Walter Futter's Curiosities No. 1 (1930) 8mm scan
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- Опубликовано: 9 сен 2024
- Reg 8mm scan of what's likely the first entry in the 'Curiosities' series, dated 1930. “Bits of Life that are hard to believe gathered from here, there and everywhere”-- That about sums it up! Produced in the early 1930's, Walter Futter's Curiosities were travelogue short subjects usually focused on the exotic, unusual and taboo.
Brothers Walter and Fred Futter's company Wafilms Inc. owned hours of silent stock footage, all of which must've been put to use in the Curiosities series. Walter's Ethnofiction / Exploitation showcases Africa Speaks! (1930) and India Speaks (1933) were smash hits with 30's moviegoers and are still discussed today. Walter would go on to produce more exotic pictures, as well as numerous Hoot Gibson B-westerns, before passing away in 1958.
According to IMDb, anywhere from 10 to 220 of these films were produced between 1930 and 1932 (not all that shocking when one thinks of the sheer amount of ubiquitous newsreel / short subject content that a busy theater or chain would require). This is the only full 'episode' I've been able to locate online.
My copy of this film is in incredibly rough shape. I don't think this 8mm print was actually struck in the 1930s; The 1940s or 50s is more likely. No distributor branding / bumper is present in or on the film itself. Clips from other Curiosities shorts can be found online. My copy has 'Curiosities # 190' scrawled on its tin, but I'm fairly certain it is #1.
Another copy of the film: • Walter Futter's Curios... , indicating this is #1 in the series.
British Pathé's channel has a couple of clips from other Curiosities shorts; Here's a link to one of them: • "Pedal-Power" (1924)
Upload #4 of 'Curiosities No. 1'-- Fixed aspect ratio and did cleanup + framing fixes.