Screen Snapshots Series 13 No. 6 Review: Weirdly Charming Staged Nostalgia

Look, if you are searching for a movie with an actual plot, just skip this one entirely. But if you have nine minutes to kill and want to see Boris Karloff acting like a normal, gentle human being around toddlers, it is a pretty wild time travel trip. 🎬

This is basically a glorified PR reel from 1934. It is the exact kind of thing they used to play in theaters before the main feature to make audiences feel like massive celebrities were just regular folks.

The whole thing is incredibly staged, but honestly, that is exactly why I find it so fun to watch. You have these massive names trying so hard to look natural while a giant, noisy camera is clearly pointing right at their faces.

The absolute standout for me is Karloff. Seeing the guy who played Frankenstein's monster just grinning and being genuinely sweet with little kids is deeply surreal and kind of heartwarming.

Then you have Mickey Rooney, who is still going by "Mickey McGuire" here. He is already radiating that manic, "look at me" energy that defined his entire career.

I swear some of these kids looks like they were bribed with toys or candy right before the director yelled action. There is a quick moment with Stu Irwin where a little girl looks like she wants to be literally anywhere else on earth.

It sort of reminds me of other early novelty shorts from the era, like The Beau Brummels or even Saving Sister Susie. There is no real artistic merit here, just pure, unadulterated studio-era nostalgia.

Also, Billy Barty shows up for a brief second! He is always a welcome sight, even if he is just doing a quick bit of physical comedy for the camera before we move on.

Is it a masterpiece? Good god, no. It is a historical oddity that probably survived the decades by sheer accident.

But if you want to see Joe E. Brown show off his famously massive mouth for the millionth time, you will get a kick out of this. I did, even if I forgot most of it ten minutes after it ended.