{"product_id":"one-reel-wonders-of-the-1930s","title":"One-Reel Wonders of the 1930s","description":"In the 1930s, the one-reel short subject was an important part of the cinema-going experience. Changes in distribution brought about by the Great Depression meant that theatre owners now had to buy a program of features, cartoons, newsreels and shorts directly from the studios themselves, creating a need for regular series of short subjects. This collection brings together examples from some of the most popular (and unusual!) series.\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eTHE GLACIER'S SECRET (1930):\u003c\/b\u003e A thrilling installment of RKO's \u003ci\u003eVagabond Adventures Series\u003c\/i\u003e in which British actor Tom Terriss makes a perilous trek across a glacier near the South Pole. Directed by D.W. Griffith protege, and later exploitation filmmaker, Elmer Clifton.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eBATTLE OF THE CENTURIES (1932):\u003c\/b\u003e Brothers Stacy and Horace Woodward were innovators in the use of microscopic camera technology, and made several acclaimed short films during the 1930s about the miniature world of insects. In this \"Pictoreel\", they show us a grisly war between ants and termites happening inside an old tree stump.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eKRAZI-INVENTIONS (1936):\u003c\/b\u003e A series of comedic sketches depicting wacky inventions from the early 20th century, including an automatically-tipping hat, a water-dowsing burglar alarm, and a machine that plants hair on your head. Directed by William Watson, a veteran of comedy shorts for Keystone, Hal Roach, and Al Christie.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eGLIMPSES OF THE HEART OF PARIS (1936):\u003c\/b\u003e Andre de la Varre was a globetrotting cinematographer who called himself \"The Screen Traveler\". In the 1930s, his independently-produced travelogues were a regular part of movie theaters' programs. Here he takes us to the heart of Paris, with plenty of views of Notre Dame, \"that grand old church in all its gothic beauty.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eSILVER THREADS (1937):\u003c\/b\u003e Columbia's \u003ci\u003eStrange as It Seems\u003c\/i\u003e series was conceived as an answer to Warner Brothers' \u003ci\u003eRipley's Believe It or Not\u003c\/i\u003e short subjects. This entry tells the sad tale of Hart Danks, the composer who died penniless after signing away the rights to his most famous composition, \"Silver Threads Among the Gold.\" Narrated by Robert Sherwood, author of \u003ci\u003eWaterloo Bridge\u003c\/i\u003e and speechwriter for FDR.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eADVENTURES OF BUNNY RABBIT (1937):\u003c\/b\u003e This adorable short is considered the most successful ever made by ERPI Classroom Films (later Encyclopedia Britannica.) Nature photographer Lynwood Chase had submitted a silent film about a family of bunny rabbits to the distributor, who added a voiceover by artist James Brill. By speaking to children at their own level, and asking them questions, Brill made a breakthrough. \u003ci\u003eAdventures of Bunny Rabbit\u003c\/i\u003e would be followed by other short animal pictures, including \u003ci\u003eThree Little Kittens\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eSnapping Turtle\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThe Hare and the Tortoise\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eWALTER FUTTER'S CURIOSITIES #13 (1930):\u003c\/b\u003e Walter Futter was a producer who specialized in accumulating stock footage from amateur filmmakers, earning him the nickname \"the junkman of filmdom.\" His \u003ci\u003eCuriosities\u003c\/i\u003e series, distributed by Columbia, showcased some of the most bizarre examples. This entry includes turkeys being paraded up and down the streets of Mexico, a literal \"love nest\" for honeymooners in the trees of San Bernardino, and a hot springs in California that produces black writing ink!\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eCOL. STOOPNAGLE'S CAVALCADE OF STUFF NO. 1 (1938):\u003c\/b\u003e Radio comedian F. Chase Taylor, better known as \"Colonel Stoopnagle\", regularly made these parodies of movie newsreels for 20th Century Fox. Taylor had previously appeared on screen in Paramount's \u003ci\u003eInternational House\u003c\/i\u003e (1933) and was the cousin of famed horror writer H.P. Lovecraft.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Alpha Video","offers":[{"title":"DVD","offer_id":45802753261718,"sku":"089218825391","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0703\/9621\/5446\/files\/089218825391.jpg?v=1762202358","url":"https:\/\/moviezyng.com\/products\/one-reel-wonders-of-the-1930s","provider":"Movie Zyng","version":"1.0","type":"link"}