Movieland Magic (1946)

Released as part of a series of WB shorts under the collective title of "Technicolor Specials" (WB production number 2003) this short most likely holds the WB house record for a 20-minute ... See full summary »

Director:

James V. Kern

Stars:

Scotty Beckett, Lucile Fairbanks, Fritz Feld

Cast

Credited cast:
Scotty Beckett	...	(archive footage)
Lucile Fairbanks	...	(archive footage)
Fritz Feld	...	(archive footage)
Dick Foran	...	(archive footage)
Kathryn Kane	...	(archive footage)
Fuzzy Knight	...	(archive footage)
John Payne	...	(archive footage)
Anne Shirley	...	(archive footage)
Larry Williams	...	(archive footage)
Jane Wyman	...	(archive footage)

Storyline

Released as part of a series of WB shorts under the collective title of "Technicolor Specials" (WB production number 2003) this short most likely holds the WB house record for a 20-minute film containing footage from the most different titles in their inventory. It's theme of a singing guided tour of the lot (and some of the footage) is from 1944's "Musical Movieland", the former title holder, and it contains clips from 1939's "Quiet, Please" and "Royal Rodeo"; "Sunday Roundup" from 1936 and 1940's "The Singing Dude." Pieces from "Out Where the Stars Begin" and "Swingtime in the Movies" may also be used, but it's hard to tell since they all tend to run together and show up in a lot of places during the 1940's Warner shorts. Its title of "Movieland Magic" is most apt considering the sleight-of-hand performed by the WB Shorts and Sales departments in once again selling the same film clips for the 3rd, 4th or more times.

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Genres:

Comedy | Musical | Short

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 March 1946 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

20 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Features The Singing Dude (1940)

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Soundtracks

"Cielito Lindo"
(uncredited)
Traditional
Performed by a dance troupe and sung by a chorus

User Reviews

The beauty of archive footage...

is that Vitaphone Corporation/Warner Bros got the services of all these cast/crew people and didn't have to pay them anything.

Released as part of a series of WB shorts under the collective title of "Technicolor Specials" (WB production number 2003) this short most likely holds the WB house record for a 20-minute film containing footage from the most different titles in their inventory. It's theme of a singing guided tour of the lot (and some of the footage) is from 1944's "Musical Movieland", the former title holder, and it contains clips from 1939's "Quiet, Please" and "Royal Rodeo"; "Sunday Roundup" from 1936 and 1940's "The Singing Dude." Pieces from "Out Where the Stars Begin" and "Swingtime in the Movies" may also be used, but it's hard to tell since they all tend to run together and show up in a lot of places during the 1940's Warner shorts. Its title of "Movieland Magic" is most apt considering the sleight-of-hand performed by the WB Shorts and Sales departments in once again selling the same film clips for the 3rd, 4th or more times.

The Warners' people made a fine art out of compilation archive-footage (except they called it stock footage)and re-selling the same footage to the theatre exhibitors over and over. When movie attendees left the theatre in the 1940s and 50s with the feeling they had seen it before, they were correct. They had. Especially if it carried a WB logo.

Yogi Berra was right...it's de javu all over again.