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News & Comics: Dick Tracy
05.00.18.- MS's & CU's prize-winning illustrator and political cartoonist DICK LOCHER inking a Sunday edition of Dick Tracy. While inking, he talks about the difference between comic strips and political cartoons (says that political cartoons have to say their piece within 6 seconds, and that comic strips have to have an edge just like editorials or special columns). He talks about how he came into his position; says that though there are only 187 full-time comic illustrators in the US, there will never be a shortage of opportunities or places to find work. 05.11.24.- MS's & CU's of Dick Locher-- having finished lettering and inking-- rubbing out the pencil marks from the strip. He then adds delicate details w/ a fine-tip black ink pen. He talks about the necessity of attention to detail, especially regarding firearms. He then talks about the Syndicate and how they operate; says that Chester Gould, Dick Tracy's creator, sold the rights to the strip to the Chicago Tribune; that Charles Schultz bought the rights to Peanuts and created an 83 milliion dollar franchise. CU Locher cutting out signature and glueing onto strip. MS's him making final touches. Says he was exposed to the business at a young age. Says that Europeans, particularly the French, seem respect comics more than the US. 05.23.08.- MS's Locher cutting a photocopy of the edition in half & taping it together on the backside while talking with the off-screen producer. Cut to MS's & CU's of Locher coloring the strip, giving flesh color to Tracy; he shows off a color palette guide displaying the array of colors available to him.
News and Comics: Dick Tracy
07.00.22.- CU metal paint palette, prize winning illustrator & political cartoonist DICK LOCHER dipping his brush into water, then into paints. ECU brush dipping in red paint; tilt U to brush being dipped in whitish-blue paint. CU of several ink pens on a table. MS's Locher sitting at drawing board, drawing. 07.05.37.- MS's bright yellow and red sign: DICK TRACY HEADQUARTERS, in cartoonish characters. 07.07.32.- CU colorful illustration of Dick Tracy.
News and Comics: Dick Tracy
06.00.34.- CU's & ECU's of prize-winning illustrator and political cartoonist DICK LOCHER coloring an already-lettered and inked Sunday edition of Dick Tracy. Yellow, green, blue, and orange. While coloring he discusses the work he did on the Dick Tracy film (he praises it); the effectiveness of color; how color comic strips became standard. 06.14.31.- CU's & ECU's Locher coloring the strip, here using red and brown. He discusses his seemingly automatic approach to coloring. Cut to ECU's Locher writing notes for the colorist on the finished guide copy; he talks about the final color process. 06.28.51.- CU of the completed color guide.
News and Comics: Chicago Tribune VII
07.07.55.- LS's industrial rolls of newsprint stacked high inside a warehouse; a crane suctions 8 rolls at a time. 07.09.25.- MS newsprint rolls on conveyor belt. Cut to more LS's of the crane hoistng rolls for stacking. 07.14.22.- MS's forklift lifting a newsprint roll, stacking them off the floor & onto a platform in receiving dept. 07.19.06.- MS's newsprint rolls on a roller conveyor. Good angled MS rolls traveling towards cam, forklift in BG. 07.22.20.- MS suction crane grabbing rolls, lifting them high. MS's rolls stacked 10 high. MS crane grabbing, hoisting. 07.26.20.- MS's roll traveling on rollers and belt inside factory. 07.27.27.- MS's & CU's workers cutting & pasting articles on boards inside copy room (edition layout).
News and Comics: Chicago Tribune VIII
08.00.14.- MS's & CU's inside drafting room, workers cutting & assembling page layout at drafting tables. Cut to MS's & CU's worker cutting articles w/ Xacto knife; rolled articles drop from slot; he uses a small machine for precision cuts; assembles articles on drafting board, eliminates waste w/ knife. Cut to more MS's workers doing page layout. CU rolled articles falling into cubby slot; zoom out to MS's of worker unspooling rolls, cutting articles out. 08.07.55.- MS worker lifting glass platen & placing finished page layout sheet into scanning machine. 08.09.33.- MS worker taking sheet from drying mount and to scanning machine; enters data into computer. 08.11.28.- CU's scanner feed. MS worker taking sheet, rolling it up dropping it into slot. 08.13.13.- MS's worker taking roll of film from printing machine & into darkroom. 08.13.39.- MS's & CU's worker cutting & pasting Section A Front Page layout at drafting table. 08.16.35.- MS's workers taking page negatives from processor to light table. MS's & CU's processing machines making thick hardbacked postive plates of page layout (very similar to automated photography processors, involvesmany rollers & dryers). 08.23.01.- MS's workers sorting plates in what seems to be a drying room; last layout step before pressing. 08.27.17.- the camera crew jokes around 08.27.39.- traveling MS's of worker placing rubber copy plate on printing machines inside production area. 08.28.27.- MS worker placing rubber plate copies onto printing roller; roller slowly takes the plates.
News and Comics: Chicago Tribune IX
Raw footage from News & Comics program: Chicago Tribune newspaper printing facility.
News and Comics: Chicago Tribune X
10.00.21.- low angle tLS of large newsprint rolls on small dollies rolling along ground line. MS's, also. 10.02.35.- MS large rolls of newsprint being fed into printing machine; one rolls empties, another falls into place. 10.04.39.- MS empty roll being taken from circular feed; a fresh roll is automatically positioned onto feed. 10.06.40.- tight LS large newsprint rolls traveling on small dollies along automated ground line. 10.07.36.- MS's worker taping rolls positioned on feeder. 10.08.27.- MS bundled newspapers sliding onto chute from passing yellow buckets; pan L to man loading truck. 10.09.22.- tLS's bundles sliding from passing yellow buckets down particular chutes.
Animal Act with Baboon, Dog and Monkey
Probably filmed ca. 1918-19 in Chicago. Commonwealth Pictures Corporation ; Hans A. Spanuth, producer The film appears to be a Spanuth's original vod-a-vil movie given the similarities in title graphics and camera technique to identified Spanuths. Opens on a closeup of a baboon "playing" a violin, then cuts to a medium shot of the same. Cannot determine if the baboon is acutally playing music or just immitating the motions of a person playing the violin. The baboon wears a white short-sleeved shirt with a loose bow tie and tweed pants. Cuts to a closeup of the baboon in a circular mask or iris effect, without the violin but with a collar around his neck and a striped kitten that he places on his shoulder. Another iris effect opens to a long shot of a stage with a painted backdrop of a river. Standing at stage left is a woman (you can see her arm holding the donkey, but she is not visible) in a spangled, sleeveless dress to the knee and high laced boots, holding the leash of a dark donkey. The baboon stands center stage, near a man in a white animal trainer suit with dark piping and a white cap. On a chair stage right sits a black and white spotted dog. A series of cuts show the baboon performing various tricks, including roller-skating in a circle around the man, doing a walking handstand, circling the stage atop a large ball, and riding the ball down a ramp with the kitten in his arms. The dog then creates figure-eights through the woman's legs as she walks, and jumps a rope held by the woman and baboon. Cuts to the baboon riding a bicycle in a circle around the man. Cuts to the baboon leading the donkey onstage, and then to the donkey apparently play-biting and kicking two men. Intertitle: "A 100% kick." The gag of the men trying to mount the donkey--only to be bitten, kicked, or thrown off--is repeated. One man is bent over with his butt in the air and the donkey headbutts him. The baboon then repeats this by jumping and pushing the man rather than using his head.
Tom Tinker's Pony Patter
Probably filmed ca. 1918-19 in Chicago. Commonwealth Pictures Corporation ; Hans A. Spanuth, producer The film appears to be a Spanuth's original vod-a-vil movie given the similarities in title graphics and camera technique to identified Spanuths. Camera iris opens to six ponies with decorated harnesses and plumed halters, standing in the center of a stage with a painted backdrop of mountains. Cuts to a pony on a seesaw. A second pony get on the seesaw with a moustached man in a white uniform with dark piping and a white cap holding their leads. A second trainer in a dark suit can also be seen occasionally with the ponies. A CU of pony's head. Individual ponies perform a variety of tricks, including rolling a slatted barrel across the stage with front legs and then with a nose, knocking over the barrel, "limping" across the stage with one front leg held off the ground, and pushing the trainer over with a nose-butt. Cuts to the six ponies lined up at the back of the stage, with each pony's head lying over the neck of the pony in front of him. Cuts to the ponies prancing around the trainer in a straight radial line and then in various combinations, including three by three, pairs, and singly. The trainer uses a whip to keep the ponies in line. The ponies finish their circling by walking in a straight line to the front of the stage and then bowing on their knees. Cuts to a closeup of the six ponies in a line, facing the camera, which closes in an iris effect to black.
Birth of the Pearl
Recreation of the Botticelli painting "The Birth of Venus". Two show girls stand on a stage, in front of a closed curtain, facing each other. The wear the typical burlesque show girl outfit, short pants, feathers in their hair. Each woman hold one side of the curtain waiting to open it. A young boy walks across the stage and places title cards on the edge of the stage. We cannot see them, but we can assume that they state the title on the act, "Birth of the Pearl". The two woman open the cutain. Behind the curtain is a giant, closed clam shell. The shell opens and inside is a woman curled up in the fetal position. She slowly stands imitating Venus. She may be nude, but she is probably wearing a bodystocking. She poses for a moment and the curtain is closed.
"Esquimaux Leap-Frog" at Pan Am Expo
Entertainment at the Esquimaux Village at the Pan American Exposition, 1901. Visitors were promised a look at native peoples in their natural surroundings pursuing their usual activities.... in this case playing "Eskimo leap frog." People clothed as Eskimos play a game of leapfrog in front of structures resembling igloos on ice floes.
Gypsy Dancers at Pan American Exposition
"Spanish dancers at the Pan-American Exposition." (As with some of the other entertainment at the Exposition, it's not certain whether these folks are actually Roma or Sinti, or if they are just pretending to be.) Buffalo, NY, USA Several Gypsy women in costume perform a high-spirited dance in front of a building or wall, a tent under a couple fake palm trees; sign on leaning on a gypsy man stands in BG watching, and some visitors are seen walking past behind him. The dancers twirl around and swinging their voluminous skirts about, some doing high kicks and showing a little ankle. Occasionally a dancer stands in one position while revolving her hips and even throwing in a few pelvic thrusts! (Maybe that's why a contemporary Edison film company catalog referred to this as the "famous Gypsy dance that created such a furor at the Exposition" and promised that "Features of the well known couchee couchee are introduced by some of the dancers."
From Show Girl to Burlesque Queen
Filmed August 25, 1903 in the Biograph New York City studio. Opens on a dressing room set with a mirror, dressing table, and chair center stage and a folded dressing screen on the left. A woman enters through the door on stage right, unbuttoning a full-length polka-dot costume. She removes her sash or cummerbund, the top with its trailing sleeves, and her skirt, leaving her clothed only in a sleeveless, full-length chemise. She mischievously slips a strap of the garment off one shoulder, then ducks behind the screen. After the chemise is thrown over the top of the screen, her arm furtively reaches out from behind the screen and grabs a slight garment from the back of the chair and some items from the dressing table. She then emerges wearing a risquT, decorated costume with cap sleeves and a very short skirt, gathered at the waist. Her legs appear to be bare. The woman brandishes a sword, grabbed from under the discarded dress, and strikes a seductive pose as the viewer glimpses a costumed man entering the room.
Crowd at Fair on Day of McKinley's Assassination
"The Mob Outside the Temple of Music at the Pan-American Exposition." Shot of crowd, reportedly just after the assassination of President William McKinley - - there's not much excitement, nothing like what one would expect from the description given in original Edison catalogue (See Note.) Camera pans just over the heads of the crowd, positioned at such a height behind the large group of people that mainly hats are visible - -and a frowning baby in a big straw hat, held in mom's arms. The crowd are looking at platform in BG where there are 2 small tables each with 4 chairs and people sit there, some writing something. (If this is indeed after the assassination, maybe they are questioning people and getting everyone's personal information?) Also behind crowd are various kinds of uniformed men (guards from Exposition?). Toward the end one can see more movement in the crowd in BG. Still nothing "intense" or "frantic" as described in Edison catalogue. Possibly some of this film is missing or else it is misidentified. The footage doesn't seem to correspond with the following description from a contemporary Edison film company catalog: " On Friday, September 6th, 1901, we had our cameras in position to photograph the President as he left the Temple of Music, but the deplorable assassination, of course, prevented our getting this picture. We did, however, secure an excellent panoramic view of the mob surging in front of the Temple of Music attempting to get at the assassin. These pictures have created intense excitement and interest. Our cameras were the only ones at work at the Pan-American Exposition on the day of President McKinley's speech, Thursday, September 5th, and on Friday, September 6th, the day of the shooting. This picture was photographed immediately after the shooting, and shows the intense excitement of the people. The Pan-American Exposition guards are plainly seen in the background trying to check the frantic multitude as they sway backward and forward in their mad endeavor to reach the assassin."
Karina
Filmed in the Biograph New York City studio. On a bare stage with a black background stands a woman with short, curly hair, wearing a dark dress with a sleeveless top, low-cut bodice, mid-calf length skirt, and layers of petticoats. Her skirt is raised to reveal the multiple white petticoats, as well as her lacy, white bloomers to the knees, white tights, and a garter on her right thigh. Peering over her lifted skirt, Karina slowly turns around and then lowers to her knees and leans back, circling with her upper body and arms. Still holding up the skirt, she returns to standing. With her back to the viewer, she bend backwards at the waist so that she looks at the camera, and dramatically covers her face with one arm. Karina then stands back up and turns to the camera. Lifting her skirt, she performs a "dance" consisting of circles, leg lifts, and twirls. Karina performed with Sam T. Jack's Tenderloin Company (a burlesque troupe).
Kiss Me
Filmed February 17, 1904 in the Biograph New York City studio. Opens on a stage set of a street with a sidewalk and a high fence completely covered with female burlesque troupe posters. The four posters visible advertise actual contemporary burlesquers Fred Irwin's Majestics, Rose Sydell (of her London Belles), Phil Sheridan's New City Sports (with the tag line "Ain't we three birds"), and the Rentz-Santley Co. One of the center posters--that for Rose Sydell--features an attractive woman with nude shoulders. Two well-dressed women pass along the sidewalk, glancing disapprovingly at the images covering the fence. They are followed by a woman and a younger girl, perhaps her daughter. The latter pauses to look at the Sydell poster; the older woman, looking back, reacts in horror at what she sees and drags the girl away. An older bearded gentleman then strolls by, enjoying an eyeful of the posters, and is about to walk off when he is drawn back to the woman in the Rose Sydell ad. He jumps as she seemingly comes to life and turns to look at him seductively, pursing her lips. The man rubs his eyes, but still the woman in the poster watches him. He finally puts on his eyeglasses and examines the girl closely. Unbeknownst to him, an older woman enters the scene. Shocked, she grabs the man by his ear and drags him away as he blows a kiss to the "poster."
Pity the Blind, no. 2
Filmed January 1, 1904 in the Biograph New York City studio. Filmed version of a vaudeville gag. A boy, holding a sign under his arm, leads a man onto a stage with a painted backdrop of a city street corner. With his dark glasses and cane, the man is apparently blind. He kneels down slightly left of center stage and lays down his hat and cane, while the boy turns the placard around so that it reads "Pity the Blind," places it around the man's neck, and exits the stage. A gentleman with a cigar crosses the stage, pauses to read the sign, and drops some money in the blind man's hat. He is followed by two well-dressed women in furs and long coats, who also leave coins for the beggar after searching their purses. As they start to exit, however, one of the women stops and raises her skirt to adjust her tights. Behind her back, the supposed blind man slides his dark glasses down his nose and ogles the woman's exposed leg. With the leggings in place, the women exit the stage none the wiser, leaving behind a smiling "blind" man.
Princess Rajah Dance
Filmed May 23, 1904, at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis (World's Fair). Princess Rajah performs an "Oriental" or belly dance, and a balancing chair act in her teeth like that often found in folk performances in various cultures from Northern Africa to Greece. Shot outdoors in a street scene at the St. Louis Exposition, the film captures her act in an extreme long shot. She wears a dark, sleeveless dress to mid-calf, with a fringed, low-cut bodice and fringed belt worn at the waist, over multiple petticoats, bloomers, stockings, and heeled shoes. Her dress only hints at tradional dress of Eastern cultures. While playing finger cymbals, Princess Rajah performs a variety of dance movements that include spins, traveling movements, shoulder and hip shimmies, a frontal hip lock, other hip movements, and pirouettes. She then grabs a decorated chair in her teeth and swings it above her head, playing the finger cymbals and performing traveling foot movements, followed by floor work with the chair. Returning to a standing position still with the chair in her mouth, she performs shimmies and hip movements while playing the finger cymbals, then lowers the chair in front of her face and spins. She puts the chair down with a flourish, makes a closing gesture to the camera, and starts to exit the frame. Princess Rajah was a featured act in the "Mysterious Asia" concession on the Pike at the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis.
Ultimate Hair Creations
Winter fashions in Paris, the narrator refers to the first showcased hair style as interesting. The main display is held in the Museum of Modern Art where an Alexander Calder sculpture exhibit is in progress. MS - The hair is cut short on the model, but not too short and her longer hair or hair piece is pulled on top of the head, The hair is formed into a large ball and the second section of hair is formed into a smaller ball. This model is wearing bangs and her hair is pulled back into a pony tail, but this one has the balls worked into the pony tail style. Model has a short hair cut with a tam like hat on her head. The pattern of the material is large black and white squares, optical art (op art). Model is wearing a dark blue knit hat that's fitted in the front and hangs loosely in the back. At the modern Art Museum the models and their fashion show is worked around Calder kinetic sculptures (mobile). The first model is wearing a double breasted checkered knit dress. Model is showcasing her harlequin print up to the knee boots. Model is wearing a coat and hat that resemble a storm suit she unbuttons the buttons at the top of her shoulders and then peels off the woolen blend plaid top exposing a solid color woolen blend coat, double breasted with a cowl collar. Model is wearing an evening gown with hand embroiled flowers, scoop neck and a little longer than a capped sleeve. The bottom of her gown is a solid satin blend. There are four more evening gowns that all have scoop necks, and capped sleeves on the dresses.
Dog Factory
Dog Factory - Comedy Vaudeville Sketch In the middle of a store or factory set sits a machine identified as the "Patent Dog Transformator." On the walls behind it are coils of sausages or hot dogs, labeled with the name of the dog they represent: Pointer, Setter, Fighting Bull, Bull, Terrier, Spaniel, Poodle, Plain Dog, Trained Dog, Bull Pups, Boston Bull, Daschund [sic], Mut, and Pug. At the top of the back wall is a sign that reads "Dogs made while you wait--Dog Factory--Dogs mixed to order." A bearded man in a suit stands by the machine looking bored, as his partner in a cap and apron dusts the rows of sausages. A tramp enters the store with a string of three dogs, which he sells to the man in the suit. One by one, the three dogs are loaded into the top of the machine, cranked by the man in the apron, and transformed into links of sausage that come out the right end of the contraption. These links are then hung up in their proper places on the wall: Plain Dog, Trained Dog, and Boston Bull. A man identified as a dandy with his cane and straw topper enters and orders a spaniel. The process is then reversed, as the appropriate coil of meat is taken off the wall and put in the top of the machine, resulting in a dog exiting from the left end of the transformator. The next customer, a woman, orders a dachshund, but the dog proves too jumpy for her and is changed back to a sausage; the woman then settles on a terrier, and leaves happily with her purchase. A man in a suit enters the factory and orders a trained dog. (I think this dog is a Jack Russel Terrier) The resulting canine does tricks such as a back-flip at the urging of the owner in the apron, and the customer leaves satisfied. When the next woman requests a small dog, a string of bull pups are produced for her, from which she selects her favorite. The rest of the puppies are turned back to sausage. Finally, a "tough" enters the store and orders a Boston Bull, but he rejects the resulting dog as not mean enough. The Boston Bull continues to jump around the stage and tries to eat the dog sausages. The factory owners then create a fighting bull, which comes out of the transformator biting. In the resulting commotion, with the Boston Bull also running around the store, the fighting bull grabs the tough by the seat of his pants and the two wrestle. The factory owners laugh as the bull and customer exit the shop, still fighting. **Good sterotype of a tough guy"
Christmas Chopping - Cut Your Own Tree Sends Folks To Woods
Across the country there's a new twist to acquiring your Christmas tree - go out into a tree farm, pick it out and chop it down. It's not much cheaper than buying it in town - but it revives that pioneer spirit - in some manner. California A sign "California Christmas Tree Growers". Families walking around the field of Christmas Trees and their looking for the right one to chop. The backside of a man carrying an axe looking at the Christmas trees. A woman holding a toddler in her arms as the child grabs at the branches of a Scotch Pine. A little boy kneeling next to a tree with and he is sawing at the trunk of the small tree. A family with two boys and a girl chopped down a Scotch Pine, it falls on one of the boys, not to worry it's a small tree. As the family station wagon drives away the tree is in the car and the tail gate of the car is down with the little girl and her brother sit on the tailgate.
Army 7 - Navy 7 (Football)
The Middies and the Kaydets clash in their classic battle before 102,000 in Philadelphia and most of the game is marked by flawless defense play on both sides. The Army scores early and the Navy just before the first half ends. That's all the tallies as the second half is a stand-off, with neither team reaching the other's 30 yard line. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania In Philadelphia, Army is running on to the football field - John Kennedy Stadium. Throngs of football fans fill up the stadium. Navy is running on the football field. Navy kicks off Army receiving. Army makes a 25 yard touchdown jaunt. Army Kaydets are jumping with joy. Army 7 and Navy 0. A dog gets on the field and he just having a good ole' time dodging everyone. Navy passes to his receiver and he makes it 15 yards. The Navy Middies are jumping with joy in the stands. Navy passes the ball for 13 yards and it is caught. Navy passes the ball for a touchdown First half of the game ends up 7 to 7. MS - Scoreboard. In the last quarter nothing get done and the game ends up with a tied game 7 to 7.
Coronacion De Miss Mundo - Miss World
As athletes work out in a gym and scholars work out in a library, so beauty contestants prepare in a London beauty pallor. Beauty Queen range in scope from Miss County Fair to Miss Universe. Miss Gambia is a contestant from one of the younger nations. There's nothing rocky about Miss Gibraltar. Miss Lesley Langley, Miss United Kingdom is named Queen thus keeping the championship in the home country. London, England All the Beauty Queens are sitting under hair dryers in a beauty shop in London. All the Beauty Queen stand up on the stage. Judges sitting at a table. Miss France walking on the stage wearing a long sleeve swim suit (leotard). Miss Germany wearing a black one piece bathing suit. Miss Gambia is wearing stripes on her bathing suit. Miss Gibraltar is wearing a bathing suit. Miss America walks on stage wearing a bathing and has very blond hair. Miss United Kingdom walks on to the stage wearing a black bathing suit with netting across the chest area. She too, has very blonde hair. Miss Langley is crowned Queen, a man dressed up in a 17th century dress puts the Queen's cape on the shoulder of Miss Langley. Miss World from the year before places the crown on the head of Miss United Kingdom and scepter in hand. She proudly walks on the cat walk very proudly as photographers snap her picture.
The Extra Turn
Filmed in Edison's New York City studio. Camera is positioned as if in the audience of a vaudeville show. A man and two women, all in evening clothes, are seated in a theater box to the left of a stage with curtains and a painted backdrop of trees. A young woman in a white dress, identified by a sign as "Dolly Lightfoot," performs a simple dance with leg kicks. The audience in the box applaud as she finishes, takes a curtsy, and exits. When they continue to clap, the dancer returns for an encore bow, and the man in the box throws her a bouquet of flowers. After she again exits, a man comes on the stage and changes the sign to "Extra," indicating an extra "turn" or act. A man in evening dress and holding sheet music takes the stage, and begins to sing with broad gestures. The trio in the box grumble and angrily gesture at the stage, then they throw their fans and hats at the oblivious singer and cover their ears. He continues to sing and ignores the hats and other objects are thrown by the off-camera audience, until one succeeds in knocking him down. **Great pratfall** He runs off stage, but quickly returns with an umbrella and continues to sing undaunted, even when the man in the box throws his seat cushion. Finally, two stagehands enter and drag and push the offending singer off stage, to the relief of the theater patrons. He struggles against the stagehands. He succedes in poking his head out from the curtain to sing a few more notes. **Really funny physical comedy by the singer**