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Pete Smith (film Producer)
Peter Schmidt (September 4, 1892 – January 12, 1979), Americanized to Pete Smith, was a film producer based in Hollywood, California. He is best known for the ''Pete Smith Specialties'', a long-running series of general-interest short films, ranging from human-interest stories to sports subjects. Best remembered are the comedies, exaggerating common pet peeves and household problems, with Smith offering pointed commentary in his distinctive, nasal tenor. Early life and career Peter Schmidt was born in 1892, in New York City. He became interested in the theatrical business, working behind the scenes as an aide for a vaudeville performers union, an editor and critic for a trade magazine, and a press agent. In 1915, as the new field of motion pictures was transforming show business, Smith became a publicity man for Bosworth, Inc., Oliver Morosco Photoplay Co., Artcraft Pictures Corporation, and Famous Players–Lasky. He was one of the founding members of the Associated ...
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The Moving Picture World
The ''Moving Picture World'' was an influential early trade journal for the American film industry, from 1907 to 1927. An industry powerhouse at its height, ''Moving Picture World'' frequently reiterated its independence from the film studios. In 1911, the magazine bought out ''Views and Film Index''. Its reviews illustrate the standards and tastes of film in its infancy, and shed light on story content in those early days. By 1914, it had a reported circulation of approximately 15,000. The publication was founded by James Petrie (J.P.) Chalmers, Jr. (1866–1912), who began publishing in March 1907 as ''The Moving Picture World and View Photographer''. In December 1927, it was announced that the publication was merging with the '' Exhibitors Herald'', when it was reported the combined circulation of the papers would be 16,881. In 1931, a subsequent merger with the '' Motion Picture News'' occurred, creating the '' Motion Picture Herald''. A Spanish language Spanish ( ...
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Dogville Comedies
From 1929 to 1931, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer produced a series of nine short comedy films called ''All Barkie Dogville Comedies'', sometimes known as the "barkies" (in a parody of " talkies")."Movieland Goes Roman", Performing and Captive Animals' Defence League circular, 1931 The actors in these films were trained dogs dressed to parody the performers in contemporary films. The dogs' dialogue was dubbed by actors and voice artists, including Pete Smith. The films were directed by Zion Myers and conceived and codirected by Jules White. Myers and White later worked on the Three Stooges comedies. Series titles 1929 *''College Hounds'': a parody of college football films, such as MGM's ''Brown of Harvard'' (1926), featuring "Red Mange" ( Red Grange) *''Hot Dog'': a parody of courtroom dramas, such as MGM's ''Madame X'' (1929), featuring "Clara Bone" ( Clara Bow) 1930 *''Who Killed Rover?'' AKA ''The Dogville Murder Case'': a parody of Philo Vance whodunits (here "Phido Vance"), such ...
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Audioscopiks FilmPoster
''Audioscopiks'' is a 1935 American short documentary film directed by Jacob F. Leventhal and John A. Norling. The main point of the short was to show off 3-D film technology. The film was nominated for an Academy Award at the 8th Academy Awards in 1935 for Best Short Subject (Novelty). This was MGM's first film in 3-D, filmed using the red-green anaglyph process, with prints produced by Technicolor Technicolor is a family of Color motion picture film, color motion picture processes. The first version, Process 1, was introduced in 1916, and improved versions followed over several decades. Definitive Technicolor movies using three black-and .... Current prints appear to have faded to a crimson-cyan color, causing ghosting to occur when viewed. ''Audioscopiks'' was followed by '' The New Audioscopiks'' (1938), and by '' Third Dimensional Murder'' (1941). Synopsis Audience members are given a lesson on how 3-Dimensional movies are made. After being taught about 3-D, patron ...
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Dave O'Brien (actor)
Dave O'Brien (born David Poole Fronabarger; May 31, 1912 – November 8, 1969) was an American film actor, stunt man, film director, and Emmy awarded comedy writer. He was well known for his portrayal, in the 1942 serial films of the title character in '' Captain Midnight'', performer and comedy writer in the '' Pete Smith Specialties'' and as one of Red Skelton's comedy writers. Life and career Born in Big Spring, Texas, to Mike Fronabarger and his wife, Mary Edith, he started his film career performing in choruses and working as a stunt double, then graduating into larger roles, mostly in B pictures. He adopted "O'Brien" as his acting pseudonym. He had roles in early Western movies such as '' Lightnin' Crandall'' (1937). O'Brien acted in the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer comedy short film series ''Pete Smith Specialties''. O'Brien wrote and directed many of these subjects under the name David Barclay. In 1933, O'Brien also had a small dancing part with Bebe Daniels in the Busby Berkel ...
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Laurel And Hardy
Laurel and Hardy were a British-American double act, comedy duo during the early Classical Hollywood cinema, Classical Hollywood era of American cinema, consisting of Englishman Stan Laurel (1890–1965) and American Oliver Hardy (1892–1957). Starting their career as a duo in the silent film era, they later successfully transitioned to "sound film, talkies". From the late 1920s to the mid-1950s, they were internationally famous for their slapstick comedy, with Laurel playing the clumsy, childlike friend to Hardy's pompous bully. Their signature theme song, known as "The Cuckoo Song", "Ku-Ku", or "The Dance of the Cuckoos" (by Hollywood composer Marvin Hatley, T. Marvin Hatley) was heard over their films' opening credits, and became as emblematic of them as their bowler hats. Prior to emerging as a team, both had well-established film careers. Laurel had acted in over 50 films, and worked as a writer and director, while Hardy was in more than 250 productions. Both had appeared ...
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The Tree In A Test Tube
''The Tree in a Test Tube'' is a 1942 short film produced by the U. S. Department of Agriculture and distributed by the U.S. Forest Service, featuring Laurel and Hardy, with narration read by MGM narrator and producer Pete Smith. Plot To Pete Smith's voice over commentary, Stan and Ollie, seemingly picked at random in the street and professing not to have any wood in their possession at the time, produce various props — the contents of a suitcase and their wallets — all manufactured from wood or containing wood byproducts. (At one point Ollie even indicates that Stan's ''head'' is made of wood, to Stan's annoyance.) The props demonstrate the omnipresence of wood products in the American economy, including paper, cellulose-based artificial leather, rayon, witch hazel, and bioplastics in consumer items (this was in the early days of mass-produced plastic, before petrochemical plastics became widespread). Production background ''The Tree in a Test Tube'' is Laurel and Hard ...
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War Effort
War effort is a coordinated mobilization of society's resources—both industrial and civilian—towards the support of a military force, particular during a state of war. Depending on the militarization of the culture, the relative size of the armed forces and the society supporting them, the style of government, and the famous support for the military objectives, such war effort can range from a small industry to complete command of society. Although many societies were retroactively perceived to be engaged in a war effort, the concept was not generally used until the last decade of the 18th century, when the leaders of the French Revolution called for the ''levée en masse'' and a general mobilization of society to prevent monarchist forces from reclaiming control of the French government. The concept was subsequently adapted and used by Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States, especially during World War I and World War II. The term ''war effort'' was c ...
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World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the world's countries participated, with many nations mobilising all resources in pursuit of total war. Tanks in World War II, Tanks and Air warfare of World War II, aircraft played major roles, enabling the strategic bombing of cities and delivery of the Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, first and only nuclear weapons ever used in war. World War II is the List of wars by death toll, deadliest conflict in history, causing World War II casualties, the death of 70 to 85 million people, more than half of whom were civilians. Millions died in genocides, including the Holocaust, and by massacres, starvation, and disease. After the Allied victory, Allied-occupied Germany, Germany, Allied-occupied Austria, Austria, Occupation of Japan, Japan, a ...
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Microscope
A microscope () is a laboratory equipment, laboratory instrument used to examine objects that are too small to be seen by the naked eye. Microscopy is the science of investigating small objects and structures using a microscope. Microscopic means being invisible to the eye unless aided by a microscope. There are many types of microscopes, and they may be grouped in different ways. One way is to describe the method an instrument uses to interact with a sample and produce images, either by sending a beam of light or electrons through a sample in its optical path, by detecting fluorescence, photon emissions from a sample, or by scanning across and a short distance from the surface of a sample using a probe. The most common microscope (and the first to be invented) is the optical microscope, which uses lenses to refract visible light that passed through a microtome, thinly sectioned sample to produce an observable image. Other major types of microscopes are the fluorescence micro ...
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Insect
Insects (from Latin ') are Hexapoda, hexapod invertebrates of the class (biology), class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body (Insect morphology#Head, head, Thorax (insect anatomy), thorax and abdomen (insect anatomy), abdomen), three pairs of jointed Arthropod leg, legs, compound eyes, and a pair of antenna (biology), antennae. Insects are the most diverse group of animals, with more than a million described species; they represent more than half of all animal species. The insect nervous system consists of a insect brain, brain and a ventral nerve cord. Most insects reproduce Oviparous, by laying eggs. Insects Respiratory system of insects, breathe air through a system of Spiracle (arthropods), paired openings along their sides, connected to Trachea#Invertebrates, small tubes that take air directly to the tissues. The blood therefore does not carry oxygen; it is only partly contained in ves ...
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Emily Post
Emily Post ( Price; October 27, 1872 – September 25, 1960) was an American author, novelist, and socialite famous for writing about etiquette. Early life and education Post was born Emily Bruce Price in Baltimore, Maryland, possibly in October 1872. The precise date is unknown. Her father was the architect Bruce Price, famed for designing luxury communities. Her mother Josephine (Lee) Price of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania was the daughter of Washington Lee, a wealthy coal baron and owner of a Pennsylvania mine. After being educated at home in her early years, Price attended Miss Graham's finishing school in New York after her family moved there. ''The New York Times'' Dinitia Smith reports, in her review of Laura Claridge's 2008 biography of Post, Emily was tall, pretty and spoiled. [...] She grew up in a world of grand estates, her life governed by carefully delineated rituals like the Cotillion ball, cotillion with its complex forms and its dances—the Fan, the Ladies Mocke ...
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Feature Film
A feature film or feature-length film (often abbreviated to feature), also called a theatrical film, is a film (Film, motion picture, "movie" or simply “picture”) with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation in a commercial entertainment theatrical program. The term ''feature film'' originally referred to the main, full-length film in a cinema program that included a short film and often a newsreel. Matinee programs, especially in the United States and Canada, in general, also included cartoons, at least one weekly serial film, serial and, typically, a second feature-length film on weekends. The first narrative feature film was the 70-minute ''The Story of the Kelly Gang'' (1906). Other early feature films include ''Les Misérables (1909 film), Les Misérables'' (1909), ''L'Inferno'', ''Defence of Sevastopol, The Adventures of Pinocchio (1911 film), The Adventures of Pinocchio'' (1911), ''Oliver Twist (1912 American film), Oliver Twist'' ...
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