Screen Snapshots Series 11 No 1 review: 9 minutes of 1930s celebs being awkward

If you want a quick hit of 1930s Hollywood nostalgia without any of the actual plot, this nine-minute short is... well, it exists. It’s perfect for people who like staring at the background of old photos, but everyone else will probably be bored to tears in about two minutes. 🎞️

Basically, this is just ancient TikTok. You get these quick, disjointed clips of famous people from 1931 doing stuff like playing tennis or waving awkwardly from car windows.

It’s funny how staged these 'candid' moments actually feel. Like, there is this one guy who pretends to be surprised by the camera, but you can see him waiting for his cue for like three seconds.

Some of these stars look completely miserable to be there. I swear one actress does a fake smile that disappears the exact microsecond she thinks the lens is off her.

It reminds me a bit of watching other dusty relics from the era, like trying to find entertainment in something like Dodge Your Debts or the weirdly slow The House of Mirth. There is a specific kind of crusty charm here, but its very fleeting.

The sound quality are pretty rough too. It has that loud hiss that makes it sound like someone is frying bacon next to the microphone the whole time.

Also, the narrator talks like he's trying to sell you a used car at 3 AM. He is just so unbelievably excited about some guy named Ralph Bellamy playing golf. 🏌️‍♂️

Is Ralph Bellamy really that exciting? maybe to people back then, but to me he just looks like a guy struggling with a sand wedge.

There's also a weird segment where they show a dog doing tricks. The dog is honestly the best actor in the whole thing, no offense to the humans.

It doesn't try to be art, which is nice. Its just a time capsule that someone dug up and forgot to clean off before putting it online.

If you're looking for an actual story, go watch something else. But if you want to see what PR looked like before social media, this is a weird little trip.

A few things I noticed:

• That one guy's mustache is so sharp it looks drawn on with a sharpie.
• The background music sounds like a circus calliope on its last legs.
• Nobody seems to know what to do with their hands when the camera is on them.

It’s not good, but I’m glad it survived. Just don't expect to remember any of it five minutes after the screen goes black.