On March 18, the Chestnut Hill Film Group presents a program of rarely seen comedy shorts, hosted by Jay Schwartz. Schwartz is the founder of Secret Cinema, an ongoing series of film screenings around Philadelphia highlighting obscure films from the past, largely from his collection of 16mm prints. He has been running the series since 1992 and is a frequent guest presenter at the Woodmere Art Museum's Tuesday night film screenings, where this program will take place.
Among the comedians featured in the upcoming show are George Burns & Gracie Allen, who made a series of short films in the early 1930s. Schwartz has several of them in his collection, so it is unknown at this time which film will be shown, but they all generally followed the duo's well-established relationship– Gracie as the ditzy and naive comic, George as the bewildered straight man.
Laurel and Hardy will also be shown, in 1933's "Busy Bodies," a great example of the beloved team's physical comedy. Stan and Ollie are workers in a sawmill, but as usual, their complete incompetence makes it impossible to get any work done.
Another well-remembered comedy team featured is The Three Stooges. Nominated for an Oscar as the best short film of 1934, "Men In Black" (the title a takeoff on the then-current medical drama "Men In White") finds the boys as doctors in a hospital. They're going to be fired unless they can prove their medical skills. The usual slapstick mayhem ensues. This short is a favorite among Stooges fans, probably best remembered for the voice on the loudspeaker repeatedly saying, "Calling Dr. Howard, Dr. Fine, Dr. Howard!" which has often been referenced in other films.
Speaking of the Stooges, Shemp Howard is also featured, in 1944's "Society Mugs." Shemp and his partner are pest exterminators who, through a misunderstanding, are unknowingly hired as escorts at a high society party. Let's just say things don't turn out as expected.
Another highlight is "Movie Pests," a 1944 entry in the "Pete Smith Specialties" series. Smith was an MGM publicist who was called in one day to record voiceover narration for a short. His distinctive voice and sarcastic humor proved so popular with audiences that he ended up narrating over 300 shorts and getting over a dozen Oscar nominations. "Movie Pests" comments humorously on the obnoxious behavior of people in movie theaters of the time. One would hope that the Woodmere audience will take this film as satire and not an instruction manual.
Also included will be "Honeymoon Trio," a very rare short from 1931. Al St. John and Dorothy Granger play a newlywed couple who are forced to bring Walter Catlett on their honeymoon. Very little is known about this short, so further comment is impossible, but Catlett was a prolific character actor who you may recognize from such classic 1930s comedies as "Bringing Up Baby" and "Mr. Deeds Goes To Town."
Schwartz's program will also feature a few cartoons. 1938's "A Feud There Was," directed by Tex Avery, satirizes the legendary feud between the Hatfield and McCoy families and the tropes of hillbilly movies of the era. Another famous cartoon director, Chuck Jones, will be featured. In 1952, he directed a cartoon called "Feed The Kitty," about a bulldog named Marc Anthony befriending an innocent little kitten. Schwartz's program will include the sequel to that short, "Kiss Me Cat" (the title punning on the then-current film adaptation of Cole Porter's musical "Kiss Me Kate"). Marc Anthony's owners are threatening to get rid of the kitten because she can't catch the mice that are infesting their house, so Marc Anthony has to give her a crash course in mouse-catching. Chuck Jones was known for his great sense of comic timing, and this short does not disappoint.
Finally, a Betty Boop cartoon will round out the program. In 1937's "Service With A Smile," Betty manages a hotel and is constantly annoyed by complaining guests and has to use her ingenuity to solve their problems. This one is whimsical and clever and sure to be a crowd-pleaser.
The program starts at 7 PM, at the Woodmere Art Museum, 9201 Germantown Avenue. It's free, but donations are encouraged.
