Couple of "newsreel" type curios...

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DaveGlass
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Couple of "newsreel" type curios...

Postby DaveGlass » Sun Apr 12, 2015 9:22 am


Richard M Roberts
Godfather
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Re: Couple of "newsreel" type curios...

Postby Richard M Roberts » Sun Apr 12, 2015 11:30 am

What interesting pieces of film to start off this Sunday Morning. They look like they were indeed both based on actual public events, the first more than the second, but also had specifically filmed sequences added to both.

In COMPETITION SINGULAR I spotted Harry Bowen as the Announcer, then Snub Pollard, Marvin Loback, Eddie Baker, Heinie Conlkin, Billy Engle, Jack Duffy, Spencer Bell, Jerry Mandy, and John Richardson as the contestants. Obviously held in Venice, California, I’d say early 30’s on this and the other.

In A PIE Y ANDANDO, I spotted Tom Kennedy, Max Davidson, Leo White, Jerry Mandy, Heinie Conklin, Hank Mann and John Richardson. Much more planned film action.

I have never seen either of these before, anyone else know anything further?


RICHARD M ROBERTS

Steve Massa
Capo
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Re: Couple of "newsreel" type curios...

Postby Steve Massa » Sun Apr 12, 2015 2:01 pm

Both of these are Spanish versions of early 1930s "Race Night" comedies. Any memory of this series seems to have dropped off the face of the earth, and I'd never heard any mention of it until a couple of years ago when New York based animation and silent comedy fan Nelson Hughes started turning up and showing copies. They were the brainchild and an early effort of producer/director Andrew L. Stone, and were "interactive" - audiences would pick a racer and would win a prize provided by the theatre if their racer won. What's missing on these youtube versions is the introductory segment that would tell you how to play, etc. There's also a running narrator commentary on the race. I can't remember if they were 1931 or 1932, but titles include FOOT RACE, SKATE RACE, BIKE RACE, etc., etc. Nelson had a public screening a couple of months ago where we picked our racer and a prize was given - sadly Jack Richardson didn't come through for me. Nelson's been gathering info and prints from different sources, and now has about eight of the shorts. They definitely gave extra work to these silent comedy vets.

Richard M Roberts
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Re: Couple of "newsreel" type curios...

Postby Richard M Roberts » Sun Apr 12, 2015 2:19 pm

Steve Massa wrote:Both of these are Spanish versions of early 1930s "Race Night" comedies. Any memory of this series seems to have dropped off the face of the earth, and I'd never heard any mention of it until a couple of years ago when New York based animation and silent comedy fan Nelson Hughes started turning up and showing copies. They were the brainchild and an early effort of producer/director Andrew L. Stone, and were "interactive" - audiences would pick a racer and would win a prize provided by the theatre if their racer won. What's missing on these youtube versions is the introductory segment that would tell you how to play, etc. There's also a running narrator commentary on the race. I can't remember if they were 1931 or 1932, but titles include FOOT RACE, SKATE RACE, BIKE RACE, etc., etc. Nelson had a public screening a couple of months ago where we picked our racer and a prize was given - sadly Jack Richardson didn't come through for me. Nelson's been gathering info and prints from different sources, and now has about eight of the shorts. They definitely gave extra work to these silent comedy vets.



Good Lord yes, so that's what they are. I have heard of those through the years along with the other promotions like "Bank Night", "Broadway Handicap", etc., but had never seen one of them before. They seem to have had a long life in independent release, when they weren't fighting local governments trying to ban them as illegal gambling. I never realized that major comics were used, I've never seen one of these grace any of their filmographies.

I wonder if there was a "Race Night" home game like "Broadway Handicap". I believe they did creep into fifties television distribution, but I've never come across a 16mm print of them.



RICHARD M ROBERTS

DaveGlass
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Re: Couple of "newsreel" type curios...

Postby DaveGlass » Mon Apr 13, 2015 6:12 am

Of course!
Now I remember reading about these on Nelson's Facebook page recently.
Thanks for clarifying.
dg

Richard M Roberts
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Re: Couple of "newsreel" type curios...

Postby Richard M Roberts » Mon Apr 13, 2015 7:30 am

Looking at the second FOOT RACE one again, it strikes me as having a very Del Lord feel in the gags, any idea who directed these?


RICHARD M ROBERTS

Thomas Reeder
Cugine
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Re: Couple of "newsreel" type curios...

Postby Thomas Reeder » Mon Apr 13, 2015 9:30 am

Given that there was a "Beer" sign prominently displayed on the boardwalk in the former film, that would indicate that it was filmed after the repeal of Prohibition in December 1933.

Nelson Hughes
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Re: Couple of "newsreel" type curios...

Postby Nelson Hughes » Tue Apr 14, 2015 10:31 pm

The Race Night comedies are perhaps, the rarest comedies shorts ever made for the screen.You won't find any info on these films, as these films are still a work in progress.What I can share with all of you, was these films can be looked upon as commercial films, or as all star comedies with the comedians representing the Mack Sennett, Hal Roach and Al Christie studios.A total of ten shorts were made in 1933 and it was Stone's only venture in slapstick comedies.After their initial release, Stone dusted off the films and re-released them in 1936 and the comedies continued to play in theaters (during kiddie and retro screenings) up until the early 1980s and then vanished from the public eye.These films were extremely popular with moviegoers where as Steve Massa pointed out a prize would be given to the lucky winner who's ticket matched the winner of that week's race.As of this writing, only seven out of the ten shorts made are known to exist.Here are the titles that were made...
AUTO RACE
BICYCLE RACE
BOAT RACE
DOG RACE
FOOT RACE
HORSE RACE
MOTORCYCLE RACE
OBSTACLE RACE
RELAY RACE
SKATE RACE

Each of the films had ten alternate endings to each titles and on the opening title cards, no screen credit is given except Stone himself.The films are fast paced one reel shorts with most of them shot silent with music, dialog sound effects added, only the beginning and ending were shot with actual sound.I spent over twenty years trying to locate prints until I found four of them in the Library Of Congress and the other two from a private collector.No directorial credit is given but they do have a Del Lord feel to them.I currently have six of the titles in my collection and have been screening them at Tommy Stathes' Cartoon Carnivals which became a big hit with his audience and I screened one last month at my own show and they just ate them up.The 1960s animated tv series, THE WACKY RACES was based on the Race Night shorts since both, William Hanna and Joseph Barbera were fans of the series.

Just last month while I was Cinefest , I learned that the original opening of the series was shot in the two strip technicolor process where the announcer would give the rules to films and offer what prizes would be given
out that week, UCLA FILM AND TELEVISION ARCHIVE has the Technicolor sequence in their holdings.I'm currently working on having two of the shorts being shown at the next Capitolfest in August and I have made copies for fans to see in hopes that word of mouth that the remaining three titles resurface.Some of the comedians have been difficult to identify, especially in the case of the Black and Asian actors who appear in the series.The only Black actor who I spotted out was Fred "Snowflake" Toones who appears in BICYCLE RACE while comedian PHIL DUNHAM makes a cameo as a drunk in OBSTACLE RACE.Still much work to be done on this series and hope I can track down remaining titles.

Paul E. Gierucki
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Re: Couple of "newsreel" type curios...

Postby Paul E. Gierucki » Wed Apr 15, 2015 1:46 am

Great first post, Nelson. Welcome!

-- Paul E. Gierucki

Bill Coleman
Cugine
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Re: Couple of "newsreel" type curios...

Postby Bill Coleman » Wed Apr 15, 2015 9:14 am

I caught several of these shorts at the Cartoon Carnival programs in Brooklyn. Great fun, thanks for showing them, Nelson!


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