If you have ten minutes to spare and a strange fascination with how dead movie stars used to pretend to be 'normal,' this is probably for you. Most people will find it boring, though. 🌵
It is one of those old *Screen Snapshots* shorts where a camera crew just follows famous people around to show fans what they do on their days off.
We start with **Ken Maynard** at a Mexican shop.
He was a huge cowboy star, but here he is just... looking at ceramic vases?
It feels so staged that it is almost funny.
Raquel Torres is there too, and she actually looks like she is having a decent time compared to the men.
Douglas Montgomery shows up and the whole vibe gets *really awkward*.
It feels like everyone just met five minutes before the camera started rolling and they have nothing to say to each other.
The way the light hits the pottery is actually pretty nice, I guess.
But then the narrator starts talking and you remember this is just a big PR stunt for the studios.
It reminds me a bit of
Hollywood on Parade No. B-5, but maybe a little less polished.
Which is saying something because those weren't exactly high art to begin with.
Then the movie just jumps to a benefit performance.
There are a lot of people in the background of these shots who look like they would rather be literally anywhere else.
One guy in the back of the crowd is just staring directly at the lens.
He doesn't blink for like five seconds.
It is the most relatable part of the whole film. 😐
The editing is pretty choppy, even for 1935.
It is like Ralph Staub (the guy who directed this) just slapped some random clips together and called it a day.
I noticed a smudge on the lens during one of the outdoor shots.
Or maybe it was just a bug that got flattened on the glass.
If you have seen
Any Old Port!, you know how these short films can feel a bit rushed and messy.
This one is no exception.
Is it 'important' cinema?
Not even close.
But the hats!
**The hats are incredible.** 🎩
Everyone is wearing these giant, structured hats that look like they weigh five pounds each.
And the suits are so thick you wonder how they didn't all melt under the California sun.
There is this one moment where a woman is just holding a birdcage for no reason.
It just appears in the frame and then she's gone.
That is the kind of movie this is.
It is a weird little time capsule that does not care if you are confused by the lack of context.
I kind of like that about it.
It is better than a lot of the stuff that tries way too hard to be deep.
It just *is*.
If you are looking for a real plot, you are definitely in the wrong place.
Go watch
Grand Exit instead if you want a story that actually goes somewhere.
But if you want to see a cowboy buy a plate, this is the peak of the genre.
The ending comes out of nowhere, too.
The screen just goes black after a shot of the crowd.
No goodbye, no credits, nothing.
It is like the cameraman just ran out of film and went home.
Which, honestly, he probably did.
