James Anthony FitzPatrick (February 26, 1894 – June 12, 1980) was an American producer, director, writer, and narrator, known from the early 1930s as "The Voice of the Globe" from his ''Fitzpatrick's Traveltalks''.

Biography

James Anthony FitzPatrick was born in

Shelton, Connecticut Shelton is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 40,869 at the 2020 United States Census. History Origins Shelton was settled by the English as part of the town of Stratford, Connecticut, in 1639. On May 15 ...

. After completing training in dramatic arts, he worked for a while as a

journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalism ...

. In 1916, he entered into films by starting the Juvenile Film Company, in

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U ...

, producing comedy shorts featuring children, anticipating by years similar series such as

Our Gang ''Our Gang'' (also known as ''The Little Rascals'' or ''Hal Roach's Rascals'') is an American series of comedy short films chronicling a group of poor neighborhood children and their adventures. Created by film producer Hal Roach, also the ...

and The

Little Rascals ''Our Gang'' (also known as ''The Little Rascals'' or ''Hal Roach's Rascals'') is an American series of comedy short films chronicling a group of poor neighborhood children and their adventures. Created by film producer Hal Roach, also the ...

. However, the series was not a success; by 1921, FitzPatrick was working as a writer/director in

Charles Urban Charles Urban (April 15, 1867 – August 29, 1942) was an Anglo-American film producer and distributor, and one of the most significant figures in Cinema of the United Kingdom, British cinema before the First World War. He was a pioneer of the doc ...

's American Kineto concern, making a series titled "Great American Authors," which featured profiles of famous American writers. However, Kineto folded in 1924, and in 1925 FitzPatrick established his own company and undertook two concurrent series: "Famous Music Masters" — dramatized shorts about the lives of famous composers — and "Songs Of." These were distributed worldwide, and some were later synchronized to sound. In 1930, FitzPatrick began filming travel documentaries for British and American viewers.

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 ...

distributed the series under the title "FitzPatrick Traveltalks." Beginning with 1934's ''Holland in Tulip Time'', the Traveltalks were filmed in

Technicolor Technicolor is a series of color motion picture processes, the first version dating back to 1916, and followed by improved versions over several decades. Definitive Technicolor movies using three black and white films running through a special ...

, making this series one of the first regular vehicles for color film in the American film industry. After FitzPatrick left MGM in 1954, he produced a similar series for

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...

, titled "

Vistavision VistaVision is a higher resolution, widescreen variant of the 35 mm motion picture film format which was created by engineers at Paramount Pictures in 1954. Paramount never used anamorphic processes such as 2.55: 1, CinemaScope but refi ...

Visits," for about another year before retiring. He died at the age of 86 in

Cathedral City, California Cathedral City, colloquially known as "Cat City", is a desert resort city in Riverside County, California, United States, within the Colorado Desert's Coachella Valley. Situated between Palm Springs and Rancho Mirage, the city has the second lar ...

Legacy

FitzPatrick made nearly 300 films in a career that spanned five decades. He was, in some ways, the heir to Charles Urban's approach to making travelogues: they concentrated on the picturesque elements of a nation visited — architecture and landscape, but not so much the people. FitzPatrick also relates to Charles Urban in his advocacy of color, which he first employed in ''Charles Gounod'' (1928), a film in the Famous Music Master Series. With the coming of television, Hollywood began to reduce its reliance on short subjects, and many shorts departments began to close. FitzPatrick owned his own unit and managed to survive longer than many internal studio units, but the handwriting was on the wall by the time he bowed out. FitzPatrick Pictures produced only five features, and three of these were intended for release only in the UK. The last one, ''

Song of Mexico ''Song of Mexico'' is a 1945 American musical film written and directed by James A. FitzPatrick and starring Adele Mara, Edgar Barrier, George J. Lewis, Jacqueline Dalya, José Pulido and Raquel De Alva. It was released on December 28, 1945, by ...

'' (1945), was released by

Republic Pictures Republic Pictures Corporation (currently held under Melange Pictures, LLC) was an American motion picture production-distribution corporation in operation from 1935 to 1967, that was based in Los Angeles. It had studio facilities in Studio City a ...

. In the 21st century, the Traveltalks are notable for preserving cityscapes before many of them had skyscrapers or international hotel chains, and ways of life that are now defunct, though these are presented in a very general way. The Traveltalks are still often shown today on

Turner Classic Movies Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is an American movie-oriented pay-TV network owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in 1994, Turner Classic Movies is headquartered at Turner's Techwood broadcasting campus in the Midtown business district of ...

as filler material between features. On his 1958

Parlophone Parlophone Records Limited (also known as Parlophone Records and Parlophone) is a German–British record label founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company as Parlophon. The British branch of the label was founded on 8 August 19 ...

record ''The Best of Sellers'',

Peter Sellers Peter Sellers (born Richard Henry Sellers; 8 September 1925 – 24 July 1980) was an English actor and comedian. He first came to prominence performing in the BBC Radio comedy series ''The Goon Show'', featured on a number of hit comic songs ...

performed "

Balham, Gateway to the South "Balham, Gateway to the South" is a comedy sketch that parodies cinema travelogues by presenting the South London suburb of Balham as an exotic locale. It was written by Frank Muir and Denis Norden for the short-lived BBC radio series ''Thi ...

", a parody of Fitzpatrick travelogues, written by

Frank Muir Frank Herbert Muir (5 February 1920 – 2 January 1998) was an English comedy writer, radio and television personality, and raconteur. His writing and performing partnership with Denis Norden endured for most of their careers. Together they wr ...

and

Denis Norden Denis Mostyn Norden (6 February 1922 – 19 September 2018) was an English comedy writer and television presenter. After an early career working in cinemas, he began scriptwriting during the Second World War. From 1948 to 1959, he co-wrote the ...

, and produced by

George Martin Sir George Henry Martin (3 January 1926 – 8 March 2016) was an English record producer, arranger, composer, conductor, and musician. He was commonly referred to as the " Fifth Beatle" because of his extensive involvement in each of the B ...

. In 1960, he was awarded a star on the

Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a historic landmark which consists of more than 2,700 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, Calif ...

Selected filmography

* ''Songs of Ireland'' (1926) * ''Siam to Korea'' (1931) * ''Holland in Tulip Time'' (1934) * ''Switzerland, The Beautiful'' (1934) * ''Zion: Canyon of Colour'' (1934) * ''Ireland: The Emerald Isle'' (1934) * ''Zeeland: The Hidden Paradise'' (1934) * ''Colorful Guatemala'' (1935) * ''Los Angeles: Wonder City of the West'' (1935) * ''Beautiful Banff and Lake Louise'' (1935) * ''Honolulu: The Paradise of the Pacific'' (1935) * ''Victoria and Vancouver: Gateways to Canada'' (1936) * ''Cherry Blossom Time in Japan'' (1936) * ''Rio de Janeiro: City of Splendour'' (1936) * ''Quaint Québec'' (1936) * ''Yellowstone Park: Nature's Playground'' (1936) * ''Oriental Paradise'' (1936) * ''Picturesque South Africa'' (1937) * ''India on Parade'' (1937) * ''Glimpses of Java and Ceylon'' (1937) * ''Colorful Bombay'' (1937) * ''Hong Kong: The Hub of the Orient'' (1937) * ''Serene Siam'' (1937) * ''Rocky Mountain Grandeur'' (1937) * ''Floral Japan'' (1937) * ''Glimpses of Peru'' (1937) * ''Stockholm: Pride of Sweden'' (1937) * ''Chile: Land of Charm'' (1937) * ''Copenhagen'' (1937) * ''Glimpses of Austria'' (1938) * ''Beautiful Budapest'' (1938) * ''Czechoslovakia on Parade'' (1938) * ''Paris on Parade'' (1938) * ''Cairo: City of Contrast'' (1938) * ''Madeira: Isle of Romance'' (1938) * ''Ancient Egypt'' (1939) * ''Imperial Delhi'' (1939) * ''Java Journey'' (1939) * ''Rural Hungary'' (1939) * ''Picturesque Udaipur'' (1939) * ''Colorful Curacao'' (1939) * ''Old Natchez on the Mississippi'' (1939) * ''Night Descends on Treasure Island'' (1940) * ''Seattle: Gateway to the Northwest'' (1940) * ''Calling on Colombia'' (1940) * ''Modern New Orleans'' (1940) * ''Suva: Pride of Fiji'' (1940) * ''Glimpses of Mexico'' (1940) * ''The Capital City: Washington D.C.'' (1940) * ''Cavalcade of San Francisco'' (1940) * ''Old New Mexico'' (1940) * ''Old New Orleans'' (1940) * ''Mediterranean Ports of Call'' (1941) * ''Glimpses of Florida'' (1941) * ''George Town: Pride of Penang'' (1941) * ''Scenic Grandeur'' (1941) * ''Minnesota: Land of Plenty'' (1942) * ''Colorful North Carolina'' (1942) * ''Glacier Park and Waterton Lakes'' (1942) * ''Picturesque Massachusetts'' (1942) * ''Modern Mexico City'' (1942) * ''Glimpses of Ontario'' (1942) * ''Mighty Niagara'' (1943) * ''Romantic Nevada'' (1943) * ''Motoring in Mexico'' (1943) * ''A Day in Death Valley'' (1944) * ''Mackinac Island'' (1944) * ''Colorful Colorado'' (1944) * ''Roaming Through Arizona'' (1944) * ''Modern Guatemala City'' (1945) * ''Merida and Campeche'' (1945) * ''Visiting Vera Cruz'' (1946) * ''Looking at London'' (1946) * ''Over the Seas to Belfast'' (1946) * ''Glimpses of California'' (1946) * ''Calling on Costa Rica'' (1947) * ''On the Shores of Nova Scotia'' (1947) * ''Chicago, the Beautiful'' (1948) * ''Night Life in Chicago'' (1948) * ''Ontario: Land of Lakes'' (1949) * ''Calling on Michigan'' (1949) * ''Roaming Through Northern Ireland'' (1949) * ''Glimpses of Old England'' (1949) * ''A Wee Bit of Scotland'' (1949) * ''Pastoral Panoramas'' (1950) * ''Roaming Through Michigan'' (1950) * ''To the Coast of Devon'' (1950) * ''Touring Northern England'' (1950) * ''Life on the Thames'' (1950) * ''Romantic Riviera'' (1951) * ''Visiting Italy'' (1951) * ''Life in the Andes'' (1952) * ''Beautiful Brazil'' (1952) * ''Land of the Taj Mahal'' (1952) * ''Ancient India'' (1952) * ''Pretoria to Durban'' (1952) * ''Calling on Cape Town'' (1952) * ''Johannesburg: City of Gold'' (1953) * ''Looking at Lisbon'' (1953) * ''Delightful Denmark'' (1953) * ''In the Valley of the Rhine'' (1953) * ''Beautiful Bavaria'' (1953) * ''Land of the Ugly Duckling'' (1953) * ''Seeing Spain'' (1953) * ''Glimpses of Western Germany'' (1954)

Home video availability

In 2016,

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Inc. (formerly known as Warner Home Video and WCI Home Video and sometimes credited as Warner Home Entertainment) is the home video distribution division of Warner Bros. It was founded in 1978 as WCI Home Video ...

has released the entire series of shorts in the DVD-R format, as ''Fitzpatrick Traveltalks'' (three volumes). Individual shorts can also be found as extras on DVDs of classic Warner Bros. owned films of the period: * ''Los Angeles: Wonder City of the West'' is on the DVD of

Sylvia Scarlett ''Sylvia Scarlett'' is a 1935 American romantic comedy film starring Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant, based on '' The Early Life and Adventures of Sylvia Scarlett'', a 1918 novel by Compton MacKenzie. Directed by George Cukor, it was notorio ...

* ''Cherry Blossom Time in Japan'' is on the DVD of

China Seas The China Seas consist of a series of marginal seas in the Western Pacific Ocean, around China. They are the major components signifying the transition from the continent of Asia to the Pacific Ocean.Pinxian Wang, Qianyu Li, Chun-Feng Li, ''Geo ...

* ''Paris on Parade'' is on the DVD and Blu-Ray of

An American in Paris ''An American in Paris'' is a jazz-influenced orchestral piece by American composer George Gershwin first performed in 1928. It was inspired by the time that Gershwin had spent in Paris and evokes the sights and energy of the French capital d ...

* ''Modern New Orleans'' and ''Old New Orleans'' are on the DVD of

The Toast of New Orleans ''The Toast of New Orleans'' is a 1950 MGM musical film directed by Norman Taurog and choreographed by Eugene Loring. It stars Mario Lanza, Kathryn Grayson, David Niven, J. Carrol Naish, James Mitchell and Rita Moreno. The film was made after ''T ...

* ''Cavalcade of San Francisco'' is on the DVD of Go West * ''Glimpses of Florida'' is on the DVD of Lady Be Good * ''Looking at London'' is on the DVD of

The Three Musketeers ''The Three Musketeers'' (french: Les Trois Mousquetaires, links=no, ) is a French historical adventure novel written in 1844 by French author Alexandre Dumas. It is in the swashbuckler genre, which has heroic, chivalrous swordsmen who fight f ...

* ''Glimpses of California'' is on the DVD of

Till the Clouds Roll By ''Till The Clouds Roll By'' is a 1946 American Technicolor musical film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. A fictionalized biopic of composer Jerome Kern, portrayed by Robert Walker, Kern was originally involved with the production, but died befo ...

* ''Chicago, the Beautiful'' and ''Night Life in Chicago'' are on the DVD of

In the Good Old Summertime ''In the Good Old Summertime'' is a 1949 American Technicolor musical film directed by Robert Z. Leonard. It stars Judy Garland, Van Johnson, S.Z. Sakall, Spring Byington, Clinton Sundberg, and Buster Keaton in his first featured film role ...

* ''Roaming Through Michigan'' is on the DVD of Three Little Words * ''Romantic Riviera'' is on the DVD of Easy to Love * ''Land of the Taj Mahal'' and ''Ancient India'' are on the DVD of

Kim Kim or KIM may refer to: Names * Kim (given name) * Kim (surname) ** Kim (Korean surname) *** Kim family (disambiguation), several dynasties **** Kim family (North Korea), the rulers of North Korea since Kim Il-sung in 1948 ** Kim, Vietnamese ...

* ''Land of the Taj Mahal'' is on the DVD of The Prisoner of Zenda (1937 and 1952 dual-disc version)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Fitzpatrick, James A. 1894 births 1980 deaths American male journalists 20th-century American journalists People from Shelton, Connecticut Film directors from Connecticut Film producers from Connecticut