Houston Post Contest Winners Arrive in Los Angeles (1939)

The contest winners in question are children who participated in a baby pageant and tournament. They are accompanied by their mothers, the collective group who are staying at the world ... See full summary »

Stars:

Lucille Wilkins, Delma Fraser, Charley Grapewin

Cast

Cast overview:
Lucille Wilkins	...	Herself - Editor of the Houston Junior Post
Delma Fraser	...	Herself - Chief Courier Nurse: Santa Fe Railroad
Charley Grapewin	...	Himself
Don Castle	...	Himself
The International Ice Follies	...	Themselves
Ray Bolger	...	Himself
Buddy Ebsen	...	Himself
Bert Lahr	...	Himself

Storyline

The contest winners in question are children who participated in a baby pageant and tournament. They are accompanied by their mothers, the collective group who are staying at the world famous Ambassador Hotel. The main purpose of their trip is to tour the MGM Studio. Beyond eating at the studio commissary, the group visit many movie sets, most specifically that for The Wizard of Oz, where they meet the movie's three male leads Ray Bolger, Buddy Ebsen and Bert Lahr.

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Genres:

Short

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1939 (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:

8 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Crazy Credits

Narrator Frank Whitbeck identifies all the credited cast members.

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Connections

References The Wizard of Oz (1939)

User Reviews

Minor Interest to Oz Fans

Houston Post Contest Winners (1939)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

This MGM short is just three-minutes worth of newsreel footage showing some babies (and their parents) getting off a train where they've arrived in Hollywood from Houston. We learn that they were the winners of a contest, which allows them on the MGM lot where they eat in the famous cafeteria, take a tour of the studio and then come outside the set of THE WIZARD OF OZ where the children are greeted by Bert Lahr, Ray Bolger and Buddy Ebsen. There's certainly nothing ground-breaking about this short but it's mildly entertaining getting to see some of the winners of various "contests" that were held in newspapers and magazines back in the day. Fans of THE WIZARD OF OZ will enjoy seeing the original three stars but it's funny that MGM didn't have them in their outfits and none of the sets were actually seen. I'm guessing the studio didn't want anything shown at this point in the production. Of course, Ebsen is announced as the tin man but this didn't happen as he soon left the production due to health issues.