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Prolific American film producer Amedee J. Van Beuren (1879-1938) did not start out in the film industry. After a decade spent in business and advertising, Van Beuren turned his intellect and creativity towards acquiring a foothold in film and began building his empire. He is best known to animation fans for his bizarre cartoons of the 1920s and 1930s, featuring such zanies as Molly Moo Cow, Cubby Bear and Tom and Jerry (not the cat-and-mouse duo). But the majority of the 1,499 films produced by Van Beuren between 1918 and 1937 were live-action short subjects--travelogues, comedies, musicals, sports reels and more. His roster of star performers included Bert Lahr, Shemp Howard, Ethel Waters and (indirectly) Charlie Chaplin. Van Beuren also made several feature films starring legendary big-game hunter Frank Buck, and a 12-episode serial headlining horror icon Lon Chaney, Jr.
Capped by a complete list of his films, this engrossing chronicle of Amedee Van Beuren's vast output is the first all-inclusive history of one of moviedom's most successful and least-known filmmakers.
Inhaltsverzeichnis
Table of ContentsPreface and Acknowledgments
Introduction: Amedee Van Beuren (and a Cast of Thousands)
1-Mr. and Mrs. Sidney Drew
2-Topics of the Day
3-Ernest Truex
4-Animated Cartoons, Part One: Aesop's Fables
5-Henry and Polly
6-The Grantland Rice Sportlights
7-Walter Futter's "Curiosities"
8-Smitty and His Pals
9-The Song Sketches
10-The Vagabond Adventures
11-Animated Cartoons, Part Two: Tom and Jerry, Cubby Bear,
The Little King, Amos 'n' Andy
12-Floyd Gibbons Supreme Thrills
13-The Liberty Short Short Stories
14-Frank Buck: Bring 'Em Back Alive (1932); Wild Cargo (1934);
Fang and Claw (1935)
15-The Charlie Chaplin Mutual Comedies
16-The Last Frontier (1932)
17-The Van Beuren Musical Comedies
18-The Dumb-Bell Letters
19-Animated Cartoons, Part Three: Burt Gillett and the
Rainbow Parades
20-Adventure Girl (1934)
21-Easy Aces
22-Struggle to Live
23-Sports with Bill Corum
24-World on Parade
The Van Beuren Filmography
Selected Bibliography
Index
Über den Autor / die Autorin
Hal Erickson is the author of numerous media-related books and was for many years a primary editor of the All-Movie Guide website. He lives and works in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
