I am not sure if MGM's Pete Smith Specialties were ever shown on television, aside from Turner Classic Movies. That said, if you're a bowling fan like ye scribe, consider this a simple tutorial.
1939's "Set 'Em Up" showcases two of the prominent bowlers of the era, Ned Day and Andy Veripapa. I was remotely familiar with Veripapa from various Pro Bowlers Tour telecasts where color analyst Nelson Burton, Jr. would make mention of Veripapa's legendary trick shot artistry, which takes up most of the second half of this offering.
Rating: A.
Here in Chicago, WNBQ-Channel 5, the NBC station in town, bought the Pete Smith Specialties for daily showing just before the nightly news, at 5:30 pm.
ReplyDeleteAt ten minutes each, the shorts made a perfect 15-minute show (with commercials, of course); in those days (circa 1960), newscasts were usually no more than about a quarter-hour anyway at the local level.
My brother and I soon learned to "imitate" Pete Smith's nasal drawl, which annoyed our parents no end; also, we learned to appreciate Dave O'Brien, possibly the least recognized comedian in the movies (O'Brien isn't in this picture, but he was Smith's "star" in the majority of his specialties).
Now I gotta go to YouTube to see if any of the others can be found ...
I think there may be some more, because I'm going to be looking for them, too, Mike. Bear in mind, though, that this was the first time I'd seen any of these.
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