Showing posts with label Educational Pictures. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Educational Pictures. Show all posts
Monday, March 21, 2016
This Is A Pre-Code Terrytoon? With Farmer Al?!?!
From Terrytoons in 1932, we bring you just about the most pre-Code oriented cartoon from that studio. It's entitled "Farmer Al Falfa's Ape Girl." With music by Philip A. Scheib, this cartoon, complete with original main titles, was produced and directed in New York City by Frank Moser and Paul Terry.
Originally released through Educational Film Exchanges.
Friday, February 12, 2016
Time For An Old Terrytoon
From Terrytoons in 1935, we present "Football." Made at New Rochelle, New York on behalf of Educational Pictures, the cartoon, with original main titles, was produced and directed by Paul Terry and Frank Moser, with music by Philip A. Scheib.
Released theatrically by Twentieth Century-Fox.
Friday, December 25, 2015
Kinograms Newsreel (1924)
From 1924, here's a Kinograms silent newsreel with President and Mrs. Calvin Coolidge staging a White House reception with Chief Justice (and former President) William Howard Taft and economist Andrew Mellon in attendance.
Among other items on this Educational Pictures-distributed newsreel:
Placerville, California: Inhabitants take a Sunday to start a new Park.
Famous runner Paavo Nurmi from Finland arrives in the United States to train for race.
Women candidates for Congress meet: Mrs. Kerr from Colorado, Mrs. Culbertson and Jessie Collet from Philadelphia.
Grand Duchess Cyril - wife of claimant to the Russian throne visits Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
St. Louis 45th annual carnival / thousands view $10,000 floats.
Nation pays tribute to Samuel Gompers, who died recently in Texas / he visits with San Francisco's Charles Schwab.
Mrs. Coolidge receives honorary Doctor of Laws from Boston University.
New York - Workers risk lives to paint WJZ's radio tower at Aeolian Hall, across 42nd Street from the New York Public Library, in Manhattan.
San Francisco: Army blasts away last signs of training cantonment foundation (at Crissy Field).
Philadelphia hires tale-teller for children.
"Frisco" ( San Francisco, California ) cops show how to make an arrest!
I figured that this would be something interesting to watch.
Monday, December 14, 2015
FARMER AL FALFA IN THE HEALTH FARM-Terrytoons/Educational/20th Century-F...
From 1936, here's "FARMER AL FALFA IN THE HEALTH FARM," which was produced on behalf of Educational Pictures and originally released through 20th Century-Fox. In this one, the notorious jewel thief Wooden Leg Willy comes to Farmer Al's Health Farm disguised as a customer. Can Farmer Al and his canine sidekick Puddy the Pup capture Willy and turn him over to the sheriff? With music by Philip A. Scheib, this cartoon, produced in New Rochelle, New York by Paul Terry, was directed by George Gordon and Mannie Davis.
This is a TV print which may have been shown on Paul Terry's Barker Bill's Cartoon Show, which aired late afternoons on CBS from 1953 to 1955.
Sunday, January 11, 2015
Time For A Cartoon!
From 1936, here's Farmer Al Falfa, with Puddy the Pup, in "Farmer Al Falfa in The Dry Spell," produced by Terrytoons in New Rochelle, New York on behalf of Educational Pictures and released theatrically by 20th Century-Fox. This is a TV syndication print. In this one, our hero and his canine sidekick try to make it rain on the Farmer's drought-stricken farm, only to raise the ire of "Joe" Pluveus.
With music by Phil Scheib, this cartoon was produced by Paul Terry and directed by George Gordon and Mannie Davis.
You can find it here.
With music by Phil Scheib, this cartoon was produced by Paul Terry and directed by George Gordon and Mannie Davis.
You can find it here.
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
At Last, A Video!
This short, distributed by Fox Film Corporation, starred the Cabin Kids.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Some History
Educational Picutures was founded in 1919 by Earle W. Hammons (1882-1962), who previously had a career in real estate.
The company was originally established to produce and distribute instructional films for schools but by the 1920s it found its' calling in novelties and two-reel comedies, including those that starred Al St. John, Lupino Lane, Lige Conley, and Lloyd Hamilton.
The company distributed a silent newsreel called Kinograms, which existed through the 1920s before it became a victim of the sound revolution.
In 1931, Kinograms was reorganized into a sound-on-disc sponsored newsreel, but it turned out to be an abysmal failure and disappeared by the end of that year.
As far as animation was concerned, in the mid-to-late 1920s, Educational distributed Pat Sullivan's hugely successful Felix the Cat series, but, as was the case with Paul Terry and producer Amadee J. Van Beuren, when Mr. Hammons demanded that Mr. Sullivan begin making sound cartoons with Felix, Pat refused.
In 1930, with the films originally financed by Audio Cinema, Educational began distributing Paul Terry's (and Frank Moser's) Terrytoons cartoons, made at the time in New York City.
Educational had their own film exchanges (the company was originally called Educational Film Exchanges, Inc.).
As far as two-reel comedies were concerned, Educational released early sound films made on the West Coast which included such figures as Monty Collins, Vernon Dent, Harry Gribbon, Harry Langdon, and Edward Everett Horton. They also released comedies produced by the legendary Mack Sennett . Several of them included funny man Andy Clyde, others included early film appearances by Bing Crosby.
Financial problems forced Mr. Sennett to end the association with Educational.
By late 1933, as an economy measure, Educational closed down their exchanges and agreed to have their shorts (including the Terrytoons cartoons they had distributed directly) distributed by Fox Film corporation (Twentieth Century-Fox from 1935 afterward). The company became known as Educational Films Corporation of America.
Over the years, such stars as Bob Hope, the Ritz Brothers, June Allyson, Imogene Coca, and Danny Kaye made their film debuts in Educational shorts in New York, while Shirley Temple, Joan Davis, and Roy Rogers did the same on the West Coast.
Here's an Oscar winner (Short Subject Novelty, 1934), "Krakatoa," produced by Joe Rock:
By 1934, Paul Terry moved his studio to New Rochelle, New York.
The studio released 16 two-reelers made between 1934 and 1937 that starred Buster Keaton.
The beginning of the end for Educational Picutures came in 1937 when 20th Century Fox decided to no long distribute their two-reel comedies.
In order to stay in business, Mr. Hammons tried to keep his company going while entering the feature-film business by hooking up with financially-troubled Grand National Films (Earle had earlier in the decade run an outfit called World Wide Films, whose films were made at the Tiffany/KBS studios in Hollywood).
It was all in vain. At the end of the decade, both Educational and Grand National went into bankruptcy.
The final Educational releases came out in January, 1939.
On year later, its' film library was sold at auction, many of them were acquired by Astor Pictures.
The company was originally established to produce and distribute instructional films for schools but by the 1920s it found its' calling in novelties and two-reel comedies, including those that starred Al St. John, Lupino Lane, Lige Conley, and Lloyd Hamilton.
The company distributed a silent newsreel called Kinograms, which existed through the 1920s before it became a victim of the sound revolution.
In 1931, Kinograms was reorganized into a sound-on-disc sponsored newsreel, but it turned out to be an abysmal failure and disappeared by the end of that year.
As far as animation was concerned, in the mid-to-late 1920s, Educational distributed Pat Sullivan's hugely successful Felix the Cat series, but, as was the case with Paul Terry and producer Amadee J. Van Beuren, when Mr. Hammons demanded that Mr. Sullivan begin making sound cartoons with Felix, Pat refused.
In 1930, with the films originally financed by Audio Cinema, Educational began distributing Paul Terry's (and Frank Moser's) Terrytoons cartoons, made at the time in New York City.
Educational had their own film exchanges (the company was originally called Educational Film Exchanges, Inc.).
As far as two-reel comedies were concerned, Educational released early sound films made on the West Coast which included such figures as Monty Collins, Vernon Dent, Harry Gribbon, Harry Langdon, and Edward Everett Horton. They also released comedies produced by the legendary Mack Sennett . Several of them included funny man Andy Clyde, others included early film appearances by Bing Crosby.
Financial problems forced Mr. Sennett to end the association with Educational.
By late 1933, as an economy measure, Educational closed down their exchanges and agreed to have their shorts (including the Terrytoons cartoons they had distributed directly) distributed by Fox Film corporation (Twentieth Century-Fox from 1935 afterward). The company became known as Educational Films Corporation of America.
Over the years, such stars as Bob Hope, the Ritz Brothers, June Allyson, Imogene Coca, and Danny Kaye made their film debuts in Educational shorts in New York, while Shirley Temple, Joan Davis, and Roy Rogers did the same on the West Coast.
Here's an Oscar winner (Short Subject Novelty, 1934), "Krakatoa," produced by Joe Rock:
By 1934, Paul Terry moved his studio to New Rochelle, New York.
The studio released 16 two-reelers made between 1934 and 1937 that starred Buster Keaton.
The beginning of the end for Educational Picutures came in 1937 when 20th Century Fox decided to no long distribute their two-reel comedies.
In order to stay in business, Mr. Hammons tried to keep his company going while entering the feature-film business by hooking up with financially-troubled Grand National Films (Earle had earlier in the decade run an outfit called World Wide Films, whose films were made at the Tiffany/KBS studios in Hollywood).
It was all in vain. At the end of the decade, both Educational and Grand National went into bankruptcy.
The final Educational releases came out in January, 1939.
On year later, its' film library was sold at auction, many of them were acquired by Astor Pictures.
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Welcome!
This is the inaugural post of this brand new blog, entitled, "The Spice of the Program," dedicated to Educational Pictures, best remembered as a company that produced two-reel comedies and one-reel novelties.
They also distributed Kinograms, which was a silent newsreel during the 1920s.
Educational also distributed Pat Sullivan's Felix the Cat cartoons in the mid-late 1920s and distributed Paul Terry's Terrytoons from 1930 until 1933, when Educational closed down their film exchanges and then had their films distributed through Fox (and later 20th Century-Fox) Film Corporation.
Hopefully, I will be able to embed a number of these rare classics on this blog.
They also distributed Kinograms, which was a silent newsreel during the 1920s.
Educational also distributed Pat Sullivan's Felix the Cat cartoons in the mid-late 1920s and distributed Paul Terry's Terrytoons from 1930 until 1933, when Educational closed down their film exchanges and then had their films distributed through Fox (and later 20th Century-Fox) Film Corporation.
Hopefully, I will be able to embed a number of these rare classics on this blog.
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