Checking out the 1930s vibes in Screen Snapshots Series 9 No. 14

If you like looking at old photos of people who have been dead for fifty years, you’ll probably like this. It’s a 1930s newsreel. It isn't a story with a plot or anything like that.

It’s basically a vintage vlog. If you want a deep plot, stay away. You will be bored to tears. But if you think it’s cool to see how people actually moved and blinked in 1930, it’s worth ten minutes of your life.

The whole thing starts with President Calvin Coolidge and his wife, Grace. They are visiting Jack Warner. You know, the guy who started Warner Bros.

Calvin Coolidge looks so incredibly uncomfortable. He has this face like he just smelled something sour but has to be polite about it. He’s standing next to Mary Pickford, who was the biggest star in the world back then.

Mary is doing all the work. She’s smiling and talking. The President just kind of stands there like a statue. It’s the kind of awkward energy you see at a wedding where the groom’s dad doesn’t know anyone.

There is a lot of handshaking. So much handshaking. People in 1930 really loved to shake hands for the camera.

Then the film moves over to the Columbia lot. This part is actually my favorite. It’s less formal. You see actors just... working.

They aren't doing the big dramatic stuff you see in The Actress. They are just standing around between takes. Some of them look tired. Some are fixing their hair.

I noticed a guy in the background holding a huge light. He looks like he’s about to drop it. It’s these little tiny things that make these old reels feel real.

The cameras back then were huge. They look like giant boxes. It’s amazing they got any footage at all with how bulky everything was.

It reminds me a bit of the frantic energy in The Extraordinary Adventures of Mr. West in the Land of the Bolsheviks. Just that feeling of a new industry trying to figure itself out.

There is a section showing a Hollywood Premiere at the end. It’s a mess of fur coats and top hats. The lighting is terrible because they didn't have good night cameras yet. Everything is just flashes and shadows.

You can see the fans pushed up against the ropes. They look desperate to see someone famous. Some things never change, I guess.

Ralph Staub directed this, and he clearly just wanted to show off how important the movie business had become. "Look, even the President wants to see us!" is the vibe.

The film quality is pretty rough in spots. There are lines and dust all over the frame. I kind of like that, though. It makes it feel like you found something in an attic.

The music is that typical tinny, upbeat piano stuff. It gets a bit annoying after five minutes. It’s the same three chords over and over.

I caught a glimpse of a woman in the crowd who was looking right at the lens. She looked really confused by the camera. Or maybe she was just hungry.

It’s not a masterpiece. It’s barely a movie. But it’s a neat little window into a world that’s totally gone now.

Didja notice?

• The President’s hat looks like it’s one size too small.
• Jack Warner smiles so much his face must have hurt.
• The way the actors look at the camera is totally different than today. They seem more suspicious of it.
• The huge amount of cigarette smoke everywhere.
• One extra in the background is definitely picking their nose.

If you’ve got ten minutes and want to feel like you’ve traveled back in time, give it a watch. Just don’t expect a climax or a resolution. It just... ends.