List of American live-action shorts

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List of live-action short subject series by Hollywood studios
)

This is a list of

short subject
film series released by Hollywood studios.

Columbia

  • Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences
    - one special (1949)
  • Alan Mowbray (1941–1942) - 2 two-reelers
  • Andy Clyde (1935–1956) - 73 comedy two-reelers
  • Animal Cavalcade (1952–1953) - 4 one-reel comedies, much footage recycled from earlier shorts
  • Bedtime Stories for Grown-Ups (1929–1932) - 18 one-reelers with
    Eddie Buzzell
  • Ben K. Blake Film Novelty specials: Yoo-Hoo General (1942), My Wife's An Angel (1943) & A Voice Is Born (1947)
  • Bert Wheeler (1950–1951) - 2 two-reelers
  • Billie Burke (1948) - 2 two-reelers
  • Billy Gilbert (1943–1944) - 3 two-reelers
  • Broadway Follies (1937–1938) - 5 musical one-reelers directed by Ben K. Blake
  • Buster Keaton (1939–1941) - 10 two-reelers
  • Candid Microphone (1948–1954) featuring Allen Funt
    and produced by Ben K. Blake
  • Cavalcade of Broadway (1949–1952) - 12 New York nightlife shorts
  • Charley Chase (1937–1940) - 20 two-reelers
  • Cinescope (1939–1941) - 17 one-reel documentaries including a few travelogues by André de la Varre
  • Columbia Star Comedies (those headlining one two-reeler each; these didn’t become long-term series like the Three Stooges or Andy Clyde): Charlie Murray (1935), Franklin Pangborn (1935), Guinn "Big Boy" Williams (1936), Herman Bing (1937), Danny Webb (Special, 1939), Wally Brown & Tim Ryan (together, 1949), Harry Mimo (1953), The Mischief Makers (1954, 1 two-reeler of an Our Gang type series), Girlie Whirls (starring Muriel Landers, 1957)
  • Columbia Musical Novelties (1933–1934) - 8 comedy/musical two-reelers, often with dialogue entirely in rhyme.
  • Columbia Specials (1936–1944)- about 9, including a Cosmocolor short Fashion Takes a Holiday (1940)
  • Columbia Topnotchers (1953–1954) - set of 4 one-reel documentaries
  • Columbia Tour (1936–1944) - 32 one-reel travelogues
  • Community Sing (1937–1949) - 124 musical sing-a-long shorts, produced by Ben K. Blake after '40
  • Court of Human Relations ((1936–1937) - 4 dramatic one-reelers produced by TruPictures.
  • Eddie Foy Jr. (1945–1951) - 3 two-reelers
  • El Brendel (1936–1945) - 19 two-reelers, 2 costarring Harry Langdon and 1 costarring Shemp Howard
  • Film Vodvil ((1943–1946) - produced by Ben K. Blake
  • Fools Who Made History (1939) - pair of dramatic two-reelers
  • Football Thrills (1931) - 6 sports-reels
  • George Givot and Cliff Nazarro (1943) - 2 two-reelers
  • George Sidney and Charles Murray (1934) - 6 comedy two-reelers
  • The Glove Slingers (1939–1943) - 12 two-reelers, with
    Noah Beery, Jr.
    , David Durand, and Bill Henry alternating leads
  • Richard Lane
    (1945–1950) - 11 two-reelers
  • H. A. Ripley's Minute Mysteries (1933–1934) - 10 one-reelers produced by John Randolph Bray
  • Hall Room Boys Photoplays (pre-Columbia: 1919–1923) - before Columbia started, Harry Cohn worked on this series
  • Harry Langdon (1934–1945) - 22 comedy two-reelers
  • Harry Von Zell
    (1946–1950) - 8 two-reelers
  • Hugh Herbert (1943–1952) - 23 two-reelers
  • Joe Besser (1938, 1949–1956) – 1 two-reeler in ’38, followed by 11 more later
  • Joe DeRita (1946–1948) - 4 two-reelers
  • Laughing with Medbury (1931–1935) - John P. Medbury hosted travelogues (27 total)
  • Johnny Downs (1942) - 2 two-reelers
  • Johnny Walker International Forum (1941) – 3 two-reelers
  • Lambs Club
    (1933) - 8 comedies showcasing members
  • Leon Errol (1933–1934) - 5 comedy two-reelers
  • Life's Last Laughs (1934–1935) - 6 one-reel spoofs on epitaphs
  • Max Baer and Maxie Rosenbloom (1950–1952) - 4 two-reelers
  • Monkeyshines (1931) - 5 comedies with an ape cast
  • Tom Kennedy (1935–1938) - 10 two-reelers, plus one with Monty solo (1936). Tom also co-starred with Johnny Arthur
    in one 1938 two-reeler.
  • Music Hall Vanities (1939) - trio of shorts
  • Music to Remember (1950) - 6 classical musical performances
  • Musical Travelark (1954–1967) - 34 travelogues initially in CinemaScope and all in color. Harry Foster directed several.
  • New York Parade (film series) (1940) - pair of documentaries (1940)
  • Panoramics (1940–1945) - 14 one-reel documentaries
  • Polly Moran (1936–1937) - 2 two-reelers
  • Quiz Reel (film series) (1941–1942) - 5 one-reelers
  • The Radio Rogues (1935) - 3 two-reelers
  • Rambling Reporter travelogue (1930–1931) - 13 one-reelers
  • Roscoe Karns (1941) - 2 two-reelers
  • Screen Snapshots (C-B-C company: 1920–1924; Columbia: 1924–1958) - series of shorts that looked at the lives of various Hollywood stars
  • Shemp Howard (1944–1947) - 9 two-reelers
  • Slim Summerville (1943–1944) - 2 two-reelers
  • Smith and Dale (1938–1939) - 2 two-reelers
  • Special Happy Hour (1937–1939) - 7 one-reelers
  • Spice of Life - Literary Digest Jokes (1934–1935) - 7 one-reelers
  • Stars of Tomorrow (1935) - 6 one-reelers
  • Sterling Holloway (1946–1948) - 6 two-reelers
  • Strange as It Seems (1936–1937) - 8 drama/documentary two-reelers produced by the Screen Classics Studio
  • Take It or Leave It (1940–1941) - produced by Ben K. Blake
  • The Three Stooges (1934–1958) - 190 two-reelers
  • Thrills of Music (1946–1949) - 23 big band musicals
  • Una Merkel (1943–1944) - 2 two-reelers
  • Vera Vague
    (1943–1952) - 16 two-reelers
  • Victor Gems (1929–1930) - 31 short musicals
  • Victory Shorts (1942–1944), some by the
    Office of War Information
  • Voice of Experience (1935–1936) - 10 one-reel advice shorts produced by Rex Film and Ben K. Blake
  • Wally Vernon and Eddie Quillan (1948–1956) - 16 two-reelers
  • Walter Catlett (1934–1940) - 6 comedy two-reelers produced sporadically
  • Walter Futter Curiosities (1930–1932) - 28 one-reel documentaries
  • The Washington Parade (1938–1941) - 12 one-reelers profiling the capital
  • World in Color travelogues (1937–1938) - 5 made in Cinecolor
  • World of Sports (1932–1967) – 263+ one-reelers produced by John Randolph Bray in the early years and directed by Jack Kofoed until 1939, when Harry Foster took over. Most were in black and white prior to the sixties.
  • Columbia also distributed many independent productions, including many imports from the National Film Board of Canada and the award-winning People Soup and Norman Rockwell's World... An American Dream.
  • The Learning Corporation of America was mostly owned by Columbia between 1968 and 1975 (although the company continued through the early '90s), being responsible for many short educational films for schools (often 16mm), along with TV specials and theatrical shorts like the award-winning Angel and Big Joe (1975).

Educational Pictures

(Distributed through

20th Century Fox
, 1932–1938)

First National

Fox Film and 20th Century Fox

Hal Roach

(Distributed by Pathé Exchange, 1914–1928, and MGM, 1927–1938)

Mack Sennett

Metro Pictures

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

  • Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences
    (1950) – 3 one-reelers in black and white
  • Around the World with Burton Holmes (1930–1931) – 12 one-reel travelogues
  • CinemaScope Specials (1953–1956) – approximately 8, early ones were orchestra performances led by Johnny Green. Also The Battle of Gettysburg (1955 film)
  • Colortone Musical (1929–1935) - 17 one and two reel musicals in Technicolor, utilizing the full rainbow process from mid-1934.
  • Colortone Revue (1929–1930) – 5 black and white (but sepia tone released) comedies, two with Jack Benny.
  • Crime Does Not Pay (1935–1946) - 49 two-reel dramatic shorts
  • Dogville Comedies (1929–1931) - nine short parodies of feature films enacted by dogs, also known as All-Barkies.
  • FitzPatrick Traveltalks (1931–1953) – travelogues
    initially released independently in the late twenties, but approximately 221 one-reelers for MGM. In full Technicolor starting in 1934.
  • Hal Roach Comedies (distributed between 1927 and 1938)
  • Herbert Kalmus Great Events (silent, 1927–1929) – 12 two-reelers produced in 2-color Technicolor, costumed recreations of famous events from Betsy Ross to Cleopatra.
  • Historical Mysteries (1937–1938) – 11 one reel docu-shorts narrated by
    John Nesbitt
  • Louis Lewyn Galaxy of Stars (1934–1937) – 7 Technicolor two-reelers featuring many familiar faces. Also a few “MGM Miniatures” in black & white later followed the same model.
  • MGM Movietone Acts (1928–1930) - 82 one-reelers spotlighting various comedy and musical acts in sound
  • MGM Oddities / MGM Miniatures (1-reel, 1932–1946, 1951–1955) – about 115+ documentaries and comedy shorts running less than 11 minutes in length. Term “Oddity” replaced by “Miniature” by 1935. Early “Oddities” narrated by Pete Smith (two in color) and later Carey Wilson. Charles "Chic" Sale appeared in some mid-thirties entries. Also a series profiling Nostradamus.
  • MGM Musical Revue (1933–1934) – 9 two-reelers including some
    Three Stooges
    in early Technicolor
  • MGM 2-Reel Special (1927–1929, 1931, 1933–1945) - includes a documentary 24 Dollar Island directed by
    Robert Flaherty, also Jackie Cooper
    special (1931), followed by a more consistently released series starting in 1935, often musicals.
  • Martin Block Musical Merry-Go-Round (1947–1948) – 6 total
  • Office of War Information
    & War Activities Committee Specials (1941–1943)
  • Our Gang (1938–1944) 52 shorts; taken over from Hal Roach.
  • John Nesbitt
    .
  • Pete Smith series (1931–1955)
    • Fisherman's Paradise (6 sports-reels, 1 in early Technicolor, 1931–1932)
    • Sports Champions / Sports Parade (36 one-reelers, 1931–1936)
    • Goofy Movies (10 one-reel spoofs edited from various silent film clips, 1933–1934)
    • 3D film Specials (3 made in 1935, ’37 & ’40)
    • Specialties (214 live-action documentary/comedies 1935–1955, at least 18 in color. Dave O'Brien appeared in many ‘40s and ‘50s comedy titles)
  • Robert Benchley Comedies (1935–1940; 1943–1944) – 30 one reelers
  • Romance of Celluloid (1937–1944) – behind the scenes documentaries
  • Spotlight on the World We Live In (1951) – newsreel series made by Gordon Films
  • Stop Look and Listen (film) (1967)
  • Tabloid Musical (1936–1937) – 7 one-reelers, including the famous Every Sunday
  • Theater of Life (1946–1948) – 4 two-reel documentaries co-produced by the Associated Press
  • UFA
    “Oddity” (1927–1929) – 43 imported from Germany silent documentaries

Paramount

Pathé Exchange

Company merged with RKO in 1931.

  • Adventures of Bill & Bob (1920–1922)
  • Benny Rubin Comedies (1930–1931)
  • Chronicles of America (1923–1924)
  • Edgar Jones Westerns (1921)
  • Fred H. Kiser Industrial Films (1922–1923)
  • Grantland Rice's Sportlight (1923–1933) and “Football Sense” (1927)
  • Hal Roach comedies (distributor, 1914–1927)
  • Harvard University Department of Geology (1928–1929)
  • Henry & Polly (1927) with Leah Baird and Taylor Holmes
  • Hugh Wiley’s Wildcat (1929–1930) with Ford Washington Lee and John William Sublett
  • Indian Frontier (1924) with Ed Brady
  • James A. Fitzpatrick
    Famous Melodies (1926)
  • Johnny Jones (1922) featuring Edward Peil Jr.
  • Knute Rockne sports-reels (1930)
  • Mack Sennett comedies (distributor, 1923–1929)
  • Major Allen’s Safari (1921)
  • Monty Banks shorts and features (1927–1930)
  • On Guard with Arch Heath (1927)
  • Pathé Novelty (1922–1928) – umbrella title for assorted documentaries and specials
  • Pathé Review (silent version, 1919–1930, sound version called “Pathé Audio Review”, 1929–1933) - multi-subject shorts made on an average of 52 per year, usually with one or two segments in color (often stenciled).
  • Pathé Sound Comedies (1929–1932) known by different sub-titles: Campus Comedies, Capitol Comedies, Checker Comedies,
    Franklyn Pangborn and Dot Farley
  • Range Rider Westerns (1922–1923) starring Leo D. Maloney
  • Rarebits (1927–1928) produced by Record Pictures
  • Raymond L. Ditmars
    Nature Reels (1912–1915). He also made segments for the Pathé Review.
  • Smitty & His Pals (1928–29) - 2 reel comedies produced by
    Amadee J. Van Beuren
  • Song Sketches (1930) directed by
    Amadee J. Van Beuren
  • Sound Topics of the Day (1929–1930) directed by Alfred T. Mannon and produced by
    Amadee J. Van Beuren
  • Stereoscopiks (1925) – 3D film experiments produced by Frederic Eugene Ives and Jacob Leventhal
  • Tom Santschi Westerns (1921)
  • Topics of the Day (for Timely Prod., 1919–1929) produced by
    Amadee J. Van Beuren
  • Travelesque (1927–1928) featuring Will Rogers
  • True Detective Stories (1924)
  • Vagabond Adventure (1930–1931, for RKO-Pathé: 1931–1937) -
    Amadee J. Van Beuren
  • Walter Futter Curiosities (1928–1929) produced by
    Amadee J. Van Beuren
  • World Geography (1927–1928) produced by Duncan Underbill

Republic

  • Land of Opportunity (1949–1950) – four documentaries
  • Meet the Stars (1940–1941) – 11 one-reelers
  • This World of Ours (1950–1955) – Carl Dudley produced Trucolor travelogues
  • Trucolor Specials (1956)

RKO

(These do not include the Pathé shorts listed above)

United Artists

Universal

Sound films

  • Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences
    one-reel special 1949
  • America Speaks (1942–1943) – 3 one-reel documentaries
  • Answer Man (1946–1948) – 15 one-reel documentaries
  • Arthur Lake comedies (1928–1930), initially the silent “Horace in Hollywood” two-reel comedies
  • Basketball Sports-reels (written by Albert H. Kelley and Samuel Freeman) (1931)
  • Benny Rubin (1929) – approximately 7 sound one-reel comedies
  • Charlie Murray & George Sidney Comedies (1930–1931) – 11 two-reelers
  • Christy Walsh All-America Sportreel (1931–1932) – 15 sports-reels
  • Daphne Pollard Comedies (1931–1932) – 4 two-reelers
  • Earth and Its People (1947–1949) – 35 two-reel travelogues initially released to schools in 16mm format, theatrically in 35mm in 1952-53.
  • Going Places (1934–1941) - 92 travelogues with Lowell Thomas and Graham McNamee (after ’38) narrating. Produced/directed by Allyn Butterfield and Charles E. Ford
  • Junior Jewel Comedies (1929–1930) with Snappy and “The Sporting Youth”, including Ann Christy, Sumner Getchell & Joan McCoy
  • Juvenile Jury (1946–1947) – 4 quiz novelty reels with Jack Barry (game show host)
  • Laemmle Novelties (1928–1929) – first sound series with musical and stage performances. Vernon Dent and Lou Archer appeared together in one.
  • Lloyd Hamilton Comedies (1931–1932) – 4 two-reelers
  • Louis Sobol (1932–1934) – 4 one and two-reelers
  • Mentone Brevity (1933–1939) – 77 variety shorts shot in New York City with many stage performers like Ethel Barrymore, Bill Robinson, Bob Hope, among others.
  • Morton Downey in “America's Greatest Composers” (1932–1933) – trio of shorts
  • Name Band Musical (1939–1957) – 214 California filmed 15–20 minute shorts showcasing the best in jazz and big band
  • Northwest Mounted Police (sound film series) (1929–1930) – two-reelers with Ted Carson
  • Pat Rooney (1929) – 6 two-reel comedies
  • Person-Oddity (1942–1946) – 48 human interest documentaries (one-reel) produced by Thomas Mead & Joseph O'Brien
  • Pioneer Kid (1929–1930) – two-reel westerns with Bobby Nelson, some initially filmed silent with sound dubbed in.
  • Red Star Comedy (1930–1932) – approximately 12 two-reelers with an assortment (including Edgar Kennedy, Tom O’Brian, Franklin Pangborn & Jack Duffy)
  • Robert Benchley (1933) – one short “Your Technocracy And Mine”
  • The Shadow (film series version) (1931–1932) – 6 two-reel fantasy-dramas adapted from the radio show with Arthur Aylesworth
  • Sing & Be Happy (1945–1949) – 29 musical one-reelers
  • Slim Summerville (1930–1934) – 20 two-reel comedies
  • John Hix comics and shown in Multicolor
    during the first two seasons.
  • Stranger Than Fiction (1934–1942) – 110 documentary shorts, successor to Strange As It Seems covering animals, travel and peculiar items of interest. Production by Allyn Butterfield, Thomas Mead and Joseph O’Brien with Charles E. Ford and later Henry Clay Bate as key directors.
  • Sunny Jim McKee (1929–1930) – two-reel juvenile comedies
  • SuperSpecial Featurettes (1959–1968) – 23 running 20–30 minutes in color
  • Syd Saylor Comedies (1930) – 5 two-reelers
  • Thalians Club Comedies (1931–1932, 1934) – 5 two-reelers with
    Franklyn Pangborn
    and others.
  • Universal Brevities & Novelties (1930–1934) – 16 documentary one-reelers
  • Universal Color Adventures (1962–1972) – approximately 57 assorted one and two-reel documentaries
  • Universal-International Color Parade (1952–1962) – approximately 72 one and two-reel documentaries.
  • Universal-International Musical Westerns (1948–1949) - 19 two-reelers featuring Tex Williams and other country singers
  • Universal Specials (1930–1958, 1969–1972) – 45 comedy and documentary two-reelers not part of any series, in color by the ‘50s.
  • Universal Newsreel (1929–1967), also including a group of annual “Football Highlights” specials (1959–1967)
  • Van Ronkel Comedies (1935) – 6 two-reelers mostly with Sterling Holloway
  • Variety View (film series) (1941–1958) – 260 documentary one-reelers replacing “Going Places” and produced by Thomas Mead and initially Joseph O'Brien. All in black and white.
  • Vernon Dent (1929–1930) – pair of comedies
  • Victory Shorts (1942–1944) – 7 documentary one-reelers
  • Vistarama Specials (1954–1957) – 9 widescreen Eastmancolor travelogues produced by Carl Dudley
  • Warren Doane Comedies (1932–1935) – 46 two-reelers with James Gleason, Louise Fazenda, Sterling Holloway, Henry Armetta and others.
  • William Rowland & Monty Brice Featurettes (1932–1933) - 6 two-reel musicals, featuring such acts as
    Boswell Sisters

Silent films (pre-1928)

Walt Disney

Films distributed by RKO (1937–1956). Launched

Buena Vista Distribution
in 1953.

  • People & Places (1952–1959)
  • True Life Adventure
    (1948–1959, mostly features after 1953)

Warner Bros.

Other series

References

  1. ^ "Robert Shayne".

Sources

Further reading