Studio Visit (1946)

A humorous look round various studios on a film lot. One of the " Pete Smith Specialties", produced and narrated " by a Smith named Pete."

Stars:

Pete Smith, William Bailey, Helen Sue Goldy

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Pete Smith	...	Narrator (voice) (as a Smith named Pete)

Storyline

This short starts out as a visit to a sound stage to see Pete Smith make one of his short films. When production delays occur, Smith visits other sound stages on the lot to see what else is being filmed. The audience gets to see a sleight-of-hand artist practicing his craft, a 3-year-old girl with a perfect sense of balance, and Lena Horne singing in a bathtub.

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Plot Keywords:

pete smith specialty | movie studio | acrobat | magic | narration

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Genres:

Short | Comedy | Music

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 May 1946 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

9 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The scene showing Lena Horne singing "Ain't It the Truth" while taking a bath was filmed for Cabin in the Sky, but cut before release

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Crazy Credits

Narrator Pete Smith identifies all the remaining credited performers.

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Connections

References Cabin in the Sky (1943)

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Soundtracks

"Ain't It the Truth"
(uncredited)
Music by Harold Arlen
Lyrics by E.Y. Harburg
Sung by Lena Horne

User Reviews

Behind Studio Doors

An MGM PETE SMITH SPECIALITY Short Subject

Narrator Pete Smith takes the viewer on a tour of a few of the more unusual things to see during a behind-the-scenes STUDIO VISIT.

What gets to be seen is slight-of-hand master Louis Zingone at work; beautiful Lena Horne singing in a bathtub; and remarkable Helen Sue Goldy, aged three, who exhibits her amazing sense of balance.

Often overlooked or neglected today, the one and two-reel short subjects were useful to the Studios as important training grounds for new or burgeoning talents, both in front & behind the camera. The dynamics for creating a successful short subject was completely different from that of a feature length film, something akin to writing a topnotch short story rather than a novel. Economical to produce in terms of both budget & schedule and capable of portraying a wide range of material, short subjects were the perfect complement to the Studios' feature films.