Some will remember when we used to make short films round up. Those who follow me on Facebook have known my tendency to announce: “Short film for you!” and put a short film link for everyone enjoy. Recently, while trying to figure out how to give more spotlight to short films, it became obvious that Short Film for You! needed to happen here as well. This month being Black History Month, the selections will focus on Black creators.
Gene and Trigger, a duo for the ages, made their way from outlaws to film stars but like many famous duos, they’ve had their issues which they must now overcome to fight an old foe.
I wanted to fall in love with “Sweet Charity” very badly. Every time it turns up on television, I patiently sit through it hoping that this will be the time when the film will seduce me and fill me with adoration. But every time, I leave unhappy that I could not give my heart to the film – I desperately want to embrace the film, but it always winds up clobbering me with its cumbersome production.
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An American veteran sees his life take a turn for the better after meeting an environmentalist, something that is sadly short-lived and leads him to a dark path.
BOOTLEG FILES 895: “Spook to Me” (1945 comedy short starring Andy Clyde and Dudley Dickerson).
LAST SEEN: On the Internet Archive.
AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.
REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: It fell through the cracks.
CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Not likely.
If any star of Hollywood’s Golden Age was in need of a revived public interest, it would be Andy Clyde. With a career spanning from the Mack Sennett silent comedies to the 1960s sitcoms, Clyde was a welcome presence both as a star and a supporting character – usually playing a doddering, slightly cranky but mostly endearing elderly chap.
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Rabbit’s Kin (1952)
Directed by Robert McKimson
Story by Tedd Pierce
Animation by Charles McKimson, Herman Cohen, Rod Scribner, Phil DeLara, Keith Darling
Music by Carl Stalling
Of all the predators who pursued Bugs Bunny, Pete Puma was arguably the stupidest of the bunch. But at the same time, he might have been the most endearing – if only because his cheerful imbecility made him oblivious to the fact that he was his own worst enemy rather than Bugs’ greatest foe.
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For many film lovers, silent era Westerns remain an untapped commodity. And unless you are a devote fan of this genre, the 1925 epic “Tumbleweeds” might be the greatest film that you never saw. An audacious, sprawling, emotional and exhilarating recreation of the 1893 land rush in the Oklahoma Territory’s Cherokee Strip, “Tumbleweeds” is a vibrant combination of history, melodrama, comedy, adventure and the wonderfully distinctive art form of silent movies that vanished once the microphone entered the cinematic equation.
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