Why seeing Boris Karloff play field hockey is worth nine minutes of your life

If you have nine minutes to spare and a weird obsession with seeing Golden Age stars sweat, then yes, Hollywood Hobbies is worth a quick look.

Classic film nerds will eat up these candid, goofy moments. But if you want actual substance or modern pacing, you will probably hate it and turn it off after two minutes. 🤷‍♂️

Stars, they are just like us (but weirder)

This is basically a 1939 version of an Instagram reel, but with way more polo shirts.

We get to see big-name actors doing things that aren't acting, narrated by Ted Husing who sounds like he is screaming over a windy football game.

The absolute highlight is Boris Karloff playing field hockey. Yes, Frankenstein himself, running around with a stick looking incredibly intense and slightly confused. 🏑

It is the kind of image that stays with you because it is so deeply out of context.

"He looks like he's chasing villagers, not a ball."

Then we got Buster Crabbe doing some swimming, which is fine, but the camera just... stares at the water for a long time after he dives in.

It feels like the cameraman fell asleep or forgot to pan. It is these little *imperfect* moments that make these old shorts so fun to watch today.

A different kind of filler

Back in the day, theaters ran these shorts before the main feature, sort of like how they showed travelogues like Norway: Land of the Midnight Sun.

They were just supposed to fill time while people bought popcorn. But watching it now, it feels like a time capsule of a Hollywood that did not exist.

Everything is so obviously staged, yet everyone is trying so hard to look natural.

Clark Gable swings a golf club, and you can practically hear the director behind the camera telling him to smile more.

It has that same lighthearted, empty energy you find in old studio comedies like The Beloved Bachelor, where everything is bright and nobody has any real problems.

Random thoughts while watching:

• Why does everyone wear such high-waisted pants to play golf? It looks painful.
• The narrator's voice is so loud it actually made my dog bark. 🐕
• There is a dog in the film too, and honestly, he was the best actor there.
• The editing is so abrupt it feels like someone was cutting the film with kitchen scissors.

In the end, it is just a silly piece of history. It won't change your life, but it is a neat way to waste ten minutes on a lazy afternoon.