Some of the Best (1949)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Release Date:

23 June 1949 (USA)

Genre:

Documentary | Short

Plot:

Released as part of the studio's 25th anniversary (Silver) celebration, the film shows highlights of MGM's major productions from 1924 through 1948. Subtitle depicted: "Twenty-Five Years of Motion Picture Leadership". |

Plot Keywords:

Dog

Cast

Lionel Barrymore

...

Himself -Host

Runtime:

USA:42 min (Turner library print)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

Lionel Barrymore's introductory credit was "Informal Commentary by".

Movie Connections:

References On the Town (1949)

Highlights some of MGM's best films from 1924 through 1948

Lionel Barrymore sits behind a desk and hosts this review of MGM's 25 years of film-making leadership. After a small bit of braggadocio, he introduces a great film from each year, from John Gilbert & Greta Garbo silents through Academy Award winning Best Pictures like Broadway Melody, Mutiny on the Bounty, and Mrs. Miniver. He then introduces some clips from several films in production to be released that year like The Stratton Story, The Secret Garden, and Take Me Out to the Ball Game before mentioning a few others (e.g. On the Town) without showing any footage. The short ends with some familiar panning shots, for anyone who watches TCM, from the studio's Silver Jubilee banquet that features "more stars than there are in Heaven" (actors from Robert Taylor to Ava Gardner etc.).