Screen Snapshots Series 9 No 23 - Old Hollywood Ghosts

So, is this worth ten minutes of your life today? Maybe.

If you’re the type of person who stays up late reading Wikipedia pages about silent film stars, you’ll love this. If you want a story with, you know, characters and a plot... you’re going to be miserable.

It’s basically a 1930s version of a TikTok 'day in the life' but with much better hats. 🎩

Ralph Staub is the guy behind the camera, and he seems to have known everybody in town back then.

The footage is grainy and the sound has that weird hissing noise that makes me feel like I’m underwater. You see these actors standing around, trying to look natural while obviously being told exactly where to stand by a guy with a megaphone.

It’s funny how 'natural' back then meant 'standing as stiff as a board.' One guy in a suit looks like he’s trying to swallow a sneeze the whole time he’s on screen.

There isn’t much to say about the 'craft' here because it’s just a newsreel. It's not trying to be The Black Pirate or anything with a real budget.

But there is something haunting about seeing these faces. Most of these people are totally forgotten now, which is a bit of a bummer to think about.

It makes me think of movies like Lilies of the Streets or The Fire Patrol where you see a whole world that just... vanished into the archives.

The fashion is the best part, honestly. The coats look like they weigh about fifty pounds each and everyone is wearing a tie, even if they are just standing in the dirt. 🧥

I noticed one woman in the background of a shot just staring at the camera with this look of pure confusion. She probably didn't know what a 'Screen Snapshot' was supposed to be or why this guy was filming her.

It feels very accidental. Like we’re peeking through a fence at a party we weren’t invited to eighty years ago.

Staub’s narration is pretty basic. He’s just naming names and pointing things out like a proud uncle showing off a scrapbook.

I think I saw a dog in one scene that looked more interested in the filming than the humans were. 🐶 That dog is probably my favorite part of the whole series so far.

Anyway, don't expect a masterpiece. It’s a scrap of film from a time when movies were still trying to figure out how to be 'talkies' without sounding like a bag of gravel.

It’s got that clunky, early-sound era vibe. It actually reminds me a bit of Romance of the Underworld in how the camera just kind of sits there, staring at people.

Watch it if you’re bored and want to see some ghosts. Skip it if you have literally anything else to do, unless you're a hardcore film nerd who needs to see every frame of 1930 ever recorded.