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The Old Mill Pond
''The Old Mill Pond'' is a 1936 American animated short film in the ''Happy Harmonies'' series, directed by Hugh Harman for the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon studio. The short was nominated at the 1936 Academy Awards for Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film but lost to Disney's ''Silly Symphony'' short, ''The Country Cousin''. Summary Fish and frogs gather at a pond. The performers are caricatures of Cab Calloway, Fats Waller, Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, Louis Armstrong, Stepin Fetchit, Ethel Waters and The Mills Brothers. Sequel ''The Old Mill Pond'' was followed by sequel, '' Swing Wedding'' in 1937. Reception ''The Film Daily ''The Film Daily'' was a daily publication that existed from 1918 to 1970 in the United States. It was the first daily newspaper published solely for the film industry. It covered the latest trade news, film reviews, financial updates, informati ...'' (May 13, 1936): "This musical comedy cartoon is a knockout. Following the opening, which is the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Harman And Ising
Hugh Harman and Rudolf Ising were an American animation team and company known for founding the Warner Bros. and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer animation studios. In 1929, the studio was founded under the name Harman-Ising Productions, producing ''Looney Tunes'' and '' Merrie Melodies'' for Leon Schlesinger from 1930 to 1933. From 1934 to 1938, Harman-Ising produced the '' Happy Harmonies'' series, with William Hanna as their employee. Early history Harman and Ising first worked in animation in 1922 at Laugh-O-Gram Studio, Walt Disney's studio in Kansas City. When Disney moved operations to California, Harman was back at United Film Ad Service and Ising had a photofinishing business. Their plans went nowhere, however, and the men soon came back to Disney on June 22, 1925, to work on his '' Alice Comedies'' and '' Oswald the Lucky Rabbit'' films. Ising was fired from Disney in March 1927, when Disney signed the contract to distribute Oswald films to Universal Pictures. It was during th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cab Calloway
Cabell "Cab" Calloway III (December 25, 1907 – November 18, 1994) was an American jazz singer and bandleader. He was a regular performer at the Cotton Club in Harlem, where he became a popular vocalist of the Swing music, swing era. His niche of mixing jazz and vaudeville won him acclaim during a career that spanned over 65 years. Calloway was a master of energetic scat singing and led one of the most popular Big band, dance bands in the United States from the early 1930s to the late 1940s. His band included trumpeters Dizzy Gillespie, Jonah Jones, and Doc Cheatham, Adolphus "Doc" Cheatham, saxophonists Ben Webster and Leon "Chu" Berry, guitarist Danny Barker, bassist Milt Hinton, and drummer Cozy Cole. Calloway had several hit records in the 1930s and 1940s, becoming the first African-American musician to sell one million copies of a record. He became known as the "Hi-de-ho" man of jazz for his most famous song, "Minnie the Moocher", originally recorded in 1931. He reached t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Animated Short Films
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American film and television production and distribution company headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer was founded on April 17, 1924, and has been owned by the Amazon MGM Studios subsidiary of Amazon since 2022. MGM was formed by Marcus Loew by combining Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures and Louis B. Mayer Pictures into one company. It hired a number of well-known actors as contract players—its slogan was "more stars than there are in heaven"—and soon became Hollywood's most prestigious filmmaking company, producing popular musical films and winning many Academy Awards. MGM also owned film studios, movie lots, movie theaters and technical production facilities. Its most prosperous era, from 1926 to 1959, was bracketed by two productions of '' Ben Hur''. It divested itself of the Loews movie theater chain and, in 1956, expa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Films Directed By Hugh Harman
A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, since the 1930s, synchronized with sound and (less commonly) other sensory stimulations. Etymology and alternative terms The name "film" originally referred to the thin layer of photochemical emulsion on the celluloid strip that used to be the actual medium for recording and displaying motion pictures. Many other terms exist for an individual motion-picture, including "picture", "picture show", "moving picture", "photoplay", and "flick". The most common term in the United States is "movie", while in Europe, "film" is preferred. Archaic terms include "animated pictures" and "animated photography". "Flick" is, in general a slang term, first recorded in 1926. It originates in the verb flicker, owing to the flickering appearance of early films. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Films
This is a list of feature films originally released and/or distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (to include MGM/UA Entertainment Co., MGM/UA Communications Co., MGM-Pathe Communications Co. and MGM/UA Distribution Co.). This list does not include films from United Artists before it merged with MGM (except for co-productions), or other studios that MGM acquired (such as Orion Pictures, The Samuel Goldwyn Company, and Cannon Films). MGM's pre-May 1986 library is currently owned by Warner Bros. through Turner Entertainment Co. Lists The films are divided into lists by decade: * List of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films (1924–1929) * List of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films (1930–1939) * List of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films (1940–1949) * List of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films (1950–1959) * List of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films (1960–1969) * List of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films (1970–1979) * List of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films (1980–1989) * List of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films (1990–19 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1930s Color Films
Year 193 ( CXCIII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Sosius and Ericius (or, less frequently, year 946 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 193 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years. Events By place Roman Empire * January 1 – Year of the Five Emperors: The Roman Senate chooses Publius Helvius Pertinax, against his will, to succeed the late Commodus as Emperor. Pertinax is forced to reorganize the handling of finances, which were wrecked under Commodus, to reestablish discipline in the Roman army, and to suspend the food programs established by Trajan, provoking the ire of the Praetorian Guard. * March 28 – Pertinax is assassinated by members of the Praetorian Guard, who storm the imperial palace. The Empire is auctioned off; Marcus Didius Julianus the highe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1936 Films
The following is an overview of 1936 in film, including significant events, a list of films released and notable births and deaths. Top-grossing films (U.S.) The top ten 1936 released films by box office gross in North America are as follows: Events *January 9 – Silent screen actor John Gilbert, perhaps best known for his appearances in films such as ''The Merry Widow'' and '' The Big Parade'', dies suddenly of a heart attack at his Bel Air home, aged 38. *February 15 – The first Republic serial, '' Darkest Africa'', is released. *May 29 – Fritz Lang's first Hollywood film, '' Fury'', starring Spencer Tracy and Bruce Cabot, is released. *September 14 – Film producer Irving Thalberg, often referred by many as the "Boy Wonder of Hollywood", dies from pneumonia at his home in Santa Monica, aged 37. Academy Awards * Best Picture: ''The Great Ziegfeld'' – Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer * Best Director: Frank Capra – '' Mr. Deeds Goes to Town'' * Best Actor: Paul Muni – ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Film Daily
''The Film Daily'' was a daily publication that existed from 1918 to 1970 in the United States. It was the first daily newspaper published solely for the film industry. It covered the latest trade news, film reviews, financial updates, information on court cases and union difficulties, and equipment breakthroughs. Publication history The publication was originated by Wid Gunning in 1913 (though not as a daily) and was known as ''Wid's Film and Film Folk'' (1915–1916) and ''Wid's Independent Review of Feature Films'' (1916–1918). Gunning was previously film editor at the '' New York Evening Mail''. He also published ''Wid's Weekly'', and ''Wid's Year Book''. In 1918, Joseph ("Danny") Dannenberg and Jack Alicoate purchased an interest in ''Wid's Weekly''. On March 8, 1918, they released a daily publication, '' Wid's Daily''. In 1921, Dannenberg and Alicoate took control of Wid's Films & Film Folk Inc., with Dannenberg as president and editor, and the publication changed name, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Swing Wedding
''Swing Wedding'' is a 1937 MGM ''Happy Harmonies'' cartoon directed by Hugh Harman. A "sequel" to the 1936 short ''The Old Mill Pond'', the cartoon portrays a wedding celebrated by a group of frogs in a swamp. The frogs are designed as caricatures of various African American celebrities of the 1930s, such as Ethel Waters, Stepin Fetchit, Louis Armstrong, Cab Calloway, Fats Waller and the Mills Brothers. Though hailed as "'one of the finest one-reelers in all of animation" by some commentators, others have derided the use of Zip Coon-type figures and stereotypical dialogue (including expressions such as "Who dat?" and "Yowza!"). The film also contains a controversial scene in which a frog musician uses his trumpet valve as a syringe. The scene plays on the stereotype of black jazz musicians using drugs before performing. This cartoon was re-released in a shorter version called "Hot Frogs" in 1942 as a "soundies" format. Plot Reception ''National Exhibitor'' (March 20, 1937) ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Mills Brothers
The Mills Brothers, sometimes billed The Four Mills Brothers and originally known as Four Boys and a Guitar, were an American jazz and traditional pop vocal quartet who made more than 2,000 recordings that sold more than 50 million copies and garnered at least three dozen gold records. The Mills Brothers were the first black artists to have their own show on national network radio (on CBS in 1930); they made appearances in film; and were the first to have a No. 1 hit on the ''Billboard'' singles chart, with " Paper Doll" in 1943. They were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1998. Early years The Mills Brothers were born into a family of nine in Piqua, Ohio, United States. The quartet consisted of Donald (lead tenor vocals, April 29, 1915 – November 13, 1999), Herbert (tenor vocals, April 2, 1912 – April 12, 1989), Harry (baritone vocals, August 9, 1913 – June 28, 1982), and John Jr. ( tenor guitar, double bass, bass vocals; October 19, 1910 – January 23 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ethel Waters
Ethel Waters (October 31, 1896 – September 1, 1977) was an American singer and actress. Waters frequently performed jazz, swing, and pop music on the Broadway stage and in concerts. She began her career in the 1920s singing blues. Her notable recordings include "Dinah", " Stormy Weather", " Taking a Chance on Love", "Heat Wave", " Supper Time", " Am I Blue?", " Cabin in the Sky", " I'm Coming Virginia", and her version of " His Eye Is on the Sparrow". Waters was the second African American to be nominated for an Academy Award, the first African American to star on her own television show, and the first African-American woman to be nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award. Early life Ethel Waters was born in Chester, Pennsylvania, on October 31, 1896 (some sources incorrectly state her birth year as 1900) to African-American mother Louise Anderson (1881–1962). Her birth was the result of the rape of teenaged Louise Anderson by 17-year-old John Wesley (a.k.a. Wesley John) Wat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stepin Fetchit
Lincoln Theodore Monroe Andrew Perry (May 30, 1902 – November 19, 1985), better known by his stage name Stepin Fetchit, was an American vaudevillian, comedian, and film actor of Jamaican and Bahamian descent, considered to be the first black actor to have a successful film career. His highest profile was during the 1930s in films and on stage, when his persona of Stepin Fetchit was billed as the "Laziest Man in the World". Perry parlayed the Fetchit persona into a successful film career, becoming the first black actor to earn $1 million. He was also the first black actor to receive featured screen credit in a film. Perry's film career slowed after 1939 and nearly stopped altogether after 1953. Around that time, Black Americans began to see his Stepin Fetchit persona as an embarrassing and harmful anachronism, echoing negative stereotypes. However, writer Mel Watkins has since argued the Stepin Fetchit character is better described as a prankster rather than simply lazy. Ear ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
