Peeking through the keyhole of 1930s Hollywood

Is this worth your time?

Honestly, only if you have a massive soft spot for old-school, black-and-white celebrity fluff. If you get a kick out of seeing how weirdly formal and stiff movie stars used to be even when they were 'relaxing,' you’ll find this fascinating. If you’re looking for actual insight into the craft of film, steer clear.

Harriet Parsons plays the role of the 'roving reporter' with this intense, cheery energy that feels a bit like being trapped in a conversation with someone who really, really wants to sell you a used car. She’s everywhere, popping up in places she probably shouldn't be, just to show us that a star is eating a sandwich or holding a golf club.

There’s a strange, detached quality to the whole thing. It’s supposed to be intimate, right? But it feels more like watching people at a zoo who know exactly where the cameras are hidden. Everyone is just a little too poised.

I couldn't help but think about how far we’ve come from this kind of controlled PR junket. Back in the days of Two Arabian Knights, the public was fed this stuff like candy. Now it just feels like watching an infomercial for the concept of 'fame.' 📽️

The pacing is a disaster, but in a way that’s kind of charming. It jumps from one location to the next without any real reason. One minute we’re looking at someone’s garden, the next we’re at some studio event that looks like it has about as much genuine fun as a tax audit.

There is this one moment where a star is supposed to look caught off guard, and you can see them wait for a beat before 'noticing' the camera. It’s so painful. It reminded me of some of the forced antics in Slightly Used where the 'spontaneity' is clearly written on a blackboard somewhere just out of frame.

I spent half the time wondering if these people actually had lives outside of these cameras. It’s like their entire existence was just waiting for a guy with a tripod to show up. 🎞️

It’s not a movie, really. It’s a relic. It doesn't have the grit of Riders of the Dawn or the weirdness of those old animation shorts like Felix Comes Back. It’s just... footage. Pure, unadulterated, slightly creepy footage.

Don't expect to learn anything deep here. But if you’ve ever wondered what it looked like when Hollywood decided it was time to manufacture a personality, this is your smoking gun.

• The outfits are genuinely incredible.
• The narration is aggressively peppy.
• Lots of awkward standing around.
• Total lack of anything resembling a script.