I I

—
. .
. "The
. . "We
—
—
C^uftoond ^ead tke S^kort ^ubiectd J-^av^ade
by VELMA WEST SYKES
TAKING
A POLL of short subjects
among exhibitors is about the most
reliable way of finding out how popular
shorts are as the "dessert" portion of a
theatre program. Commenting on his ballot,
one exhibitor wrote, "E^'eryone likes
short subjects—we ought to play more of
them." And another was able to pick the
top winners in the series field, for he wrote,
"Bugs Bunny Specials and Tom & Jerry
Cartoons are oui- best ones." That seemed
to be the way the majority felt, for Warner's
Bugs Bunny Specials zoomed into
top place this year, with Tom & Jerry
Cartoons closely crowding that position.
Last year the positions were reversed, so it
will be interesting to see if this seesaw
keeps up in their relative support by the
public taste. Another exhibitor insisted,
Said still
"MGM and WB make the best shorts."
another, "MGM's shorts are consistently
the best—they have new and
fresh
ideas."
Disney Cartoons (RKO) held to third
place where that series had scored last
year, but there was a tie for fourth place
Woody Woodpecker Cartunes (U-I) and
Pete Smith Specialties (MGM). Last year
March of Time (20th-Fox) was fourth this
year, seventh. Popeye Cartoons (Para)
moved up a notch to fifth place, and
Stooge Comedies (Col) came up from
eighth to sixth place. Merrie Melodies
Looney Tunes (WB) fell back one, to ninth
place, and this year Grantland Rice
Sportlights (Para) shared tenth place with
Joe McDoakes Comedies (WBi.
From this series popularity choice, it
would seem that people like their shorts
humorous and a little on the "goofy" side.
Lest this conclusion be reached too
hastily, however, it would be well to examine
the results of the poll of single
short subjects chosen. The first is RKO's
Disney featurette, "Nature's Half Acre,"
and since last year's top position went to
Disney's "Beaver Valley," either the public
likes longer shorts, nature realism, or
it just likes factual subjects treated with
imaginative artistry.
Truth may not only be stranger than
fiction, it may be more popular, for the
short given second place was "Dobbin
Steps Out" (Para), a Sportlight taken at
the American Royal in Kansas City in
which exhibitor George Baker's daughter,
Linda, rides. "The Popcorn Story" (Col)—
third from the top—is, of course, in the
spoofing tradition, as is "Jerry's Cousin"
(MGM), number 4. "Enchanted Islands"
(WB) combines the two, with unusual
color and narration, but has to shai'e fifth
place honors with "Stage Struck" (20th-
Fox), a delightful little fantasy of a baby
elephant that wants to get into the circus
act.
Sixth place went to "Spooky Wooky"
(RKO), a Leon Errol comedy. In this connection,
one exhibitor wrote, "It is too bad
Errol died. Maybe the type can be con-
1—Bugs Bunny Specials (WB)
2—Tom