Comments on: A Bijou Flashback: The History of Movie Newsreels

By: Publius

Publius — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 22:58:09 +0000

I have always loved newsreels because as Lillian Gish once said "we are the first people in the history of the world, before or since, to leave a living record of our Century. We've got everything up there on film from Victoria's funeral on."
Fox MovieTone News had a funny newscaster called Lew Leher. Blackhawk Films once released a 20 minute clip of selections from his "Newsettes" which were hysterical, and I have never been able to find them. Does anyone know where I can get them?
It would be great if all the film companies compiled their newsreels footage and released them in box DVD sets. When I get the money, I would be among the first to purchase such a compilation.

By: Jack Barrie

Jack Barrie — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 22:28:29 +0000

Here in the UK we had 5 newsreels they were - Pathe, Paramount, British Movietone, Gaumont British and Universal - which was probably the least popular. New editions every Monday and Thursday. Sometimes made very quickly, for example the Grand National which is run on a Saturday afternoon would be shown in the London cinemas the same evening. In the late 50s Gaumont British made special beginings which incorporated the cinema where it was showings name. Paramount would be the first one to go, I think, in 1959.

By: Jim Foster

Jim Foster — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 02:11:29 +0000

Newsreels were a part of my moviegoing experience for many years. With three new editions released each week, they were truly "The Eyes and Ears of the World," to quote Paramount's tagline, in the days BTV. I, for one, miss them. Thinking about newsreels brings to mind something I experienced at the age of eight that was connected with one. Many a Saturday night was spent at my aunt and uncle's home in south Minneapolis, where I'd bunk with my cousin, Bob, up in his attic bedroom. Five years my senior, he was more like a big brother than a cousin, and I always looked forward to my visits because he'd invariably treat me to a movie. On one such occasion in 1943, Cousin Bob took me to the nearby neighborhood El Lago Theatre to see a Bob Hope picture entitled THEY GOT ME COVERED. There I succeeded in making my bow as an entertainer and embarrassing him in the process. We arrived at the theatre early in order to catch the short subjects preceding the feature. As was customary, batting leadoff was a newsreel. In this instance it was one from RKO-Pathe, which opened with a crowing rooster atop a globe. Each succeeding story was heralded by an onscreen headline with a small, encircled still representation of said rooster at the bottom right of the frame. Well, the first time it appeared, I gave out with what I considered a stellar imitation of the rooster's crow, and... hey! Darned if it didn't evoke laughter from a goodly number of patrons in the nearly full theatre. To my immature way of reckoning, if my effort was funny once, it would be twice as funny a second time. However, my encore effort evoked far less of a positive reaction from the captive audience. That's when I should have quit; SHOULD have, but didn't. Still encouraged by the initial response I'd received, I elected to to give it one more try upon the chanticleer's third appearance. But that time my effort was met with grumbles as well as a sound whack on the arm accompanied by a brusque "SHUT UP!" from my cousin. Thus ended my debut as a mimic. Maybe its my imagination, but to this very day whenever I see Bob, the upper part of my right arm begins to throb.

By: spero chumas

spero chumas — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 23:27:35 +0000

growing up in the 1950's, my friends and i usually spent saturday afternoons at the movie theater. we got to see the newsreel, five cartoons, the coming attractions, a serial(this kept us coming back to see if the hero was killed in that car that went over the cliff) and a double feature, all for the low, low cost of 15c cents.

By: John Stanton

John Stanton — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 07:39:46 +0000

I noticed that the World War II United News newsreel referred to boxing champion Joe Lewis as "the boy who beat Max Schmelling."

By: Boddat

Boddat — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 15:45:44 +0000

Here in the UK, I seem to remember that PATHE NEWS ceased in 1970, when Bob Danvers-Walker announced on the BBC that Pathe was closing because of television providing a more immediate bulltin. Also, British Movietone News continued until just a little later.

By: Rufnek

Rufnek — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 23:08:53 +0000

I remember very well the newsreels at the local movie theater when I was a kid. Most of the time I regarded them as something I'd wish would quickly finish so we could get on the the cartoon or the Roy Rogers feature. But I remember very clearly one afternoon in the movies seeing a newsreel showing the French pulling out of Indo-China, having been defeated by communist rebels. I was old enough to my dad coming home from World War II after defeating Germany and Japan, and I knew France was one of our Allies against the Axis. I believed the US was then the most powerful nation in the world, on the side of right, and yet here was an ally getting its butt kicked by these ragtag Oriental rebels. It was confusing and kinda scarey, like maybe things weren't as good and steadfast as I had thought.

Years later, as US involvement in Vietnam continued to grow, I remembered the newsreel shots of French soldiers aboard crowded troop ships leaving that same area. Years later, there were TV clips of US soldiers pulling out of 'Nam with the last big scurry to get aboard the last helicopters going out. At least the French left with more grace and dignity in the newsreels.