Hollywood Newsreel (1934)

User Rating:

5.4/10   

Director:

George Bilson

Writer:

George Bilson (writer)

Release Date:

24 March 1934 (USA)

Genre:

Short

Plot:

A potpourri of features involving Hollywood celebrities. The Columbia University football team, winner of the 1934 Rose Bowl game...

Plot Keywords:

Hollywood | Gold Mine | Boxing | Sheep | Narration

Cast

Al Barabas	...	Himself (uncredited)
Busby Berkeley	...	Himself (uncredited)
Joan Blondell	...	Herself (uncredited)
Ed Brominski	...	Himself (uncredited)
Joe E. Brown	...	Himself (uncredited)
Ricardo Cortez	...	Himself (uncredited)
Patricia Ellis	...	Herself (uncredited)
Sammy Fain	...	Himself (uncredited)
Hugh Herbert	...	Himself (uncredited)
Irving Kahal	...	Himself (uncredited)
Guy Kibbee	...	Himself (uncredited)
Hal Le Roy	...	Himself (uncredited)
Margaret Lindsay	...	Herself (uncredited)
Lou Little	...	Himself (uncredited)
Frank McHugh	...	Himself (uncredited)
Cliff Montgomery	...	Himself (uncredited)
Jean Muir	...	Herself (uncredited)
Dick Powell	...	Himself (uncredited)
Ginger Rogers	...	Herself (uncredited)
Donald Woods	...	Himself (uncredited)

Runtime:

9 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Company:

Vitaphone Corporation, The

Trivia:

Included in Warner Home Video's 2006 6-disc DVD release "The Busby Berkeley Collection".

Movie Connections:

References Wonder Bar (1934)

Soundtrack:

How Do I Know It's Sunday?

Clunky little item from Warner Bros. promoting their stars in "candid" moments...

Unless you're an avid film buff, you won't get too much out of this Warner short which comes across as a silly bit of trivia meant to promote the studio's current roster of stars and especially newcomers Hal LeRoy and Patricia Ellis, both of whom get a chance to show whatever musical talent they have.

LeRoy has wings on his feet when he dances but otherwise comes across as a completely charmless and awkward screen personality. I've seen him in other shorts and each time he fails to convince me that he was star material after some success on stage, something that should have been obvious to the studio too.

The earnest narration makes it appear that this is supposed to be a tongue-in-cheek appraisal of the Warner studio and its "stars"--but it's a foolish short only of interest as a star-gazing peek at people like Ginger Rogers, Dick Powell, Joe E. Brown, Joan Blondell and Hugh Herbert.