Pete Smith

On the way to interview a novelist, Lane and Christina are involved in a car crash which leaves literary critic Christina brain-damaged. Lane undertakes the assignment and becomes attracted to the novelist's 15 year old daughter, leading to stormy emotions.

A mans awakens to find himself alone in the world. (imdb)

Re-enactment of how the 726-carat Jonker diamond was discovered in South Africa in 1905 by the family of Jacobus Jonker; how it was sold to Harry Winston; and how it was cut by Lazarre Kaplan. (imdb)

This Sports Parade series entry follows the life of Dixie Dan, a harness race horse, from birth through age three. (imdb)

Brett Sprague is a violent and psychopathic man, who is released on parole after serving a sentence for assault. As he returns to his family house and we watch him and his brothers, Stevie and Glenn, for the next 24 hours, it becomes clear this day will not end well. (imdb)

Laurel and Hardy demonstrate the uses of wood in this World War II propaganda film. (imdb)

After the audience is instructed how to use the 3-D glasses they received, demonstrations of three-dimensional films are presented. Various objects move towards the camera, including a ladder being shoved out a window, the slide on a trombone, a woman on a swing, and a thrown baseball. (imdb)

A humorous look round various studios on a film lot. One of the " Pete Smith Specialties", produced and narrated " by a Smith named Pete." (imdb)

In this Pete Smith Specialty, Dr. Harold E. Edgerton demonstrates stroboscopic photography, which he helped develop. This process allows us to see in slow motion what happens during events that occur too fast to be seen by the naked eye. Examples shown here include a bullet in flight as it shatters a light bulb, the moment of impact when a kicker kicks a football, and a the motion of a hummingbird's wings as it hovers. (imdb)

In this Pete Smith Specialty, we see clips from several unidentified silent movies that are woven into a story, with humorous commentary by Smith. (imdb)

Among the pests that are dealt with in this Pete Smith short are a wolf cruising in a convertible who refuses to take no for an answer from an attractive young woman, the small son of a customer in an antique store who causes damage to expensive "objets d'art," a dried-out fountain pen, and a woman who rudely stares at a diner through a restaurant window. (imdb)

While a group of Special Forces train a village to defend itself against Terrorists, the Captain of the group locks horns with the resident America Nun, who seems to be slightly better at everything that he is good at. (imdb)

This short, comedic film addresses Murphy's Law in three ironic situations. (imdb)

An attempt to explain the economic cycle of inflation and unemployment. (imdb)

A chef helps a housewife cook a duck dinner that will not give her husband indigestion. (imdb)

This comedy short contains a "Wotaphony" newsreel and a short film from Super-Stupid Pictures entitled "The Downfall of Thaddeus G. Blotto, Esq." As the audience views footage from unidentified silent movies, the narrator makes humorous comments while telling the (alleged) story. (imdb)

This short features professional bowler Andy Varipapa. He first shows the correct way to grip a bowling ball and the proper form for delivering the ball down the alley. He then performs several trick shots. (imdb)

Trader Hound, a dog who walks upright, wears human clothes, and speaks English, is in darkest Africa with a young sheik who is looking for adventure. With their native guides, they are searching for a lost princess, Nina T-Bone. After sleepless mosquito-filled nights, clothes lost to a mischievous monkey, and a battle royal between a lion and a gorilla, they make their way to Izorgi Village, where the fierce Afri-Curs live and where Nina T-Bone may be a prisoner. (imdb)

A humorous history of the bicycle since 1819. (imdb)

Highlights the odd 1930s fad of playing baseball while riding donkeys. (imdb)

After a period of separation, Sarah visits her research scientist mother on a remote New Zealand island. Before long Sarah becomes inextricably involved in events involving both Maori legend and an Albatross. (imdb)

A "Pete Smith Specialty" on cookery. (imdb)

Pete Smith tells the story of 'Sparky', a German shepherd dog trained to lead his blind master, a country doctor who lost his sight in a fire, and now has to depend upon the dog to lead him in his daily rounds. 'Sparky" was the dog who was responsible for the Interstate Commerce Commission passing a special ruling allowing guide-dogs to travel first-class in Pullman cars to accompany their blind partner, and not as animals confined to the baggage car. (imdb)

The Green Bay Packers teach football tips. (imdb)

This short looks at the sport of rock climbing. A team of three men ascend a rock wall on Southern California's Tahquitz Rock (also known as Lily Rock) above Idyllwild. The various climbing techniques are explained, as well as the dangers one encounters in this sport. We also see the team rappel from the summit. A second team, used for comic relief, has nothing but problems. (imdb)

A Pete Smith short that deals with the newly-created 3-D process. (imdb)

This Pete Smith Specialty showcases former heavyweight boxing champion 'Max Baer' with various sparring partners in the ring. Slow motion is used to illustrate how Baer uses his skills. (imdb)

This is the final entry in the Pete Smith Specialty series. Smith pays tribute to stunt man Dave O'Brien, who took many falls and spills (and upon whom objects fell) when he played hapless characters throughout the series. (imdb)

A wife explains the habits her husband has that drive her crazy. (imdb)

Fishing adventures are presented. Marlin fishing, one of the world's most exciting sports fishing activities, can be had in among other places in the waters between the California mainland and Catalina Island. (imdb)

A humorous look at the inconsiderate pests whose annoying habits make enjoying a movie impossible. (imdb)

The Flying Codonas, fourth generation of a family of trapeze artists, practice and perform amazing feats high in the air. Close-up and slow motion photography show how it's done. (imdb)

The first part of this short is a "Metrophony" newsreel. It contains actual newsreel footage with humorous commentary (e.g., a flotilla of gondolas is parodied as being the Harvard/Yale regatta). The second part parodies silent movies with a film called "Minnie the Pretzel Twister" starring 'Cynthia Goosefeather.' (imdb)

A "Pete Smith Specialty" - a fairly serious look at radio hams in the usual jokey format. Shows aircraft using morse code. (imdb)

Five years after he narrated STRIKES AND SPARES, Pete Smith returns to the subject of bowling with two pros: Andy Varipapa, who threw some trick shots in the earlier movie and Ned Day, who demonstrates proper form and technique. (imdb)

A dog living in a junk yard finds out that all stray dogs will be exterminated by 3 o' clock that afternoon, so sets off to find a master before the deadline. (imdb)

Choreographer 'Dave Gould' and his students demonstrate various tap dancing steps. Also featured are an adagio and Russian sword dancers. (imdb)

A sketch of human foibles that lead to major aggravations. (imdb)

A man tells his harrowing story of one evening at midnight being alerted by a telephone call from his Aunt Tilly in distress at the old deserted Smith mansion. The man drove the two hours to the isolated mansion to find that it was haunted by various creatures after him. As the movie viewers are wearing metroscopic glasses watching it in 3D, the man, as he relives the story, and thus the viewers by association, are bombarded by weapons coming right at them wielded by these various creatures. (imdb)

On off-camera narrator takes us through several scenarios of "just suppose." First, we watch what would happen if a private detective behaved at home as he does in the movies. It's a ticket to a domestic disturbance. Next, a son gets to treat his father the way his father treats him. In the third episode, to a shopkeeper's chagrin, a man shops for a hat the way a woman does (imdb)

This Pete Smith Specialty is a humorous look at a student's first flying lesson, in a propeller-driven biplane. (imdb)

This rare Technicolor entry in the Pete Smith Specialty series shows various events at a rodeo in Casper, Wyoming. (imdb)

Documentary showing different "home remedies" for various ills. (imdb)

In this Pete Smith Specialty comedic short we see various ways a wife may unintentionally hold her husband back.

Another in the long series of “Pete Smith” shorts from M-G-M in which William Newell meets and falls in love with Sally Payne, and begins to budget for their plans to get married. His budget, alas, does not include nor anticipate the plans of Sally and her parents. This short was reissued in June of 1950 to be shown as a trailer with 1950’s “Father of the Bride” and some sources think this short was made for that express purpose and date it as a 1950 film.

A boogie-woogie piano introduces what purports to be a jitterbug lesson, starring prize winner Arthur Walsh, his partner, and then later various other couples. We start with steps imported from other dances, like the waltz, then sped up. Next Walsh and his partner show some basic steps, but the movements are too swift for the narrator to describe them or the viewer to learn how to do them.

Demonstrates how accidents happen when proper safety devices are neglected.

Wild bears that bother livestock are captured with ropes and shipped to zoos.

One of Pete Smith's assistants auditions animal acts for his short subjects.

When dwindling membership and increasing overheads makes a local bowling club and prime candidate for a takeover, it's all hands on deck to save the club, in what turns into an epic battle where young meets old, greed meets good and people rise to the occasion in extraordinary circumstances. (imdb)

Ben Kinnear and Mike Paddock are detectives with the Melbourne Police force's elite Zero Tolerance Unit. When a freak accident involving a dead magistrate lands them on the front page of the local paper, Ben and Mike are busted down to uniformed duties. But when Ben discovers a strange link between the accident and the business affairs of a shady casino boss he and Mike have been investigating, the pair decide they can no longer turn a blind eye to the corruption rife amongst their own colleagues. (imdb)

This Pete Smith Specialty showcases the Cristiani Family, a circus act. They mount and dismount moving horses and perform acrobatic feats while riding them.

A film showing how race horses are trained.

The remarkable talents of baseball pitcher and trick artist Johnny Price are showcased including throwing two balls at once to two catchers, pitching blindfolded, throwing and hitting hanging upside down, and fielding fungoes in a jeep. (imdb)

A music quiz, plus a survey of various unusual musical instruments.

Shows the difficulties an overweight woman goes through trying to lose weight.