | October 13 | |
| Ice Frolics | Lloyd French (director); Eleanor Gardner, Mabel Taliaferro, Alfrted Trenkler & others | © October 28 | |
| World's Fair Junior | Joseph Henabery (director); the Vitaphone Kiddies | December 9 |
1940
| Title | Director & performers | Release or copyright date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| One for the Book | Roy Mack (director); Betty Hutton, the Beaus & the Belles, Miriam Graham, Gae Foster Sisters, Hal Sherman | January 6 | filmed May '39 |
| Alex in Wonderland | Gordon Hollingshead (producer); Charles Reisner & Owen Crump (writers); music: Howard Jackson; Eddie Foy, Jr., Walter Catlett & Jane Gilbert | March 9 | |
| Double or Nothing | Roy Mack (director); Lee Dixon, Hollywood Doubles | April 20 | filmed June '39 |
| The Lady and the Lug | Gordon Hollingshead (producer); William C. McGann (director); story: Owen Crump; music: Howard Jackson; Elsa Maxwell & Slapsie Maxie Rosenbloom | May 18 | “Blue Ribbon Comedy” |
| Spills for Thrills | DeLeon Anthony (director); music: Howard Jackson; Harvey Parry, Allen Pomeroy & Mary Wiggins | June 15 | documentary on stunt actors |
| Young America Flies | B. Reeves Eason (director); Jean Parker, Donald Woods, William Lundigan & Henry O’Neill | July 13 | The Fighting 69th DVD |
| Riding Into Society Lug | Gordon Hollingshead (producer); William McCann (director); music: Howard Jackson; Elsa Maxwell, Lionel Pope & Mary Forbes | September 7 | “Blue Ribbon Comedy” |
| Just a Cute Kid | Gordon Hollingshead (producer); Noel Smith (writer); music: Howard Jackson; Cliff Edwards, Dana Dale & Olin Howland | © October 5 | Dance, Girl, Dance DVD |
| Alice in Movieland | Gordon Hollingshead (producer); Jean Negulesco (director); Owen Crump (writer); Joan Leslie, Nana Bryant, Clara Blandick & Clarence Muse; | November 16 | The Sea Hawk (1940 film) (Greatest Classic Legends Errol Flynn) DVD |
| Sockeroo | Gordon Hollingshead (producer); William C. McGann (director); music: Howard Jackson; Slapsie Maxie Rosenbloom, Susan Peters, Frank Ferguson & Herbert Anderson | © December 24 | |
| Love's Intrigue | Mack Sennett; music: William Lava | December 26 | Vintage footage of Billy Bevan and other Sennett stars |
1941
| Title | Director & performers | Release or copyright date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Dog In The Orchard | Gordon Hollingshead (producer); Jean Negulesco (director); story: Owen Crump (writer, adapted from Mary Roberts Rinehart story); music: Howard Jackson; Howard da Silva | January 18 | |
| Take the Air | Gordon Hollingshead (producer); B. Reeves Eason (director); music: Howard Jackson; William T. Orr, Eddie Foy, Jr., Andrew Tombes, Frank Ferguson & Mary Brodel | February 22 | |
| The Seeing Eye | Jerome Hillman (producer); music: Rex Dunn | April 5 | Visits The Seeing Eye dog school in Morristown, NJ. Color remake made in 1951. |
| Throwing a Party | Gordon Hollingshead (producer); Ray Enright (director); story: Owen Crump; Elsa Maxwell, George Reeves & Marilyn Merrick | July 12 | “Blue Ribbon Comedy” |
| Happy Faces | Mack Sennett (original director); music: William Lava | July 26 | compilation of vintage First National Sennett films of the 1920s |
| Minstrel Days | Gordon Hollingshead (producer); Bobby Connolly (director); story: Owen Crump; Bud Jamison & archial footage of Al Jolson & others | September 6 | |
| Perils of the Jungle | Gordon Hollingshead (producer); Attilio Gatti (cameraman/director); Herald Medford (writer); music: William Lava; narrator: Knox Manning | October 3 | profiles the okapi in the Belgian Congo |
| At the Stroke of Twelve | Gordon Hollingshead (producer); Jean Negulesco (director);; music: Howard Jackson; Elizabeth Risdon & Craig Stevens | November 25 | The Great Lie DVD; Adaptation of Damon Runyon's "The Old Doll House" |
| West of the Rockies | Gordon Hollingshead (producer); Bobby Connolly (director); music: William Lava; Richard Travis | November 25 | |
| Monsters of the Deep | Bob Edge (director); music: Rex Dunn; narrator: Knox Manning | © December 27 | Fishing off the Chile coast |
1942
| Title | Director & performers | Release date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calling All Girls | Gordon Hollingshead (producer); Lloyd Bacon (director); Owen Crump (writer); music: Howard Jackson | January 24 | The Big Street DVD. Some footage lifted Busby Berkeley musicals |
| Wedding Yells | narrator: Jack Carson | March 7 | More vintage Mack Sennett footage. |
| Maybe Darwin Was Right | Gordon Hollingshead (producer); B. Reeves Eason (director); music: Howard Jackson; narrator: Knox Manning; Slapsie Maxie Rosenbloom | March 21 | |
| California Junior Symphony Orchestra | Gordon Hollingshead (producer); Jean Negulesco (director); Jack Horner & Peter Meremblum | April 18 | |
| Winning Your Wings | First Motion Picture Unit; John Huston & Owen Crump (directors); music: Howard Jackson; James Stewart | May 28 | Larceny, Inc. (Greatest Gangster Films Edward G. Robinson) DVD |
| The Spirit of West Point | Gordon Hollingshead (producer); Jean Negulesco (director) | August 22 | |
| The Spirit of Annapolis | Gordon Hollingshead (producer); Jean Negulesco (director); Naval Academy Band & Annapolis Glee Club | September 5 | |
| A Nation Dances | narrator: Erskine Caldwell | September 26 | filmed at a folk dance festival in Moscow, late '41 |
| Beyond the Line of Duty | Gordon Hollingshead (producer); Lewis Seiler (director) & Edwin Gilbert (writer); music: Howard Jackson & William Lava; narrator: Ronald Reagan; Hewitt T. Wheless | November 7 | Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film; Portrait of an air gunner is available Yankee Doodle Dandy DVD |
| Vaudeville Days | Gordon Hollingshead (producer); LeRoy Prinz (director); Eddie Garr, the Whirling Camerons, the Duffins & Reo Brothers | December 19 | |
| Little Isles of Freedom | producers/directors: Victor Stoloff & Edgar Loew; music: William Lava; narrator: Charles Boyer | December 26 | Nominee for Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film. Documentary about wartime Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon |
1943
| Title | Director & performers | Release date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Our African Frontier | Carl Dudley; music: Rex Dunn | February 13 | |
| Army Show | Gordon Hollingshead (producer); Jean Negulesco (director); Edward Dunstedter (writer) | February 27 | |
| The Rear Gunner | Gordon Hollingshead (producer); Ray Enright (director); music: Howard Jackson; narrator: Knox Manning; Burgess Meredith, Dane Clark, Tom Neal, Ronald Reagan, Bernard Zanfield & Jonathan Hale | April 10 | Nominee for Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film; available on Objective Burma! DVD |
| Three Cheers for the Girls | Gordon Hollingshead (producer); Jean Negulesco (director) | May 8 | Thank Your Lucky Stars (film) DVD; recycles Busby Berkeley numbers of the 1930s |
| The Man Killers | Howard Hill; music: Rex Dunn; narrator: Knox Manning | May 29 | features Key West, Florida sharks and alligators |
| Happy Times and Jolly Moments | James Bloodworth (director); music: William Lava | July 10 | short history of Mack Sennett |
Warner Specials (1943-1951)
| Title | Director & performers | Release date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oklahoma Outlaws | Gordon Hollingshead (producer); B. Reeves Eason (director); Erville Alderson, Robert Shayne & Warner Anderson | September 4, 1943 | “Santa Fe Trail” series; Montana (1950 film) DVD |
| The Voice that Thrilled the World | Gordon Hollingshead (producer); Jean Negulesco (director); music: Howard Jackson; narrator: Art Gilmore | October 16, 1943 | Nominee for Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film; available on The Jazz Singer DVD; short history of movie soundtracks |
| Wagon Wheels West | Gordon Hollingshead (producer); B. Reeves Eason (director); music: Howard Jackson; Robert Shayne, Nina Foch, Charles Middleton & Addison Richards | October 30, 1943 | “Santa Fe Trail” series; Montana (1950 film) DVD |
| Over the Wall | Gordon Hollingshead (producer); Jean Negulesco (director);; music: Howard Jackson; Dane Clark & Tom Tully | December 25, 1943 | Northern Pursuit DVD |
| Gun to Gun | Gordon Hollingshead (producer); D. Ross Lederman (director); music: Howard Jackson; Robert Shayne, Pedro de Cordova, Lupita Tovar & Harry Woods | January 8, 1944 | “Santa Fe Trail” series; Montana (1950 film) DVD |
| Grandfather's Follies | Gordon Hollingshead (producer); Jean Negulesco & Jack Scholl (directors); Lynn Daggett, Jan Clayton, Angela Greene, Virginia Patton & Charles Foy | February 26, 1944 | |
| Our Frontier in Italy | Gordon Hollingshead (producer); Saul Elkins (director); music: William Lava | April 29, 1944 | clips of pre-war Italy |
| U.S. Marines on Review | Gordon Hollingshead (producer); Dave Gould (director); Dick Jurgens (band leader) | July 8, 1944 | |
| Proudly We Serve | Gordon Hollingshead (producer); Crane Wilbur (director); music: William Lava; Tex Gordon & Andrea King | September 23, 1944 | Hollywood Canteen (film) DVD |
| Once Over Lightly | James Bloodworth (director); music: William Lava | October 14, 1944 | Clips of Charlie Murray and other Mack Sennett comics. |
| I Won't Play | Gordon Hollingshead (producer); Crane Wilbur (director); music: William Lava; Dane Clark & Janis Paige | November 11, 1944 | Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film; available on Passage to Marseilles (Classic Legends Humphrey Bogart) DVD |
| Nautical But Nice | Gordon Hollingshead (producer); Jack Scholl (director); music: Howard Jackson | December 2, 1944 | recycled footage from “All Star Vaudeville”. |
| I Am an American | Gordon Hollingshead (producer); Crane Wilbur (director); music: William Lava; Dennis Morgan | December 23, 1944 | Hollywood Canteen (film) DVD |
| Congo | Gordon Hollingshead (producer); Andre Corwin (director); music: Howard Jackson | February 25, 1945 | wartime importance of Belgian Africa is examined. |
| Navy Nurse | Gordon Hollingshead (producer); D. Ross Lederman (director); music: William Lava; Marjorie Riordan, Warren Douglas, Andrea King & Robert Shayne | March 3, 1945 | |
| Are Animals Actors? | Gordon Hollingshead (producer); James Bloodworth (director); music: Howard Jackson; narrator: Knox Manning | March 31, 1945 | lifts footage from earlier shorts of the 1930s like “Here Comes the Circus” |
| Law of the Badlands | Gordon Hollingshead (producer); Jack Scholl (director); Robert Shayne, Warren Douglas & Angela Greene | April 14, 1945 | “Santa Fe Trail” series |
| It Happened in Springfield | Gordon Hollingshead (producer); Crane Wilbur (director); music: William Lava; Andrea King, Warren Douglas & others | April 28, 1945 | |
| Plantation Melodies | Gordon Hollingshead (producer); LeRoy Prinz (director); Craig Stevens as Stephen Foster | May 12, 1945 | |
| Learn and Live | Gordon Hollingshead (producer); music: William Lava; narrator: Knox Manning | July 7, 1945 | details US Army training films |
| Barber Shop Ballads | Gordon Hollingshead (producer); Jack Scholl (director); music: Howard Jackson; Cliff Edwards & others | September 8, 1945 | |
| Star in the Night | Gordon Hollingshead (producer); Don Siegel (director); music: William Lava J. Carroll Naish, Donald Woods, Rosina Galli & others | October 13, 1945 | Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film; available on Christmas in Connecticut (Greatest Classic Films Holiday) DVD |
| All Star Musical Revue | Gordon Hollingshead (producer); Jack Scholl (director); music: William Lava | November 3, 1945 | features footage not used in Hollywood Canteen (film) |
| Good Old Corn | Everett Dodd & Saul Elkins (directors); music: William Lava; narrator: Knox Manning | November 24, 1945 | Vintage Mack Sennett comedies. |
| Hitler Lives? | Gordon Hollingshead (producer); Don Siegel & Saul Elkins (directors); music: William Lava; narrator: Knox Manning | December 23, 1945 (Academy preview) | Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film |
| Musical Shipmates | producer: Roland Reed; William Clemens (director) | February 16, 1946 | |
| Okay for Sound | Gordon Hollingshead (producer); narrator Truman Bradley; music: William Lava | September 7, 1946 | The Jazz Singer DVD; documentary on the Vitaphone revolution |
| Pie in the Eye | Gordon Hollingshead (producer); Charles Tedford (director); music: Howard Jackson & William Lava; narrator: Art Gilmore | December 24, 1948 | “Classics of the Screen” compilation; features vintage Mack Sennett material of the 1920s |
| The Grass Is Always Greener | Gordon Hollingshead (producer); Richard L. Bare (director); music: William Lava; Chill Wills, Vince Barnett, John Kellogg & Ned Glass | December 26, 1949 | Adaptation of Robert Finch's 1939 one-act play Summer Comes To Diamond O; Nominee for Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film; available on My Dream Is Yours DVD |
| Just for Fun | Gordon Hollingshead (producer); Charles Tedford (director); music: William Lava; narrator: Art Gilmore | July 15, 1950 | “Classics of the Screen” compilation (edited in 1948); more Mack Sennett clips. |
| Ace of Clubs | George Marshall (director); music: William Lava | January 27, 1951 | “Classics of the Screen” compilation; composed of Bobby Jones (golfer) reels from 1931 and '33. |
| The Knife Thrower | Maxwell Weinberg (director); David Kurlan | March 3, 1951 | Warner Special (filmed 1949) adapted from a Guy de Maupassant story |
| A Laugh a Day | Charles Tedford (director); music: William Lava; narrator: Art Gilmore | November 24, 1951 | “Classics of the Screen” compilation; more vintage Mack Sennett |
See also
- List of short subjects by Hollywood studio#Warner Brothers
- Robert Youngson, who supervised more “Classics of the Screen” two-reelers in the 1950s
- Technicolor Specials (Warner Bros. series)
References
- 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
- Motion Pictures 1940-1949 Catalog of Copyright Entries 1953 Library of Congress
- Motion Pictures 1950-1959 Catalog of Copyright Entries 1960 Library of Congress
- BoxOffice back issue scans available (release date information in multiple issue “Shorts Charts”)
Notes
- Liebman, Roy (2003). Vitaphone Films: A Catalogue of the Features and Shorts. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0786446971.
- BoxOffice, November 19, 1938, “Shorts Chart” & May 6, 1939, p. 12
- BoxOffice, December 7, 1940, “Shorts Chart”, p.134
- BoxOffice, March 25, 1944, “War Victory Shorts” chart
- BoxOffice, Jan 5, 1946, “Shorts Chart” temporarily uses “Featurettes” instead of “Specials”
- Motion Pictures 1912-1939 Catalog of Copyright Entries 1951 Library of Congress
External links
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