Ralph Staub

This short first shows the audience the entrances of the major Hollywood studios, then visits the Warner Brothers/First National studio. We start at the casting office, then get to see Busby Berkeley and choreographer Bobby Connolly working with chorus girls on production numbers. Then come some candid shots of several contract stars, such as Warren William, Ann Dvorak, and Pat O'Brien. Finally, we see comedian Hugh Herbert filming a scene for an upcoming release. (imdb)

The dying outlaw Barton gets Gene to be the guardian of his three boys. The three troublemakers arrive on the Barton ranch from Chicago where they soon uncover Welsh's smuggling operation located there. So Welsh adopts the boys and boots Autry out. Gene counters by bringing three other boys and getting the Judge to declare them to be the real Bartons. (imdb)

Knowing that is contains valuable helium gas, a gang of baguys first tries to purchase the ranch which Gene straw-bosses. When that fails, they lay a hidden pipeline to snag the gas. (imdb)

Cappy Ricks, a crusty old sea captain, returns home from a long voyage to discover that his family and his business are in chaos--his daughter is set to marry a nitwit that he can't stand, and his future mother-in-law has taken over everything and is set to merge his business with that of a rival company. Worst of all, though, is that she--in the interests of "progress"--has completely automated his beloved ship, "Electra"!. (imdb)

Duncan is secretly shipping explosives by ship and needs the Flying U ranch which has shore access. Chip breaks up his murder and robbery attempts and eventually captures two of his henchman. Duncan has to show his hand to rescue his men and now Chip and the posse know who they are after. (imdb)

After being run out of town after town for trying to sell worthless stock, two con artists breeze into the small town of Chesterville, where they find themselves accused of kidnapping a young boy to whom they offered a ride. When that misunderstanding is cleared up, the two conmen hatch a plot to unload all their worthless paper on the gullible citizens of Chesterville. (imdb)

The Royal Mounties are called in when one of the armored cars owned by Maxwell, containing a gold shipment, disappears with driver George Hill suspected of trying to get away with the gold. Actually, Maxwell and two henchmen had poured acid on the brake lines, causing the car to crash. (imdb)

This 1934 short is composed of 3 parts: a man, his wife and his overgrown son visit a penny arcade (1), where he drops a penny in the movieola and he (and we)watch The Perfectly Formed Woman(2),(1910, and another penny to watch The Song of the Wildwood Flutes (3),(1910). the man encounters the disdain of his goody-two-shoes plump wife because of his lascivious ogling. (imdb)

A 1934 Warner Brothers Vitaphone short, "Corn on the Cob." In this one, two hobos launch a get-rich scheme by trying to sell axle grease marketed as salve for relief from corns and bunions. The idea, unfortunately, goes awry. Starring Harry Gribbon with Shemp Howard, Boyd Davis, and Mary Doran. (imdb)

The Keystone Hotel hosts a very prestigeous beauty contest. When the cross-eyed judge presents the first prize to an elderly cleaning woman, angry members of the audience respond by hurling custard pies. The Keystone Kops are summoned, and arrive just in time to get plastered with pastry. (imdb)

A successful songwriter and a struggling singer become involved professionally and romantically on the road to stardom. (imdb)

Legendary detective Ellery Queen sets out to solve a mystery involving an extremely valuable stamp. (imdb)

A sailor bets his friends he can date any woman he wants to. They pick out a librarian with a reputation as a "cold fish", and when he pursues her he discovers that he has competition--and his rival has much more sinister intentions than he does. (imdb)

A heartthrob singer, Tony Paige, also known as "America's Boyfriend" decides to wed a Swedish actress. His manager doesn't want this because he is afraid of Tony losing female fans so he takes up a 300 hundred thousand dollar insurance policy if Tony does in fact wed. Tony soon meets a girl name June Delaney on a bus who doesn't swoon over him like other girls. He falls for her but doesn't know her true identity. Hilarious film! (imdb)

A New York City cop leaves the department to join the U.S. Olympic team. He falls for the spoiled daughter of a Marine colonel, and winds up getting kicked off the team. He joins the Marines to win the Colonel's approval, then everybody winds up on a jungle island fighting an outbreak of bubonic plague and a native rebellion. (imdb)

Hollywood is a town that holds many memories of the movie business and the movies themselves, which has resulted in a town brimming with possibilities and wealth. But the town had very humble beginnings. Part of that history includes the professional lives of the plethora of who are now considered movie stars. (imdb)

A bill collector and a policeman are captured by a group of mad scientists and taken to an all-female Indian tribe for study. (imdb)

When the plane owned by the "Yukon and Columbia Mail Service" crashes, RCMP Sergeant Renfrew (James Newill) and Constable Kelly (Dave O'Brien) suspect murder. Their suspicions are confirmed when Renfrew finds the control stick has been jammed, forcing the plane to fly in one direction until the gas ran out. Mine owner Louise Howard (Louise Stanley) reports that her superintendent is missing. The Mounties find him murdered and that too has been made to look like an accident. (imdb)

Sgt. Renfrew and Constable Kelly go aloft to search for a plane missing with a shipment of gold from the Yukon Mine Company. Inventor Speavy has devised a power ray which disrupts electrical impulses, and Morgan and his gang of crooks has brought in Prof. Lewis to increase the ray's range, telling him he's helping the government develop this new weapon. Speavy spills the beans to Prof. Lewis and his daughter Madeleine,and Morgan threatens to implicate them in his crimes unless they cooperate. (imdb)

It's the Depression, and the vaudeville house, the Palace Theater, is not able to stay afloat. The proprietor, Mr. Jenkins, grudgingly let's his 12-year-old son stage a kiddie show that draws in the crowds. (imdb)

Tina (Wini Shaw), a singing Gypsy with a band of roving gypsies, is invited by Tom (Phillip Reed) to come over to his mother's (Margaret Dumont) estate where a lawn party is in progress. She brings along her friends and a whole caravan of gypsies take over the green, telling fortunes, singing and dancing. Most of the comedy is supplied by the kleptomaniac butler,Bellingham, (Eddie Shubert) and his employer who humors his nutty ways...as good help seems to be hard to find. (imdb)

A Salesman tries to locate a notorious Mexican bandit, comedy musical (imdb)

It's carnival time, crowds gather for horse races and the games and food of a midway. Bobby the singing jockey will be riding the favorite Stardust, and if they win, the prize money will enable Bobby to ask Maggie, a carnival florist, to marry him. Tony, an exuberant balloon man, happens on a plot to hobble Stardust. Tony has bet his business on the race's outcome. How will Stardust do? (imdb)

A shipwrecked sailor, originally from New York, is washed up on the shores of the tropical island of Wally-Wally. The natives of island welcome him with open arms. He immediately falls in love at first sight with who he learns is the Princess of the island who is betrothed to the local volcano, which she understands is her fate for the good of the island. The sailor does whatever he can to make her fall in love with him. (imdb)

Echo Mountain (1936) is a color musical short where they sing their songs in a mountains setting.

Horace Glutz is an expert on mushrooms and toadstools. A simple dinner party with the family, and brother-in law Bertram's uninvited pool hall buddies, turns sour when the main dish of mushrooms turns out to have been toadstools - or was it? (imdb)

Dr. Toppanbottam suggests his patient go to Alaska for his vein problem. Rosie in the Roaring Borealis overhears Ben talking about his very close veins and understand it to be a gold vein. (imdb)

Two brothers are ordered by their parents to go to Paris to study in an art studio. They pay two painters (the type who use gallon cans) to impersonate them and go in their place. When the imposters win an art contest, they are exposed by an unexpected visitor. (imdb)

A Columbia Pictures promotional short which explains how a movie is made.

Pola Negri, Bebe Daniels, Mitzi Green, Polly Moran, Mack Sennett and Marjorie Beebe are seen relaxing at Palm Springs, a California winter resort; Barbara Stanwyck and Ricardo Cortez play golf; other celebrities are shown at Malibu Beach. (imdb)

The four Westmore brothers work their make-up magic on a variety of Hollywood stars.

Two Americans attempt to make time with the daughter of the British financier of an archaeological expedition to Egypt.

Elmer O'Dare fancies himself an expert circus performer.

Gossip columnist Jimmy Fidler shows brief glimpses of over 60 actors and actresses, all of whom started in silent films. Some were stars in silents whose career faded with the advent of sound (e.g., Harrison Ford and Alla Nazimova; others were lesser players who made it big in sound films (e.g. 'Ronald Colman' and William Boyd). Fidler also looks at stars of that era who have passed away (e.g., Mabel Normand, Will Rogers, Lon Chaney, and 'Jean Harlow').

The correct and full name of this short is "Screen Snapshots: Laguna,U.S.A." (Columbia production number 9852), in which director/producer Ralph Staub is out touring Laguna Beach. While there, he drops in at the Griffin Theatre where actors Brian Aherne, Lon Chaney Jr., Dane Clark and Eddie Bracken are rehearsing, as members of the Griffin Theatre Players, their roles in an upcoming stage presentation of "Of Mice and Men."

Ralph Staub zooms his Screen Snapshots camera in on many of the most famous newspaper comic-strip cartoonists and creators of the era. Notable in that all of the comic-strip characters referenced, with the exception of "Our Debbie" and "Smoky Stover", appeared in films or cartoons at some point or another, ranging from the silent years past 1950. Gus Edson's "Dondi" while not mentioned in this short, was also made into a feature film.

An assortment of musical acts parade before the camera; Joy Hodges and Pinky Tomlin sing; The Elderblooms, a group of ladies ranging in age from 63 to 76, sing a song; acrobatic dancer Lucille Page does a turn; and young Mary Ruth winds it up playing a classical piece on the piano. Disjointed is the word.

Viewers are provided a visit to Ken Maynard's private circus; Bette Davis poses for her portrait; Frank McHugh plays with his children; a visit to the West Side Tennis Club affords glimpses of many stars.

Actor Joe E. Brown narrates this compilation of film clips and behind-the-scenes footage of some of the screen's most famous comics, ranging from Ben Turpin and Fatty Arbuckle to W. C. Fields and Andy Clyde.

Jack Benny narrates the Screen Snapshots that, utilizing archive footage, traces the career of Al Jolson, and rare off-stage shots of Jolson with stars such as Bob Hope, Eddie Cantor and Pat O'Brien.

In this Columbia entry of the Screen Snapshots series (production number 5855), Ken Murray takes band-leader Spike Jones and his family (wife and kids)on a Hollywood tour to see the stars (via Murray's vintage home movie footage) at play. Among the celebrities at play they see Charlie Chaplin, Paulette Goddard, Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney, and Boris Karloff at a charity tennis tournament.